How many of us remember our dads barking at us to be quicker in the shower or shut off the lights when leaving a room?
“Darnit, don’t you know that money doesn’t grow on trees?!”
It may have been difficult to understand the need for saving when we were kids, but I’m sure by now you know the importance of pinching a penny at home.
The good news is that times have changed, and saving on utilities has been made a little more convenient!
Water-saving showerheads and LED smart light bulbs no longer have dad shouting up the stairs. But are we too efficient? Is there any money left to save when it comes to saving on your household utilities?
Surprisingly, yes! Today I wanted to share with you a few simple tips to save on your energy costs.
- Watch the watts. Depending on where you live, there may be peak hours for electricity use. Meaning you will pay the maximum charge for electricity use during peak times. In many areas, this is from 7am-7pm. So when you have the urge to prep your Thanksgiving sides in advance, try doing so in the evening during off-peak hours for maximum savings. Again, depending on your area, you could experience up to 50% in savings by doing so!
- Recycle your wastewater. No, not that wastewater. Are you still washing and rinsing your dishes by hand? Try this: find a Rubbermaid container to match the size of your rinse area in the sink. When rinsing your soapy dishes, collect the wastewater in the Rubbermaid container. You can then use this water to clean off muddy boots or bike tires, rinse your plastics and cans for recycling, or even water your rose bush outside (pure soap is a natural insecticide and repellent – and plants love it!)
- Free wood for the fire. If you’re far from nature, stock up on clean wood pallets for free firewood for your busy summers with the kids and warm holiday nights in front of the fireplace. Many warehouses are stuck with clean wood pallets from shipping and often have to pay to have them taken away. Check online listings, or visit warehouses that seem to have an influx of these pallets sitting outside. Most would be happy for you to take them off their hands. The one caveat is that only heat-treated wood pallets are safe. Look for pallets stamped with ‘HT’, and avoid pallets stamped ‘MB’ as these will not be suitable for burning or cooking.
Though these may not bring in huge sacks of money by the end of the year, you can keep some of your costs down while going green and recycling and reusing in the process!
When it comes to financial planning, we can do more than just save pennies. Give us a call at 513-563-PLAN (7526) or book online to set up a 15-minute meeting to see just how we do it. Your dad would be proud!
