Seven (Maybe Obvious) Tips for Cutting Costs at Home

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If one of your resolutions is to save money, Rent.com has come up with a few suggestions that it says could save homeowners and renters more than $300 per month. (We’ve arranged them in order of what seems realistic.)

1. Illuminate savings: Replace light bulbs with Energy Star qualified bulbs and save $6 per bulb per year, and nearly $40 over the lifetime of the bulb. (The bulbs are pretty cheap.) This one is small, but small savings add up.

2. Cut the phone cord: No one needs a land line anymore. (This blogger hasn’t had a traditional phone in five years and has never missed having one.) This one could save an average of $35 per month – more if you make a lot of International calls.

3. Use your kitchen: The average American eats out six times per month, spending an average of $172. Cook at home more.

4. Ditch cable: Renters pay, on average, $100 per month for cable television. Does anyone really watch television shows when they actually air anyway? Plus, think of all the extra time you’d have. And you can always catch a show or two on Hulu.

5. Pull the plug: By unplugging appliances and electronics when you are not using them, you can money on energy. Unplugging one fax machine, one monitor, and television can save $70 per year.

6. Skip the hot water – Do your laundry in cold water instead of hot and shave energy usage by 90%. This can save $72 per year.

7. Work out in comfort: Skip the gym membership and save, on average, $775 per year. If you need to exercise, take up running or walking.

via wsj

Posted in: Savings, Tips