Smart Tips to Save Money on Power

Compare vendors. Even if you’ve been with the same company for half a decade, it doesn’t mean you’re necessarily getting the best deal. Gas and electricity vendors buy power in bulk and often in advance, meaning they’re looking to secure the highest number of customers. Compare costs at MoneySupermarket.com to learn more about switching suppliers.

Take a look at your thermostat. If you have a timing device on your heater, place it on a rotating schedule so that the heating is off at midday when the family is away at work and school. It will turn on again when the temperature drops in the mornings and evenings, and you’ll save money on the time in-between. While you’re there, consider reducing the temperature; even a reduction of one degree can save you money.

Maximize your appliances. Fill up the washing machine, tumble dryer and dish washer by all means, but never turn them on when they’re half-full. One full load will use less energy than two half-loads. Turn down the water temperature for washing clothes, opt for showers rather than baths, and on sunny days, make use of the sun’s natural energy to dry clothes.

Be energy aware. By making small changes in your home you can collect savings that add up in the long run. For starters, switch high wattage incandescent light bulbs for energy savers and remember to turn off lights when you leave every room. Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need, and fix dripping taps – particularly hot taps. Check for draughts around windows and doors, and add insulation to keep that precious heat inside.

Utilities are a necessary expense, but it’s not necessary to waste resources such as light, heat and water. Get into the saving mode and save money every month without making much effort at all.

Carpets accumulate seemingly unbelievable amounts of grime over the years, and though you may vacuum them innumerable times, you are unlikely to get out the engrained dirt. If you really need to keep your carpets sparkling clean, you have three options: don’t wear shoes inside, get new carpets, or crack out the big guns and bring out a carpet cleaner. Not wearing shoes inside may not solve an existing problem, although it can help prevent future dirt. Getting new carpets is usually not feasible, nor is it necessary. Carpet cleaners, on the other hand, can be rented easily and they will comprehensively clean your carpets, leaving them looking as good as new. They do this by shampooing the fibers, which can remove years of dirt and dust.

In addition to the inside dirt that nags at you to be cleaned, dirt is a natural outdoors. While you may think that dirt belongs outside, there are many places where you don’t want or need to live with a build up of dirt. For example, dirt naturally has a tendency to build up outside on pipes, porches and window frames. This can be incredibly hard and laborious to get out. As you can imagine, scrubbing your entire house will take countless days and will require an inordinate amount of elbow grease. Pressure cleaners are the solution here, as they shoot powerful jets of water that can lift up even the most engrained dirt. Using a pressure washer can leave the outside of your house looking sparkling fresh and new.

These two cleaning tools can help you conquer some your greatest cleaning fears, as they are easy to use and have the power to tackle some truly intense dirt. You can easily pick them up at a rental depot, or you can buy an affordable used version if you don’t want to splurge on a new model. Either way, it is well worth the effort to either rent or buy power cleaning tools such as these so you are not left scrubbing the interior or exterior of your house for hours on end.

To begin, you can get some great advice about front yard landscape design at Landscape Design Ideas.  You will find that although you may use your front yard less often than your backyard, it is important to design the landscape well so that your home has nice curb appeal.  This will help enhance the resale value when it is time to sell.  Simplicity is the key to effective design for front yards to keep things looking clean and easily accessible and you don’t need to spend a fortune to keep your front yard looking good.

Turning to the backyard, most people would love to have a pool of their own but many can’t afford one.  One solution is to choose from a variety of inflatable swimming pools that provide the luxury of having a pool in your own backyard without the hefty price tag.  Blue Ice Pool discusses the benefits of these types of pools and the enjoyment they can offer.

While we’re enjoying our backyards, let’s consider an affordable and unique way of lighting the outdoor space when the sun goes down.  Patio Lights Guide details some exciting and affordable options for patio umbrella lights that can keep the fun going even after dark.  There are numerous styles of lighting options to choose from and most are relatively inexpensive.

If you are looking to keep things organized inside your home, and specifically in your closet, then you may want to find out more about buying shoe storage boxes online at Bedroom Décor Tips.  This article provides information about the best types of storage to use and where the best places to buy them are.  Shoe storage boxes can be used for more than just storing shoes and are a great way to stay organized!

