People are always looking for inventive ways to either make more money or save what they already have. When you start to look around to find ways to save money many people will overlook some of the easiest ways to do it. You do not need to look any further than your home. Here are a few tips that will put some money back into your pocket. The best part is that they are all either low cost or free.
Turn things off
You might remember the days when your parents walked around the house turning off lights in an empty room. They were on to something. When you leave a room, get into the practice of turning all the lights and electronics off on your way out.
Use power strips
Staying in the mindset of turning things off when you leave the room, plug all of your electronics into power strips. This tip makes it easy to leave a room and just flip one switch to turn all of your electronics off. Even in standby mode TVs, DVD players, and computers will still draw electricity. It is also a good idea to plug phone chargers into the strips as well because they also will draw energy even when they are not charging anything.
Get a programmable thermostat
Programmable thermostats have always been a good idea. With the advent of smartphones, they are an even better investment in your energy savings plan. You can control the temperature in your home with the ease of an app on your phone. If you do not have time for even that programmable thermostats are equipped with timers so that you adjust the temperature to whatever you want to at any time of day or night.
Use the dishwasher less
Your dishwasher is an essential appliance to have in your home, and you don't have to quit using it to realize savings. Next time you do a load of dishes, turn off the drying cycle. Remember the good old days of drying racks next to the sink? Save some money by air drying your dishes.
Regulate the water heater
Set the thermostat on your water heater to 120 degrees. The higher you set the thermostat, the harder your water heater has to work to get the water to that temperature. Try it for a few days and you'll see that you do not need much more than 120 degrees to get that hot shower.
Compare energy rates
If you live in New York and would like to reduce Con Edison bill, you can also compare electricity rates among different suppliers. Deregulatoin in New York allows you to choose your own supplier and it's a smart move to compare prices to save on your electricity bill.
Shower versus bath
Speaking of those hot showers, they are much more energy efficient than a bath. A long soak works wonders in washing away the stresses of the day. However, don't make a habit of using the bath and opt instead for a quick shower.
Wash only full loads
It is very tempting to grab that half load of clothes, wash them, and be done with it. Resist the urge and wait until you have a full load. However, if you just can't resist, most modern day washers have settings for smaller loads. It is always a good habit to use only the energy you need. This same logic goes for your dishwasher. The dishwasher does not know if it is full or not and will use the same amount of energy to get the dishes clean. Get more bang for your buck and wait until you have it filled up to run it.
Air dry clothes
Here is a huge money saving tip. Dryers suck much energy. Using a clothesline to dry your clothes is a money saving way to go.
Ensure all windows and doors are closed when cooling or heating
Do a quick walk through of your home before you attempt to heat or cool it. You would be surprised at the times you will find a window left open from airing the house out.
As you can see most of these tips are just about being vigilant and will cost you nothing to save some of your hard-earned money. These are just a few tips to get you started on your money saving journey. If you put your mind to it, there many other ways to be found to save money around your home.
