couponqueenofcorning

Well, today’s the day. Get out there and do your civic duty. It’s a historic election. No matter who wins, we will either have an African-American president  or a female Vice-President. So, no matter if you are a Republica, Democrat or Independent, go out and vote for the person you think will do the best job. Let your voice be heard. If you don’t vote, I don’t to hear you complain!! LOL

Today is Ten Tips Tuesday. Every Tuesday I will be blogging about 10 tips to help you save money, get out of debt, and much more. With winter coming, I thought it would be nice to concentrate on energy efficient for today’s 10 tips list.

1. Replace regular light bulbs with the new energy efficient ones. Though these are more money initially, they use less energy and they last longer. You can even start by just buying a few and replacing the old light bulbs as they go bad. The only disadvantage to these light bulbs is that you cannot throw them in the regular garbage because they contain mercury. They have to be recycled, but there are only a handful of places that recycle these right now. Hopefully that changes by the time these long lasting bulbs die.
2. Check around windows and doors for air that is coming through. Use caulk around the window casings and weather stripping will help you keep the cold from coming through the door casing. If you are unsure of what to get, you can go to a hardware store and they will know what you need to buy.
3. If you have older windows, buy some plastic to put over them. You can buy plastic that sticks by using double sided tape and a hairdryer. If you don’t care if the room is dark, you can also put a heavy blanket over the window.
4. Have your furnace looked at and cleaned. Keeping your furnace running efficiently will save you money. At bare minimum, the filter should be changed.
5. Buy a programmable thermostat. You can program it to stay cooler at night and warmer when you wake up. When you’re working you can turn it down to 55 degrees and have it start heating back up to 70 half an hour before you get home. Why heat a house to 70 degrees when nobody is there? They are not that expensive either. You can get them for $30-$50.
6. Unplug appliances when not in use, especially if they have a light on them that stays on. Cell phone chargers should not be left on. These things use only a little energy but over time can add up. You should have televisions, computers and other electronics on a powerstrip that you can turn off when not in use.
7. If you are going to be out of a room for more than 5 minutes, turn the light off.
8. Keep the heat at 68 degrees and the air conditioner at 78. These are optimum temperatures to keep you comfortable and also save you money.
9. When buying new appliances, look for ones with energy saver. These yellow tags also show how much electricity the appliance uses so it is easier to compare it with other brands.
10. If you have a freezer, keep it as full as possible, even if you have to fill milk cartons or soda bottles to fill it. A full freezer runs more efficiently and if the power goes out, your food will stay frozen longer if it is fuller.