Every month, it seems like expenses keep going up. So a great place to look at where you can find savings is in your monthly household bills. Save on home bills by looking at your electricity, your gas, and your water to start.
There are some simple tips and this guide gives you great ideas on how to get some extra cash from your house, your home, your apartment each month. These work whether you own or rent your home.
Key Facts:
- While household bills go up and up, people often overlook the potential of savings in their own homes.
- Shopping around for new phone contracts, electricity, heating, and insurance can save substantial money. Search online for ‘comparison sites’.
- Use water-saving fixtures in your home and run full dishwashers and washing machines. They can add up to substantial annual savings.
Easy Ways To Save On Household Bills.
Begin by looking at your suppliers. A lot of people, especially renters, don’t think about looking at who supplies your energy, water, or gas. It’s something that’s automatic, but it’s one of the best places to take a look.
Companies that you’ve been with for a very long time, tend to just keep you at the same rates, and/or they go up and up. But, if you’re a new customer, suppliers want to win your business and are willing to give you a little bit better deal.
Use Comparison Sites
So go to a comparison website to save on home bills. There are a lot of great ones just Google ‘comparison websites’. These will help you find much better deals on most of your bills, if not all. You may be able to save up to $300 and sometimes more a year.
If you’re looking to change your energy and gas suppliers pull out your old statements/bills. And they’ll show you how much you’re using each month and each year. They also show you the rates that your suppliers are charging you. Then look at the comparison sites and see how your bills stack up.
Sometimes, if you just input your address, the comparison sites already know what you’re currently paying annually, which is a little scary. So that can be helpful too. If you don’t have a statement at hand.
Insurance
Don’t forget to look at your insurance too, on your car, on your house or anything else that you hold. There’s often a much better deal out there for you when it’s time to renew.
Control Water Consumption to Save On Home Bills
If you pay for your water, contact your water company and see what water-saving devices they have on offer. These are often free of charge.
You can easily install a different type of showerhead that uses way less water. There is a similar device for your sinks that can restrict the flow. They don’t restrict the quality but restrict the amount of water that comes out that is usually more than you even need.
Also, you can install new toilets. Newer toilets have a smaller capacity and need less water to flush. Plus, you can install a dual flush system for your differing flushing needs! This can be a huge saving in water. So check that out.
We all want to be doing our part for the environment. So, even if you don’t pay for your water, we should be saving it and restricting use wherever we can.
Heating
Look at what you set your home temperature. Do you have a programmable thermostat, one that goes on and off depending on when you need heat the most? If you’re at work all day, set it to a lower temperature.
Set it lower at night too. We all sleep better in a cooler room, so nighttime is perfect for lowering the thermostat. Try setting your heat to go off at say eight o’clock at night and not come back on till 6 in the morning. That can mean money stays in your pocket. If you’re running around inside wearing shorts and a T-shirt in the winter (in a cold climate of course) that could mean you’re setting your thermostat a little higher than it needs to be. Take a look at that.
Same with air conditioning, if you’re chilled in the summer and put on an extra layer you may need to turn it down or forego AC on those days. That’s a great savings too.
Charging Tech Devices All Night Wastes Money
What time of day do you charge your tech devices? It can make a difference. When you are charging a device, even once a device has become 100% fully charged, it continues to draw a little bit of electricity. Think about it… If you’re charging overnight and your device gets charged up within the hour, it’s got maybe seven more hours it’s drawing electricity that doesn’t need to be used. So try charging before bedtime then unplug it.
This simple change, believe it or not, could save you like $50 a year. Every little bit helps. It could pay for more takeout dinners!
More Water and Money Saving Tips
Here are a few more water-saving devices and water-saving tips to save on home bills. When you’re brushing your teeth, turn off the tab. Take showers instead of baths. That’s savings in water use and your heating wasted to heat all the extra water.
Wait to run your washing machine and your dishwasher when you’ve got a full load. Most dishwashers and older washing machines, use the same amount of water, time, and electricity whether you’ve got a full load or not.
Plus, think about it this way. The fuller you get your dishwasher before you run it the less often you’ve got to empty it! That’s a big winner for many.
Also, look for the Eco-settings on your appliances as well. They’re more environmentally friendly. And when you’re looking to buy new appliances, make sure you go for ‘A’ ratings and that they definitely have Eco-settings. Plus make the cold water washing choice. Many detergent suppliers now recommend cold water washes for most things. Not having to heat water when washing your clothes is a big plus.
Outside, collect your rainwater. Every time it rains you’re getting free water and your plants will thank you.
Credit Card Savings
Set a reminder to pay your credit cards on time or set up an auto-debit arrangement with the bank. Don’t continually pay the late fees and the extra added interest. That’s money wasted. Pay off your credit card in full when it’s due, whenever possible. This is good for your credit score so that if you ever want to take out a short-term loan, your chances are much better of being approved. You may want to consider lowering your credit limit to help lower the amount you charge to your card.
Cell Phones
Take a look at your cell phone bill. Are you paying for way more minutes and data than you need? Shop around next time your contract runs out. Try a comparison site for this too. And, check your phone statements to see how much you actually use and need.
Food Waste
This one is often overlooked but reducing food waste is a big saver. There is one great way to track how much you’re wasting. Each week, collect your food waste in one bag. You may be horrified at how much food is getting thrown away.
Some communities now make you collect your waste separately so that it doesn’t go into landfills and attract rodents. If you have a foot bucket, are you filling up your food bucket every week? Maybe make a challenge to buy less food so less food is wasted.
That savings will add up over time significantly.
Radiators and Heaters
If you have individually controlled radiators, turn those down slightly in the rooms that you don’t use and close those doors. That way the heat that is used is in the places that you need it most.
Boilers Can Drain Cash
Have your boiler inspected and cleaned every year. That makes them run cleaner and more efficiently and your system stays in top-notch order. That’s good for you and the environment.
Increase the Value of Your Home
After you’ve saved on your home bills you may want to use some of the extra cash for home improvements that add value to your home.
