I'm almost as tired as these little monkeys. Both boys fell asleep in the most awkward positions last year on the way back from skiing. They were clearly exhausted! :-)
In accordance with my plan in December to really dissect our 2013 budget & areas for cutback, I'm posting about one category per day. So far, I've covered mortgage interest (and a potential refi), our grocery budget., dining out, kids activities, gas, & utilities at our vacation house.
Today's topic for discussion is . . . utilities at our primary residence. I know, the thrills continue. ;-)
We spent an average of $414/month in 2012. I'm not sure how we're going to accomplish this, as I took a new role & lost $40/month in cell phone reimbursement from my employer. But, we'd like to trim this to $400/month. It's not a huge decline, but it will require additional energy savings, & keeping a better eye on cell phone costs, given the cut in reimbursement. I'm sort of at a loss on how else to accomplish the cuts. The cell phone is required for my job, and our other expenses are the typical ones - power, gas, water, trash service, etc. We do have cable, & continually try to negotiate that down. Perhaps I'll do some research about best times to run the laundry, dishwasher, etc & ensure that we're minimizing the costs there.
Questions for you - how is your week going? Are you exhausted yet? :-) And, how do you cut costs on your utility bills? Any tips for me?
I've heard that laundry is best done after 10pm to 9am. Something about energy being cheaper for those overnight hours (same for any electricity intensive task). So not sure if late-laundry washing is your deal.
ReplyDeleteI am exhausted! Is it Feb yet?
Dang, I'm asleep at 10 pm, but maybe I can throw in a load before bed, & then throw it in the dryer when I wake up?
DeleteI love the holidays, but it's been nuts this year with M traveling so much. Can't wait until the end of next week, when he's home until January!
Those are sleepy kids!
ReplyDeleteWhat type of heating do you use? Gas? Electric? I have found using a programmable thermostat has been a use energy saver!
We have electric, & we do have the programmable thermostat & use it religiously! I think we need to go down a couple of degrees & see if that makes a difference.
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