Simple Ways to Help You Save Money on Utility Bills
It's not as hard as you think!
Everybody, no matter how much money you make (Unless you're super rich) would like to save money on their monthly expenses. A lot of us just feel like we don't have the time to research how to do it, or it is just something we never get around to in our busy lives. But what a lot of people don't realize is that it is super easy to save money! Just a few little changes can really add up to big savings over time, and wouldn't we all rather spend that money on fun family outings than on utilities? Of course the answer is yes! Do you feel like you barely get to even smell your hard earned cash before you're handing it over to utilities companies? I have some tips for you that will make your bank account much happier!
First topic-the water bill
1. I'm sure you've heard this one before! ONLY run your washing machine or dishwasher when you have a full load. Why waste water doing a few small loads when you can do one large load and use less water?
2. Shower time! I bet you didn't know that a shower of only 4 minutes long can waste anywhere from 20-40 gallons of water! Yep, that's your hard earned money swirling down the drain. Here is a tip. Turn the shower on, get soaped up, and turn the shower OFF until you're finished scrubbing up, shaving legs,etc. Turn it back on when you're ready to rinse off. Also invest in low flow shower heads, and faucet aerators. They usually are not very expensive, and are easy to install.
3. Don't let the faucet run. Anytime that you are just leaving the water run, you are wasting water. Brushing your teeth? Turn the water off while brushing. Washing dishes? If you have a double basin sink, take advantage and fill one with rinse water for your dishes instead of running water over them and leaving it go down the drain.
4. Check for leaky faucets and pipes. A little drip goes a long way to draining your wallet, I promise. Also check your toilet for leaks. Put some food coloring in the tank, and if water begins to show in the toilet bowl within a half hour or so, you have a problem!
5. Car wash day! Do not leave the water hose running the whole time you're washing your car! This is extremely wasteful. Use a bucket of soapy water to wash the car, and only use the hose when it's time to rinse it off. How many gallons saved? Oh, somewhere around 150!
it's electrifying how much you can save with these helpful hints
1. The biggest, most important (and easiest) way to save money on electricity....turn those lights out! If a room is empty, it doesn't need light. Teach yourself and your family members to get into the habit of turning off lights when they leave a room. Make a game of it if it helps, but once everyone gets into the habit it will be second nature. And if it's sunny outside, just open a curtain. Natural light is out there, use it to your advantage.
2. Ever been told that cold water doesn't clean clothes? Not true! Atleast in this day and age. Most washing machines now are able to wash just as well in cold water as they would in hot water. Still not convinced? Try using a detergent made specifically for cold water washing. Unless your clothes are heavily soiled, use cold washing as your regular routine. It saves you money if you have an electric water heater, because the heater doesn't need to work to heat up more water!
3.Put freshly washed clothes out on a clothesline on a warm, breezy day. I don't suggest it for jeans, because they do get a little too stiff. But most clothing bed sheets, etc. can be hung out to dry, which eliminates the need to use an energy hogging clothes dryer.
4. Turn off the computer! How many of us just leave our computer sit in idle all day? Bad habit, my friend! Just turn it off and wait the couple extra minutes for it to start up when you want to use it. No big deal.
5.Unplug your gadget chargers. Phone chargers, camera chargers, ipod chargers, etc. Just unplug them! They still are using energy, even when you don't have anything plugged into the charger. If the charger is plugged into an outlet, it's eating your money.
6. Energy efficient light bulbs (CFL bulbs). Yep, I'm talking about the ones that look like a curly pigs tail. While many people (including myself) have been fearful of making the switch, it really does save you money on your electric bill. I always felt that these new bulbs also do not produce as warm of a light as the regular bulbs. But they actually are coming out with new bulbs for different lighting situations. So you should be a able to find ones that are just as good (or atleast close) to your old light bulbs. These bulbs can save you between $50-$150 for the lifetime of the bulb. That's only for one bulb! Imagine if you switched every bulb in your house?
Natural gas is eating a hole in my pocket!
1. Turn that thermostat down! Just do it. Dress appropriately for the season in order to help you stay warm. Add an extra blanket at night time. Wear your fuzzy little slippers. Just dress as you should when it's cold outside. If you turn your thermostat down just a mere 10 or 15 degrees, you can save around 15% on your heating cost for the year. That's a lot!
2. Change the furnace filter. Yes, something so small and simple can really make a difference. They get dirty quite easily. Change every couple months during the heating season to keep your furnace running efficiently.
3.Have your furnace cleaned and inspected at the start of every heating season. As your furnace runs year after year, it begins to have to work harder to provide warmth to your entire home. Keeping it clean and inspected will save you money, and maybe even save on more costly repair bills.
4. Use ceiling fans on low to help circulate air and push it downwards where you can use it. Heat rises, and it's not doing anybody any good sitting up there around the ceiling. Keeping them on low will be just enough to carry the air, but not enough to make you chilly.
5. Use caulking and attack those drafty windows and doors! Check the basement as well, for any cracks along the floors and walls. Best of all- most people can do this themselves!
Cable? Who needs cable?!
Ok, so cable isn't a utility. But you would still love to save money on it, right? These days, if you have atleast a high speed internet connection in your home, you really don't need cable anymore. There are a number of devices you can use to stream television shows. X-box 360, Wii, etc. And there are actual digital boxes made just for this purpose. Roku is probably the most popular. Usually you pay a small monthly subscription (Netflix, for example, is around $8.00 a month). The only downside is that you will probably have to wait atleast a day to watch new episodes of your favorite shows. But who wouldn't be ok with that in order to save some bucks?
