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Cooling Your Home For Less

Just like Spring, Summer came early to Utah and with it lots of hot, dry air. In the middle of the summer I don’t miss the humidity of the east coast but sometimes, a little rain would be nice. Keeping your home cool in the summer is just as expensive as keeping it warm in the winter. There are some things you can do to reduce your cooling costs. All of the things you do in the winter help with cooling costs as well. Changing the filters on the air conditioning unit, using weatherstripping, closing the curtains during the hottest … Continue reading →

Simple Ways to Save This Summer

Be happy with what you have. That’s one of the best ways to save money, according to my dad. He used to employ that line a lot when I was in high school trying to pump him for money to buy designer jeans. Twenty years later, I see his point. When you stop looking for fulfillment in material things, it’s much easier to spend less money and find contentment in the items you already have. Of course, if you just lost 20 pounds and your pants don’t fit any more, then by all means, spend, spend, spend. Now that summer … Continue reading →

Keep Your Cooling Bill In Check This Summer

Summer is here, and for many of us that means saying goodbye to sweaters and long sleeves and hello to tank tops, shorts, and flip flops. Although summer clothes are fun and on most days keep us fairly cool and comfortable, there are days when it is very hot outside and you need something more than breezy clothes to keep you cool. There are even some days when it can get dangerously hot and keeping cool becomes less about comfort and more about safety. Air conditioners are a very good way to keep your home cool, but they add quite … Continue reading →

3 Quick AHA Ways to Save Money

Although I have been blogging about frugal living and saving money for some time, there are still some of those AHA moments that come to me either through the ether or through friends. That is when I think, “why didn’t I think of that earlier?” Here are some quick and easy ways to save money. 1. Block out the heat in your home with car blockers. This Old Housewife mentions this tip on the Dollar Stretcher. It is brilliant. Those windshield heat blockers for cars can work equally well in your home, provided that you have the sizing right. I’ve … Continue reading →

Modular Homes Go Green

Modular (pre-fabricated) homes have often suffered a bad reputation, but now, some of them are on the cutting edge of green living. Based just upon how they are built, modular homes may be a more efficient, green way to go anyhow. Unlike traditional homes, modular homes can be made in a warehouse, so they are more time efficient because rain, snow, wind, etc. won’t stop the construction. But, today’s modular homes are also proving to be more energy efficient. All American Homes, from Elkhart, Indiana, has built what they call the Living Zero Home. The home uses fiber cement siding, … Continue reading →

Six Ways to Have a Greener Home

The little things that you do around your home can make a big impact in how much energy you can save. if you want a greener home, concentrate on the following six areas. 1. Conserve hot water. You can conserve hot water by taking shorter showers, washing your laundry in cold water and lowering the thermostat on your furnace or water heater. 2. Replace your blinds. If you have traditional metal blinds on your windows, you’ll save money when you replace them with wood or fabric. This is because blinds will suck up the heat and the cold from outside … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on Cooling Costs

Yes, I know it is spring, but despite that, we are going through a little heat wave here in Pennsylvania with temperatures in the 80s and 90s. So while the heat was pumping through the house last week and the plastic is still covering some of the windows, we’ve had to scramble a bit to keep things cool. If you want to cut your cooling costs, there is no way around it other than to cut the heat, or at least the heat that you feel. The secret to spending less is to make yourself comfortable with less energy. Here … Continue reading →

How Green was 2008: Analysts Versus Reality

Back in the beginning of 2008, or even at the end of 2007, analysts were predicting a banner year for going green in the home. Homeowners were said to be very conscious of reducing the energy footprints of their homes and avoiding using common chemicals that may be unhealthy. Even publications such as the Old Farmer’s Almanac got into the act with green predictions saying that there would be a rapid transition to green building. They quote the American Institute of architects that say that 90 percent of home owners would pay an extra $5,000 for an energy-efficient house. The … Continue reading →

How Green was 2008

Many analysts predicted that 2008 was going to be a green year in terms of the home. More people would adopt materials and practices that saved energy and were good for the environment. My own New Year Resolutions for the beginning of the year included being more green in our home. But then we had a downturn in the economy. So did everyone live up to the expectations? Yes and no. Let me start with my own home. We live pretty frugally and normally try to avoid waste whenever possible by reusing items. We do recycle quite a bit and … Continue reading →

Save on Cooling Costs

While this spring has been more winter-like in most of the country, eventually the hot weather will hit us. Will you be ready? The cost of electricity is rising along with everything else, so finding ways to keep cool and cut costs will be critical this summer. The following is a list of less expensive ways to cool down and some cost cutting measures as well. Please feel free to add any of your own in the comment box below! 1. If you do use an air conditioner in your home, try to keep it turned to 78 degrees during … Continue reading →