Save Money On Utilities:
1. Get an energy audit:
A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes, and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Audits also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity. Check with your local electric, gas and/or oil company to see if they offer a free or low-cost energy audit for your home.
2. Replace light bulbs:
The new compact fluorescent bulbs (CPL's) use almost 75% less energy than conventional incandescent , providing 100 watts of illumination for only 32 watts of power. What's more, they last so much longer. And unlike incandescent bulbs that just go out, CPL's give you a warning of their impending demise so that you can replace them before there's a blackout.
3. Lower the thermostat:
Lowering your thermostat by about 10% for eight hours a day can shave 10% off your heating bill. If piling on extra layers of clothing doesn't appeal to you, close off most of the house and use portable electric space heaters in the rooms you are using. Turn down the thermostat at night and sleep better in a cool room. Best of all, install a programmable thermostat and let it automatically adjust your home's temperature according to your lifestyle.
4. Lower the temperature on your water heater:
Dropping the temperature on your water heater from a scalding 140 degrees to a plenty-hot 120 degrees can save you nearly $50/year. To save another 10%, wrap the tank in an insulating blanket (not recommended for gas heaters and those with automatic vent dampers). And avoid using the hot water heater when doing the laundry by washing in cold water.
5. Insulate:
Adequate attic ceiling insulation is the mainstay of a cheap-to-heat house. Most homes built prior to 1990 have inadequate attic ceiling insulation. Take a ruler up to your attic, and if the insulation measures 6 inches thick or less, you are under-insulated. Insulating to at least 12 inches thick could lower your heating and cooling costs a whopping 25% in a single year. It might be a bit costly but can be offset as of 2006 by the new federal home energy tax credit of up to $500 for making your home more energy efficient.
6. Ditch the electric gadgets:
In addition to being expensive, they take up too much space and most of them are hardly time savers. Yes, you can keep your electric hair dryer, iron, blender or food processor, coffee pot and hand mixer; but get rid of the electric can opener, knife, blanket, rice cooker, juicer, espresso maker, shoe polishers, coffee grinders, crepe makers, tea kettles and fry pans among others. Simpler really is better and you'll save a few dollars of energy to boot.
7. Dry clothes outdoors (weather permitting):
A clothes dryer is one of the most energy-draining appliances in the home. It can add as much as $0.40 to $1.00 to your gas or electric bill for every hour that it runs. Think about drying your clothes on a clothes line --indoors or outdoors. On nice days, dry clothes outside even when it's cold. On rainy days, dry them in the garage, basement, or any room that isn't being used like that formal living room that mostly collects dust. As Americans we are so spoiled. We have more clothes dryers in the USA than in the rest of the world combined. If you must use your dryer, keep the filter cleaned, make sure the vent isn't obstructed, don't overload the dryer, don't under load the dryer, and don't over dry the laundry. All this will at least help you get the most from your money.
8. Water:
There are numerous ways to save on your water bill. Here are only a few:
Limit the time to 5 minutes, but take a shower instead of a bath.
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave.
Only wash full loads of both laundry and dishes.
Install low-flow showerheads and low-flow toilets.
Fix leaky faucets as soon as possible.
And if you really want to get stingy, keep a bucket around to capture all that water that goes down the drain just to get to the hot water. That's gallons and gallons that could be used for watering plants, washing dishes, mopping the floor, or washing the car. You could even store all the water you save in a large, clean, plastic garbage can.
Outside, never water your lawn or garden in the heat of the day; water early morning before the sun comes up or in the evening when the sun is going down and it has cooled off.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, set it to water everything at night, but make sure you turn it off when it rains.
9. Cable networking:
If you have more than one computer in the home and are hooked up to cable modem or DSL, consider a wireless network to link all of your computers to the Internet instead of having multiple cable or DSL installations. This could save a bundle.
10. Telephone/cell phone:
First, shop around for the best deal. Second, stay away from all the bells and whistles and just stick with the basic plan. Some people have opted to disconnect their land-line phone and use only a cell phone for all their calls. Since wireless carriers offer free long-distance, call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, voicemail and more, it can do the same job as a regular phone but for less since taxes and fees that can be fully 1/3 of your land-line phone bill are significantly less. Many people save money with T-Mobile and prepaid plans which allows for many personalized options on cell service.
11. Wood Heat:
If you have a fireplace or a wood burning stove you can heat your home and lower your energy bills.
