There’s nothing like the shock you feel when you open up your electricity bill or check out at the grocery store. The cost of those services and goods can really add up.
However, during the summer, you can reduce these expenses by taking advantage of the season’s extra sunlight. You just need a little ingenuity and forethought.
Here are four simple ways you can put this into action, saving money this summer.
Use a Clothesline
During the warmer months, it’s not necessary to use the dryer all the time. One thing you can do is to hang your clothes to dry outside instead.
This tactic saves you money on the electric/gas bill, and it also does wonders for the smell of your clothes. If you don’t have a clothesline, you can get a drying rack and dry your clothes on that.
Turn Off the AC
The Huffington Post suggests you can keep the air conditioning off to save some cash. If you can’t abide the thought of not using your air conditioning, run it tactically.
If the weather report says the night will be cool, turn off the air and open some windows. Same goes for keeping the air off and the windows and blinds closed until the sun passes over your house.
Finally, make sure your air conditioner is running properly and has clean filters when you do turn it on. If you’re not sure if your air conditioner is optimized, contact a company like C B Lucas Heating & Air Conditioning to have your filters changed and the unit checked out.
Turn Off the Lights
Longer days means you have the use of natural light for a longer period of time during the day. To save some money on your electric bills, try keeping the lights turned off.
Most of the time it’s light enough you can do your household chores, or even read, with the light provided by the sun. You can take this a step further by investing in some tabletop solar lamps.
Allow them to charge during the day so you can use them at night when it finally does get dark.
Gardening
If you like digging in the dirt, then gardening can be good for you and your wallet. Planting a garden not only saves you money, it can make you money in a manner of speaking.
Here’s how. If you spend a buck on bean seeds, you get about $75.00 in produce.
A dollar to plant potatoes gives you $5.00 in crops. Overall, you’ll save a thousand bucks on groceries by having a garden.
Saving money during the summer is a matter of planning and forethought. Going without the air conditioner or setting up a clothesline can save you a good deal of money.
So can turning off the lights or planting a garden. By taking these steps, you could save hundreds if not thousands of dollars this summer.
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Hi Kara. I love the tips. Unfortunately a clothesline and garden aren’t an option where I am. I do keep my windows open and turn off lights as much as possible. One thing about keeping the windows. The humidity will get into your home and could give you a mold problem. This summer I am going to run my AC for an hour or two most days to help control the humidity and take the edge off the heat. It can approach 100 degrees on the hottest days here. Hopefully that will work without adding too much to the electric bill.
Hi kara, Thank you for your post. Everyone wants tips on saving money and your post comes at the right time. More daylight means conservation of energy indoors and helps save money. Summer also helps you save money on the heater too. Keep adding value.
Thank you Charles for your feedback and regular engagement. Keep it up!
Gerardo