An easy way to create more savings is to cut household expenses that recur each month. Here are five easy tips you can implement today.
Frequent visitors of my blog will know how eager I am to find money saving solutions in every area of my life. But, I think cutting household expenses can be a great source when looking to save some cash.
It doesn’t matter what you do; it seems like, at the end of the month, taking care of your house has devoured your income. If you’re facing this problem, I’ve come up with some tips on how to handle the expenses of living in your home.
Hold Off on the Heat
When winter rolls around, you’re going to be spending a lot on heating your home. There is no getting around that. But, you should make sure you are not turning on the heat too early: spring or even fall.
At these times in the year, it’s not typically cold enough for you to need the heat on. If you leave it off, you’ll find you save a fortune on your bills. Have everyone cover up with a cozy blanket or add an extra layer of clothing.
Weather Proof
If you are finding you need the central heating in the summer months, then there might be a problem with your home insulation. You can solve this issue quite simply by keeping the doors shut when you enter or leave a room.
Or, if you’re looking for a more permanent solution, you can consider upgrading your windows to double or triple glazing. This also has the benefit of reducing the level of noise pollution that enters your home. Also, be sure you check your water heater to anticipate the need for repair or replacement.
Save Water
If you are living in a home with a water meter, that bill can be another nightmare. But, there are some more easy ways to make your water bill a lot more manageable. A simple solution is not to leave the tap running if you can avoid it.
For instance, energy companies estimate you can cut your water bill by a third if you don’t leave the tap on brushing your teeth. As well as this there’s an old-fashioned technique of washing dishes that still works today.
If you are extreme, you can use leftover water boiled in the kettle instead of using hot water from the tap. These little tips are sure to keep those bills down. If it is, your heating bill will be a lot more than it should be.
Invest in Alternative Energy
Of course, you might be looking at a bigger solution to your home bills. If that’s the case you want to think about installing an alternate source of power for your home. Residential solar panels can be installed on the roof of your house. These will certainly cut your electricity bills in half, particularly in the summer months.
The price of the installation can be quite costly so make sure you shop around for the best deal. Also, check to see if either the government or an environmental company will pay some of the cost.
Turn Electronics Off
Finally, if you have kids, teenagers especially, you’ll find you have a high electric bill. The reason for this is that they often keep devices like laptops, phones and TVs plugged in overnight. Threaten to have an electricity curfew – at a certain time switch the power off at the mains and don’t switch it back on until the morning.
It seems harsh, but maybe it will teach them how much your bills are reduced if you do this. A less extreme alternative would be to simply implement a “lights out” policy.
How do you save money on your monthly household expenses?
Those are the ways that will definitely help a lot of home owners out there. Investing effort and time on these tips will surely give a huge change to our society. Let’s support these steps and make a better world today.
My wife and I spent a lot of money this last winter on our energy bill and we aren’t sure why. One thing that you pointed out though and it makes perfect sense is that the insulation in our home could be very old. We will take the advice given here and do better at closing our doors and look into replacing our windows to a double glazed frame.
My utilities bill usually goes up quite a bit in the summer, so I’ll have to use these tips to help reign it in. Will the roof coating you mentioned also apply to metal roofing? Thanks for the helpful energy-saving tips.
Insulating your home also has cost benefits to you as homeowner. With added insulation your home will become much more energy efficient. Insulation will keep your home cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter. This will reduce the amount of heating and cooling appliances you need to use to keep your home comfortable.