Here are some tips on wood burning:
1. (Never burn):
Plastics
Glossy magazines or newsprint
Painted or treated wood
Foil or metallic-coated gift wrap
Particle board
Household garbage (diapers, plastic bags, etc.)
Plywood
Rags or fabrics made of synthetic materials
These items release toxic chemicals into the air that can be harmful to your health and damage your stove or fireplace.
2. Split your firewood
Wood dries from the surface inward, so un-split wood dries very slowly. The more surface wood is exposed by splitting, the faster the wood will dry. Stack the wood loosely to promote air circulation.
3. Burn seasoned firewood only
The time it takes freshly split wood to become fully seasoned will vary with the type of wood, its thickness, and the weather. As a general rule, however, one should allow a year for wood to dry for efficient, clean indoor burning. Cracks in the ends of the wood are an indication that it is fully seasoned and ready for burning. You can also test whether the wood is fully seasoned by striking two pieces together. Dry wood gives a sharp ‘crack’ while unseasoned wood sounds more like a dull ‘thud’.
Unseasoned firewood provides less heat energy when burned, yet releases more smoke and contributes to hazardous creosote buildup in chimneys.
4. Store wood outside, covered on top with sides open to air
Cut, split and stack firewood in a place sheltered from the weather, but not covered on the sides, so as to optimize air circulation. Block up the bottom row of wood several inches off the ground. During snowfalls, throw a tarp over the woodpile to keep blowing snow out of the stacked wood.
5. Store only a small amount of wood inside your home.
Bringing large amounts of firewood into the home to ‘pre-dry’ is counter-productive, and may release excess humidity into the room. When lifting from the woodshed into the carrying box, or wood sling, a quick tap against a hard surface will release any spiders that otherwise will be brought into your home.
6. Split wood into pieces 4-6 inches in diameter.
Firewood will burn cleaner when more surface area is exposed to the flame. Use the smaller split pieces to get the fire started, and only use larger pieces of wood once the fire is well established.
7. Make sure your fire is getting enough air.
This will ensure it burns hot and clean. Check the air intake of your heater to ensure there are no blockages from dust balls and spider webs. If you have a through-floor intake, check to see that the screen is brushed clean and not obstructed by insect debris or spider webs.
A properly burning fireplace is hotter, produces less smoke and is more efficient. This means more warmth for less money and less impact to your health.
8. Don’t stuff too much wood inside the firebox.
Overloading the firebox can reduce the amount of air needed for ideal combustion. Refuel more often with smaller loads with the air inlet open wide to keep the fire burning briskly. If you need to shut the fire down, wait until it is well-established before turning down the damper. If you throw a fresh log in just before closing the damper, it may smolder for some time before reaching a cleaner combustion stage.
9. Let your fire go out at night.
To reduce the level of wood smoke pollution in towns and cities it is recommended that you do not burn your wood heater overnight on reduced air flow. This will save you some wood and help your stove and chimney remain cleaner for a longer period of time. It will cost less to let your wood heater go out over night and run an electric heater in the morning for 2 hours, than to keep your wood heater burning through the night.
Save Money on Household Items:
1. Shop at dollar stores
Shopping at dollar stores is downright fun. There are so many bargains. Laundry soap, cleaning supplies, school supplies, food products, pet supplies, everything for a fraction of the cost. And don't be surprised if you spot a local celebrity at one of these stores. The prices are so great even the rich shop here.
2. Shop online for bargainsThe Internet has become a bargain hunters paradise. Not only do you save money on the items themselves, but you'll save wear and tear on yourself and your car, not to mention gas, by shopping online. Sites like Price Grabber and Next Tag.com help you find online bargains for almost anything you're looking for. That is not to say you shouldn't do some of your own bargain shopping. For example, if shipping charges are going to bring the price of an item above what you could purchase it for locally, but all means buy local. And remember, if you have to exchange something, you normally pay the shipping charges to return an item. So purchase only those items online that you are pretty certain you won't have to return, and look for FREE shipping offers whenever possible. Also, compare online prices with prices at a local store. Sometimes a local establishment will match an online price for the exact same item.
