Tips to save you money through these tuff economic times.
1. Get a home energy audit every couple of years with your power company to find ways to cut costs.
2. Save on electricity by trading your standard incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent bulbs. Prices on CFBs have dropped dramatically, and they are more energy-efficient, last for years instead of months, consume little power and generate little heat.
3. Buy major appliances that sport the Energy Star sticker. That shows the appliance meets or exceeds standards set by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Even if you buy used look for something that has the star as it will save you in the long run. If you check with your local electric company some of them have programs where they will buy back your old appliance and give you a voucher worth about 100.00 towards a new one.
4. When building a home or replacing a roof, select a roof based more on energy efficiency than on how it looks. Light-colored roofs -- such as white, galvanized metal or cement tile -- do the best job of reflecting the sun, and they cool quickly at night.
5. Every few months, comparison shop to see if you're paying too much for your telecommunications services -- Internet, land line phone and cable/satellite service. Many times, competing companies will offer better deals to new customers. If you find a better deal, contact your telecom providers and negotiate -- or switch.
6. Cancel all the extra services you don't use, such as call waiting, caller ID, voicemail, call forwarding and three-way calling. For cell phones, block add-ons like text messaging, Web surfing and music downloads if you don't use them.
7. To save energy on heating or cooling, buy a programmable thermostat, especially if no one is home most of the day. Set it to turn on a half-hour before anyone arrives home.
8. Analyze your homeowners or renters insurance to see if there is any coverage that you can do without, and take higher deductibles if you have cash on hand to cover them.
9. Condo owners need to know what the condo association's insurance policy covers so as not to double-insure.
10. Some home improvements can reduce the cost of homeowners insurance. Something as simple as installing a fire extinguisher or a deadbolt lock can take a significant bite out of your insurance bill.
11. Make extra mortgage payments, whether monthly, once a year or on some other schedule, to get to 80 percent LTV and cancel PMI more quickly. One way for those on a 26-pay-per-year salary schedule is to make an extra mortgage payment in months where you get three paychecks instead of two.
12. Fix leaky faucets -- one drip of hot water a second is 20 kilowatts a month.
13. Be house-wise. Sell the big house or don't buy more house than you need. Get an affordable townhouse or a smaller home if a family member moves out.
14. Rent out a room in your home if you have more space than you need. If you have grown-up offspring living with you, negotiate with them to pay monthly rent for the privilege.
15. Lower your hot water thermostat 10 degrees, but no lower than 120 degrees. You'll still get all the hot water you need and save 25 kilowatt hours a month.
16. Cell phones can be expensive, especially if you're footing the bill for a houseful of users. Do a needs analysis and dump the phones that aren't absolutely necessary. Even with so-called family plans, canceling just one line can result in significant savings.
17. To save on energy costs, seal leaks. Invest in weather-stripping kits if you have drafty doors. Caulk over cracks and small holes around windows and exterior walls. Look carefully around plumbing pipes, telephone wires, dryer vents, sink and bathtub drains, and under countertops.
18. If your cell phone plan offers free nights and weekends, make your weekly calls then. Not only will it possibly allow you to save money by canceling long distance service on your land line, it will save you cell phone minutes.
19. Landscaping with the right mix of trees and shrubs can lower your energy bills by blocking winter wind and summer sun and can also save on water if you use plants that are native to the area.
20. When looking to buy a house or refinance your mortgage, take the time to apply for and compare several mortgage offers from a diverse set of sources: the institution where you do your day-to-day banking, a neighborhood bank, a credit union and an online lender. That way you can have confidence that you got the best terms possible.
21. When comparing mortgage offers, don't forget to look at closing costs. Fees for things like title insurance and home inspections can vary greatly, even within the same institution. Taking time to compare or negotiate lower fees can save hundreds or even thousands of dollars, greatly reducing the real cost of your loan.
22. To cut utility bills, add more energy-efficient insulation to your attic, with the appropriate R-value, or resistance to heat flow, for your climate and the type of heating in your house.
23. Switching to an Internet telephone service, sometimes called Voice over IP, or VoIP, can save you big, especially if you make a lot of long-distance or international calls. VoIP providers often charge only a flat fee and don't have all the tacked-on taxes and fees that traditional telephone services do.
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