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After you’ve saved up for, bought and moved into the home of your dreams, it’s time to celebrate. You did it! And while you enjoy your new place, setting it up the way you want, decorating, furnishing and entertaining, you will face one additional experience that comes with home ownership: Bills. In fact, you might be surprised to see how fast extra costs add up. What can you do?
Savvy homeowners know there are always ways to save; you just have to do a little research. Consider these simple steps you can take that will mean more money in your pocket!
1. Go green: Saving energy isn’t just good for the environment; it’s good for your pocketbook. Here are some specific ways to take that will cut down on wasted energy and lower the costs of maintaining your home:
• Set the hot water heater to between 110 and 120 degrees F.
• Install ceiling fans throughout.
• Get a programmable thermostat.
• Choose lower-wattage bulbs for lamps.
• Have a professional seal/insulate leaky ducts.
• Fix leaky faucets or running toilets. (A constantly running toilet uses over 8,000 gallons of water annually!)
2. Revaluate your appliances: Along the lines of going green, take a look at your current appliances and compare them with more efficient models. While buying energy-efficient appliances might not seem the fastest way to save money, it could add up to considerably lowered energy costs over time.
3. Get discounted home insurance: Many companies offer lower rates to customers who own dual policies, so buy insurance for your car and your home at the same place, and you’ll likely see savings. Other cost-cutting ideas include installing a security system and smoke detectors and shop around amongst insurance agencies.
4. Replace your windows: As with appliances, choosing the right type of windows can mean big savings over time. If your home doesn’t already have them, look into high-efficiency low-E (low-emissivity) glass, which reduces heat transfer.
Sometimes the smallest steps, put into practice consistently, mean the biggest savings. It pays to evaluate your options and find out how you can cut costs!
Also, please don’t forget to install WaterSense labeled plumbing fixtures. low flow shower heads, aerators etc. Toilets for example account for 30% of all water used indoors. By installing a Dual Flush toilet you save 40% of drinking water compared to a regular 1.6 gallon per flush model. Caroma Dual Flush toilets offer a patented dual flush technology consisting of a 0.8 Gal flush for liquid waste and a 1.6 Gal flush for solids. Caroma, an Australian company set the standard by giving the world its first successful two button dual flush system in the nineteen eighties and has since perfected the technology. Also, with a full 3.5″ trapway, these toilets virtually never clog. All of Caroma’s toilets are on the list of WaterSense labeled HET’s http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pp/find_het.htm and also qualify for several rebate programs currently available. Please go to http://www.caromausa.com for more detailed information or visit http://www.ecotransitions.com/howto.asp to see why they actually work better than any US toilet. Best regards, Andrea Paulinelli
The tips you’ve provided on your blog are wonderful. Great advice. We bought our first home through a seller that was using Buy Owner. Could not be happier living here. Yet, the one thing I neglected to do (for a long time) after we moved in was decorate the walls with artwork. Without art on the walls, our house did not feel like a home. When I went to stores in search of cute art, I could not find any affordable art. A designer friend of mine suggested that I look for inexpensive art at FramedArt-To-Go.com Found nice quality art within that site that did not break my budget. Have finally decorated my home with cute artwork! Just thought I’d share, Christy