HOW TO KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY: EASY WAYS TO SAVE THOUSANDS
By: Marshall Davis
Published by Marshall Davis at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Marshall Davis
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1 - GREAT WAYS TO SAVE AROUND THE HOUSE
CHAPTER 2 - GREAT WAYS TO SAVE ON THE ROAD
CHAPTER 3 - GREAT WAYS TO SAVE ON TECHNOLOGY
CHAPTER 4 - GREAT WAYS TO SAVE ON SHOPPING
CHAPTER 5 - GREAT WAYS TO SAVE ON LEISURE ACTIVITIES
CONCLUSION
Thank you and welcome! We all know how difficult it is to save now-a-days. It is hard to take money out of each check to save for a rainy day when you are living paycheck to paycheck. HOW TO KEEP MORE OF YOUR MONEY is loaded with tons of ways to save that are relevant to your everyday life! One of the many beautiful things about this ebook is the value. This ebook is actually more valuable to you the more you use it! The sooner you begin using the tips inside, the more you will save! Even if you only apply a few tips at a time, you will begin to see huge savings! And the more tips you use, the more you will save!
I am not claiming to reinvent the wheel. You may have heard some of the tips provided in this ebook or may have even already put a few of these tips into practice. If you have, then you know that these tips are proven to save you money because you, yourself, have seen savings first hand. This ebook is for anyone looking to cut costs. It doesn't matter if you are the conscience budgeteer who will be familiar with some of the tips I provide, or the vast majority of people who are looking to cut costs and save money. Whatever category you fall under, this ebook is for you! Enjoy over 200 easy, proven, & legitimate ways to save every single day. Get on your way to saving thousands of dollars per year, every single year! So without further ado, thank you for your purchase, good luck to you and enjoy!
CHAPTER 1: GREAT WAYS TO SAVE AROUND THE HOUSE
1. REPLACE THE LIGHTBULBS- I KNOW FLOURESCENT & LED LIGHT BULBS ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THE TRADITIONAL INCANDESCENT LIGHT BULBS, BUT THEY ARE MORE ENERGY EFFICIENT. THEY USE WAY LESS ENERGY AND LAST WAY LONGER! START BY REPLACING THE BULBS IN THE MAIN ROOMS IN YOUR HOME THAT YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME IN.
2. PLANT TREES/PLANTS- PLANTING TREES AROUND THE HOUSE IS VERY EFFECTIVE AT COOLING YOUR HOME. IT CAN SAVE YOU ABOUT 25% OFF YOUR COOLING BILL! I'VE HEARD THAT IT IS BEST TO PLANT TREES SOUTH AND WEST OF YOUR HOME.
3. USE CANDLES- DO YOU REALLY NEED TO ILLUMINATE THE ENTIRE ROOM OR DO YOU NEED JUST ENOUGH LIGHT FOR YOU TO SEE WHAT YOUR DOING? BEFORE FLIPPING ON THE LIGHT SWITCH, ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION. IF YOU CAN SEE ALL YOU NEED TO SEE UNDER CANDLE LIGHT THEN USE CANDLES.
4. FREEZE YOUR CANDLES- PUT THEM IN THE FREEZER A DAY BEFORE USE, THEY WILL LAST ALOT LONGER!
5. USE MOTION SENSORS ON LIGHTS- THIS WAY THE LIGHTS WILL AUTOMATICALLY TURN OFF EVERYTIME YOU LEAVE THE ROOM.
6. USE FLASHLIGHTS- IF YOU DON'T WANT TO BUY SOLAR LIGHTS, USE FLASHLIGHTS TO ILLUMINATE THE ROOM. EITHER WAY WILL SAVE YOU MONEY BECAUSE YOUR NOT USING THE HOUSE LIGHTS.
7. BUY SOLAR APPLIANCES- SELL YOUR WASHER & DRYER AND USE THE MONEY TO BUY A SOLAR WASHER. THEN AIR DRY YOUR CLOTHES. THERE ARE MANY SOLAR PRODUCTS AVAILABLE!
8. GO SOLAR- CONVERT YOUR HOME TO SOLAR POWERED AND KISS YOUR ELECTRIC BILL GOODBYE FOREVER! WE ALL PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS EVERY SINGLE MONTH ON GAS & ELECTRIC. YOU CAN ELIMINATE YOUR ELECTRIC BILL ALTOGETHER WITH SOLAR POWER. THERE ARE MANY INCENTIVES TO GO SOLAR NOW-A-DAYS THAT WILL HELP WITH THE INITIAL INVESTMENT.
