How to save money at home

James Rippon James Rippon
Pond House_Passive House (Passivhaus), Forrester Architects Forrester Architects Nhà
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We all would like to save money, right? And lets face it, we all know at least a few common ways we can do this, especially around the house. But sometimes, we just need a little encouragement, and a reminder from time to time to help us along the way. With a little common sense, some goals in mind, and a few helpful tips, you can go from forever scratching your head wandering where all your hard-earned cash has gone, to lining your pockets with the extra pounds you have proudly saved. With these useful tips, some obvious and some not so much, you can save your money to spend on the more important things in life and not unnecessarily on annoying bills.

Solar

Solar panels are one of the first cost effective ways we think of when trying to save money around the home. Yes, they might be expensive to purchase outright, but the long term savings far outweigh the initial outlay, especially when governments often offer rebates for energy efficient additions to your home. In addition to saving money, using solar to power your home and heat your water is a great way to do your part for the environment, helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal powered electricity. Given that we do not live in the most tropical corner of the globe, and solar panels can only produce energy while the sun is shining, this one disadvantage is still far outweighed by the advantages, and is sure to save you some cash.

Home grown

If you have the space to grow your own fruit, vegetables or even herbs, then put that green thumb to work in order to save yourself some green. Growing fruit, vege and herbs is easy, fun, and will surely save you money. You can also pick the flowers from the garden to decorate your home, too! What's best is, it will get your kids into healthy eating habits from early on, and will teach them the importance of health.

Warm rugs

So winter is looming, and your scared about the impending power bill. Well, atleast your not alone. Investing in blankets will keep your family warm, without any bill shock come spring. And if they look as beautiful as these hand made throw rugs, we think its a wise investment.

Fixtures

If you are in the market for new fittings and fixtures in your bathroom or kitchen, then the market is full of those designed with money saving in mind. In the UK, 10-15% of all energy bills is from water heating. Water efficient fixtures can reduce this percentage, and save roughly 1900 litres of water per year. Other easy ways to cut the cost of your bills is to reduce shower times, turn the water off when washing yourself (and brushing your teeth), fix a dripping tap, and only put the dishwasher or washing machine on when full.

Eat in

Buying in bulk, and eating at home are two obvious but often forgotten about ways to save you and your family money. This is especially the case in large families. Stock your cupboards and fridge, and have an array of spices on hand, to entice you to get creative and cook more at home, saving yourself big money, whilst learning a new recipe or two.

Unplugged at the wall

This is one that is all too common. Leaving your appliances plugged into the wall. Take a moment to think about how many appliances are currently plugged in in your home? There's the tv, dvd player, stereo, computers, lamps, bedside alarms, fridge, freezer, kettle, toaster, blender; the list goes on and on.

Phantom power is the energy consumption used by appliances and electronic devices when they are turned off, but still plugged into a power outlet. Individually, these items are using a tiny amount of power, but when combined together over months or years, the usage data is staggering, with some sources saying this can be as much as 10% of your annual power bill. Wow.

With figures such as this, and so much money to potentially be saved, think frugally next time you see an appliance that is rarely used still plugged into the wall, or when you next see a trap dripping, because all these little elements do not seem like anything at the time, but when combined, they use an exorbitant amount of energy and power, slowly and unnessarliy draining your pockets.

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