It’s been a while since I have posted, and I am vowing from this point on to post at least two articles per week! A lot has been on my mind lately, and everyone around me as well.
People are suffering financially, and just trying to make it. Last year was NOT the year to try to jumpstart a career. I made that mistake, and it put me deep into debt. Despite what various websites say, MOST ATTORNEYS do not make much money. So, I took a low paying, low gratifying job, and ended up doing the un-smart thing of paying bills on my credit card. Granted that’s not what this blog is about, it’s what everyone wants to hear. People want comfort knowing that it’s not just them, or not just the people around them. So, here, I spill it! I’m in a higher-paying, degrading contract attorney position, and I am slowly getting out of debt, with the occasional treat.
But, back to real estate. I have told you about the ins and outs of being a landlord, about renting out rooms in your own home. But, what about those high utility bills? The rates are going up, but our salaries are not. We have to learn to cut corners, reduce expenses, and earn extra income the best way we know how.
My electricity bill is ridiculously high. I am on the average payment plan with PEPCO, and pay $540/month. That’s a car payment. For one month, I went around my house constantly unplugging everything, making sure lights stayed out, etc. I noticed my bill dropped by almost half. I haven’t been quite as diligent lately, and it has gone back up. Everything in the house is electric. I do not pay a gas bill at all. Keeping your computer on all day and all night for a month adds approximately $40 per month to your bill. We have 5 computers in the house, and we rarely shut them down. I guess that’s a huge loss right there. Ladies and Gents, shut those computers down!!! Additionally, items that remained plugged in, like your TV, Stereos, alarm clocks, microwaves, etc. all are still using electricity. They have to be able to power that LCD that gives you information, such as the time. It’s best to just shut your entire power strip off.
To keep the temperature in our house constant, we try not to leave the doors open. In the winter, some windows in the house we have closed off with a thick carpet padding, covered by thick draperies. We also insulated our attic this winter with blown insulation (you can rent the machine from your local home improvement store).
We have blinds to keep the lights and heat out in the summer. We also installed 2 additional ceiling fans in our home since it began to get hot. They help tremendously. Our central air unit does not come on until it’s above 85 degrees in the house. I had a contractor stop by my house and check out my HVAC unit, and he told me I have a commercial unit, and it’s enough to heat or cool my house and another house! That was an eye-opener. The unit will NOT be on longer than one hour per day.
Since my schedule varies, and there are some times when I have to be home, I try to leave the house, and go somewhere in close proximity (can’t waste gas or what’s the point!) and use their cool air.
Eat uncooked/raw food/salads or throw some food on the CHARCOAL GRILL… that can help save you money, especially if you’re leaving the oven and/or stove on for an hour or more to make dinner or other meals. I tend to cook dinner once or twice a week and eat leftovers. That helps keep the stove/oven off, and keep the house cooler than if I were to keep the oven on, thereby saving even more on your utility bill.
Washing your clothes in cold water can also help reduce your bill. I do this occasionally. It reduces your bill because you don’t have to heat up the water to be washed. I also do not completely dry my clothes. I leave them moist and hang them up to finish drying overnight.
When cooking on the stovetop, you should keep the lid on your food so that it can cook faster, the temperature can stay hot. Keep your oven closed while baking, as the temperature can drop about 25 degrees just from peeking in on the food, thereby consuming more electricity (or gas) to heat up again.
Last, but not least, change the filter on your HVAC unit. If only I could remember to follow this, then maybe I could reduce mine! I am embarassed to tell you how long it’s been since I replaced my filter. It doesn’t look dirty though!