9. MAKE YOUR OWN SOLAR PANELS- TO SAVE EVEN MORE MONEY, MAKE YOUR OWN SOLAR PANELS/BATTERIES. IT ACTUALLY ISN'T VERY DIFFICULT TO DO.
10. USE SOLAR LIGHTS- USE SLOAR LIGHTS TO LIGHT YOUR PORCH, DECK, AND WALKWAY. ALSO USE THEM INSIDE TO LIGHT THE ROOMS IN YOUR HOME! YOU CAN PUT THEM OUTSIDE DURING THE DAY, THEN BRING THEM IN AT NIGHT TO LIGHT YOUR BEDROOM OR WHATEVER.
11. USE LIGHT REFLECTORS- YOU CAN GET MORE ILLUMINATION FROM YOUR LIGHTS IF YOU USE LIGHT REFLECTORS. THIS CAN ALSO ELIMINATE THE NEED TO TURN ON MORE LIGHTS IN YOUR HOME.
12. CONVERT TO WIND POWER- YOU DON’T HAVE TO LIVE IN “THE WINDY CITY” TO BENEFIT FROM WIND POWER. WIND TURBINES COME IN MANY DIFFERENT SIZES AND REQUIRE VERY LITTLE WIND TO GENERATE POWER!
13. GROW IT- GROW YOUR OWN GARDEN OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND SAVE MONEY!
14. USE YOUR TRASH-...FOR COMPOST. IT'S GREAT FOR YOUR VEGETAGLE GARDEN! ELIMINATE THE NEED TO BUY FERTILIZER.
15. USE RAINWATER- RAINWATER IS FREE! SO COLLECT IT AND USE IT TO WATER YOUR FLOWERS, PLANTS, LAWN, GARDEN OR WHATEVER.
16. LEAVE GRASS CLIPPINGS ON THE LAWN- YOU WILL SAVE ON TRASH BAGS AND LAWN CARE!
17. CLEAN AROUND YOUR CENTRAL A/C UNIT- DOING THIS WILL HELP KEEP IT WORKING EFFICIENTLY SO YOU AREN'T LOSING MONEY.
18. INSULATE- IF THE INSULATION IN YOUR ATTIC IS LESS THAN 12 INCHES THICK, THEN YOU SHOULD INSULATE IT MORE. THIS CAN SAVE YOU AS MUCH AS 25% OFF YOUR ENERGY BILL IN A YEAR! BEFORE YOU DO THIS, CHECK FOR GOVENMENT INCENTIVES/TAX CREDITS THAT MAY HELP YOU PAY FOR THE ADDITIONAL INSULATION.
19. INSULATE YOUR HOT WATER PIPES- THIS WILL REDUCE LOSS OF HEAT AND YOUR WATER WILL GET HOTTER, QUICKER.
20. SEAL UP ALL CRACKS- DETECT ANY CRACKS IN YOUR HOME NEAR ANY WINDOWS, EXTERIOR DOORS, BASEMENT, ATTIC, ETC. FIND THEM AND SEAL THEM UP WITH SOME KIND OF SEALANT.
21. GET AN ENERGY AUDIT- BY DOING THIS, YOU WILL KNOW HOW MUCH ENERGY YOUR HOUSE IS LOSING. ENERGY AUDITS ALSO SHOW YOU WAYS YOU CAN CONSERVE ELECTRICITY, CORRECT THE PROBLEMS AND SAVE YOU MONEY! IT PROVIDES MUCH INFO ON ENERGY CONSUMPTION AND PROVIDES MANY BENEFITS FOR CUTTING COSTS!
22. USE SAFETY PLUGS- USING SAFETY PLUGS IN ALL UNUSED OUTLETS IN YOUR HOME WILL PROVIDE TWO BENEFITS OTHER THAN SAFETY. ONE, IT WILL KEEP YOUR HEAT/AIR INSIDE FROM LEAKING OUT. AND TWO, IT WILL PREVENT OUTSIDE HEAT/AIR FROM LEAKING IN.
23. BLOCK THE COLD- PLACE WALL UNITS, BOOKSHELVES, DRESSERS, AND AMOIRES AGAINST EXTERIOR WALLS TO BLOCK THE COLD.
24. COVER THE COLD- PUT A TOWEL UNDER THE DOOR TO STOP THE DRAFT, LAY RUGS THROUGHOUT THE HOUSE TO WARM YOUR COLD FEET, AND/OR INSULATE YOUR EXTERIOR WALLS, ATTIC AND BASEMENT.
