By Sarah Mammarella, Extension Agent, Richmond County
Summer is a great time to start saving money. Whether it is to beef up your savings account or stow money away for a special trip event or annual holiday expenses, saving money feels good. In order to save money we need to look at what summer expenses we can reduce.
Perhaps the most obvious place to start during the hot summer months is with our electric bill. There are many different things that we can become more mindful about in our home that will help reduce our electric bill. Here are a few tips that help me save money on my electric bill every month:
- Shut off all lights and TVs in rooms that are unoccupied: This may seem like a no-brainer but this wasted energy use happens much more than you’d think.
- Turn your thermostat up in the summer when you are not home: There is no need to cool an empty home; I normally set mine to 79°. While you are at home, try keeping the thermostat between 76° and 78°, and using ceiling fans to keep cool. Remember to turn fans off in rooms that are unoccupied; their benefit is lost if you’re not underneath or near the fan.
- Don’t bother turning a thermostat down from 80° to 62° with the intention of cooling your home more quickly; this will only cause your heat pump to overwork and will not bring on cooler temperatures any quicker.
- Check the efficiency of your refrigerator and ensure the temperature of the fridge portion is between 37° and 40° and the freezer is between 0° and 5° to maintain food safety.
- Unplug anything that is pulling energy when you are not using it: Items such as cell phone chargers and laptops are constantly pulling energy when plugged in. You can save a lot of money just by unplugging these items.
- Use a power strip with an on/off switch for your television, DVD player, and other home entertainment items, and turn the switch off to the power strip when not in use: Much like the chargers, these items can still draw energy while not in use.
- Don’t forget to unplug televisions, lamps or alarm clocks that seldom get used in guest rooms.
- Weatherproof your home: Seal cracks around doors and windows where cool air may be escaping. You can do this with weather stripping or in some instances, caulk.
- Insulated drapes can help keep cold out during the winter and heat out during the summer. These can lower heating and cooling costs.
- Make sure that you change your central air filter every month: This can help your central air run more efficiently and even increase the life of the unit.
Another summer savings opportunity is on food and convenience items. By being mindful of how and when we shop, we can possibly save hundreds every month. Here are a few tips that help me save money on food every month:
- Collect coupons: You can do this either by buying the Sunday paper and clipping them or going to various websites to print them off of the Internet.
- Match your coupons to the sale items: Look through sale fliers of your most frequented grocery and drug stores and match your coupons to the sale items so you are getting the best price possible.
- Find out when your grocery store is doing a double or triple coupon day: Most grocery stores will have specific days or weeks that they will double or triple your coupons. This may lead to getting many items completely free.
- Only buy sale or clearance items that you know you will use. Buying on sale is no bargain is you never use it. This can happen when buying clothes with the intention of losing weight or purchasing a kitchen gadget that you simply don’t have time to use.
- Buy in bulk: Even if you live by yourself, you can save money by buying certain foods in bulk and freezing individual portions in freezer bags.
Although I believe that electricity and food are the easiest places to start, I do other small things to try to leave me more money in my pocket every month. A few extra tips to save include:
- Reduce drive time: Gas is expensive; so don’t make unnecessary trips. Car-pooling is always a great idea.
- Enjoy outdoor activities: Instead of paying to go enjoy your summer, try getting outside and taking advantage of free activities such as swimming, hiking and tennis. Here is a list of free or very cheap summer activities for children.
- Get your clothes at second-hand stores: I rarely buy new clothes. Although it may take some time, you can find used clothes that are in great shape at local Goodwill and consignment shops.
Saving money can be satisfying because it means that we are attaining goals that we have set for ourselves. Recognizing that there is excess money being spent on such things as electric and groceries can empower us to reduce our spending by using common sense and mindfulness.
What are your favorite money-saving strategies?
Resources:
http://www.extension.org/pages/25638/low-cost-and-no-cost-actions-to-save-home-energy-and-money
http://www.extension.org/pages/25623/selecting-energy-efficient-home-refrigerators-and-freezers
National Financial Management Core Competencies discussed in this post:
Saving, Protecting
Dollar Decisions Blog 