Archive for 'Savings'
Money matters in settling utility bills
Posted on 04. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Utilities including water, electricity, gas, and telephone are the major items in a person’s budget. You should be very careful and diligent in making sure that these utilities aren’t forgotten in the monthly budget. Doing so is very costly. Services on these utilities are discontinued and this would require penalties to have the connections to these utilities re-installed. The question is, how much of your budget should be allotted to utility bills?
Here are some helpful ideas.
Know your income by heart. This serves as a guide for you to see your “budget behavior” when it comes to allotting money for your needs. This is the starting point of your budget.
Work out a budget. This can be done weekly or monthly, depending on how often you get your pay. Some people receive their pay bimonthly, and some once a month. This serves as guide to see how much you spend against how much you are actually earning. Make sure that you record all income and expenses in a notebook, or in a spreadsheet, regardless of how small.
You can also download budget planners on the Internet. There are even graphs to help you visualize where the majority of your income goes. Your budget keeps track of how often you buy the groceries, the average amount that you pay for your gas, and the spur of the moment purchases that you make. Ideally, majority (about sixty to seventy percent) of your income goes to utilities. Electricity is the most expensive, followed by gas, telephone, and water. The rest goes to savings, taxes, and emergency expenses.
Write the amounts immediately on your check. However, if you don’t have a checkbook, you should set aside the money in a safe place to avoid spending the amounts on unnecessary items. You should only get this when you are about to pay the bills. It is recommended that you place the money under lock and key.
Review the trend of your budget. In four to six months time, you will be able to review your budget and allot the necessary percentage of your income to your utilities.
Note that life changes as having a combined income, salary increases, and having a new job, are factors in increasing the percentage allocation of your utilities. Retrenchment and resignations are factors in decreasing the allocation of utilities.
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A kiddie solution in lowering your utility bills
Posted on 02. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Maintaining a household has never been as difficult as before considering the escalating costs of many utilities. Not only do you have to worry about the food you need to serve everyday but you also have to plan a strategy to pay for the many costs generated by your family. Among them is the key cost of generating sources are utilities, which include, electricity and water.
Here are some ideas to get kids involved in lowering utility bills.
LIMIT USE OF ELECTRONIC GAMES IN THE HOUSE
It is no secret that kids love electronic games, as this is a great way to pass the time and is surely fun. If your house has a video game console or computer try to assign a time when the kids can play with it. As much as possible don’t let your kids play with their video games around the clock, as this will result in soaring electric bills. Remember that when playing video game consoles the kids will also use the television. That in itself shows that more than one electronic appliance is running at full tilt.
Assign a time for video games and never allow the kids to exceed. It is advisable to keep a limit of one to two hours of gameplay during weekdays and four hours during the weekend. Also make sure that your kids study first before they plug in their consoles or even computers. Another key method is asking your kids to unplug their electric gadgets when not in use, as these devices eat up electricity even when in stand-by mode. This practice also teaches them to be neat, as they would be forced to properly store their electronic toys.
PRESERVE USE OF WATER
Advise your kids to preserve their use of water. This can done by limiting the use of the shower or the bathtub. Try to use a medium-sized container for kiddie baths instead of the shower to help control consumption. Tell them to close the faucet in the middle of brushing and just fill up a small cup when gargling. While it is also fun to splash around in the bathtub, remember you need at list 25 gallons of water to fill up a stardard-sized tub. Limit use of the tub during weekends.
In order to help control you utility bills, the kids need to be involved is working towards efficiency. It is always helpful when a child becomes responsible at an early age, as he or she will carry this up to adulthood. Parents should also realize that maintaining a household is basically a team effort and all of the family members should do their part.
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Uncertain savings from Daylight Savings Time
Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Daylight Savings Time has always been a controversial topic among consumers and businesses with some even believing it is a necessary hindrance. This practice is supposedly an inconvenience considering that people are given an additional hour to sleep during October and an hour less during April. The skeptics are very wary about the habit of moving forward, falling back, losing one hour and gaining one hour. Many continually question the continuous changes done on the clock and weigh the benefits of Daylight Savings Time.
The use of the Daylight Savings Time has now spanned for a few decades but the concept behind its uses is rather simple.
