We all have those common bills that we hate to pay. They take a sometimes significant portion of our income away from us, we can't do without them and honestly, it seems as if there's no way to lower our costs. Most of these costs are covered under our shelter expenses: rent or mortgages, heat, water, electricity, and telephone and we can't go without these bills, so our only choices are to accept them or to find ways to lower their costs.

There's a few ways that you can do that:

Rent

If you're a renter that is happy in your current home, you're likely not going to be able to lower your rental rate, save for offering to do some extra work around the property. For example, if you're handy, the landlord may want repairs and renovations done - work that they'd normally hire a high-priced contractor to do on his hours. But if you do some or all of the work yourself, you can not only pick the hours (except for any work that might affect the neighbours around you), but also probably have more leeway over cosmetic decisions such as colour schemes in repainting scenarios. Your landlord will likely have the materials delivered to you and you just have to get to work! Negotiate a rent decrease for the work done and you'll reap the savings.

If you're open to moving, consider moving to a less influential neighbourhood, a smaller space, or one that needs some work that you're prepared to do yourself. These can all equal savings in monthly rent rates, as well as a potential temporary rent decrease for work that you might do to make the home more livable.

Mortgage

Is your mortgage locked in? If not, think about whether you really shopped around for the best interest rates and conditions. Or did you just go to your bank and apply for a mortgage, taking whatever they offered? If you've got a good payment history and the ability to transfer your loan to another institution, talk to a broker or do some background checking yourself.

In the short-term, lower payments mean more money in your pocket, true. But, if you can move around funds elsewhere, try calculating the long-term benefit of a shorter amortization period. This will raise your normal payments now, sure, but if your home is paid off in five years instead of ten, and it saves you thousands in interest dollars, it's probably worth it to you!

Just a side note on mortgage payments: If you don't have it already, you probably want some form of mortgage or health insurance that will cover your payment should you become incapacitated and therefore cannot earn your normal wages.

There is also a type of insurance you can add onto your loan so that should the worst happen, your mortgage will be paid off in the event of your death.

Heat

If you live in a warmer climate, there's likely a good portion of the year when you don't even need to turn on your heat. Winter can be quite severe in comparison, so of course your bill would go up significantly, but try the following to decrease the amount of heat you use.

• Turn down your heat when you will not be at home - if no one is there to be cold, there's little point in wasting the cash keeping your home warm.

• Turn off your heat during the warmer months of the year - if it gets chilly, use sweaters and blankets to make up for the temperature change.

• Wear sweaters and use blankets where possible - a 25 degree Celsius home may be more comfortable for you, but this way, not only is everyone's comfort level taken into consideration, but your wallet is too.

• Maintain a reasonable temperature and set your thermostat accordingly, when you need it - most people are comfortable around 20 degrees Celsius, or about 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Don't forget to turn off your heat if you will be away for an extended absence such as when you travel away from home for a weekend or longer.

Water

• Don't leave the water running, first of all - even when brushing your teeth, practice turning off the tap until you need more water.
• Repair all leaky taps and tanks - you'd be surprised how much water is wasted this way.

• Don't forget about those running toilets, too.

• Conserve hot water for showers and cleaning purposes - you don't need to wash laundry in hot water in most cases, and you'll find your clothes last longer, too!

• Take reasonable-length showers - if you're looking for a longtime in the tub, consider a bath instead.

  Electricity

• Don't leave your appliances on when they're not in use - this is a good safety tip, too, since children tend to go for the most dangerous items when we least expect them to.

• Turn off lights when you're not using them - this is a good thing to teach children, especially.

• Wash full loads of dishes and laundry, not partial ones - this will also save you some time. Instead of constantly washing and putting away things, you'll have a bigger load to take care of, less often.

• Switch to energy efficient light bulbs and appliances - this will save you replacement costs over the long-term, too!

Telephone

• If you use long distance frequently, check alternate plans for lower rates or inquire about a long distance plan with your provider - also check out lower rates on basic services if the option of an alternate provider exists.

• Don't pay for voicemail - you can get an answering machine.

• Don't get call waiting and all of those other add-ons unless you really need it - most of us got along fine twenty years ago without call waiting, three-way calling, *69 and the like. Go back in time.
• If you have a cell phone, get rid of it if you can, or use it sparingly - cell phones are handy when you're out and about, but having an in depth personal conversation on one while walking down the street is not only a waste of money, when you've a landline at home and payphones surrounding you, but also kind of off-putting to other travelers.

• But...if you have a cell phone, encourage people to take advantage of your plan's services - free evening calling and free incoming calls can save you a lot of money on your monthly mobile bill.

• Let cell callers know that you will return their call at a later time (which is cheaper for you) - and then do. Let it go to voicemail if it means that calling someone back saves you $0.15 a minute! You may have other essential bills to scrimp on.

If I've missed a household expense that you'd like tips for, please feel free to leave a comment so that I can revisit this topic at a later time.