Leaving less of a carbon footprint not only helps the environment, it saves money. These little things add up and can make a nice difference in your budget. In uncertain times, it’s good to keep habits that economize on the ordinary things of life that you have control over.
One simple way to save some cash is to check the lint trap in your clothes dryer and clean it weekly. The dryer uses an extra-ordinary amount of electricity and will run more efficiently saving you money on you energy bill. Considering on average they use 4400 watts to run at an average kilowatt charge of 11 cent, that dryer is costing 48 cents an hour to run. Reason is that if the screen has lint on it, the dryer has to work twice as hard and drying clothes will take twice as long. Also, built-up lint in your clothes dryer vent is the second leading cause of house fires. You could be saving more than just money. Clothes lines and dryer racks are the most economical way to dry.
Visit the thrift shops like Goodwill, Market Mission, hospital auxiliary etc regularly while you consolidate errands along the way. Go to garage sales. The wide variety of good useful items, many of them near new or brand new, for just a couple dollars is an amazing bargain.
Save on trips to the barber and still look good by learning how to give haircuts. Watch how the barber does your hair and duplicate the process. For guys, by keeping the temple hair and forehead hair self-trimmed, a once a month barber trip can be stretched out to 4 months or more.
Make your own coffee or tea at home, instead of stopping to get store bought on the way to work, will save you lots of cash in the long run. Don’t underestimate the dollar, two or three a day it saves. Skipping latte at Starbucks and opting to make your coffee at home might likely even taste better and save you hundreds a year.
Buying a grinder and buying quality whole bean Columbian coffee or French Roast coffee from Costco, pre-preparing it at home and might find your own flavor beats those offered at many store locations. Consider a high-quality thermos and you’re good to go.
Use fans for cooling to avoid high air conditioning electric bills. A large window air conditioner uses 1.5 kWh. A 42 inch ceiling fan uses.24 kWh in 10 hours. At an average charge of 11 cents per kilowatt hour, cost mount. Fans are the best money saving cooling device by far. Fans use one-tenth the electricity of air conditioners so use them to circulate the air.
Attic fans are another great way to exhaust hot air trapped in the attic and pull cool air through the house at night. By exhausting trapped hot air, you make for a cooler house. In winters, close doors to unused rooms to conserve heat and shut vents if you have forced hot air heating. Purchase of a wood burning stove might be another idea to cut down on heating costs if that is an option available to you.
Looking to save money on entertainment? Give some thought to availing yourself to free outdoor concerts. Many of the top orchestras perform free concerts especially in the warmer months. Instead of going to a Broadway professional theater play at $100 or so a ticket, why not a high school or college play at less than ten dollars. Same story line, and who knows, the acting might be excellent. Or, consider staying home and renting a movie for a movie night with popcorn and refreshments. There probably are public gardens, parks, nature hiking trails and tons of free stuff in your back yard. Entertainment is one of those categories you can save loads of money on.
The library is a source for free DVDs and books. Instead of spending money renting movies, you’ll find a nice selection of movie DVDs at the library. Also, instead of purchasing books from the book store, the local library has many good reads available at no cost.
The library is a nice place to relax, read newspapers, magazines and even browse the internet. It’s a chance to get away from it all in an air conditioned quiet location. With all the resource material at arm’s reach, many a research project can be completed there.
Combining your cable, internet and telephone into one service can save you money. These “triple play” packages offer one bill and cost significantly less. Bundling services is a real plus.
Laundry budget tips like pre-treating stains and washing specials outfits in cold water minimizes fading. You can make your own stain pretreatment by mixing one part laundry detergent, one part water and one part hydrogen peroxide into a spray bottle. Spray the stains and rub the material together or use a soft brush. For fabric softener, try using white vinegar which is much less expensive.
Improving your credit score will save you when it come to car loans and other loans should the need arise. Once your credit score is improved, your interest payments are lowered. Start first by obtaining your score and work on lowering it.
Lowering your credit score is a function of your payment history, your current debt level on your various credit cards and the duration of your credit history. Pay attention to balances verses the credit limits on your cards and timely payment history.
If you own a home with a mortgage, in the low interest rate environment that exists today, it may make good financial sense to shop for lower rates. With a good credit score, you’ll benefit from the lowest and best rates. Be sure to get a fixed rate instead of an adjustable rate mortgage. One never knows what the future might hold.
If you have a car, make sure you keep the tires inflated and have regular maintenance done, it will improve your gas mileage. Drive your car as long as possible will benefit you. The initial depreciation that comes after purchasing a new vehicle can be devastating.
Increasing your car insurance deductibles lowers insurance premium. Also, if you pay your auto insurance semi-annually instead of quarterly or monthly, you’ll experience a lower cost. While on the topic of insurance, think twice before submitting insurance claims. As a rule of thumb, only submit claims that are twice the deductible. Insurance companies have a habit of raising insurance premiums after a claim.
Saving money when you buy personal checks is another matter that will contribute to reducing your budget. Buy discount personal checks buy shopping for them on the internet when it’s time to order personal checks. Bank do not print checks, they order them from discount check printing companies and charge a mark up to you the customer. Buy buying direct and bypassing the bank, discount checks can arrive at your doorstep saving you 50 percent in the process, and, you’ll have more of a selection.
At half the price that a bank charges, you could transform ordinary personal checks into something distinctively unique and save money in the process. There is no reason to settle for ordinary checks. You can order direct from the massive check printer manufacturers and save what a bank would charge for discount personal checks.