Posts by Life or Debt
Way to Save #94: Change 1 Degree On Your Thermostat
Oct 21, 2009 - Turning your thermostat dial up or down by just one degree can reduce your energy bill by up to five percent per month.
Way to Save #93: Seal Up Your Home
Oct 20, 2009 - Use a lighted candle to detect air leaks around doors and windows. Caulk is much cheaper than electricity.
Way to Save #92: Change Your Filters
Oct 19, 2009 - Keeping your furnace and air conditioning filters like new can save you up to 10% per month on costs. Don’t check them once a year, check them once a month.
Way to Save #91: Buy Energy Efficient Appliances
Oct 18, 2009 - Those yellow energy-guide stickers are important reading, especially if you’re shopping for a refrigerator, air-conditioning or a furnace.
Way to Save #90: Run Your Dishwasher Less
Oct 17, 2009 - One less time per week can save you $50 per year. And air-drying your dishes will also save.
Way to Save #89: Use Florescent Bulbs
Oct 16, 2009 - Here’s a bright idea. Florescent bulbs use 75% less energy than incandescent and last up to 10 times longer. Use as many as you can. And for non-reading lights, lower the wattage of your bulbs.
Way to Save #88: Get A Free Energy Audit
Oct 15, 2009 - Many utility companies will come out to your house for free or at a nominal cost and tell you how to save money. If yours will, let em. And while they’re there, ask if they have any off-peak, load-management or other savings programs.
Way to Save #87: Negotiate Rent
Oct 14, 2009 - For some reason, everybody knows they’re supposed to negotiate house purchases, but almost nobody thinks of negotiating rent. Why should you pay the same rent as the punk rockers upstairs? You’re a quiet, high quality, self-sufficient tenant who will be less hassle than other people. Therefore you should pay less rent. (Trust me, as a [...]
Way to Save #86: Inspect A House Before You Buy
Oct 13, 2009 - Don’t even think of buying a house until you’ve had it thoroughly inspected. Not only will you be more comfortable with the purchase, but you can use the report as leverage to get the price lowered. (The inspector will ALWAYS find something wrong.)
Way to Save #85: Buy Homes Direct
Oct 12, 2009 - People who sell their house themselves are saving money on real estate commissions. They should be able to sell for less. But doing things without realtors also means more education for you. So be knowledgeable before you try bringing home the savings.
Way to Save #84: Sell Your Own Home
Oct 11, 2009 - Real estate commissions are among the costliest of fees, especially considering the value you get in return. If you’re in a lousy housing market, you may not have a choice: realtors will expose your home to the maximum number of potential buyers. But if the market’s popping, try selling it yourself, after reading a book [...]
Way to Save #83: Time Your Home Purchase
Oct 10, 2009 - October, November and December are the hardest months to sell a house, making them the best months to buy one.
Way to Save #82: Buy Stocks Direct
Oct 09, 2009 - You can buy nearly 1,000 different stocks by going direct to the company that issues them. While the fees charged for doing this vary from company to company, they are often much less than the fees you’d pay by going through a broker. DRIP refers to dividend reinvestment plans that allow you to reinvest quarterly [...]
Way to Save #81: Don't Buy "Load" Mutual Funds
Oct 08, 2009 - A “load” refers to a commission, and there’s no reason for you to ever pay one. If you’re buying a mutual fund through a financial advisor of any kind (except ones you pay by the hour), you’re undoubtedly going to pay a load. Do your own research, buy your own funds, and don’t pay a [...]
Way to Save #80: Get A Retirement Plan
Oct 07, 2009 - Join your employer’s voluntary retirement plan, especially if it offers a match. After your debts are paid off, saving through a retirement plan has some great advantages, like investing automatically and being able to defer the taxes on the money you make. Even before you pay off your debts, you should enroll in a plan [...]
