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Energy Saving Tips

What energy saving tips can you share with our group?

What ever you have please share even if it seems obvious, sometimes we need to be reminded of the basics.

Grocery Store Savings

I am not going to say a great deal about this subject on my blog because I am currently in the process of writing a book on it, and I'd rather you buy my book! :) But, I wanted to share the highlights of my shopping spree today!

My local grocery store has Nature Valley Granola Bars on sale BOGO (buy one, get one free). I grabbed six boxes. I had five coupons for $1 off one box. The regular price is $2.89. So, after the sale and coupons, I spent $3.67 for all 6 boxes, or $0.61 each! PLUS I also had coupons for a free box of Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks when you purchase 2 boxes of Nature Valley Granola Bar. But that's not all. Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks were also on sale for BOGO. I had 3 coupons for the free box, so I picked up 6 boxes of fruit snacks. The coupons were good for a value of up to $2.60 and the fruit snacks cost $2.75, so I did pay $0.45 for all 6 boxes, or less than 8 cents per box. That's a deal you can't pass up!

There were quite a few other sales and deals as well. My grand total before coupons and sales would have been $118.65 but I only spent $51.26. I had a store coupon for $5 off $50 and a couple of other good store coupons. And, this was a mystery shop so I'll get $17 back from that, making my out of pocket total only $34.26

Now...does that make you want to learn more? If so, I will be posting on here when my book is available.

Saving on Electricity

• Call your electric company to see if they offer any programs to help you save. Ours has an "on call" program that saves us about $5 a month. Your mileage may vary depending on how many appliances can be added to the program. Some companies offer programs to help you get your home better insulated, more efficient, etc.
• Turn down the temperature on your water heater. If you have young children you should do this anyway so your children can't accidently scald themselves. (see my post on Water Heaters for additional tips).
• Turn off lights when you're not in the room
• Turn off ceiling fans when you are not in the room
• Turn your computer off when not in use (this is a big one!)
• Unplug appliances not in use that use "phantom power" - such as your TV. Even though your TV is off, there is a little bit of current there that is waiting for you to use your remote
• Turn off printers, speakers, monitors, scanners, etc. You can purchase a electrical strip called a "Smart Strip" that will recognize when your computer shuts off and will automatically cut power to all peripheral equipment.

Grocery Savings with Meal Planning

Before grocery shopping, get the sales flyer and plan your week's meals around whatever meat is on sale. Create a recipe/box file and sort the recipes by main ingredient. So, the next time that variety of meat is on sale, you can go to your recipe box and pull several recipes that can be made around that variety of meat. Obviously you'll want to keep adding to that file so you don't get bored with the same thing all the time, but at least it gives you a place to start. I also keep a handy "shopping list" of regularly used ingredients so I can watch for sales on those items and stock up when they go on sale. If you have freezer space available, you may want to consider buying large quantities of meat - like purchasing 1/2 a beef - and you can save money that way. Unfortunately that is not an option for me, but I do remember my parents doing that when I was growing up.

Water Heaters

One of the highest electrical costs is heating water for your water heater. One way to help cut costs is to shut your water heater off during the day while you are gone or purchase a timer for it.

If you live in a cold climate and your water heater is in the garage, you can purchase a specially made water heater blanket. Check your manufacturer specifications to make sure you get the right size, but this will help insulate your water heater to keep it from reducing temperatures more than desired.

When replacing your water heater, you may want to consider a tankless water heater. From what I've read about them so far, they only use energy when you actually want hot water. And they will produce hot water continuously on demand.

Laundry Saving Tips

I'll start off with some savings techniques on something we ALL have to do...laundry!

• Always do full loads.
• Hang clothes on a line to dry if possible. (I realize a lot of homeowners developments forbid clothes lines, but check into it.).
• You can also reduce the amount of detergent you use and your clothes will still be clean. Keep in mind who sets the recommended amount to use – the people who make the product. They want you to buy more!
• For Color Bleach, consider using good old-fashioned Borax instead of these high-priced color bleach products.
• Fabric Softener: Cut/tear Dryer sheets in half or even fourths. It works just as well. If you prefer liquid, reduce the amount needed. Also, buy the concentrated formulas otherwise you are paying for the water they add.
• Another option for saving is to make your own laundry detergent. I've used it in the past and it's worked fine for me. I will say I haven't used it recently because I've been getting All Small & Mighty on sale with coupons for less than $2 per bottle. But, if you would like the "recipe", just let me know and I'll be happy to post it.

Introduction

Hello frugal friends! Welcome to my blog!

My frugal living journey began just over 8 years ago when I was preparing to get married. My then-fiance and I had tons of debt and not enough money! Can you relate? lol Anyway, we began by first setting up a budget and doing our best to stick to it. As soon as we got married, we worked really hard at paying down our debts. And, it's a good thing we did because four months later, we found out we were expecting our first child. We both knew that having me stay home with our child was what we wanted. Over the years I have diligently sought out ways to save money and earn money while staying at home. Our oldest child is now 7 and I have been homeschooling her for the past 2 years. This year I'll also begin homeschooling our 4 year old. It has been a wonderful & challenging journey and I hope to share money saving techniques with you, and hope you have some others to share with me!

So, again, thanks for visiting and come back often!