25. HANG YOUR QUILTS- YOU CAN USE THE QUILT YOU MADE OR BOUGHT TO HANG UP ON EXTERIOR WALLS TO BLOCK THE COLD AS WELL.
26. WEAR LAYERS- YOU DO IT TO GO OUTSIDE WHEN IT'S COLD, WHY NOT DO IT WHILE YOUR INSIDE & SAVE MONEY. THROW ON AN EXTRA PAIR OF SOCKS, OR AN EXTRA LARGE HOODIE, OR CUDDLE UP IN YOUR COMFORTER. PUT ON ANYTHING WARM AND COMFORTABLE. DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN BLAST THE HEAT!
27. USE BODY HEAT- THAT'S RIGHT, CUDDLE UP! BODY HEAT WORKS, AND IT'S FREE!
28. FIND THE COOL ROOMS- NONE OF THE ROOMS IN YOUR HOUSE ARE THE SAME. SOME ARE COOLER/WARMER THAN OTHERS. FIND THEM AND USE THEM.
29. TURN DOWN THE TEMP ON YOUR WATER HEATER- LOWERING THE TEMP ON THE WATER HEATER BY JUST 20 DEGREES CAN SAVE YOU BIG MONEY AND LOTS OF ENERGY!
30. USE YOUR FIREPLACE- FIREPLACES ARE GREAT FOR ROMANTIC MOMENTS HOWEVER IT IS ALSO GREAT FOR HEATING PURPOSES. IF YOU HAVE ONE, USE IT.
31. CLOSE YOUR FIREPLACE- YOU CAN LOSE A LOT OF HEAT/AIR IF YOU HAVE A FIREPLACE THAT ISN'T PROPERLY SEALED! WHEN NOT IN USE, MAKE SURE IT IS SEALED TIGHT SO YOU AREN'T WASTING ENERGY AND MONEY.
32. USE FANS- USING CEILING FANS INSTEAD OF THE A/C CAN SAVE YOU 80% OFF YOUR COOLING BILL!
33. HOLD OFF ON THE HEAT & A/C- DON'T JUMP TO TURN ON THE HEAT JUST BECAUSE IT'S COLD FOR A DAY OR TWO. CHECK OUT THE 5- DAY(OR EVEN 10-DAY) FORECAST TO SEE IF THE COLD WILL BE AROUND FOR AWHILE. DO THE SAME WHEN IT'S HOT. MAKE SURE THE COLD/HEAT IS HERE TO STAY BEFORE TURNING THE HEAT ON FOR THE REST OF THE WINTER(OR A/C FOR THE REST OF THE SUMMER) . IF IT'S ONLY A DAY OR 2 OF EXTREME COLD/HEAT, TOUGH IT OUT.
34. STOP TURNING YOUR HEAT/AIR ON & OFF- WHEN YOU DO FINALLY TURN ON THE HEAT OR A/C FOR THE SEASON, DO NOT TURN IT OFF COMPLETELY WHEN YOU DON'T NEED IT. TRY TURNING IT ALL THE WAY DOWN IN THE WINTER AND ALL THE WAY UP IN THE SUMMER. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS URBAN LEGEND OR WHAT BUT IT SEEMS TO SAVE MONEY!
35. ADJUST YOUR THERMOSTAT- DOES THE HEAT REALLY NEED TO BE ON 80 DEGREES WHEN IT WILL FEELS THE SAME AT 75 DEGREES? START LOW AND SET YOUR THERMOSTAT JUST HIGH ENOUGH TO NOT FREEZE YOUR BUTT OFF. YOU CAN EVEN LOWER IT BEFORE YOU GO TO SLEEP. AND OF COURSE LOWER IT WHEN YOU LEAVE THE HOUSE. BY ADJUSTING THE TEMP BY JUST A FEW DEGREES CAN SAVE YOU CLOSE TO 15% OFF YOUR HEATING BILL. REVERSE THE PROCESS FOR A/C.
36. MAKE IT AIR TIGHT- STORE YOUR FOOD IN AIR TIGHT PACKAGES. THIS KEEPS IT FRESHER, LONGER.
37. THAW YOUR FOOD- THIS WILL SAVE YOU COOKING TIME. THE SHORTER THE STOVE IS ON, THE BETTER.
38. PUT YOUR FROZEN FOOD IN THE REFRIGERATOR TO THAW- WHEN YOU PLAN YOUR MEAL THE DAY BEFORE, PUT THAT FROZEN MEAT IN THE FRIDGE TO THAW. THIS HELPS KEEP THE FRIDGE COOL. AND AS A RESULT, THE REFRIGERATOR DOESN’T RUN AS LONG; AND IS AT REST LONGER!
