Frugal Living Tip: Household Expenses

by Cara Mirabella of The Household Helper

Purchasing groceries is one big area where you can save loads of
money each month. The next big area where you can save extra money
deals with household expenses. Everyone has these and everyone can use
all or just a few tips to save money each month.

If you can, change out all your light bulbs (or all the light bulbs
that you can) with new energy efficient light bulbs. These light bulbs
can cut your electricity bill by ten to twenty percent each month just
by changing the light bulbs out. These bulbs are meant to use less
electricity than older light bulbs.

When possibly, don’t run the heater or air conditioner. This only
works if you can go a few days in a row without having them on at all.
This will save you money plus if you can open the windows and be
comfortable, you’ll also be getting fresh air in the house. Another tip
is to turn down the heater in winter and turn up the air conditioner in
summer.

During winter, you can easily get away with setting the thermostat
between sixty-eight and seventy degrees. During the summer, set the air
conditioner to between seventy-five and seventy-eight degrees. The
temperature you choose is determined by what you can comfortably
handle. Don’t forget that you can put on clothing in winter and shed
clothing in the summer.

While still on the subject of heating and cooling, purchasing extra
ceiling fans or table fans for the house will help with cooling the
house in the summer and purchasing safe space heaters for winter will
help keep heating costs down. Putting an extra blanket on everyone’s
bed in winter is helpful and sleeping without comforters can help
during the summer.

Next, take a look at your appliances. Look at your big items that
you use often, sat the washer and dryer for instance. Are these two
items using more energy than saving? Sometimes the older models run
longer when they don’t need to.
You will save money in the long run if you purchase an energy efficient
washer and dryer. Also, if you have a large family, purchase the larger
washer and dryer that will hold more so you are actually washing less.
If you are washing less, you’re saving electricity. The same goes with
the refrigerator and dishwasher. New appliances save more energy.

With dishwashers, it costs less to use energy at night, so set your
dishwasher to run overnight if you can. A dishwasher with a timer is
essential for this. If you can get away with washing or drying
overnight, you’ll use less energy as well. Check that your refrigerator
is sealed properly so you aren’t losing energy by the doors being
opened just an eighth of an inch.

When you are drying your clothes, some dryers have a damp clothing
setting. Be sure that is on and when the clothes are damp, the dryer
will beep. Stop and take the time to pull the clothes out and pull out
all shirts to be hung up. If you hang up your jeans, pull them out too.

Go ahead and hang the clothes up, but hang them on the shower
curtain rod in the bathroom or if you have a drying rack, place them on
there. Then put the clothes back in the dryer and finish drying them.
They will take less time to dry now that there aren’t as many clothes
in the dryer. It’ll just take an hour or so for the other clothes to
dry on the hangers and they are already hanging to be put up later.

Even though it doesn’t take much electricity to iron, it does take
some and it takes up time. If you’d like to save some time, but also
save some electricity, here’s a tip that works for some articles of
clothing.

Simple tips around the house include turning off lights that you
don’t need, open blinds or curtains to bring in natural light instead
of using lamps, try and condense your cooking to one pot to save on
electricity when using the stove and conserve water while brushing your
teeth or washing your hands.

Set timers on the televisions for when you might fall asleep
watching them. Small things like turning off a computer each night can
save a few dollars each month. Open the curtains and blinds when you
can to offer natural light into the house. The lamps won’t need to be
turned on and you’re saving electricity.

It’s good idea in each change of season to go around the house and
check out your windows. Make sure there aren’t any gaps where heat can
go out or cold air can come in. You can purchase a small tube of
caulking to plug up the holes or place towels around windows to help
keep cold air out. Also double check the amount of installation in your
attic so cool air or heat isn’t escaping that way.

Do you want to learn more about frugal living? Claim your FREE subscription to Cara’s Money Saving Tips E-course that will teach you:

• What to avoid like the plague when money is tight
• Why your neighbors
  could be costing you thousands
• How to give like
  Santa at Christmas without spending a fortune!
• Where to find name
  brand clothing for pennies on the dollar!
• And Much More…