Now that the weather has cooled off, it’s clear that fall is here. Stay on track with your financial goals by following these tips:
- Use your thermostat efficiently: While you’re home and awake, try to keep the temperature around 68 degrees. When you’re not home or when you’re asleep, lower the thermostat even more. Every degree saves you about 2% on your heating bill and that’s money that stays in your pocket!
- Weather-proof everything you can: Leaky doors and windows can increase your energy bill. While it’s still nice out, try to caulk and add weather stripping wherever possible to reduce drafts. You can also use clear plastic on the inside of your windows for added protection. If you have window air conditioning units, don’t forget to properly cover/remove them as well.
- Utilize solar power: The sun can do a great job heating up a room during the day. Open the curtains on the south side of your home to let in sunlight – just don’t forget to close them up at night.
- Adjust your water heater: Set your water heater to 120 degrees to save on energy costs and as a safety precaution. Doing this will prevent scalding and is especially important if you have children in your home.
- Get organized for the holidays: The holiday season will quickly arrive after the start of fall! Start planning your budget and make sure you’re saving enough to cover your expenses. Remember, gifts probably won’t be the only expense you have – you might need to factor in travel and food expenses.
- Buy in bulk with a friend: Buying in bulk on your own may not be cost-effective for you, especially with perishables. Team up with someone and split bulk purchases to enjoy savings and help each other out.
- Freeze fresh herbs from your garden: If you have an herb garden, you might not be able to use everything before the season is up. Fortunately, herbs freeze rather well. You can pull them out and use them in soups during the cold winter months.
- Use flannel sheets: You don’t necessarily need to crank up your thermostat to feel comfortable. Try switching to flannel sheets in the winter – they can make a big difference.
- Get your pumpkins late: Excited to carve your pumpkins for Halloween? Put it off as long as possible! If you wait until a couple days before Halloween, you’ll get discounted pumpkins that will look great.
- Buy Halloween costumes after Halloween: You’ve probably noticed this, but Halloween costumes and decorations get marked down a lot after October 31. If Halloween is on a Thursday, you may be able to benefit from this for any parties the upcoming weekend. If not, remember to buy for next year!
