3 Easy Ways To Lower Your Household Bills
According to recent data released by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average American family has an income of just over $63,000 per annum before tax but has household costs of almost $50,000! Once tax is taken away from wages, it’s clear that American families spend more than they earn on average. This explains why the average American household debt is over $117,000. So what can we do about it? Besides walking into your manager’s office and demanding a raise, you can start cutting back on household expenses and here are 3 simple ways to do so.
Energy Bills
Whether you are turning on air conditioning to keep yourself cool or relying on heating to keep out the winter chill, it is likely that you are giving energy companies far too much of your hard-earned money. Every household appliance or light switch you turn on adds to the bill. Obviously, you need to use power in everyday life but there are ways to ensure you get the best value for money. For example, fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) last 6 times longer than traditional bulbs and are likely to save you approximately $40 over its lifetime. Now multiply that by the number of bulbs in your home and it is easy to see savings of hundreds of dollars.
When the time comes to change appliances, be sure to buy an Energy Star model. For example, an Energy Star washing machine uses substantially less water and holds more clothes than the average machine. As a consequence, it requires less electricity to power. It has been suggested that if every washing machine purchased in the United States this year was an Energy Star model, the nation would save almost 800 million kWh of electricity and $350 million!
Landscaping
The traditional American household has a beautiful lawn that must be tended to with care on regular occasions. What you may not be aware of is the amount of water you are wasting on your landscaping efforts. On average, the American household uses over 30% of its water on landscaping during the course of the year which equates to around 135 million gallons a day. To reduce your water bill, choose plants that are tolerant to drought and can survive with minimal watering. You should also get rid of your sprinklers and replace them with drip irrigation systems which are far more efficient.
Entertainment
It is every American’s right to enjoy themselves after a hard week’s work but are you spending too much on home entertainment? A single night at the movies for a family of four could cost up to $80 a time when tickets, drinks and popcorn are taken into account. If this happens once a month, your annual cost is almost $1,000. Your cable company probably has an on demand video service which shows movies for as little as $5. Buy your snacks in the supermarket and save a small fortune over the course of a year. Incidentally, you could cancel your cable contract and opt for an online video streaming service such as Netflix and save hundreds of dollars a year.
These are simple tips that can really help reduce your household bills and as you can see, you don’t need to reduce your standard of living. Be prudent and enjoy life without the shadow of debt hanging over your head.
Article courtesy of Price’s Glass & Mirror – Vicksburg’s oldest glass company.
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