Cable and Internet Savings

Price shop, there are plenty of options for cable and internet. Always keep your eye out for a better deal. My husband and I are constantly calling when we get a flyer in the mail for a lower rate, or after talking to a friend or family member with the same service who has a lower rate.

Chances are if you bring a lower rate to a companies’ attention and/or tell them you are going with another provider, they will do their best to meet your requested price. I do this about once a year, and when I am not happy with their service I call and complain, which typically results in a few dollars off the bill for my trouble. I am always really calm and nice when I call. My husband is usually in awe when I get off the phone and tell him the deal I just got.

Look at possibly cutting down to only internet and getting Hulu and/or Netflix to fill the void. Keep in mind that you can also find some of your shows on the network websites for free! This is not always worth it, but for some it does save a mint! I have several friends who cut their bill by $70 or more dollars per month by getting rid of their cable.

Make sure to keep a close eye on your bill, companies like to try and change the rates or add fees.  If you do not own your modem and wireless router, invest in them.  This may seem expensive up front, but add up that fee for the next year or two and you will see quite a bit of savings in the long run. 

I personally see cable as an optional item. If you are looking to save money, I see cutting cable as a great way to put a good chunk of change back into your budget or savings, especially since most of the TV shows are online.

Next Post: The Credit Card Game

Cutting Back Your Water Bill

Before my son was born our water bill was usually around $11 with an occasional high bill of a whopping $15-$20 per month.  Now since our laundry has increased due to cloth diapers and another person contributing to the mountain of dirty clothes our bill averages $15-$20 with $20 still on the high side, in the non summer months.   

How long are your showers?

If someone in your house loves to take 20+ minute showers you have a few options;

·         Get a smaller hot water heater; no one likes cold showers. 

·         You could tell them just how much their extra long shower is affecting the budget, and take money away from part of the budget that directly affects something else they enjoy.

·         Get a low-flow shower head.

Growing up my brother was a serious offender of this, who am I kidding, he still is.  The day he has to pay his first water bill, I think he will be changing his ways. 

Is something leaking or running? 

Check your toilets, faucets and pipes for leaks.  A new faucet or toilet guts could pay for themselves in a month or two.  These could be doing serious damage to your budget if left unattended.

This is very informative about checking for leaks...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBz--mdovkI&noredirect=1

How green can your grass be?

My dad had to have the greenest grass on the block growing up, but there are ways to conserve water and still have a beautiful lawn. 

·         Water in the early morning

·         Check the weather, and skip rainy days

·         Have shorter cycles for your sprinkler rotation

·         Water every other day

·         Make sure you are using your sprinklers to their maximum efficiency and not watering the neighbors’ lawn(s) or the concrete. 

Do you leave it running?

Don’t leave the water running when you are shaving, brushing your teeth or washing dishes.   Next time you are running water, just picture dollar signs going down the drain.  If your spouse is the big offender, stand behind them while saying “cha ching cha ching….”

Just A Reminder…

Don’t forget to check the billing dates when monitoring your new utility bills.  Make sure you know how many days are affected by your changes, then you can monitor your savings and if they are worth it to you or not. 

 

Next Post: Cable and Internet Savings

Busting Up Your Electric Bill

 

There are several ways to lower your electric bill, but they are not all convenient. My first words of wisdom on this topic; UNPLUG EVERYTHING!!!!!!!! 

When items are plugged in, even when they are not on, they are still sucking power. Chargers are the worst offender and will run up your electric bill very fast. As soon as your item is charged unplug it from the wall. This also saves your battery life! J Computers are also big power sucker, avoid leaving them on all the time and plug them into a power strip. When the computer is off turn the power strip/surge protector off. 

It sometimes drives me crazy constantly plugging things in, however when I get lazy and leave stuff plugged in, I pay. When I unplugged my coffee pot and my husband’s Play Station our bill dropped $5 per month. 

You need to use common sense when unplugging items. If you use a lamp every day and the plug is behind the couch or a pain to get to, leave it plugged in, it doesn’t save you that much to unplug a lamp. If it is not easy to plug in something you use often, don’t unplug it. 

Items with digital clocks often have “power saver” settings, use them! Everything seems to have a clock on it now and although sometimes it may be nice to know the time every time you turn 15 degrees it is not necessary if you want a lower electric bill. 

Use Energy Efficient Light Bulbs

 

These can be pricey, but if you put them in your most used lights, you will see the results on your bill.

Turn Lights Off

Use the least amount of light possible. My husband and I use one lamp to light our living room, and that is very often the only light on in the house. It is also great to get in a habit of opening the blinds and using as much natural light as possible. In the middle of the day you will find you put lights on as a force of habit, even though you don’t need them. Watch that flip of the switch and you will see results on your bill!

 

When no one is home at your house, there is no need to leave any more lights on than you would normally have on when you are home. Some people only put their outside lights on when they are gone, while others leave lights on in every room of the house. 

