Does it seem like every month your bills magically increase, even with your best efforts at budgeting? If you’re finding your bills are becoming too much to handle and you need to do something about wasteful spending, consider these easy strategies. From energy use reduction to nixing the television, these tips are sure to help you cut down on those monthly costs.
Reduce Energy Usage
One of the largest expenses the American homeowner faces each month comes in the form of utilities. If you’ve noticed your energy and water bill has been out of control lately, it’s high time to determine what you can do to save energy and conserve water. From turning off lights when you’re not in the room to switch your lightbulbs out for energy efficient alternatives, there’s a variety of ways to reduce energy use. In many cases, you may find it necessary to invest before you can begin to see savings—in almost all cases, the investment is more than worth it in the long run. From solar panels to gray water systems for your bathroom, you’d be surprised at the multitude of home improvement projects you can now purchase to cut down on energy and water waste. Renovate America offers home financing solutions for homeowners looking for ways to install energy efficient upgrades. Whether you go all out with solar panel installation or stick to something smaller like energy efficient lighting systems, you’ll be amazed at how much just one upgrade can transform your monthly utility bills.
Cancel That Cable Subscription
Let’s face it, who has time to sit and watch the boob tube for hours on end anymore? Most of us use streaming subscriptions to see all of our favorite shows and movies, and many have made the switch from cable to Amazon Fire TV. If you still have cable, consider how often it’s used. Do you find yourself groaning that despite the amount of channels available, your interest simply isn’t piqued by anything offered? Cut your losses. A stream subscription can help you gain access to the latest shows for less than $20 a month, whereas cable can easily cost upwards of $100. Once you make the switch, you’ll likely wish you had done it sooner.
Drop Those Bad Habits
Do you still smoke? Not only are you polluting your lungs and shortening your lifespan, you’re also depleting your wallet of funds that could be used on necessary expenditures. Perhaps you’re a social drinker and have found yourself spending way too much on your favorite cocktails at after work happy hours. For some of us, our bad habits lie in food—you could be spending hundreds of dollars on unhealthy snacks each month. Sit down and write out how much you spend on habits like these. You’ll likely find it’s much more costly than you think. Then consider the things you could do with this money if you managed to kick the habit. Whether it be paying off student loan debt, contributing money to your child’s college fund, or going on a family vacation, you’ll be amazed at how much you can afford and how much better you feel after kicking one of these bad behaviors to the curb.
Reevaluate Your Car Insurance
If you don’t call around and check with various insurance agencies to check on new quotes, can you be sure you’re getting the best coverage value for the price? Do yourself a favor and perform a biannual check; you never know what fantastic deal is waiting around the corner. Consider the car insurance comparisons at QuoteWizard.com.
Get Thrifty
We all want to look good, but many of us have hit the point where our fashion shopping gets a little bit out of hand. If you’re looking for ways to cut down on apparel expenses, consider getting thrifty. Thrift and consignment stores are filled with hidden fashion gems, and if you’re a vintage lover, you likely already know this. Thrift stores can turn clothes shopping into a sport by running through the racks, honing your skillset for spotting deals and diamonds in the rough, and finding fantastic, one of a kind pieces you won’t find in your local Bloomingdale’s. Believe it or not you can find designer duds for mere pennies—all it takes is a bit of patience and the right thrift shop.
Cutting down on your monthly expenditures means taking the time to assess your spending and making a commitment to change your behaviors. Consider these tips and tricks and reduce your monthly bills significantly.