In the hotter months, the sun is up for a longer part of the day. Obviously, people will lessen their use of electric lights, as the sun will be up more despite the time already heading towards the evening. Energy is conserved resulting from the decreased time in using electric lights. The economic benefits of Daylight Saving Time has always been highlighted by its supporters considering that businesses will be able to operate for a longer period resulting in added income that is also partly generated by lower costs on electricity.
Businesses that have normally benefitted from Daylight Savings Time include garden fitters, tennis clubs, golf courses and any establishment that can use the additional hours of sunlight. This also translates in decreased utility costs for consumers, as the house lights will likely not come on until it becomes obviously too dark.
However, many are against Daylight Savings Time, as it supposedly requires increased effort of human energy. In addition, there is no guarantee that Daylight Saving Time can result in lower energy consumption. Consumers are supposedly increasing their use of air conditioning during Daylight Savings Time and this becomes bad when a household uses an worn down air conditioner considering that such models aren’t as efficient as the new ones.
Some countries have reported adverse effects of Daylight Savings Time, with Australia reporting in 2000 that morning pick load had jumped, while energy consumption didn’t slip. In addition, Daylight Saving Time was minor driven in the 1% increase of gasoline consumption in March this year, as drivers were encouraged to more time on the roads to take advantage of more daylight.
To generate the most savings in utilities during Daylight Savings Time, try to determine the latest part of the day when the lights should be turned on. This will enable you to maximize the advantage of Daylight Saving Time without it being an inconvenience to your household.
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Six Ways to Cut Down on Watering Time
Posted on 28. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
As summer nears, many gardeners face the challenge of proper watering due to restrictions imposed by many municipalities. If you’re one of these gardeners, don’t fret. Cutting down on watering time doesn’t mean allowing your plants to wilt and dry up. It really is just a matter of creating a watering schedule that will not only work but also save you money. Here are some ways you can use:
Water sparingly.
When using a water can or hose, aim the water to the roots and not the leaves. Plants absorb water through their root system and many gardeners waste too much time and a lot of water allowing the moisture to fall someplace else.
Catch excess water.
If you have hanging plants or pots placed in elevated areas, it might be a good idea to place other plants directly underneath. Each time you water the plants above, those below can catch the excess water and use it instead, cutting down your watering time by at least half.
Choose plants to water.
Not every plant in your garden requires watering everyday. Cacti and other succulents, for example, can survive well with infrequent waterings. There is also no need for deep-watering well-established plants. In fact, plants with established roots will do well with just one inch of water. Infrequent watering will also encourage deeper rooting, producing plants that are healthier and stronger.
Avoid shallow watering.
Despite appearances, shallow watering actually wastes more water than deep watering. A light sprinkle of water, for example, will only last for a few hours, requiring you to water the plant all over again.
Another problem is that if the atmosphere is too hot, the water will evaporate before it has the time to reach the roots so you’ll have to water more frequently than you should. It’s not only ineffective, it is also wasteful. Go for deep waterings once or twice a week instead.
Schedule watering.
The best watering times for plants are early mornings, just before the sun reaches its peak and late afternoons when the sun isn’t too hot. The reason is simple: if you water during the hottest time of the day, water evaporates faster. That means you might have to water again late in the afternoon on the same day.
Use watering devices effectively.
Other than the sprinkler, there are also other watering devices that will help you cut down on watering time and save money. Soaker hoses, for example, ‘weep’ moisture during a specified length of time and are very effective with flowerbeds and vegetable plots. Root feeders, which are buried several inches below the ground surface, are great for shrubs and trees.
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Save Money by Comparing Phone Services
Posted on 24. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
If you’re too lazy to compare phone services and just opt to stick with your old provider to play it safe, you could be missing out on a lot of savings without knowing it. Telecommunications is a huge industry that has a lot of players and when there are many of them on the court, that can only mean two things: better service and lower rates. Now, if you had the chance to save money on your phone bill, wouldn’t you grab it?
Long distance rates
Different phone companies offer different long distance rates. By simply comparing these figures, you can save several hundred dollars a year, especially if you make use of this service regularly. Phone companies offer long distance plans at different rates, one of which is just perfect for your communication needs. A simple phone call or a few minutes spent on the internet can mean a considerable amount of money saved.