Keeping with the home organization theme (one of my favorite topics!), one of the best ways to stay organized is with large plastic storage boxes if you have a lot of items to store or have larger items that take up a good deal of space.  You can find many uses for these versatile boxes at Plastic Storage Boxes Info and will find that there are a number of different types of storage boxes to choose from. 

Whether you are looking to improve the exterior or interior of your home, are interested in keeping things organized, or are looking to save money, I hope that these tips have given you some good ideas!

Here are 10 more quick cleaning tips to keep you working efficiently and effortlessly…

1. Put a new box of baking soda in the fridge or freezer. With just a few seconds of effort you’ll have everything smelling better in no time! Have a few extra seconds while you’re looking in the fridge? Toss out any food that looks like it has seen better days!
2. Toss junk mail and catalogs. Better yet, keep a shredder in a convenient location and run anything with personal info right through the shredder. It only takes a minute to reduce your pile of mail – and avoid identity theft, too!
3. Test your smoke alarms. This is often a neglected task and is important to make sure that your smoke detectors are in good working order.
4. Fluff pillows on a couch, chair or 2 seater sofa. It’s a 60 second way to give a room a just freshened up look.
5. Treat a laundry stain. Pre-treating stains when you know they occur makes it a lot easier to remove them when it’s laundry time.
6. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of a garbage can. Again, a few seconds of effort keeps your house smelling fresh!
7. Clean one drawer. Or at least get rid of obvious junk so it will make the drawer easier to rearrange when you have a few more minutes to spare.
8. Go through today’s mail so it doesn’t pile up and become a larger task a few days from now.
9. Focus on just one small space and throw something out or put something away where it belongs.
10. Have an extra minute while you’re in the car? Clean out cupholders! They seem to collect lots of junk and take just a minute to clean out to keep your car looking as clean and organized as your house.

I hope that these additional quick cleaning tips help you make good use of the spare minutes you find throughout your day and make keeping your house and life in order a little bit of an easier task!

Here are 7 ways you can save money when eating out:

1. Order an appetizer for dinner.  Portions have gotten so big lately that this is usually enough anyway. Or share an entrée with your dining partner, if you both feel like eating the same thing and the portions are substantial.   You can even ask the server to pack up half of your meal before you begin eating, so you’ll have two meals for the price of one.  You’ll save yourself some calories in the process, too!   
2. If you’re headed to a pricey restaurant, consider enjoying a late lunch instead of dinner.  Very often these restaurants have separate lunch menus with portions that are a little smaller and are substantially less expensive.
3. If you’re dining with the kids, sign them up for the birthday club so they’ll get a free meal or dessert on their birthday.  Ask if there are certain days that kids eat free with a paying adult, because sometimes this benefit is not widely advertised.  Some restaurants may also offer a birthday club for adults, too.  
4. For restaurants that you frequent often, inquire about whether they offer a frequent diner program that offers discounts or free meals after you’ve eaten there a certain number of times or spent a specific amount of money.
5. Try to limit beverages when you dine out.  The cost of soft drinks at restaurants has become astronomical!  Most restaurants charge between $2 and $3 just for a soda!  You can get a 2 liter bottle at home for about half that amount.  So stick to drinking water when you’re out and you’ll keep your bill in check.  A slice or two of lemon is a nice added touch.  If you’re enjoying a special celebration and would like a cocktail, don’t get too carried away because the cost of alcoholic drinks can add up very quickly.  Better yet, see if there are any BYOB (bring-your-own-bottle) restaurants in the area and you’ll save a huge chunk of change. 
6. Watch out for desserts – sometimes they cost as much as a meal!  If you must end the meal on a sweet note, consider sharing a dessert among friends.  Not only will your wallet thank you, but your waist will, too!
7. Some chain restaurants also offer coupons, promotions and specials if you sign up directly at their website.  It’s worth checking them out to see if you can save a few bucks!  There are many other places to find restaurant coupons, too.

