Save money at home!
Here is an introductory list of savings opportunities in and around your home. Be creative, look at your household purchases and bills and try to find more ways to save money at home. Check back soon as each of these topics will be the subject of an in-depth future post. Enjoy!
Cellular Phone Savings
Reduce your plan level and rethink your need to have internet, text, and other expensive features. I have found the most economical plans and good service using T-Mobile.
Clothing Savings
Buy clothing off-season, on sale, or clearance. Look for coupons before shopping. Try to buy clothing that can be mixed and matched into multiple outfit combination. Look for the quality in the material and craftsmanship – do not buy on brand name alone. Wash and dry your clothing as directed.
Commuting Savings
Do one of the following: carpool, ride your bicycle to work, drive slower, inflate your tires properly, take the city bus, take the train, ask your boss if you can work from home, etc.
Electricity Savings
There are tons of opportunities here… Some of these include switching to CFL and/or LED light bulbs, only washing dishes when the washer is full, planting a tree to block sunlight and hear in the summer, turning up the thermostat a few degrees in the summer, using the sleep or power-save mode on your computer and monitor, turning off lights when not in use, use a Smart Power Strip, using high-efficiency appliances, and many more…
Exercise Savings
Cancel that gym membership that you never use but haven’t gotten around to canceling – yeah, the one you picked up January 2nd last year? Go jogging, hiking, ride your bike (see commuting), do push ups, get dumbbells. Many people are far more likely to work out in the comfort of their own home. It is often very difficult to get to the gym after a long, hard day at work.
Food Savings
Dine out less or not at all – pack your lunch and take it with you to work (leftover’s are perfect for this). Buy store brands. Buy in bulk when non-perishable foods are deeply discounted. Don’t buy “serving size” prepacked foods (including fruit, etc.). Don’t buy pre-cut fruits and vegetables. Look into discount food clubs and local markets.
Home Improvement Savings
There are many great, free online resources to learn what it takes to complete home maintenance and improvement projects. You really would be surprised at how many of these mystical, scary-sounding repairs can be done by yourself – the feeble, yet back-strong home owner.
Insurance Savings
Raise your deductible if it makes sense (especially if you are still driving that clunker). When possible, lower your coverage amounts. Buy term life insurance instead of universal or whole life insurance plans. Compare rates across multiple insurance providers.
Internet Savings
Find the lowest cost option available for your needs. Compare the pricing and speeds of DSL, cable modem, satellite, and dial up. Look for or ask for introductory offers to switch or start service providers.
Natural Gas Savings
Make sure you have a programmable thermostat and be sure to adjust the temperature to account for the hours you are not at home. Lower the thermostat and wear layers or a sweater when at home during winter. Be sure to weather seal drafty windows, doors, and electrical outlets. Use your microwave instead of the stove or oven to cook vegetables.
Telephone (land-line) Savings
Sever the land line already… They’ve been gauging you for years anyway. Swich to a free or low-cost VOIP (Voice Over IP) provider. There are many options out there including Skype and Vonage. Another option is to use your cellular phone only. Check out Ooma for really big savings potential!
Trash Removal Savings
Recycle every possible item you can – it is usually free to recycle. Try to find alternative uses for items that would normally end up in your trash (re-use). Compost your lawn clippings and leaves rather than paying for the yard bags and trash stickers or fees..
TV / Cable / Satellite Savings
If you can deal with it, get rid of cable or satellite TV altogether – remember that antenna thing on the roof or in the attic? Watch your favorite shows online. Find plans to make your own DVR. Check out movies at your library. At the very least, fine-tune your programming to the essentials you require. Read and / or play games with your kids – too much TV will make your head turn to mush anyway.
Water & Sewer Savings
With many toilets, you can add a 1-liter bottle to the back tank to reduce the water fill (and flush) volume. Check for, and repair any leaks you may have. Use a rain barrel to collect rain water for watering plants. Plant drought-tolerant vegetation. Sewer / drain collection fees are the real expense here – if you do a substantial amount of watering in the yard or have an irrigation system, you may want to ask your city or municipality if you can have a separate watering meter (sometimes called a “deduct meter”) added. This will deduct the sewer collection fees for any water used for irrigation purposes.
Yard & Landscaping Savings
Mow your own lawn, shovel your own snow, lay your own mulch, trim your own trees and bushes, fertilize… Rent any equipment you deem necessary to complete a project from a local home improvement center. It’s great exercise…