Money Saving Tips
I really like the quote
"It is not how much you make, but how much you spend."
when thinking about financial matters. I bet you can think of many cases of rich, famous people blowing all their money and ending up in debt; it happens to movie stars, singers, professional athletes, and any body else who has more money than common sense. In the spirit of this site, the emphasis will be on how to accomplish all the DIY jobs that lay before you while being financially efficient and responsible.
Below are mostly simple tips that may help you save money. The tips range from the obvious and easily executable to the somewhat odd.
Shopping
It can perhaps be called America's new favorite past time, but shopping does not have to deplete your bank account if you do it wisely. Here are some tips for saving your hard earned while still purchasing goods.
• Avoid buying new. When possible, buy used, whether a used car, clothes, or gas grill; buying used will save you lots of money. There are many ways to find good used products: resale stores, consignment stores, yard and garage sales, rummage sales, flea markets, classified ads, auctions, online classified ads, online auctions and surplus sales.
• If you like clothes shopping, you can get some really nice clothes from blemish and resale stores like TJ Maxx and Gabriel Brothers that sell name brand clothing at huge discounts. Some of the clothes are even BRAND NEW! How do they do it? If one little imperfection exists in the apparel, stores like TJ Maxx can buy the blemished clothing from the manufacturer at a steeply discounted price. They can then pass on those savings to you. Some retail stores also sell gently used clothes that are like new but much less expensive.
• Buy non-perishable goods in bulk when on sale. Stock up when you find a really good sale. On the other hand, do not buy more perishable goods than you can use. For example, if there is a great deal on milk and you buy 5 gallons of it but can barely finish 1 gallon before the milk goes bad, you are wasting money.
• Use coupons and shop for sales.
• Buy non-perishable goods in bulk when on sale. Stock up when you find a really good sale. On the other hand, do not buy more perishable goods than you can use. For example, if there is a great deal on milk and you buy 5 gallons of it but can barely finish 1 gallon before the milk goes bad, you are wasting money.
• Use coupons and shop for sales.
Water Conservation
Conserving water not only helps reduce utility bills, it is also a practice of responsible stewardship of one of our most precious natural resources. Here are some water conservation tips for keeping your utility bills low and helping the environment at the same time:
• Be mindful of how long your showers are or how much bathwater is in the tub.
• Consider installing some sort of rain water collection system. This can be done cheaply and over time it will pay for itself, especially if you use a lot of water for your lawn or garden or wash your own vehicles.
• This tip may not be for the "faint of heart" but consider flushing the toilet less. Older toilets can use up to 7 gallons per flush but toilets made after 1982 have "low-flow" 1.6 gallons per flush designs. Even the most efficient toilets still use about 1.2 gallons per flush. That can quickly add up! If you can barely tell the difference in the color of the water in the toilet bowl after you use it, refrain from flushing. Also, if you are like me and the last thing you do before going to bed is visit the bathroom to relieve your bladder, and the first thing you do after you get out of bed in the morning is head back to the bathroom, you can skip the nightly flush.
If you can save just 2 toilet flushes a day per person, at 1.6 gallons per flush equates to 1,186 gallons a year per person.
Electricity Conservation
You pay for every bit of electricity you use (unless you are lucky enough to have your own source of energy) so if you can use less electricity, you will pay less. Simple enough, right? Here are some energy conservation tips aimed at keeping your electrical bill low:
• Be mindful of how long your showers are or how much bathwater is in the tub.
• Consider installing some sort of rain water collection system. This can be done cheaply and over time it will pay for itself, especially if you use a lot of water for your lawn or garden or wash your own vehicles.
• This tip may not be for the "faint of heart" but consider flushing the toilet less. Older toilets can use up to 7 gallons per flush but toilets made after 1982 have "low-flow" 1.6 gallons per flush designs. Even the most efficient toilets still use about 1.2 gallons per flush. That can quickly add up! If you can barely tell the difference in the color of the water in the toilet bowl after you use it, refrain from flushing. Also, if you are like me and the last thing you do before going to bed is visit the bathroom to relieve your bladder, and the first thing you do after you get out of bed in the morning is head back to the bathroom, you can skip the nightly flush.
If you can save just 2 toilet flushes a day per person, at 1.6 gallons per flush equates to 1,186 gallons a year per person.
Electricity Conservation
You pay for every bit of electricity you use (unless you are lucky enough to have your own source of energy) so if you can use less electricity, you will pay less. Simple enough, right? Here are some energy conservation tips aimed at keeping your electrical bill low:
Relevant Sites
Here are some external links to sites with information relevant to this article.
Here are some external links to sites with information relevant to this article.
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