5 Ways To Save Money On Your Utility Bills

Cutting costs without suffering.


The winter is in full force, and although it's been unusually warm in some areas so far, it's starting to get colder. Along with the cold weather comes large utility bills. For many of us who are feeling the pinch of the current economic recessions, those who are underemployed or looking for jobs, these added expenses can really take a bite out of our budgets.


This year, my New Year's resolution was to live more frugally, but without having to do without the things that are really important. So, how can you save money on utility bills without bundling up in coats at home?


Here are 5 great ways to save money on your utility bills:


Do an energy check at night - Before you go to bed, go around your house and make sure that everything is turned off. It's a hard habit to get into, but it can really save you a lot of money. Check for lights, televisions, fans and other appliances and electronics. Just one ceiling fan can cost up to $35 dollars a year to run during the night, a traditional light bulb costs $21 and a compact fluorescent costs $9. This can really add up over time.


Check your water heater - The experts agree that your water heater should be set at 120 degrees. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that setting your water heater at 140 degrees can cost you up to $61 in heat loss and up to $400 annually just to heat water to that high of a temperature. If you are going to be gone for a few days, turn your water heater down or even off. Remember that even though you aren't using water while your gone, the water cools down and the water heater has to reheat it over and over.


Invest in re-usable filters - Instead of buying the cheap, disposable filters for your heating and air conditioner, buy the reusable ones. They cost a little more, but since you can rinse them off and reuse them, instead of having to remember to buy new ones, you'll be more likely to keep your filter clean. Dirty filters can make your system less efficient and even cause it to break, costing you lots of money.


Look into upgrading your appliances - Many state and local governments offer incentive programs for homeowners who upgrade to energy-efficient appliances. Find out what they are in your area and think about upgrading. Not only can you save money in taxes and on your purchase but your monthly utility bills will drop as well.


Buy a programmable thermostat - These devices have gotten less expensive over the years and it's still the best way to save money. You can program your heat and air conditioner to work less during the times that you aren't home, which saves you money. In fact, the EPA estimates that a programmable thermostat can save an average of $180 a year.


What other ways do you save money on your utilities? Please share your thoughts and suggestions in the comments.


By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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How To Make Budgeting Easy

Making your money stretch by budgeting.


Just the word "budgeting" can cause even the best of us to squirm a little. No one wants to think about it and there is a strong resistance against the idea of restrictions. The thing is, when you are unemployed and looking for a job, making the most of the little bit of income you have is crucial for surviving long term.


We all know this, but the idea of budgeting just seems too hard sometimes. The thing is, making a budget and sticking to it will allow you to save to reach your goals. Which is totally fun, right?


If you are struggling to manage your finances and want to make a budget, the first step is to break your expenses down into categories. Here are the main ones:


Necessary expenses - These are the things you don't have a choice about. This can be whatever is necessary for you. For example, this could be housing, transportation, insurance and utilities. Depending on your lifestyle, this list can be longer or shorter.


Savings - Paying yourself is important. Put money in savings before you end up spending it on non-essential things. This is something that is really hard for me to do, but I'm trying. I need to get in the mindset that paying myself is more important than having more money to spend on other things. You can't achieve things without making sacrifices and this is also true when it comes to money.


Debt Repayment - This category is for credit card payments, student loan payments and so on. Some people like to add the minimum payments into their necessary expenses category and use this for any additional repayments.


Discretionary Spending - This should be the last category because it is the least important. This would cover things like eating out, clothing and more expensive groceries. With the money in this category, you can adjust how much you spend based on your financial situation. For example, if you are trying to save more, give this category less money.


Once you have your expenses broken down into these categories, you can look at your income and get a clear idea of how to save money in order to meet your larger financial goals.


Do you keep a budget? Why or why not? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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What Our Parents Knew About Stretching a Budget

Making your money stretch with these skills.

It's been interesting to see that over the past few years, as the economy has worsened and so many people are out of work or looking for jobs, there has been a rebirth of skills that make our budget stretch. Most of these are skills that our parents knew, but somewhere down the line we have forgotten. For example, if you look around the Internet, you'll find plenty of blogs dedicated to such old-fashioned skills as baking, sewing, gardening and more. In fact, I met a woman who actually raises bees in her small backyard. It might seem crazy, but she has some amazing honey and uses it to barter for baked goods, fresh vegetables and even sells some.

There are so many skills that our parents knew that can make a dollar stretch. In case you weren't paying attention as a child, here are 5 skills that you should learn:

Driving a manual transmission car - Out of all the cars I have had, the majority have been manual transmission, or "sticks". I am always surprised at how many of my friends, and even parking attendants, don't know how to drive them. In general, manual transmission cars are cheaper than automatics and get slightly better gas mileage. Also, used cars with manual transmissions are considerably cheaper because less people are interested in buying them.

Cooking from scratch - I'm not even talking about advanced stuff like canning your own vegetables here. Even things like making spaghetti sauce or cooking oatmeal can save you a lot of money on your grocery bill. I like to cook, but when I look in my cabinets, I'm still surprised at how much easier it is to buy ready made options. These are typically less healthy and much more expensive. Even if you just replace one or two ready made meals with a couple of easy to make from scratch meals, you'll see the difference.

Repairs - I have a friend who replaces things that are broken and never considers the idea of having them fixed. She has little children, and as you would imagine, her vacuum cleaners have occasionally lost battles with Barbie shoes and the like. Instead of replacing the belt, she replaces the vacuum. When I showed her how to open the housing and replace the belt, she was amazed. I have another friend who has been saving to replace her washing machine and in the meantime is suffering because the machine doesn't spin that well. In my parent's day, the repairman would come and replace a few things and the washer would be good as new. The repairman's fee isn't nearly as much as the cost of a new washer. There are many great books on home repair that you can find at the library and fixing your broken items will save you a bunch in time, hassle and money.