39. ADJUST THE REFRIGERATOR TEMP- IF YOUR FOOD FREEZES IN THE REFRIGERATOR, THEN IT IS SET TOO HIGH! LOWER THE TEMP GAUGE FOR THE FRIDGE TO SAVE MONEY AND ENERGY!
40. UNPACK YOUR FRIDGE- THE MORE CLUTTERED THE FRIDGE, THE HARDER IT HAS TO WORK TO KEEP EVERYTHING COOL INSIDE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY HEAR WHEN YOUR FRIDGE IS RUNNING AND WHEN IT IS AT REST(SIMILAR TO WHEN AN OVEN IS PREHEATING AND WHEN IT HAS REACHED ITS SET TEMP) SO IF YOU NOTICE YOUR FRIDGE IS ALWAYS RUNNING AND RARELY AT REST, YOU MAY WANT TO ADJUST THE TEMP GAUGE OR CLEAN IT OUT.
41. COVER UP YOUR FOODS- UNCOVERED LIQUIDS AND FOODS IN YOUR FRIDGE ACTUALLY MAKES YOUR REFRIGERATOR WORK HARDER, THUS COSTING YOU MONEY!
42. VACUUM THE FRIDGE COILS- DOING THIS 2-3 TIMES A YEAR WILL HELP YOUR REFRIGERATOR RUN SMOOTHER AND KEEP IT FROM WORKING HARDER FOR LONGER.
43. FILL THE FREEZER- FILLING THE FREEZER WITH EITHER FOOD, ICE TRAYS, AND/OR WATER BOTTLES WILL KEEP YOUR FREEZER FROM WORKING HARDER TO KEEP COLD. SINCE THE ITEMS INSIDE FREEZES, THEY ACT AS BLOCKS OF ICE! THUS SAVING YOU MONEY!
44. GET A NEW REFRIGERATOR- IF YOUR FRIDGE WAS MADE BEFORE 1993, GET A NEW ONE! NEWER MODELS USE HALF THE ENERGY AS THE OLD ONES!
45. BIGGER ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER- THE BIGGER THE FRIDGE, THE MORE ENERGY IT USES.
46. GET FRIDGE WITH TOP-MOUNTED FREEZERS ONLY- IF YOU DO NEED TO BUY A NEW FRIDGE/FREEZER COMBO, BUY A TOP-MOUNTED FREEZER ONLY. SIDE-BY-SIDE AND BOTTOM-MOUNTED FREEZERS USE MORE ENERGY!
47. USE ICE TRAYS- DON’T GET A REFRIGERATOR WITH AN AUTOMATIC ICEMAKER AND/OR DOOR DISPENSER. NOT ONLY DO THEY USE MORE ENERGY, BUT THEY ALSO COST MORE TO PURCHASE.
48. USE A CHEST FREEZER- IF YOU HAVE THE NEED FOR A SEPARATE FREEZER UNIT, USE A CHEST FREEZER AS OPPOSED TO AN UPRIGHT ONE. CHEST FREEZERS ARE MORE ENERGY-EFFICIENT.
49. KEEP YOUR FRIDGE AWAY FROM THE HEAT- MAKE SURE YOUR REFRIGERATOR IS AS FAR AS IT CAN POSSIBILY BE FROM THE OVEN, SUNLIGHT, AND ANY OTHER HEAT SOURCE THAT WILL CAUSE YOUR FRIDGE TO WORK HARDER FOR LONGER.
50. FIX THE LEAK- LEAKY FAUCETS WILL COST YOU ALOT OF MONEY. IT'S WORTH FIXING IT ASAP.
51. USE A POT- IF THE PLUMBER IS TOO EXPENSIVE RIGHT NOW, PLACE A POT (OR CONTAINER) UNDER THE FAUCET TO CATCH THE DRIPPING WATER. USE IT FOR DISHES, TO WATER PLANTS, CLEANING, OR WHATEVER. BETTER TO USE IT THAN TO WASTE IT.
52. USE A "RINSE" PAN- PLACE A PAN/POT UNDERNEATH THE SPOUT WHENEVER YOU RISE SOMETHING. THE WATER COLLECTED COULD BE USED TO WATER PLANTS, FLOWERS, DISH WATER, OR WHATEVER.