OBX Housing: Here are a few things people are doing to save money this December!
Every year expenses creep up. We’re using more services, the cost of food and other goods continues to go up, and life is simply becoming more expensive. Most people don’t take the time to do a quick personal audit to see where they are paying more than they need to, or where expenses could be cut altogether.
A quick analysis can identify areas where huge savings could be found — so that more of your hard-earned money stays in your pocket. Reduce Your Electric Bill Each Month. Next to monthly housing payments, heat and electric bills are often the biggest expense around the home. Here are a few ways to slash electric bills with just a little bit of planning…
- Unplug Everything: Did you know that appliances and electronics continue sapping electricity if they’re plugged in, even when their switches are turned off? Making a habit of unplugging these items when they aren’t in use saves a lot of energy over time. This includes computers, TVs, the toaster, hairdryers and phone chargers.
- Use energy-efficient light bulbs: Replace all your incandescent bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) or LED bulbs. Incandescent bulbs release most of their energy through heat, rather than light. Newer bulb styles are much more energy-efficient, and they save a lot of electricity and money over time.
- Use Smart Technology: How many times does the TV get left on with nobody watching it? Use timers and smart outlets to automatically turn off items at designated times or after a certain amount of time of inactivity. Smart thermostats can also make your home more energy efficient by automatically adjusting the temperature when you’re away.
These things may seem small, but small amounts of energy over time can create big bills! Often electric bills are made up of a lot of unnecessary usages — and that’s money
that could be better spent elsewhere (or put back in your pocket).
Throw an Aspirin in the Wash and Be Left Speechless
Only aspirin can compete with bleaches and the top stain removing agents. This amazing tip will save your white laundry (and there’s a bottle of expired, worthless aspirin somewhere around the house).
Here’s how to do it:
Start by dissolving (5) 300mg aspirin tablets in 2 gallons of hot water. Crush the pills beforehand to speed up the process. The next thing to do is soak your white laundry in the mixture and leave it overnight. In the morning, place the clothes in the washing machine, add a few aspirin pills again, and wash them as usually.
Please Note: This is a tip shared by one of the OBX Housing tenants. Be sure to test this method out yourself before using it on clothes you care about (although we have not received any reports of bad experiences).
Use Soda to Clean the Most Stubborn Areas of Your Home
Who knew one of the world’s most enjoyed drinks could be such a practical household staple? Coke is like an acidic cleaner. The quantity of acid in soda is enough to erode at the enamel of your teeth, making them more vulnerable to decay. So why buy those expensive cleaners when you can perfectly clean those stubborn stains with Coke. You can use it for a variety of household chores, such as…
- Remove grease stains from clothing and fabric
- Clean a toilet; pour around bowl, leave for a while, flush clean
- Clean tile grout; pour onto the kitchen floor, leave for a few minutes, wipe up.
- Descale your kettle
- Remove marker stains from your carpet. Apply Coke, scrub and then clean with soapy water
- Clean your windows; soak a cloth with Coke and rub your window. Then simply wash the glass pane with water
Stock Up Your Fridge and Reduce Your Energy Bill
File this under strange-but-true: A full fridge regulates temperature better than an empty one. Open space in your refrigerator fills with warm air whenever you peek inside, making your poor appliance work overtime. Your grandparent’s fridges were smaller and easier to fill, so it wasn’t an issue for them. But today’s larger fridge/freezers can waste significant energy.
So, go ahead, stock up on veggies, meat, and milk — just don’t let your grocery costs run too high in the process. If you can’t fill the fridge with usable food, place pitchers of water to take up space. It’s recommended to set your fridge between 36- and 38- degrees Fahrenheit for max efficiency.