willa’s Recent Comments

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  You need this: http://www.historichomeworks.com/hhw/reports/reports.htm#Windows

  Reglazing old windows isn't hard. There's even a tool, the Prazi Putty Chaser, to make it easier. And there are plenty of window restoration people who are way cheaper than replacement-window installers if you can't take it on yourself. Such people can also use strippers to take paint off the edges of sash and the channels they move in, and that's really what you care about--if the paint isn't getting ground into dust, the lead exposure is negligible.

  And I agree that if you have storms and weatherstripping and still have cold drafts, your issue is around the frames, not through the windows. Also, you may have drafts coming in through your siding in other places and forcing its way into your house at the windowframes, if your walls aren't insulated. New windows won't address any of that, but they will have a huge negative environmentla impact, fail in a few years (look at the warranty period--the seals in double-glazed windows is designed to last just a few years longer than that), and not have all that much impact on heat loss. Oh, and they will reduce the size of your windows by a few inches all the way around, since they will sit inside your current window openings.

  On Should I suck it up and buy vinyl windows? posted 2 months ago 30 Responses

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  Save even more

  The cited 20% saving for bulk purchasing over packaged can easily be increased.  Just order the whole container, whatever they'd empty into the bulk bin.  Flour and rice in 20- to 40-lb bags, etc, are usually at least 10% cheaper per lb than the same product scooped out of the bins.  If you have enough storage, it's a real savings.  Just make sure to keep all products in airtight containers, and if you have spare room in a large freezer, keep frozen anything you won't use within a few months.

  Both Whole Foods and my local health food place offer this discount.  In fact, the local store also offers discounts on cases of products--anything from body lotion to Quorn patties, I just let them know what I want and they call me when it comes and give me a discount!  I don't know if this exists anywhere else, though.On How to maintain a green, healthy diet on a budget posted 9 months, 1 week ago 17 Responses

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  Quorn!

  Quorn roasts are always the answer.  Seriously, if you tasted a carved pieces of turkey breast and then a piece of Quorn roast, you might not be able to immediately say which was which.

  BioD, as for a vegetarian diet not being better than  better than an omnivorous one...um, no.  A cow can either be slaughtered or kept for dairy, but a cow produces many, many more pounds of milk than meat over the same period of time.  Likewise a chicken; my friend keeps chickens for both eggs and meat, and if you calculated the average amount of food provided per year by each (it would have to be an average, because the meat birds start being converted to meat after just a few months), I'm pretty sure the eggs would win.On Smaller breasts are better, and other advice for holiday-bird quandaries posted 12 months ago 28 Responses

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  truth be known

  Look, you're not wrong about the plastic issue--and thank you for working to develop a better alternative--but I promise you I tried every variety of your pads, and they just don't keep my blood off my clothes!  I wish they did, but they don't.On A review of eco-minded feminine products posted 12 months ago 46 Responses

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  A "sacred practice"?

  Only a man could say a thing like that.

  I mean, yes, cooking can be fun, probably spiritual ("spiritual" just ain't my thing), etc...but it helps when it's not a chore.  When men cook, it's about artistry and love for one's family and whatnot, because it's not a baseline expectation for men

   I 100% do not support eating at KFC ever (and I think I can honestly say I have never eaten there, so I guess I don't know what I'm missing, other than animal cruelty), but I think you should understand that yours is not the only perspective.  When putting dinner on the table is a thankless task that's only noticed if it doesn't get done, it certainly raises the appeal of a ready-made meal.

  And yes, Virginia, that expectation is still alive and well.  Even women who do fly planes or perform surgery or whatever all day are still doing a far greater than equal share of the housework.On How I beat KFC's 'family meal' challenge posted 12 months ago 46 Responses