By following some of these simple ways to save money when eating out, you can still enjoy an occasional indulgence, night off from kitchen-duty, or celebration without breaking the bank.  We hate to penny-pinch all the time, but these money saving tips will help you keep more money in your wallet while still enjoying a night out at your favorite restaurant without much sacrifice.

Here are 5 eco-friendly green living tips that will also save you some green…

1. Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs (cfls). If you change just five of the most used light bulbs in your home, you can save about $80 in energy costs in a year. Although the cfls are more expensive to purchase up front, the added cost is more than offset by the energy savings and they also last much longer than standard bulbs. And if everyone changed just one bulb to a cfl, it would be like taking 1.2 mil cars off road for a year!
2. Bring your own bag to the grocery store. Some stores will give you between 5 and 25 cents off per bag. Most plastic bags are not recycled.
3. Bring your own cup. Some coffee houses will give you credit if you bring your own cup (like Starbucks).
4. Switch from bottled water to water out of the faucet. It will save you a load of money over the long term and will save tons of plastic bottles from winding up in landfills. Even if the bottles are recycled, a great deal of energy is used in transporting and recycling, so better not to use them in the first place. And nothing tastes better than icy cold water out of a real glass!
5. Consider organizing a book swap with friends or others in the community. Rather than purchasing new books, you can give old books new life by exchanging them with others. And you can save a bundle by not having to run out to purchase new books! Another option, of course, is to use the public library. But, for those who dislike reading books that have been handled by so many people, a book swap is a great alternative, because you can set the rules about the condition that books must be in before they can be considered for exchange.

By adopting even just a few eco-friendly green living tips into your everyday life, you will begin to notice that you can keep some extra money in your pocket, while feeling good that you are doing your small part to help the planet.

Below are 10 laundry stain removal tips to keep your clothes looking their best.  Always spot test fabric before using chemicals to make sure that fabric is not damaged or color is not ruined.  Also be sure to check washing instructions on label.  Only try these suggestions on washable fabrics.  These laundry stain removal tips are not guaranteed to remove all stains, but should be a helpful step in the right direction.

• Grease stains – Sprinkle baby powder or corn starch over grease stain and let sit.  The powder or corn starch should absorb most of the grease.  Then launder as usual.
• Ink stains – Put rubbing alcohol on ink stain and blot before laundering.
• Blood stains – Pour hydrogen peroxide on blood stain, blot and then wash in cold water.
• Lipstick stains – Use petroleum jelly to help remove lipstick stains on clothes.
• Deodorant stains – Soak in white vinegar for about 30 minutes and then wash in hottest water possible for fabric.  Use color safe bleach, if okay for fabric.
• Perspiration stains – Soak fabric in equal parts of ammonia and water, mixed with a few drops of dishwashing soap, and let sit overnight.  Then launder as usual.
• Ring around the collar stains – Use shampoo and rub gently to remove ring around the collar stains, then launder as usual.
• Coffee stains – Soak in cold water and then dab with liquid detergent.
• Grass stains – Grass stains can be removed with white vinegar or rubbing alcohol.  Another method is to use a few drops of ammonia mixed with approx. 1 teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide.  Then launder as usual.
• Red wine stains – Pour club soda or white wine over stain and then wash in cold water.  Sprinkling salt on stain first also helps to soak up some of the wine.

One of the most important laundry stain removal tips is to remember not to dry any garment that still has a stain on it!  Once you put a stained article of clothing in the dryer, it is extremely hard to remove the stain, because the stain sets in the fabric.  In some cases, these laundry stain removal tips need to be repeated multiple times in order to successfully remove the stain and in some cases another method may need to be tried.  Please use common sense in treating certain types of fabrics and follow washing instructions on labels.

