One of the biggest ways to cut costs is with your heating and cooling bills. When you are in your home and spend most of the day miserable, shivering, and probably bundled up in about eight layers of clothes if you’ve turned down the heat, try a compromise approach. Turn down the heat, but position one or two space heaters in the room where you will be spending your time. Turn up the house heat again when everybody else is about to get home and use the main living areas. Even though the heat stays on for a while to get the house up to temperature, the hours when you use space heaters instead save you lots of money.
At night, you can take a similar approach with turning down the heat. Wear cozy pajamas, add an extra blanket or two to each bed, and set the heat at least five degrees lower than you would have it during the day. If you have infants who can't use blankets yet, put a space heater in that room to keep it cozy.
In addition to the heating and cooling, pay attention to other parts of the energy bill. Everybody knows to turn off lights when you aren't using them, but there are other strategies that aren't nearly as obvious. Many electronics draw power even when they are turned off, so unplug them from the wall when they aren't in use. Alternately, plug several items that you use together, like your television setup, into a power strip with a switch you can turn off when you aren't using it.
Another way to cut back at home is to buy in bulk as much as possible. Stores always list the price per unit on the shelves, and the bigger packages have a larger price tag overall but a much smaller price per unit. If it's something you know you will use, like toilet paper, paper towels, diapers, shampoo, peanut butter, or ketchup, buying the bigger package will save you money. Another strategy is to buy these items on sale and use coupons to get them at an even lower price. In addition, consider switching to store brands, which are often comparable to name brand products.
When you clean your home, rather than spending lots of money on natural cleaning products, make your own. White vinegar has many antibacterial properties and works great for cleaning surfaces. When you need an abrasive cleaner, add some baking soda, which helps you scrub off stains and absorbs odors. If you like scented cleaning products, just add a few drops of your favorite essential oils to make your home smell good.
Adding these money-saving strategies to your usual routine takes some effort as first, but after making the switch, you will soon find they come naturally. Now all you have to do is figure out how you want to use all of the money you will be saving from these techniques!
Guest Post by: Holly is a work from home mother who loves editing and blogging on behalf of Sears and other great brands she loves. She spends her free time reading, watching her shows and getting the best uses out of her space heaters. Holly doesn't think Melanie Jonas is a good wife and is glad she and Phillip have no children.
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