Crush Your Utility Bill This Winter!

This month we’ve been taking a look at all the ways to save money in our budget. These savings can go a long way towards paying off debt, increasing an emergency fund, or saving for a vacation.

With the cold weather here, I’m determined to save money on our utilities.  Although it may seem like we are stuck paying hundreds of dollars each month to the utility companies, there are numerous steps we are going to take to reduce our monthly bill, care to join me?

My goal is to keep the cold out, the heat in, and the energy bill down with these cost-effective tips for winterizing your home.

Window Insulation Film

It may not be the most fashionable tip, but window insulation film can keep up to 70% of heat from leaking out of the windows. You won't mind the appearance when you're keeping the toasty warm air you’re paying for INSIDE. 

Draft Guards

In a drafty room, heat escapes under the door. When winterizing your house, place draft guards by the doors to prevent heat loss. It's a simple solution that keeps your house warm and saves you from wasting energy. 

Break Out the Caulk

Any remaining gaps in siding, windows, or doors can be filled with caulk. For extra drafty windows and doors, caulk the inside too, pulling off moldings to fill all gaps in the insulation.

Chimney Balloon

Your chimney is a huge source of heat loss come wintertime. If not in active use, plug it up with a chimney balloon when winterizing your home to keep drafts out and heat in. 

Lower Your Thermostat

The best time to do setbacks is when you go to bed and leave home for work. Both are 8-hour periods when heating isn't as important. But if you don't want to deal with manually setting your thermostat up and down every day and night, programmable thermostats can do it for you. They let you program setbacks and setups to happen at particular times of the day. 

Winter is right around the corner folks, so don’t let your utility bill get out of hand!