1. Get an energy audit:
A home energy audit is the first step to assess how much energy your home consumes, and to evaluate what measures you can take to make your home more energy efficient. An audit will show you problems that may, when corrected, save you significant amounts of money over time. During the audit, you can pinpoint where your house is losing energy. Audits also determine the efficiency of your home's heating and cooling systems. An audit may also show you ways to conserve hot water and electricity. Check with your local electric, gas and/or oil company to see if they offer a free or low-cost energy audit for your home.
2. Replace light bulbs:
The new compact fluorescent bulbs (CPL's) use almost 75% less energy than conventional incandescent , providing 100 watts of illumination for only 32 watts of power. What's more, they last so much longer. And unlike incandescent bulbs that just go out, CPL's give you a warning of their impending demise so that you can replace them before there's a blackout.
3. Lower the thermostat:
Lowering your thermostat by about 10% for eight hours a day can shave 10% off your heating bill. If piling on extra layers of clothing doesn't appeal to you, close off most of the house and use portable electric space heaters in the rooms you are using. Turn down the thermostat at night and sleep better in a cool room. Best of all, install a programmable thermostat and let it automatically adjust your home's temperature according to your lifestyle.
4. Lower the temperature on your water heater:
Dropping the temperature on your water heater from a scalding 140 degrees to a plenty-hot 120 degrees can save you nearly $50/year. To save another 10%, wrap the tank in an insulating blanket (not recommended for gas heaters and those with automatic vent dampers). And avoid using the hot water heater when doing the laundry by washing in cold water.
5. Insulate:
Adequate attic ceiling insulation is the mainstay of a cheap-to-heat house. Most homes built prior to 1990 have inadequate attic ceiling insulation. Take a ruler up to your attic, and if the insulation measures 6 inches thick or less, you are under-insulated. Insulating to at least 12 inches thick could lower your heating and cooling costs a whopping 25% in a single year. It might be a bit costly but can be offset as of 2006 by the new federal home energy tax credit of up to $500 for making your home more energy efficient.
6. Ditch the electric gadgets:
In addition to being expensive, they take up too much space and most of them are hardly time savers. Yes, you can keep your electric hair dryer, iron, blender or food processor, coffee pot and hand mixer; but get rid of the electric can opener, knife, blanket, rice cooker, juicer, espresso maker, shoe polishers, coffee grinders, crepe makers, tea kettles and fry pans among others. Simpler really is better and you'll save a few dollars of energy to boot.
7. Dry clothes outdoors (weather permitting):
A clothes dryer is one of the most energy-draining appliances in the home. It can add as much as $0.40 to $1.00 to your gas or electric bill for every hour that it runs. Think about drying your clothes on a clothes line --indoors or outdoors. On nice days, dry clothes outside even when it's cold. On rainy days, dry them in the garage, basement, or any room that isn't being used like that formal living room that mostly collects dust. As Americans we are so spoiled. We have more clothes dryers in the USA than in the rest of the world combined. If you must use your dryer, keep the filter cleaned, make sure the vent isn't obstructed, don't overload the dryer, don't under load the dryer, and don't over dry the laundry. All this will at least help you get the most from your money.
8. Water:
There are numerous ways to save on your water bill. Here are only a few:
Limit the time to 5 minutes, but take a shower instead of a bath.
Turn off the water when you brush your teeth or shave.
Only wash full loads of both laundry and dishes.
Install low-flow showerheads and low-flow toilets.
Fix leaky faucets as soon as possible.
And if you really want to get stingy, keep a bucket around to capture all that water that goes down the drain just to get to the hot water. That's gallons and gallons that could be used for watering plants, washing dishes, mopping the floor, or washing the car. You could even store all the water you save in a large, clean, plastic garbage can.
Outside, never water your lawn or garden in the heat of the day; water early morning before the sun comes up or in the evening when the sun is going down and it has cooled off.
If you have an automatic sprinkler system, set it to water everything at night, but make sure you turn it off when it rains.
9. Cable networking:
If you have more than one computer in the home and are hooked up to cable modem or DSL, consider a wireless network to link all of your computers to the Internet instead of having multiple cable or DSL installations. This could save a bundle.
10. Telephone/cell phone:
First, shop around for the best deal. Second, stay away from all the bells and whistles and just stick with the basic plan. Some people have opted to disconnect their land-line phone and use only a cell phone for all their calls. Since wireless carriers offer free long-distance, call waiting, call forwarding, caller ID, voicemail and more, it can do the same job as a regular phone but for less since taxes and fees that can be fully 1/3 of your land-line phone bill are significantly less. Many people save money with T-Mobile and prepaid plans which allows for many personalized options on cell service.
