After our friend from Home for Three create a post about how they are saving money, I thought I would create a post on how our electric bill for our 1,100 square foot house last month was $26. Just so you are aware, normally our bill is about $60, and we do have gas stove, but I will share the ways we stared off on the right foot to keep it down. After living in an apartment with "free electricity" we knew we had to make some lifestyle changes. I think we are both happy with the outcome.
There are other things that I would would like to do with the house. These include adding storm doors to the front and back doors, getting a more efficient central air conditioner, and new washer and drier. I think that so far we have made small steps and we can keep making them to create an efficient house.
1. New Shiny Appliances - Before we moved in we donated our old appliances, and got a new fridge, oven, and microwave. These are more efficient than the old ones. Luckily, my husbands Uncle took the old stove and fixed it up for this cabin.
2. New Hot Water Heater- Self explanatory. The inspector told us we needed a new one anyway. The seller gave us money for the purchase.
3. "Newer House" with insulation - Our house was built in 1999. This only makes it about 12 years old. When we moved in the neighbor told us he saw it being built, and there is way more insulation in the house than there needed to be.
4. Smart Strips - We ordered two smart strips for our house. These will turn off the other electronics when the main one is turned off. For example, if you turn off your tv, the dvd player, cable box, and wii will also turn all the way off. We have one on our main tv, and one on my husbands "high power use" computer.
5. Automatic Lights and Dimmer- I did not know my husband could do electrical until we moved into our house. We now have lights that turn off and on automatically in the kitchen and bathrooms. We also have a dimmer on our kitchen light. These definitely save electricity, and are nice to have too.
6. Automatic Thermostat- This means the temperature of our houses changes for when we wake up, when we leave for work, when we come home, and when we go to bed. I am glad my husband figured out all that technology :).
7. Energy Saving Outlets- Do you forget to unplug your cell phone when it is done charging? With these outlets you don't need to worry about using electricity when your phone is done charging.
9. Solar Power Shed Light- When we moved into our house we needed a shed light to illuminate the back yard. We choose a solar powered one. For less than $30 we did not need to wire the light or use electricity. I do admit, we did loose the solar panel in a hail storm, but our home insurance company helped pay for a new one.
10. Solar Powered LED Path Lights- A great way to light up a front path without using electricity from your home.
You may also be interested in: 6 Tips for Getting the Most from Your Discover Cash Back
This book will help you downsize your life. Relationships and experiences are a place to spend time and money. Stop buying stuff, stop cleaning stuff, stop organizing stuff, and live your life!
I wrote "50 Things to Know to Downsize Your Life" because I wanted to create a concise guide for people to follow to learn to live a better life with less.
This is a collection of 50 simple tips that any person who would like to know while learning to downsize their life.
The book offers practical tips for your bathroom, kitchen, closet, bedroom, downstairs, children’s rooms, and even what to do with your extra time. The book also includes 10 things to know to save money on your electric bill.
A great quick read. This book was written and published in 2013.
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