Here are some easy walking tips that will have you adding more steps to your day in no time:

• Wear a pedometer. Your goal should be to try to walk 10,000 steps a day, which is equivalent to approximately five miles. Start out by trying to increase your current steps by 2,000 a day (2,000 steps is about 1 mile) and as you start feeling comfortable with that, then add more steps. By wearing a pedometer you are more aware of how many steps you take throughout the day. You don’t need to walk a mile at a time, just add additional steps throughout the day whenever you can and those steps will add up before you even realize what’s happening.
• Park further away from your destination. This is an easy and effortless way to add more steps to your day.
• When waiting for something, pace or walk in circles rather than standing in one place. Make wasted time work for your waist!
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. A little bit of exercise in small chunks adds up throughout the day to help you meet your goals.
• Drop something off at a co-workers desk or walk there to talk to them instead of sending an email. Not only will you get a little exercise, but a break from sitting at your desk as well.
• While on the phone, pace around the office or around the house. You won’t even notice how many extra steps you are adding to your day when you’re busy talking on the phone.
• While kids are at sports practice, walk around the field. You’ve got time to kill anyway, so you might as well make it productive!
• Keep an exercise log (and food log if you’re looking to lose weight). By keeping track of what you’re doing and how often you do it, you’ll find yourself more likely to stick with your commitment.
• Track your progress on a chart or map. Set a goal for yourself as to how many miles you hope to walk by a specific date and track your progress on a chart or map. Visually seeing how far you have come is very motivating to keep you working towards a goal. It’s fun to determine on a map how long it will take you to walk from point A to point B, depending on the distance and then track your journey. When you reach your destination, be sure to reward yourself – or if your goals are lofty and your journey long, then be sure to pick up a few souvenirs at the “rest stops” along the way. And don’t forget to enjoy the scenery!

By incorporating some or all of these easy walking tips into your routine you’ll be adding additional steps to your day in no time. Just be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

There are a number of fairly easy ways we can adapt our daily lives in order to save electricity. None of these electricity saving tips involve a big up-front outlay of money or a drastic change to our lifestyles. Just a few small modifications to the way we approach our use of electricity, and we’ll be saving kilowatt hours in no time! Now I do believe that it’s so ingrained in our way of life to use electricity without thinking about how much we use or the ramifications of our usage, but if we are to do something about helping our planet then we need to be more cognizant of the outcome of our actions and what we can do to lessen the carbon footprint we leave on this earth.

The best way to make the biggest impact on our household electricity consumption is to focus on the items in our house that consume the most energy. I’m talking about the big items, like air conditioners, electric heat and hot water heaters (if you use electric ones), electric clothes dryers, large household appliances, like refrigerators and dishwashers (especially if they’re older models and are less efficient), and lighting.

So with those energy hogs in mind, here are 12 tips to save electricity:

1. Turn up the thermostat on your air conditioning, or better yet turn it off all together, and use ceiling fans and portable fans to circulate the air in your house.

2. Turn down the thermostat when the heat is on and dress warmly, sleep with an extra blanket, or use space heaters in rooms that you frequent.

3. Close heating and air conditioning vents in rooms that you do not utilize often and close the doors. This will send the cool or warm air into the rooms that you use and will be more efficient.

4. Install a programmable thermostat and set the temperatures when you are out of the house and at night so that less air conditioning and heat are needed. Have the thermostat programmed to kick on the air or heat first thing in the morning before you get out of bed or shortly before you arrive home at the end of the day so you are comfortable.

5. Wash laundry in cold water instead of hot or at least warm water instead of hot. There are a number of laundry detergents on the market now that are formulated to get your clothes clean even in cold water. By doing this, you will use less energy because the water doesn’t have to be heated.

6. When possible, use a clothes drying rack or a clothesline instead of your electric dryer. This tip requires more of a dedicated commitment to change than some of the others, but can be done and will result in lower usage of electricity and ultimately lower electric bills. Even if you can’t do it all the time, try to do it some of the time and you’ll reap some benefits.

7. Keep your fridge and freezer stocked with food to maintain the cold air, but don’t overload it or the cold air won’t have a chance to circulate and the appliance will have to work harder. Also make sure that you regularly clean off the air filters on the back or bottom of the appliance to increase the efficiency of the unit. Older models are less efficient than newer models, but unless your appliance is nearing the end of its life, it’s a rather pricey investment to replace.

8. If you have an extra freezer or refrigerator in your garage or basement, consider whether you really need it. You may have kept it when you replaced your old appliance just to store extras, but if you don’t really need it, you’ll be saving quite a bit of electricity and money by unplugging it.

