Summer is definitely here and I don't know about you, but I find myself needing cool refreshment a lot more often. Since I love to hit up my local coffee shops, I have to find ways to save a little extra to afford my regular coffee or tea - hehehe...
Here are some things we do or have done in the past to save money on our regular bills each month.
1. Save on your energy bills by switching to a Time of Use plan.
Both SRP and APS offer savings on energy to customers willing to shift using energy sucking appliance like dishwashers, washers and dryers to off peak hours. APS has several different plans and SRP offers online calculators to help you determine if switching your usage will save you money. Comparing basic usage to the cost savings reveals that basic prices in July are as much as 12.12c a kilowatt hour vs. time of use price of 6.65c per kilowatt hour. Pretty significant when you add it up! It might take some adjusting to get used to a time of use plan, but in the end, it can mean great savings for you.
2. Use water wisely in the summer
Whether you're gardening or just filling up that pool, avoid unnecessary evaporation by watering in the cooler hours of the day. The University of Arizona's Master Gardener site also offers great tips for growing healthier plants by watering deeply and more effectively to create drought tolerant plants that need less water.
And, if you want to save money by using less water indoors, do what my mom always did and set guidelines for shorter shower times. With five girls, you can imagine it was a pretty huge cost savings to cut our shower time from 10 minutes each to 2. Yikes! Now that I've paid those water bills, I can only imagine those bills!
3. Use a clothesline rather than a dryer
According to Laundry List, drying laundry in the dryer can cost between $0.15 and $0.40 a load. If you're washing for a family, this adds up! If you switch to line drying you'll not only save money on the dryer, you'll save money because your clothes will last longer.
My clothes are currently on the line outside and in this heat, they'll be dry within an hour. I also have an indoor drying rack in my townhouse and those clothes take a little longer. A word of wisdom about outside line drying...be sure you turn your clothes inside out and dry them in the shade to avoid fading the colors. Unless you're drying something white. Then, put it in the sun for natural bleaching power!
There you have it. Three ways great ways to save cash toward your savings account or toward a nice cold latte from your favorite local java joint!
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