July 13, 2011
Small Changes You Can Make To Save Big Money
To save more money you generally have two choices: make more money (if only it were as easy as deciding that you want to make more money) or reduce expenses. Reducing expenses often means making sacrifices. Fortunately there are some simple changes most people can make around their home or apartment that drastically alter their daily routine yet will still produce a noticeable cost savings.
when most people set about to cut expenses they look for things that produce large savings. The problem with large cost savings is that they generally entail major adjustments to your quality of life or at least some noticeable sacrifices. An alternative is to make several small changes that don’t involve sacrifices and when combined produce a large savings.
Decorate with light colors – ceilings, walls and floors which are light colors reflect more light so you can use fewer lights lights and you can use lower watt bulbs.
Speaking of lights, consider switching from regular, incandescent bulbs, to compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs. Changing to CFL bulbs can result in as much as a $50 savings over their life. Less power is needed to produce light from a fluorescent light bulb so you save money.
A 23 watt fluorescent light bulb creates an identical level of light as a one-hundred watt regular light bulb. CFL bulbs produce less heat which means your home stays cooler in the summer and they are expected to last on average 10 times longer compared to ordinary light bulbs.
Chill out – altering your thermostat as little as one degree can reduce your utility bill by as much as five percent. Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to easily raise and lower the temperature of your home while you are at work or sleeping, which is probably two-thirds of the day. No use heating or cooling an empty house. With a programmable thermostat you can set it so your house is at your favorite temperature when you wake up or come home from work.
Want to have your home five plus degrees lower at night and still sleep great? Use an electric blanket as well as an extra comforter on top. Space heaters and fans can frequently help make the higher or lower temperatures in your home less noticeable.
Power strips – power strips where originally use to safeguard electronics from power surges. They can also be used to save money. Power strips help you save money by eliminating ghost power consumption.
As much as forty percent of the electrical power used by many electronics is estimated to be used while the item is not being used. Lots of household electronics consume power when in the off position. A power strip makes it simple to turn off several household electronics all together which means they will not draw electricity.
Windows – even though windows typically make up less than ten percent of the surface area of a house, unless you have double paned windows they typically lead to significant energy loss. Energy efficient windows tend to be quieter and also safeguard the things in your house from ultraviolet rays.
Switching to insulated drapes (and keeping them closed as much as possible) will also help reduce energy lost through windows. If you have windows that receive direct sunlight consider planting a deciduous tree in front of the window. Deciduous trees offer shade in the summer and warm sun in the wintertime.
Want to find out more about USB TV tuner, then visit Daniel Driessen’s site on how to choose the best TV tuners for laptops for your needs.
TAGS: Apartment, People, Personal Finance, Two Thirds
CATEGORY: Personal Finance
