So here I go digging deeper into how I save.
I want to first start with grocery shopping, last weekend as we were hiking it hit me that I didn't touch on all that I do on that shopping trip.
Along with starting to use coupons and the grocery store membership card,meal planning and making a list I do research before I leave the house.
Along with coupons that I get in the mail are store ads. I have started reading them finding more deals than I had first thought I had found. If your store has fuel perks sometimes you can get more perks buying certain brands. For example buying 2 loafs of the store brand this month gave me a extra 10 cents on my fuel perks. Not to mention the store brand was the cheapest price.
At the store I take my time shopping I have found that not being a rush saves me money in more ways than one.
When shopping for items there are normally more than one brand of that item for example condense cream of mushroom cost 1.09 when buying Campbell's brand but when I looked around, the store brand was selling it for 69 cents.
Some times you have to look at the very bottom of the shelf but taking that time will save you money. I have learned this lesson when my parents sold beef jerky in stores.
Companies are at war with each other when it comes to where their product is placed on the shelf. Some companies actually pay just to have their product placed in eye level view. They know how important it is to have bright labels and have them placed where you see it the fastest.
So most of what I buy is either on the top shelf (I have learned how to climb shelves) or I'm down below getting stepped on but it's worth it when saving a extra buck or two.
Sometimes all it takes is time to search the shelves and price out each item.
As most everyone knows we have just moved and even though I love having a new house that is more than double the size of my first home I do not like the increase in my utilities so here things I do to save.
The best way to save engery is to use the engery that Mother Nature gives us for free.
Do you have cats or dogs? Do you ever notice how they love to lay by windows and soak up the sun?
Well let me get to that but first lets start with where I keep my thermostat.
They say you should during the winter keep it at least 68 during the day to save about 15 dollars. And as low as you can during the night. So I keep my house at 67 during the day and turn it down to 63 at night. And to my surprise I am not freezing like I thought I would.
We also have a upstairs that is Emma's play room and joes office. That thankfully is on it's own thermostat so I have it set to 60 and keep the door closed that goes upstairs to keep my downstairs heat from going up. I have found that heat travels fast, as when we do play upstairs I keep the door open and in 15 minutes the upstairs heats up about 2 degrees.
Like I said before to save engery I use Mother Nature and what is given to us.
The best ways I have learned to do this is keeping track of the weather and be prepared to switch how you will do things during the day to be around Mother Natures plans.
A great investment is buying some good thick curtains. My mom always says it helps keep the heat in and the cold out.
In the mornings as the sun is coming up I open my windows facing east. Okay I really open all my windows. Thank goodness most of them face east and I let my house soak up the morning sun. They say the rays from the morning sun are worth more to plants than the rays from the evening so it can't be much more different with warming the house right?
Living in North Carolina it isn't below zero all the time our winters are pretty mild other than one crazy week in January so this may not be able to apply to everyone but hopefully it can give you ideas.
After opening windows and getting my tea started along with breakfast I only do chores that don't cause a lot of engery as in laundry or starting the dishwasher. These things really do warm your house. I see my thermostat go up at least a couple degrees when I do these things and since it isn't very cold during the day and my heater isn't having to work so hard I save those activities for the evening.
At night even though my thermostat is set at 63 I try to give my house a boost.
I start laundry and when cooking if I know it's going to be a cold night I make sure to cook with the oven and after I'm done cooking I open the oven to let out the heat. Then I do dishes before we go to bed. This gets the house normally to 72 and I know it will be awhile before my heater has to kick in.
During the extra cold week we had in January I did lots of baking to also help keep the house warm and now I am trying to work it all off my body.
One of the biggest things you can do to cut the electric bill is keep lights off. Like your mom used to say if you aren't using it turn it off. We are constantly checking the house for lights.
It's the little things to think about when saving money and engery. If you need to get something done think about if it can wait a couple hours and be done when your heater will working harder and can that chore be a help with heating the house?
Now for summer time, things are a little different.
In the morning instead of opening your blinds from the east to let in the sun directly try to wait till around noon to open them. Unless you are like me and have to have sunlight in your home try opening your windows from the west so the sun isn't coming in directly.
One thing I'm excited about in this new home is new windows that are easy to open. Since my husband wakes up for work at 4 am I am excited to try opening windows to let the cool morning air in before the sun comes up. This works great if you live in a dry area we did it all the time growing up in Colorado. But living in North Carolina I won't be able to do it all the time but the mornings where it isn't to humid you can bet my windows will be open. Just make sure you close them before mid morning.
When it comes to doing chores that cause heat try to do them at night as well or if you can, think about hanging wet clothes on a line outside to dry. I have done research that says you can save 40 dollars a month on your utilities not using the dryer. Also in the summer when I start cooking at night I keep the fan on above the oven and place another fan in the kitchen and open and shut the oven quickly to make sure the heat doesn't leak out.
In the summer I try to set my thermostat at 77 during the day and at night bring it down to 74.
I'm sure as the summer heats up I will remember other ways to cool the house and if so I will repost in the summer but for now my mind is stuck in the winter.
Being a stay at home mother I have learned that every penny saved is a penny earned and I have the time to go out of my way to save in the smallest ways because small savings turn into big savings. I hope I was able to help you learn new ways to save or spark new ideas that I have yet to see. If so comment and tell me how else you save! I would love to hear it!
Thanks for stopping by!
-kristina
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