 

I know exactly what it feels like to have your personal space invaded by someone you did not invite into your home. It is a horrible feeling, but leaving more lights on won’t necessarily deter them. Try cutting down the amount of lights by leaving a talk radio station on just loud enough that the possible intruder would think it was a conversation. You could also have a few cardboard cutouts and pull a home alone type of stunt with toy trains and pulley systems, but again keep an eye on what is running. ;-)

Stay Clean and Stocked

If your freezer and fridge is full it will run more efficiently, just don’t stuff it too full and block the fan. ;-)

 

Once a year clean the coils of your fridge, vacuum the coils and every crevasse on the outside of your fridge to keep if running more efficient. The yearly cleaning will also help your fridge last longer.

Air Conditioning

 

There is no need to live in an igloo in the summer. Use fans to circulate the air flow. If you have an attic fan put it on in the early morning and after the sun goes down, open all the windows and suck the cool fresh air in. It helps to sometimes close some blind in the middle of those very hot summer days, to keep the cool in and the heat out. Lastly, use a programmable thermostat to save energy while at work or out of the house.
 

Cut Down on your Oven and Dryer Usage.

 

Refer back to my previous post on Lowering your Gas Bill to cut down on your oven and dryer usage.

Next Post: Cutting Back Your Water Bill

Lowering Your Gas Bill

Before I had my wonderful son, my husband and I kept our house at 59 degrees while we were home and 55-57 degrees while we were at work or sleeping.  Yes, we were a little crazy, and yes, we did turn up the heat when people came over, but we didn’t like to.  Having heating bills under $100 in the winter was a tall order, but that was our goal, so we put on comfy (warm) clothes to lounge in. 

Sometimes I do go a little crazy with the budget. One time we got an outrageous heat bill (probably $190) for one month.  I couldn’t take it!  I immediately had breathing issues when I saw the bill.  I called my dad and asked “Dad, how high does the heat have to be so the pipes don’t freeze?”  He said 45 degrees, but come on that is LOW folks!  So I put the heat at 50! For two weeks we wore thick sweats, warm socks, robes, winter hats and gloves.  After two weeks we had had enough of being chilled to the bone and decided to go up to 55.  When the next bill came, we had a credit!  They had estimated our gas bill for that high month and we didn’t see another one for 3 months.  The moral of the story, you should never have to have your heat at 50 degrees, it is really chilly! J Also, always check to see if your bills are “Actuals” or “Estimated”.    

I strongly advise against the budget plan that some companies offer, it does not really allow you to see how adjusting your usage affects your bill.  You can budget by the time of year, in the summer you will have higher electric bills (if you use your air-conditioning), and in the winter you will have higher heat bills.  You can also take the last twelve bills, add them up and divide by twelve to get a better number for your budget. 

If you have kids, lowering your heat is not really an option.  You can try lowering your heat 2-3 degrees at a time and see how your kids fair (depending on their ages.)  So if you keep your house at 70 try lowering it to 67 or 68.  Every little bit helps the budget. 

Go around your house and run your hand along the edges of all your windows and doors to check for cool air.  Try putting plastic on your windows, opening your blinds to let the sun heat your house as much as possible, put a new seal on your door(s), caulk your windows, and/or put a door draft on the bottom of your door.  I know some of the options may not win you any home decorator awards, but they will help lower the gas bill. 

Watch your hot water usage, the more hot water you use, the more gas you burn! 

Instead of using your gas dryer (or electric, to cut your electric bill) to dry every load, try hanging clothes outside if it is nice, or if you have an area in the house to put a clothes line (basement) this will save you a few bucks!  I love clothes after they have been air dried outside! There is nothing like them! J   

If you don’t want to hang your clothes, start pulling out dry clothes every few minutes out of the dryer.  By constantly decreasing the clothes in the dryer you are insuring that those jeans may actually only take one dry cycle, or possibly less!  Lastly, and my husband is a huge culprit of this, fold the clothes immediately and avoid the “freshen-up” cycle.

If you have a gas stove (or electric, to cut your electric bill) and/or oven, try to condense your baking and cooking as much as possible.  You have to eat, so don’t go nuts here. When cooking dinner, try to have things that cook at the same temperature, to avoid having the oven on for a longer period of time than you actually need.  Also, if you can bake a meal ahead do it!  If you don’t mind day old bake potatoes and you have a casserole that cooks at 350 for an hour-- BAM two meals for the price of one!  Your own little “buy one get one free” deal!  Just the other day I was baking my husband’s birthday cake on the top rack, and on the bottom rack I had some sweet potatoes for my son.  Remember, the more you have to put your oven on the more gas you burn just getting it to temperature.  Most importantly, don’t forget to turn it off! Yes, I speak from personal experience. I actually did this just this past week. Luckily, it was only 20-30 minutes after pulling out my meal. J

When you are done cooking and have turned off the oven (never use the oven to heat your house), crack it open to let the heat out.  Hey you already paid for it, might as well not waste it! If you have little ones, make sure to block the area, and use common sense with this trick!

If you are cooking for one or two, or just cooking something small, look into investing in a toaster oven so you don’t have to turn on your big oven as much.  We did this with our garlic bread a lot (up until our robber “friend” broke it when he so kindly broke through our kitchen window)!   We will be investing in another one shortly, or it will be on my birthday list, because they do save you money.

Next Post: Busting Up Your Electric Bill