Sewing - You don't have to be a great seamstress or tailor to benefit from learning to sew. At the least, we should all be able to replace a button, hem pants or mend small rips in clothes or other fabrics. Unfortunately, many people just toss out things that are ripped and replace them. It's a waste of money and keeping the things you love is always nicer than getting new stuff. Just learning the basics can save you a lot of money.

Gardening - You don't even have to have a yard to plant a garden. There has been a rise in urban gardening in the past few years. In this situation, people plant a few vegetables in large tubs and put them by a window or on a balcony. Just one or two tomato plants and a few other vegetables can keep you fed well all summer long. Not to mention, they are great for bartering with friends who have other skills to offer.

Making your budget stretch when you are going through tough times is important. You can cut your expenses by learning some of these skills and who knows, it might even be fun.

What other things do you think our parents new about saving money? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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5 Apps To Make Holiday Shopping Easy

Image via Wikipedia

Using technology to save money this holiday season.

Saving money is hard enough as it is, but for many of us, this holiday season is going to be tighter than ever. Especially for those who are struggling with the rising cost of living, are underemployed or looking for jobs, saving money on gifts is really important.

The problem is that shopping for the best bargain when the malls are packed with other holiday shoppers isn't easy. It can get so crowded and frantic that it is tempting to just buy it where you find it and leave it at that. However, if you have a smartphone, getting the best deal is easy with a few great apps.

Here are 5 great apps for saving money this holiday season:

Price Check by Amazon - This app is amazing. You can search for items by typing in the description or name or even by scanning the barcode. The app will search Amazon to find the best deal.

RedLaser by Ebay - Redlaser is sort of like Price Check, but it searches local stores and online stores, not just Amazon. It has the same barcode scanning ability as Price Check but it can keep lists of products you've scanned previously.

Gift Plan - This app doesn't actually find deals, but it gives you the ability to organize and plan your gift lists. You can create a profile for each person you will be shopping for and keep track of their likes and dislikes and, more importantly, their sizes. By having all of the information handy, you can take advantage of great sales without worrying that they will be the wrong gift, or accidentally buying more presents for one person than another.

Shopkick - This app turns shopping into a game. Like Foursquare, this app gives you points for visiting specific places. The difference is that you get points for doing specific actions at participating stores. As you rack up points, you can cash them in for discounts and gift cards to places like Target and Best Buy.

Lemon - One of the more frustrating things about holiday shopping is keeping all of the receipts that pile up. The Lemon app allows you to take a picture of the receipt. The Lemon service stores the image and the location of the store for safe keeping. You can also keep track of your purchases and organize them. When you shop online, you can even have the receipts sent to Lemon directly.

Holiday shopping doesn't have to be a pain. With these apps, hopefully yours can actually be fun this year.

What are your favorite shopping apps? Let me know in the comments.

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for PhillyJobsBlog and Beyond.com, along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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5 Ways to Keep Your Relationship Strong When Money Gets Tight

When money gets tight, it can put a lot of pressure and stress onto a relationship or marriage. In fact, many studies claim that money problems are responsible for 30% of divorces. Personally, I think the number is probably higher than that because financial stress can be the underlying symptom of many other marital problems.

The thing is, traditionally, the marriage vows are "for richer or poorer" not "As long as you have a job, or if you lose your job you should have a new one within a few months.". Still, financial infidelity can end a marriage almost as quickly as sexual infidelity. To keep this from happening to you, here are 5 ways to keep your relationship strong when money gets tight:

Have dreams and talk about them often - Do you and your spouse have long term dreams like buying a summer home or retiring and moving to Central America? Whatever your dream, talk about it with your partner and make a goal. Then, while you are saving, keep talking about it so that you can both work on it together. Working toward a common goal will make your bond stronger and help you stay focused.

Give each other some personal money - Many couples make the mistake of having one person be the money manager and the other person just hands over their paychecks. Although it can work very well sometimes, you have to remember that everyone deserves to have some cash in their pocket that they don't have to be accountable for. Making an impulse decision to buy a cup of coffee or go out to lunch makes us feel like grown ups. When people don't have any power over the money they make or how it gets spent, it can make them resentful, cause them to feel desperate and even led them to act out in various ways.

Be honest and communicate - If you've made a mistake, have run up the credit cards or spent your savings account, it's always going to be better if you tell your partner right away. Sure, they will probably be upset, but it's better than them finding out later and knowing that you withheld the truth.

Discuss what to do with windfalls/bonuses/tax returns - If either you or your partner get a large amount of unexpected money like a bonus or tax return, you should both decide what to do with it before you spend it. You two might have very different idea about what to do with it and that can cause a huge amount of resentment. Make sure that your partner feels included in the decision making process.

Don't change your agreements without discussing it - If you have both decided that it is best for your family if both of you work, don't change that agreement without discussing it. Of course, you can't help it if you lose your job, but before you quit your job, decide to go back to school or change the way that money is earned, you have to talk it over first and get an agreement.

The biggest thing that kills relationships isn't the lack of money, it's the feeling that your partner has betrayed your trust financially. Small indiscretions are much easier to deal with when there is more than enough money, but when you're making every dollar stretch, the little things can add up. Just remember that there isn't a material purchase you could make that would be as valuable as the love and trust between you and your partner.

Do you have marital problems caused by money? What have you done about it? What suggestion do you have for others in this position?


By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a 9 year blog veteran and a freelance writer for HealthcareJobsiteBlog and Beyond.com.. Along with helping others find the job of their dreams, she enjoys computer geekery, raising a teenager, supporting her local library, writing about herself in the third person and working on her next novel.

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