Gas prices are going up with no end in sight. $100 barrels of oil are here. What's a family to do? I've put together a list of some things we do and some we should do, to help beat the cash squeeze:
- Use gas cards with special deals like Kwik Fill and Hess ( Hess is best, save 30% for 90 days then 10% thereafter). Find the lowest gas prices using GasBuddy.com. and GasPriceWatch.com.
- Pay bills online through your bank or a service like Checkfree, saves big on postage, envelopes, checks, and your time.
- Replace all incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs
. Makes a HUGE difference in the electric bill.
- Don't leave lights on if you will be out of a room for more than an hour. Obvious yes? People are not aware they are doing it. It adds up.
- Cut your shower time in half (very hard to impress this upon kids!)
- Burn wood.
- Shop food sales and use coupons for the items you normally use.
- Drive with economy in mind. Don't idle for more than a minute and don't race to a stop light. Do not warm up the car in the winter. That is a fallacy. It doesn't need it (you might, but it doesn't!)
- Turn down your hot water heater temperature.
- Turn down the thermostat.
- Consolidate driving trips. Don't go until you have more than one reason.
- Insulate your house, attic and basement. There are tax credits for this.
- Don't buy frozen dinners. They are expensive and not as nutritious as meals from scratch.
- Carpool!
- Go to bed when it gets dark, wake up when it gets bright. We do this at our cabin.
- Replace old TVs with LCD TV's
and save big. Gradually replace old appliances. We have saved $40/month doing this along with replacing the bulbs.
- Shop around for home and car insurance.
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