Ever since Chris has been out of work we have been thinking of way to cut back on expenses. One of our biggest (I'm sure yours too) was utilities. Fortunately for us, we don't have to pay water or sewer. That charge is included with our rent. We do however, have to pay for electric. And boy it can be a doozie!
To cut back on electric, we first unplugged. Simple yet effective. Everything that wasn't being used was unplugged.
Second, we switched to compact fluorescent bulbs. It's hard to tell just how much this is saving us since we made a few changes at once. But I can tell you this, it HAS made a difference.
Another thing we do is use less lights. We have HUGE light fixtures in the bathrooms. They each have 3 light bulbs. There is no reason to use 3 light bulbs to brush your teeth! We unscrew 2 of the bulbs just enough so the bulbs aren't on. Again, I can't tell you an exact amount we save, but it is significant.
By just doing those 3 things, we have shaved over $50 off our monthly electric bill. I actually look forward to see our bill each month just to see how much we have saved from last years bill.
Extras: Such as cable and phone.
We haven't had cable in over 3 years. We don't watch that much TV and paying at least $70 a month for cable we don't watch is really quite silly. We kept our phone and internet since I used to have an online store. I payed for those charges from the income I made selling bows. Since I no longer sell bows, I needed to cut that bill down some.
First thing we did was get rid of the phone service. We invested in a MagicJack. It costs $40 and includes a year of service. Great deal!
We kept the DSL service through the phone company for a while but it was more expensive since we didn't have phone service. $47.00 plus tax is pretty hefty for internet service. So when our local cable company was offering cable internet for $25 + free limited basic cable, we jumped on it! Limited basic cable is basically what we can get with our digital converter boxes, but with a few local channels thrown in.
I actually like our over the air digital service better! The picture is better and there is more educational programming for the kids. I just think of the cable as a bonus to the internet.
I am loving our cable internet. It so much faster, more reliable and CHEAPER! It's a win, win.... win situation.
What are some things you are doing to cut back? I'd love to hear it!
4 people had something to say:
Yea! A post! ;o)
To cut costs, we set our heat really low (61°) and keep plenty of blankets around to snuggle in.
I know... can you believe I am actually posting again! I mean, not that I ever had anything really important to say anyway. But yay me!
What a great price for cable! It's a lot more than that here. However, my husband works from home, and he works online, so we still have internet.
Here are the things we do to save money:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/shoppingwisely.aspx
Thanks! I think this price is good for only a year, but that’s OK. I will just cancel before the year and find another deal. Thanks for stopping by. :)
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