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The Good Money Habits

December 12th, 2006 at 08:59 pm

I've cut down on automobile expenses -- mainly gas, as I don't have any car loans. This last tank of gas has lasted three weeks, and I still have almost a half of a tank left. I think I can probably make it last a month with no problem. I realized a lot of "running" was just for repair stuff. Like when the dryer stopped running, DH will go to the store for a $5 part to fix it, then we'll head out on our regular "errand night." Now, I just keep a list of errands that need to be run, keep it by the refrigerator and every time we "need something," we just run through the whole list.

I've been contributing the maximum to may 401k/403b since I started working (matched by our employers). This has really added up. I'm going to try to start adding to our Roth IRAs.

We've cut down on our electricity/as by 25% from the first year we moved in. The biggest savings in the gas has been by insulating (a very old leaky house) and installing a timer for the furnace. We've also always used fluorescent bulbs - brighter and not needing to be replaced as often. I swear every incandescent bulb in this house stoppped working within a few months of having moved in. We replaced with fluorescent and haven't touched them since (4 years ago). At this point, I can't think of any ways save any more on utilities without spending a lot of money.

When I started our garden, we mainly got cuttings from people and I picked up a few plants that I liked. Out of the ones that survived, I've divided them over the years and now have a garden full of color I love.

Posted in Strategies in the Name of Saving | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “The Good Money Habits”

  1. janH Says:
    December 12th, 2006 at 09:09 pm 1165957754
    1165957754

    I am slowly changing over in the lightbulb department. I am a lightbulb killer. We went through them like crazy. I hope to see improvements now!

  2. tinapbeana Says:
    December 12th, 2006 at 09:12 pm 1165957953
    1165957953

    one thing i would say is a bad socket will burn out a CFL superfast: found that out the hard way in my stairwell. hey, at least i know it needs to be replaced now!

  3. LuckyRobin Says:
    December 13th, 2006 at 04:08 am 1165982936
    1165982936

    I know the dryer eats up a lot of electricity. Do you have a clothesline in the dry season? Do you have drying racks in the house for winter or hang wet clothes on hangers from the shower rod? Do you wash your clothes and towels in cold water, saving hot water for underclothes and kitchen towels only? If you must use your dryer do you give your clothes a second spin in the washing machine to get excess water out so they don't take as long to dry? Do you have everything unplugged that can be unplugged when not in use so it isn't carrying a silent load like many electronics do? Do you have a timer on your hot water tank so it isn't heating water during the off hours? They don't cost much and are easy to install. These small changes my drop your utility bills some more.

  4. genmed Says:
    December 14th, 2006 at 05:00 pm 1166115653
    1166115653

    LuckyRobin thanks for the ideas, Smile but yes I do pretty much already use most of them. I don't use the timer on the hot water tank for two reasons:
    a. we have gas so it's not too bad.. I'm more concerned about heating expenses. Getting a new furnace would REALLY help, but that's too much money for us now
    b. When water is heated then allowed to cool, especially repeatedly it becomes a bacteria breeding ground. I am sure some will agree/disagree with this as to safety, but just not something I feel willing to compromise for.

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