Saving Money on Your Utility Bill

Did you know that averagely a family will spend around $2,000 a year on utility expenses?  We know, it’s a staggering number when you put it into perspective!  However, there are ways for you to cut those expenses literally in half, which will save you not only money but energy that you are using as well. 

Here are a few tips to help you with saving money and energy on your next utility bill and in the end put more money back into your pocket!

Programmable Thermostats – These are magnificent little devices that can literally cut your heating and cooling expenses by as much as $200 a year! They are very easy to find and are very inexpensive. When shopping for a programmable thermostat you want to choose a thermostat that has the Energy Star label. This means that the government has tested and proven the device to be an energy saving and efficient product. 

By using a programmable thermostat:

• You can adjust when you want the heating and cooling to come on during the day and night. 
• You can set specific times for your heating and cooling to be used.

This way you are only using the heating and cooling when you are present in the home and adjustments can be made for when you are not at home or are sleeping. And can be a great way for you to start cutting down on your utility expenses and should be practiced when starting your new and improved “frugal” lifestyle!

Energy Saving Light Bulbs

• Convert all of your light bulbs in your household to Energy Star compact fluorescent light bulbs, also known as CFL’s. Not only do these energy saving light bulbs use 75% less energy than your average bulb but they also last 10 times longer as well which will save you money on purchasing light bulbs in a year’s time. Another great thing about using CFL’s is that they give out 75% less heat than your standard bulbs also.

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One practical way we suggest saving more money on our electric bills............

               Honeywell Day CLICK HERE Programmable Thermostat

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Turning off Your Lights and Appliances When Not in Use

• Make sure that you are turning off your lights if they are not being used. You wouldn’t believe how much money can be saved by doing this simple tactic. 

However, the biggest energy users in the household are your refrigerator, washer, and dryer. They will literally consume electricity up in a very short amount of time. 

• Keep a check on the cooling elements of your refrigerator and clean them periodically to ensure that your refrigerator isn’t putting off more energy than it should be. You can find these cooling elements under your refrigerator and in the back of the refrigerator as well. 

• Limit the amount of loads per day as for your washer and dryer. Try cutting down on the use of them. We don’t mean stop washing and drying your clothes altogether, but simply set one day per week to do all of your laundry. 

Many frugal families find it easier to set one day per week to do all of their laundry. Your key thing to making sure that you are saving as much energy as possible on lights as well as appliances is by making sure that they are turned off at all times when they are not in use.  Always REMIND your family that they practice these energy saving tips as well.  
 

Water Saving Tips

• convert from taking baths to taking shorter showers.  Switching to taking showers vs. baths saves on the amount of water being used dramatically.  Getting the entire family to take showers as well is the key. 
• lower the temperature of your water heater.  Adjusting your temperature of your water heater to 120 degrees will significantly help in your efforts to saving money! 
• reduce the use of your sprinklers.  Try programming your sprinklers to run 3 days out of the week instead of daily… this is a big time money saver as well!  You can also purchase energy saving sprinklers that have been both tested and proven to save you on the amount of water being used per sprinkling session. 

You want to make sure that water is turned off when it is not in use, in cases such as washing dishes or brushing your teeth. 

 

• checking to make sure that you don’t have any leaks in any of your water pipes.  A lot of the times people don’t think to check for leaks and their water bill could be decreased at a massive rate by ensuring that the leaks are repaired and no longer a leaking issue. 

Make sure that you educate your entire family on these energy saving tips and start watching the extra money in your pocket at the end of the month and cash in on the savings! Live as a Frugal Lifestyle Champion....