Bundled services
To keep themselves competitive, many phone companies offer bundled services which can save more money monthly than if you ordered the features separately. For example, you can pick a local phone service and have it bundled with international long distance, conference calling and high-speed internet service. You get all these services and pay a pre-agreed low rate, regardless of whether you use them or not. If you use these services regularly, you could save a lot of money by simply ordering them as a bundled service.
Loyalty rewards
Some phone companies offer huge discounts if you sign up for their phone services. These contracts usually last for at least one year. This is a good deal, especially if you’re satisfied with the services, but make sure you understand what will happen in case you decide to end the contract. Some companies require you to pay a termination fee that can be very costly. Compare rates and plans among companies to see which one can give you the best services and the lowest rates in exchange for your loyalty.
Beware of promos
Occasionally, phone companies come up with ads and promos offering low rates if you switch providers. If the savings are significant and you’re thinking of changing your provider, make sure you know how much the services will cost when the promo period is over. You could be enjoying huge savings for the duration of the promo, only to be stuck with a phone service for which you’ll have to pay more.
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Save Money by Calling During Off-Peak Hours
Posted on 21. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
When someone said timing was everything, he probably also thought of making long distance calls. Right now, calling during off-peak hours is one of the best ways to save money on phone bills. When you make a long distance call within this specified time period, the phone rates are much cheaper than if you made the call during daytime or peak hours.
Using your long distance phone service
Not all phone service companies offer the same discounted feature as off-peak hours. There are some that maintain the same rate 24/7 while there are those that have tiered rates classified as daytime rates, evening rates and even weekend rates. Check with your long distance company for the kind of discounts they offer. If yours offers a flat rate regardless, waking up at 2 a.m. to make an off-peak long distance call won’t make any difference.
Should I request for off-peak hours discount?
That depends on whether you make the bulk of your long distance calls during off-peak hours. If you do, you can save a lot of money with this service. However, if most of your long distance usage is made during daytime or business hours, it’s better to find a phone company that offers a fixed low rate. You can also check a phone company that offers variable pricing to see if calls made during your regular hours are cheaper.
Does it matter where I’m calling from?
Some long distance companies offer nationwide coverage of their service, so it doesn’t matter where you are located in the U.S., they can help you. There are also those who operate regionally. Again, off-peak hours vary for these companies and some of them may not even carry the service. Ask for the cost and compare rates to get the best deal.
If you make long distance calls to a particular location, regional phone companies might be able to offer you lower rates. But if you make regular phone calls to several locations within the U.S., go for a provider that covers all those areas. Sometimes you can get a better deal by simply knowing the prevailing long distance rates than you would if you stuck with the off-peak hours.
What about international calls?
Typically, calling during off-peak hours for an overseas location will save you money but again, you might want to check on the prevailing rates and compare. Different phone companies offer different international rates and may even offer better rates for regions they specialize in, such as the Middle East, Asia and Europe. Don’t just stick with the off-peak hours if there are other offers that will give you more value.
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Calling Direct and Other Ways to Avoid Operator Assistance and
Posted on 18. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Calling Direct and Other Ways to Avoid Operator Assistance and Still Save Money
Phone services are much more efficient now but when the phone bill comes and you find out how much you have to pay, you wish it could be better. In this case, geography is to blame. Calls made to anyone outside your home country can cost you a lot of money, especially if it’s an operator-assisted call. However, there is a way to avoid this type of call and opt for the least costly way of communicating with someone overseas.
Calling direct
You pay for the convenience of having someone make the call for you, costing you as much as $10 a call. To save money, why not call direct and avoid the high charges? Find out the number of the person you wish to call in a directory or the internet. Next, simply dial ‘0′ or ‘00′, the area or country code of the person you wish to speak to and the telephone number.
Phone cards
An alternate to calling direct and avoiding operator-assisted calls is using a pre-paid phone card. These are cards you buy for a set denomination or number of minutes. Each time you use the card, the cost of the call is simply deducted from the card value.
