December 16, 2004With a 10.5% paycut coming 1/1/05 I decided it was time to go on a saving spree. Here's what I've managed:
1) Cable bill-cut by $15 a month and frozen for a year.
2) Cell phones (2)-Cut each by 8.5% permanent as long as I maintain my current employment
3) Fitness Club-cut by $20 a month for a year
4) Next on the list....Electric Bill.
UPDATE: Van was paid off so that saves another $150/month.
Not bad :)
Posted by pboulay at December 16, 2004 03:03 PMThe electric bill is easy to do in winter. Get the plastic for all your windows and put them up. It keeps the heat in and therefore you don't have to crank up the heat wasting money. Make sure you always turn off every light/appliance that you aren't using if you aren't in that room.
Get a draft dodger for the front and back doors.
Do all your baking at one time instead of per meal. If you can throw the holiday cookies in right after making the holiday ham, do it and then freeze them for later use.
Or use smaller appliances that don't use as much. I use and electric skillet for allot of my cooking. It has even heating and doesn't use nearly as much electricity as the stove top. Make sure your water heater isn't set above 120 degrees.
When done drying laundry in the dryer, leave the dryer door open to allow all that extra heat into the house cutting heating costs. Same with the over. If you get done baking, leave the door of the oven ajar a crack to let all that extra heat into the house as the oven cools down saving on the heating bill again.
Wear sweaters and slippers and have blankets on the couches etc to stay warm instead of cranking the heat.
I even go so far as to put a blanket over the front door on really cold nights to keep heat in. I have blankets over all the windows too. Saves tons of money.
Good luck cutting costs. It's hard but once you see how much money you can save every month, you'll ask yourself why you haven't been doing this for years.
