Saturday, January 10, 2009

Frugal living: Turn off the lights!

In an effort to keep my electricity bill low, last month I applied some "old fashioned values" aka "common sense" rules that I had not been following. My electric bill average was about $145 per month. So, I challenged myself to get it under $100 for the next bill. The following month, my bill was a mere $75!! Wow, that is extra money that can go to paying down some bills! Here is how I did it:
1. Let the natural light shine in your home! Turn off the lights during the day (unless it's cloudy) and just go on natural sunshine!
2. Turn the heater down to 66 degrees or lower in the winter (put on a jacket if you're cold) and LEAVE it there. If it's summer, keep your AC at 75 degrees or warmer and sleep with less blankets.
3. If the temp outside is pleasant, turn off your heater or ac and run the attic fan if you have one. Do not open every window in the house as this won't circulate the air. Instead, one or two windows will do just fine.
4. Use your crockpot for cooking! This has two plus sides: you are not standing over the stove or oven all day and it saves on electricity.
5. Unplug your cell phone charger when your phone is not hooked to it.

If you have any other ideas, please feel free to comment!

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