By amberonamission — Written on Mar 10, 2009
I belong to a military spouse club here in Camp Lejeune, and every so often they email you helpful news letters.. this week I got one about different ways to save money around the house. In these hard times we all know a little extra money goes a long way. Matt and I use most of these tips at home and some of them take a little extra effort but they are worth every penny.
Laundry- If you use an electric or gas dryer for your laundry, consider hanging them up outside or purchase an in home clothes hanger. ( Personally, Matt and I bought two, and they are 9.99 plus tax at Wal-Mart. They have paid for themselves. And, the great thing about them is, you can set your clothes outside to dry or if you have a rainy day they work just as good indoors. We cut our electric bill by almost 15 percent, thats almost 40 bucks extra a month. . yes, electricity is that expensive here.. )
Check your house for air leaks. Fixing them can cut cost on your heating/cooling bill BIG time! We live about 12 minutes away from the beach, and it is already 80 degrees average a day here. We had some missing insulation pieces from under our back door. We spent 2 dollars in supplies to fix it and now our AC doesn't have to work as hard to cool down the house.
Light bulbs- I am sure everyone has heard about the energy saving light bulbs. Yes they are about 8 bucks more than regular light bulbs but in a few months they pay for themselves, and they last longer than regular bulbs. Check with your state laws, but many states are now offering tax credits to those who purchase energy saving bulbs for their homes. Just make sure you keep the receipt.
Electrical outlets- It is so convenient to leave everything around the house plugged in all the time because you never know when you're going to use it. However, did you know that even if its not in use but plugged it, it still uses up electricity. So when you're not using the coffee maker, or the cell phone charger etc, unplug it!! Not a good idea for the fridge though.. :-)
During the sunny days, hold off on turning on the lights. Open the shades. Reduce your electric bill by using the sun God gave us!! Plus a little Vitamin D is always good for you. For anyone willing to try something drastic, call around for quotes on installing a moon window. My dad has one, and during the day you NEVER need artificial light.
Carbon footprints are everyones responsibility. With a little effort on everyone's part we can all help reduce energy costs!
-Amber