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The Life and Mind of DamnBlackHeart
This is to help me stay actively writing. So expect to see rants, tips on writing, thoughts on subjects, me complaining of boredom, reviews, anime, movies, video games, conventions, tv shows and whatever life throws at me.
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Everyone wants to save money and use it to spend it on other things (or maybe use it to pay off debts). So I compile a list of ways to easily save you money while doing some good to yourself and to the planet. It will take a little work on your part but remember those thousands of dollars in savings are what help us live better in this economy.
1. Cook at home. It's a lot cheaper cooking at home and healthier even more so than fast food and restaurants.
2. Make your own coffee. If you're a coffee fiend it's best to get rid of those splurges to Starbucks. You can save $20-$40 a year or $360 a year by using that coffee pot at home. You don't have to entirely ban drinking coffee, but skip it as often as possible unless you make it at home.
3. Buy generic brands. Does it really matter whether your cereal is made by Kellogg's or is the store brand? Does it matter if your milk is Oak Farms or the store brand? Try generic store brands because they can save you money. Just find what works for you and switch to generic brands and if there are some generic products that can't compete with the name brand, such as sodas than that's okay.
4. Borrow books instead of buying. Whenever possible, borrow your books instead of buying them. The card to your public library is free and the libraries are generally well stocked. In my city, the chain of public libraries is connected and the available books can be checked online. If there is some book that I cannot find in my local branch, I can make a request online for it to be brought in from one of the other branches to mine which is very convenient.
5. Bottle your own water. Drinking water is good for your health and bottle water is the most convenient since it can provide protection against accidental spills. That said, buy bottled water only once in a while, and then reuse that bottle to fill your own water. If you are not happy with tap water, invest in a Brita Filter, in the long run it can save a lot of money. But honesty, the truth about bottled water is that it's actually tap water and according to researchers that checked the bottles, the water from your sink is safer because it's tested and checked everyday. One study also found that many bottled water brands contained chemical contaminants above safe levels. So it really saves you money if you start using your own tap water instead of paying extra for that same water you can get at home.
6. If you watch a lot of DVDs, get an online DVD store membership. Membership to online movie stores like Netflix can save you a lot of money compared to buying DVDs or renting it from a local store. You need to wait once you order the movie, but if you watch a lot of movies at home, then you can easily get into the habit of ordering ahead of time so you always have something at home. If you are patient and your library has the resources, check to see if they have a movie section. You won't get anything very new, but they are free. Or you can get DVDs from Red Box. It costs just one dollar per night.
7. Regulate your electric use. When not in use, unplug electric appliances. Apparently, unplugging the TV instead of just switching it off can save a lot of electricity! When not in a room, switch off the lights and the fan. Use a programmable thermostat to control your A/C and heater usage. If that's too much, at least know what each appliances uses and unplug a few of them. After all, even when you're not using them their are some appliances that still leech off your electricity causing an expensive bill. Or if unplugging is too much try investing in a Smart Strip. With that you can simply flip the switch when you leave a room just like you do a light switch. This will cut off the vampire power. Smart Strips also help protect your computers and other appliances from electrical surges such as lightening.
8. Drive too much? I suggest to search online the gas price of those local gas stations around you and start going to the cheapest one.
9. Save on Insurance. Any time you do an upgrade to your home from anything such as updating your smoke detectors, installing a security system, or even putting up a fence you should call and let your home owners insurance know. Let them know you would like to lower your rates as you are doing your part to make your home more safe.
10. Plug all the leaks around your doors and windows with weather stripping. If you have an attic, lay some new insulation (the new energy tax credits can even help pay for the insulation). By doing this you can save up to 20 percent on your energy costs, or $190 for an average home.
11. Swap traditional light bulbs for CFLs and you'll save $30 over the lifetime of a bulb.
12. Washing your clothes in cold water can save you $60 a year. Even hanging a load of laundry to dry either on a clothesline or on hangers across your shower curtain rod instead of using your clothes dryer. You can save an estimated 50¢ per load. If you choose to air dry just three loads of laundry per week, you could sock away $78 by the end of one year.
13. Combine your cable, internet and telephone service. Companies now offer combined services that not only cost less, but offer the convenience of a single bill. Called a Triple Play Package (Cable, Internet, and Phone), these combined service deals can save you a bundle.
14. Or eliminate some cable service. You don't have to get rid of cable completely, although that’s certainly a way to save money. If you must have cable, take a look at all the charges on your cable bill and consider getting rid of some of the service. Try it for a month and see if you really miss having all those 500 channels.
15. Save those ketchup packets that you get from restaurants, Taco Bell sauce packets, sugar/Splenda packets, etc. It can save you money when you don't use those items frequently enough to justify buying a larger quantity.
17. Getting extra napkins from fast food places is also a good idea so you don't have to waste paper towels or buy napkins. You can also start using cloth hand towels when eating because you can just wash them and it's better for the environment too.
18. Do all your grocery shopping on one day of the week, and don't spend money on food the rest of the week, no matter what. It helps to reduce chances of splurging and also making a list helps. That way you buy only want you need and not what you want.
19. Put a brick sealed jar or jug of water in your toilet tank. Doing so displaces water in the tank and causes you to use less. Of course, too little water when you flush can cause problems, so you'll have to experiment with this one. But be careful…displacing so much water that you have to flush twice is generally more wasteful than flushing a larger volume once.
20. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth or washing your hands. Get your hands/brush wet and then do your scrubbing with the water off. That will save a minute or two of the water going straight down the drain. Small habits like that can make a huge lifetime result.
 DamnBlackHeart · Wed Apr 06, 2011 @ 07:15pm · 0 Comments |
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