Discount phone plans
These are great deals to have if you make regular long distance calls. Many long distance companies offer discount plans that can save you a lot of money thanks to reduced rates. Check with several companies to compare their offers and rates and find out the specific calling time periods for the particular country you intend to call.
Consider your usage
Extra features on your phone aren’t free. You actually pay for them. Ask for these features only if you foresee regular use. Otherwise, opt for other methods that allow you to place long distance calls on more flexible terms.
Goodbye operator?
You’re probably thinking, if all these methods of calling abroad exist, why do we still need phone operators? Well, we still do. Operators help us get in touch with countries and locations that are difficult to reach through direct dialing. They also help us get through if we need to make a collect call.
Phone operators are also privy to a lot of information about phone services such as country codes, city codes, call costs and special billings. Operator-assisted calls cost more, which is ironic, because we can actually get in touch with phone operators to ask them when the best times are to make the cheapest calls to a particular location.
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Four Tips for Buying Efficient Appliance Brands that Save Money
Posted on 15. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Four Tips for Buying Efficient Appliance Brands that Save Money
Electricity is such an important commodity and must be used wisely. You not only help save the environment, you also save a lot of money. Find out how to buy efficient appliance brands and models that not only save on energy but also give you more bang for your buck.
Read the label.
The Federal Trade Commission requires manufacturers to place Energy Guide labels on every appliance they produce. This is the piece of black and yellow paper you’ll find hanging on the appliance unit. This label indicates the appliance’s energy efficiency rating, its estimated energy consumption yearly and even a comparable range of energy consumption and efficiency with other appliances. This will give you an idea of how much energy the unit will consume. By simply comparing labels of different appliance brands, you can then choose which one is more efficient.
Look for the EnergyStar.
When an appliance brand is accompanied with this logo, it means that the unit offers more in terms of energy efficiency than a comparable model that doesn’t have the Energy Star. Appliances with the EnergyStar logo have been tested and proven to exceed efficiency standards set by the federal government by at least 20% to as much as 110%. So if you buy an appliance brand with the EnergyStar, you’re buying a unit that has the seal of approval of the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency.
Size matters.
Most consumers are overwhelmed by size and many of us are actually convinced that ‘bigger is better’. With some appliances, it’s often not true. A 10′ x 12′ room, for example, doesn’t require a 4.0 Hp air conditioning unit. The unit will cool the room, all right, but there is too much unnecessary consumption of energy.
If you’re buying an appliance, measure carefully and determine whether the size is actually a necessity. Bigger appliances, even energy-efficient ones, generally consume more energy than their smaller counterparts.
Mind the numbers.
Lower isn’t always better, so you’ll have to find out what figures to take note and what to look for. When comparing refrigerator brands, for example, choose the one that has the lowest consumption per kilowatt-hours (kWh). This indicates the amount of energy the appliance uses. For heat pumps, you might have to pick the unit that has a higher HSPF or heating seasonal performance factor. For dishwashers, the best pick is the one with a higher energy factor.
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Save Money with Scheduled Maintenance and Repair
Posted on 12. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Even the best and toughest appliances can’t last forever but by simply following a regular maintenance and repair schedule, you can extend the life of your appliances and even save money on utility bills. Here’s how:
Clean up.
It’s amazing how much money you can save by simply cleaning things around the house. Lamps, for example, gather dust and dirt over time. This makes them burn less bright and heat up unnecessarily, using too much energy. Ventilating fans also work twice as hard if they become too heavy with dirt and grime.
You might also want to maintain certain arrangements in your home. Appliances that produce heat, for example, shouldn’t be placed near airconditioners. When the thermostat senses the temperature increase, the airconditioner will work harder and consume more energy.
Get rid of frost.
If you have a manual-defrost refrigerator or freezer, regularly defrost your appliances. When frost builds up, the insulating effect causes the motor to work harder, consuming more energy.
You might also want to maintain the freezer temperature at 5 degrees and the rest of the compartments between 37 to 40 degrees. A refrigerator that is too cold is consuming unnecessary energy.
Check your windows.
You may not know it, but much of the hot or cool air inside your home may be lost due to small leaks in your windows. That means your heater or air conditioner will have to work harder and use more energy. To prevent this, ensure proper insulation by caulking or weather-stripping your windows. If you can, you might even want to replace old windows with the more energy-efficient ones. You’ll be much more comfortable and even lower your utility bill.
