Time to Hunker Down

The credit situation appears to be tightening; many homes have lost equity that was built up in them and oil went up to $100.00 per barrel. Sounds grim, but as long as we feel that we can weather tough situations until they pass, we can remain cheerful. Time for us to start hunkering down and save a buck or two.

There are several ways to save money, and several ways to make money. Making money will often require expenditure; with the price of gas expected to reach four dollars per gallon before spring, maybe we will look at saving money! This has to be a conscious thing that requires willpower. Saving energy in our home is like saving money for ourselves, and a few small home improvements can cut down our living costs.

Double glazed window units will decrease the amount of your heating bills. If this sounds too expensive, practice some smaller economies: special 'cling film' packs to double-glaze your windows are inexpensive and effective. They can be installed easily by you.

Changing the filter in your furnace helps it to run more efficiently. Buying the expensive energy efficient light bulbs is a cost-cutter as they will cut 75% of your costs and they last for ages! Think of closing heavy drapes over your screen doors at night for the winter only. Good quality weather stripping around the front and back doors will cut down on drafts.

If you have an un-insulated basement, now would be a good time to insulate it; it is not a difficult job and it is one of the improvements that will greatly decrease the size of your heating bill. Meantime if you feel cold air coming up from the basement, think of hanging a curtain or install a permanent door to block off the part that is not heated.

Be sensible with your appliances, only run the dishwasher and the washing machine when they are full. Use cold water to wash your clothes in. Keep a clothes line or a clothes horse in the laundry room and partly dry heavy items like towels on it overnight.

In the kitchen, turn off the dry cycle on the dishwasher and let the dishes sit overnight to dry. When you have the oven on, turn off the kitchen thermostat.

The average American family spends $1300 (nationally) per year on home heating, cooling, lighting and living, but they spend far more on food! Cook at home more often, and cook double of one meal so that it goes two days. (You can leave it in the fridge and wait one day in between!)

Other suggestions: use coupons, buy bulk, stop eating out and taking out. For the price of a cappuccino you can feed a family of four on home-made spaghetti and meat sauce. When you turn on the oven for a roast, cook tomorrow's meatloaf or baked squash and potatoes in their skins or apple pie with the same electricity.

If you are buying appliances for your home, chose the Energy Star rating. Keep checking your home for maintenance problems that can be dealt with before they grow into big problems, e.g. look for damp, pest infestation or water marks. Check the down pipes for efficient roof drainage. Finally when you go to bed, or leave the house, turn the thermostat down by five degrees.