Saving Even More Money

This will probably be my last post in this series that is specific to saving money unless I become really inspired by an idea I haven't thought of. So here is a laundry list of this that may not save you big bucks but every little bit helps. 1. Cut out non grocery expenses. Replace things like paper towels with worn out t-shirts or towels. Same thing with paper napkins. Household cleaners can be as simple as vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Those three (cheap) items will clean most everything in your house and last you a lot longer than expensive cleaners. Add a bottle of lemon oil for your wood furniture and you have a complete cleaning kit for less than 10.00 that will last months. 2. Utilities are growing. Our water bill this month went 20.00 for everybody our water company services. Our power bill has grown exponentially over the past year. The only thing that doesn't change is the phone/internet. I really don't know where more to cut and scrimp than we already do. Some things that we do. No dryer unless it is raining and we need clothes now (note, don't wait to catch up the laundry do it all along to avoid this). Lights, we are fanatics about not using anymore electric light than necessary. Turn off the AC/Heat and open the windows. Not only does this air out your house, but it keeps the utility bills down. You can regulate the temperature in your home pretty well by opening and closing windows at opportune times. re-use bath water to water plants or flush toilets. Turn off power strips and computer monitors. Turn off yard lights if you can. Ours can be turned on as needed and turned off as needed. If I need to go out at night the switch is handy to flip and I don't need it shining into the house every night. 3. Consolidate errands. If you don't have to go somewhere don't. Keeping your car parked in your driveway saves money. Better yet carpool or exchange errand runs with a neighbor or friend who lives close by. My mom and I try to ask any time we are going to town if there is anything the other needs. That way, it saves us money so that we aren't both going to town. I try to do that with a neighbor also, but don't always remember to call her. (Brain fog again). My oldest daughter has to be in town every monday and there are two other kids in our area that do to, so between the three moms we don't all have to drive into town every Monday. 4. Turn off the tv and the computer. I have to admit I am notorious for my computer being on all day, but part of that is for school purposes. I have a hard time getting my little one to turn off the tv when we are outside or doing something else, but between the oldest and I we tend to catch it often enough. She is learning. My mom's tv runs 24 hours a day and she leaves it on for the dogs when she isn't home...and she wonders at her power bill! 5. Turn off power strips and unplug what you aren't using at the moment. Our toaster has a light that stays on while it is plugged in, so does our iron. Those things are only plugged in when they are needed (I do a lot of ironing)and then unplugged when not being used. Same thing for all those little electronic lights on just about everything. If you only have one or two things this may not make a difference, but a houseful of little blue and red lights can pull a good bit of electricity. 6. Cook outside whenever possible. This keeps the heat out of your house in the summer which makes your AC run more. Those are probably my top tips that really are painless to implement. Of course there are many more things that you can do. We had a solar shower at one time that was used in the summer. It was not well made though and didn't last long. We have plans to build another one that will last this time. It was great in the spring and summer and cost us very little. The caveat was that the water went straight into a portion of the garden and so we never had to water that part of the garden. Anyway, take a look around and really think about how you can cut back on some things to save a little on your utility costs. I do have some older posts that go room by room for tips on saving money. Blessings, Kat