Take note of the temperature.
Schedule maintenance work on your water heater and air conditioning units on a regular basis. A twice-yearly check up on your water heater and a quarterly clean-up of your air conditioning units will save hundreds of dollars in repairs later. You might also want to use an insulating blanket on your old water heater to prevent heat from escaping.
Flush your water heater tank.
Your water heater tank collects sediment and prevents it from using energy efficiently. Not only that, accumulated sediment is a place where bacteria can thrive, causing odor and other possible problems. Schedule a cleanup for the tank at least once a year or call a professional serviceman to do the job for you.
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How to Conserve Water and Keep Out of Financial Drought
Posted on 10. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
How to Conserve Water and Keep Out of Financial Drought
This scene is familiar to anyone who has witnessed a particularly oppressive summer. The soil cracks in a thousand places, looking like the skin of a very dry lizard. Plants wither slowly, as they go from green, to yellow, to brown, from lack of water. The air seems to be smoky or watery, and heat seems to rise from the ground in snaking, slithering currents. Everyone seems to be in a foul mood, no matter how bright their day is, and how much progress they have made at school or work.
A drought-stricken area is a poor one, but it isn’t a hopeless one. Even with very little water, you can deal with the scarcity and still emerge triumphant, with a wallet filled with enough money to pay the rest of your bills. Even with very little water, a cooperative community can pull through a drought and enjoy the rains when they come.
If you live in a drought-stricken area, you will need to conserve water using every method of water conservation that there is. Here are a few tips that you might want to follow as you work on keeping what water you have.
- Instead of soaking in a tub, or using a pail and dipper to take a bath, take a brief shower. Soaking in a tub will only force you to fill up a tub with gallons of water that you might not end up using. A pail and dipper might make you careless, so that you splash water everywhere and end up using more than a bucket to clean yourself.
A shower, on the other hand, can force you to regulate the use of water. Confine your shower to no more than fifteen minutes. Turn off the shower while you shampoo, or while you soap your body. To save more water, wet your entire body, turn off the shower, then apply your shampoo and start soaping yourself. Rinse your entire body all at once. To save even more water, have a bucket standing by as you shower. Collect your shower water in the bucket, and use it to flush your toilet. By relying on your toilet’s flushing machinery, you also use a total of five gallons of water each time you flush! Save this water for more useful purposes, such as washing the dishes and your body. You can use your bath water to flush your toilet, and a bucket will usually be enough.
- An old wives’ tale of water conservation revolves around the use of soapy, collected water to water plants. Although this may seem like a good water conservation mechanism, you also need to remember that the detergents in soap can damage plants and destroy nutrients in the soil. Instead of recycling water to water plants, control the amount of water you use to water your garden. Instead of using a hose or a sprinkler, take a small bucket of water with you and water plants with moderation. If you use too much water, you can kill plants by weakening their roots and stems.
- Your health comes first, so analyze each move that you make before conserving water. When rinsing dishes, don’t soak them in a basin of water along with the rest of the things that you need to rinse. This unclean practice can lead to bacteria and fungi accumulating in your utensils. Don’t reuse bath water for any other purpose, except to flush your toilet. The dirt, dust, and grime from your body can do more damage to your plants if you water them with your bath water. And whatever you do, don’t conserve your drinking water! You need at least eight glasses of water a day to function properly; in fact, your body can go longer without food than it can without water! If you are in a drought-stricken area, you are more prone to dehydration, so scrimp on everything except drinking water.
- If you don’t finish the water in your glass, don’t throw it down the drain. Put the water into a bucket, where it can be used to flush your toilet later. If the drinking water you have left is relatively clean, you can use it to water your plants. Don’t give your half-consumed glass of water to your pet: your mouth can house certain bacteria and viruses that can be deadly to your pet, or can cause them to have certain diseases.
- Save on washing water by using paper plates that you can throw away after their first use. If you find paper plates expensive, you can also use paper plate safe wax covers, which are cheaper, and which can be discarded after every use, leaving the paper plate clean. You can also use cheap paper cups: they not only allow you to save money, but they are recyclable too!