Search Results for: blog avoiding money drains

How to Access Home Improvement and Save Money

One of the things that I have learned from living in a fixer upper home is that home improvement can get expensive, but doing some good assessment ahead of time can save you money. Knowing what needs to be done, how it can be done and who can do it will save homeowners hundreds of dollars. For some examples, you may be able to combine projects to save money overall, choose the right professionals to work together or do some of the work yourself. Having a good assessment will also give you time to research tax credits, utility credits, township … Continue reading →

How to Save Money When Renting

Owning a home isn’t for everyone. Sometimes it just makes sense to rent instead. Still, since rent is often the biggest item on the budget, it is important to do what you can to save money while keeping a roof over your head. Negotiate Negotiating up front can save you the biggest chunk of cash. If you can negotiate to lower your monthly rent, you will continue to save as long as you are in the apartment or rental home. Your landlord may be more likely to negotiate if you are willing to take a longer lease, have an excellent … Continue reading →

How to Use FreeCycle

Imagine getting everything from furniture to baby clothes for free? How about the opportunity to avoid dump fees on items you no longer want (and keeping them out of the landfill in the first place) while blessing others. That is the beauty of Freecycle. What is Freecycle All About? Freecycle is an organization that is broken into smaller, local groups. Each group is made up of freecycle members that live in a certain area. It is absolutely free to join, and each group usually uses Yahoo Groups to manage things. Volunteer monitors make sure that everything stays fair and safe, … Continue reading →

When Your Car Hits the End of the Road

I have the same car I had when I met my husband, an SUV that I bought used. We have been married for 12 years. The SUV is now almost 15 years old. While it isn’t our primary car, the birth of a third child necessitated a third car seat which would not fit the backseat of the SUV, it is still used quite a bit as a second car. Unfortunately, it is getting to the point when we may have to give it up. According to the magazine, Consumer Reports, you can save thousands of dollars when you keep … Continue reading →

Before You Leave for Summer Vacation 2

Your summer vacation can be even more relaxing when you know that everything is well at home. Yesterday, I wrote about how to prepare your home for vacation, and now I’d like to continue that list of things that you need to do before you leave. Take a good look at everything in your home that is plugged in. Unplug small appliances, decorative lamps and fountains and anything that does not need electricity while you are gone. This will cut down on the risk of an electrical fire and save you money on electricity costs while you are gone. In … Continue reading →

Are You Paying Too Much for Car Insurance?

I don’t want to sound like a television or Internet ad. I really don’t. But the fact is that most of us are paying too much for car insurance. Here are some ways that you can reduce that expense. Reduce the number of cars The quickest and most dramatic way to reduce your car insurance expenses is to reduce the number of cars that you drive. While this may seem obvious, consider it a way to start really examining whether or not you really need all of the cars that you currently have. Whether it is one car or five, … Continue reading →

Food Network Favorites

My husband and I are once again contemplating getting rid of our cable television service. The cost for the service seems to be getting out of control. And when you add in all that we pay for connectivity, be it for cable television or Internet, the cost per month is more than I used to pay for rent! While talking about it, the two of us and our oldest son discussed whether or not we would miss cable television. “We never really watch it,” our son said shrugging. “Well, except for the Food Network.” I never thought that I would … Continue reading →

Energy Price Increase Predicted

Now is the time to start thinking about energy efficiency. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, certain energy prices will rise in 2011. Be prepared by taking these steps to increase efficiency. The increases are said to be specifically in the areas of electricity and natural gas, so it is these areas that you can concentrate most upon in your energy savings strategy. Cooking with an oven can use lots of energy, whether it is with natural gas or electricity. Therefore you want to minimize wasteful sue of the oven. It takes a good amount of energy to heat … Continue reading →