9. Many dishwasher models have an option to turn off the heated dry cycle, and by doing it you will save electricity. Also by not selecting the ‘temp boost’ option and selecting the ‘energy saver’ option (if your model offers them), you will be decreasing the amount of energy used per wash cycle. Washing only full loads of dishes will also reduce energy consumption as well.

10. Replace incandescent lightbulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs in table lamps and other lighting fixtures. They reduce energy consumption and last a lot longer, so the extra price paid for the bulbs is more than offset in additional savings.

11. Plug your small appliances and electronics into a power strip and turn the power strip off when they’re not in use. Appliances and electronics still draw electricity when not in use, especially if they have clocks.

12. Turn off lights, televisions and any other electronic appliances when you leave a room or they’re not in use. This may sound like a very logical piece of advice, but you’d be amazed by how often we forget to do it! Wireless electricity reduces the number of cords laying around and makes it easier to charge items when you need them without leaving them plugged in all the time.

By following some or all of these tips to save electricity, you will be lowering the amount of pollution you are responsible for contributing to the planet, lessening your carbon footprint, and ultimately saving yourself a bit of money in the process!

Below are a handful of snowy or rainy day activities for tweens and teens. They can be enjoyed as a family or can be used to pass the time indoors with friends or siblings. These activities are geared to older kids and can be a great source of amusement for both parents and teens alike.

10 Snowy or Rainy Day Activities for Tweens and Teens:

1. Do a jigsaw puzzle. Chances are it’s been awhile since you’ve all sat down and worked on a jigsaw puzzle together, but this can be a great diversion for the whole family, and provides opportunities for meaningful conversation.

2. Play a card game. Gone may be the days of playing “Go Fish” with your kids, but there are many other challenging card games to play with older kids. Engage them in a game of texas hold ‘em, gin rummy, or another card game of choice and the time will fly by.

3. Sing karaoke. This may be a completely embarrassing activity for your teen or tween to enjoy when their friends are around (and if you ever sang in front of their friends, they’d surely cringe!), but when hanging out together at home on a rainy day, this can be a great source of fun and laughs.

4. Make a scrapbook. Take the opportunity to go through old pictures and put them into a scrapbook. If you don’t have all the materials needed to make and decorate the book, then spend the day organizing and selecting photos to put in the book and enjoy reminiscing about old memories. If you have digital photos, there are some great online digital scrapbooking sites, like Shutterfly, where you can make a beautiful scrapbook, complete with custom pages and journaling, in no time.

5. Make a video together. Plan it out together and record away. Kids are so into videos today that it could be fun to make a family video. You can recreate a talk show and conduct interviews, try your hand at a game show or act out a comedy. Either way, you’ll have a chance to get creative and have a memento of your day spent together.

6. Make a house of cards. Remember the days when your kids could be entertained for hours with blocks or legos? Well, they may not be willing to break out the blocks these days, but the challenge of trying to build a house of cards could certainly bring out the architect in any teen.

7. Devise a mystery sound game. See how keen everyone’s sense of hearing is by having one person or group go around the house and record various sounds heard around the house. This can easily be done even with a cell phone if you don’t have a tape recorder. Then try to guess what the sounds are.

8. Have a dance party. Let loose and get some exercise, too! Take turns choosing music to dance to so you can both enjoy each other’s selections and maybe teach each other a few moves in the process.  Or have an indoor beach or pool party - grab some swimming pool toys, a beach ball, and a few colorful blankets and make believe you’re hanging out at the beach or by the pool.

9. Play challenging word, number, or trivia games. Games like Rummikub, Scrabble, Upwords, Trivial Pursuit and more are always fun to revisit, so if you have a few games lying around the house, dust them off and challenge each other to a game or two.

10. Plan a meal with items from the pantry. Get creative together and put everyone’s cooking skills to the test. Older kids love to eat and can have a great time trying to concoct a new recipe based on what’s available in the pantry or fridge. And you’ll get out of having to figure out what’s for dinner!

These snowy or rainy day activities can be a great way to spend a memorable day indoors with your tween or teen. Hopefully you’ll have so much fun that you’ll all be looking forward to the next time you’re stuck in the house due to a rainy or snowy day!