11. Wood Heat:
If you have a fireplace or a wood burning stove you can heat your home and lower your energy bills.
Here are some tips on wood burning:
1. (Never burn):
Plastics
Glossy magazines or newsprint
Painted or treated wood
Foil or metallic-coated gift wrap
Particle board
Household garbage (diapers, plastic bags, etc.)
Plywood
Rags or fabrics made of synthetic materials
These items release toxic chemicals into the air that can be harmful to your health and damage your stove or fireplace.
2. Split your firewood
Wood dries from the surface inward, so un-split wood dries very slowly. The more surface wood is exposed by splitting, the faster the wood will dry. Stack the wood loosely to promote air circulation.
3. Burn seasoned firewood only
The time it takes freshly split wood to become fully seasoned will vary with the type of wood, its thickness, and the weather. As a general rule, however, one should allow a year for wood to dry for efficient, clean indoor burning. Cracks in the ends of the wood are an indication that it is fully seasoned and ready for burning. You can also test whether the wood is fully seasoned by striking two pieces together. Dry wood gives a sharp ‘crack’ while unseasoned wood sounds more like a dull ‘thud’.
Unseasoned firewood provides less heat energy when burned, yet releases more smoke and contributes to hazardous creosote buildup in chimneys.
4. Store wood outside, covered on top with sides open to air
Cut, split and stack firewood in a place sheltered from the weather, but not covered on the sides, so as to optimize air circulation. Block up the bottom row of wood several inches off the ground. During snowfalls, throw a tarp over the woodpile to keep blowing snow out of the stacked wood.
5. Store only a small amount of wood inside your home.
Bringing large amounts of firewood into the home to ‘pre-dry’ is counter-productive, and may release excess humidity into the room. When lifting from the woodshed into the carrying box, or wood sling, a quick tap against a hard surface will release any spiders that otherwise will be brought into your home.
6. Split wood into pieces 4-6 inches in diameter.
Firewood will burn cleaner when more surface area is exposed to the flame. Use the smaller split pieces to get the fire started, and only use larger pieces of wood once the fire is well established.
7. Make sure your fire is getting enough air.
This will ensure it burns hot and clean. Check the air intake of your heater to ensure there are no blockages from dust balls and spider webs. If you have a through-floor intake, check to see that the screen is brushed clean and not obstructed by insect debris or spider webs.
A properly burning fireplace is hotter, produces less smoke and is more efficient. This means more warmth for less money and less impact to your health.
8. Don’t stuff too much wood inside the firebox.
Overloading the firebox can reduce the amount of air needed for ideal combustion. Refuel more often with smaller loads with the air inlet open wide to keep the fire burning briskly. If you need to shut the fire down, wait until it is well-established before turning down the damper. If you throw a fresh log in just before closing the damper, it may smolder for some time before reaching a cleaner combustion stage.
9. Let your fire go out at night.
To reduce the level of wood smoke pollution in towns and cities it is recommended that you do not burn your wood heater overnight on reduced air flow. This will save you some wood and help your stove and chimney remain cleaner for a longer period of time. It will cost less to let your wood heater go out over night and run an electric heater in the morning for 2 hours, than to keep your wood heater burning through the night.
Save Money on Household Items:
1. Shop at dollar stores
Shopping at dollar stores is downright fun. There are so many bargains. Laundry soap, cleaning supplies, school supplies, food products, pet supplies, everything for a fraction of the cost. And don't be surprised if you spot a local celebrity at one of these stores. The prices are so great even the rich shop here.
2. Shop online for bargainsThe Internet has become a bargain hunters paradise. Not only do you save money on the items themselves, but you'll save wear and tear on yourself and your car, not to mention gas, by shopping online. Sites like Price Grabber and Next Tag.com help you find online bargains for almost anything you're looking for. That is not to say you shouldn't do some of your own bargain shopping. For example, if shipping charges are going to bring the price of an item above what you could purchase it for locally, but all means buy local. And remember, if you have to exchange something, you normally pay the shipping charges to return an item. So purchase only those items online that you are pretty certain you won't have to return, and look for FREE shipping offers whenever possible. Also, compare online prices with prices at a local store. Sometimes a local establishment will match an online price for the exact same item.
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