Saving Money and Water with Rain Barrels
Saving money and saving the environment is always a good notion. Conserving water with rain barrels is one of those win-win good notions that will save money as well as the environment.
Rain barrels are a great way to collect and store rain runoff from your roof that would otherwise be lost to runoff and diverted to storm drains, streams, rivers, etc… Water captured in rain barrels is a free source of water for watering gardens and lawns and of course has the added advantage of helping the environment.
The model behind the use of rain barrels is quite simple, the more water we are able to conserve the more money we save from municipal water and sewer charges while helping save the environment by not using treated water for our lawns, gardens or other outside uses.
Utilizing the natural water which is free of chemicals such as fluoride, chlorine and other additives found in our household water saves the environment from the treated water and the treatment process and is also healthier for plants and gardens. By collecting rainwater, you can reduce the load on your local water treatment facilities.
Use of rain barrels utilizes a natural process that reduces the burden on our existing infrastructure. Using rain water will reduce your water bill whether you have a municipal water supply that charges by the gallon used or a well that has a pump needed to draw the water. In addition, a number of municipalities have separate sewer charges that are based on the amount of water consumed. For homeowners that have sump pumps in their basement, the rain barrel has another plus since they are collecting water that would normally seep into the ground next to the foundation.
Rain barrels are generally inexpensive and are practical way to save money. Reducing environmental impact is just an added bonus.
Rain barrels can be purchased from many garden catalogs or you can make your own following directions found on a number of web sites. Rain barrels operate pretty much trouble free.
Whether you construct your own rain barrel or you purchase one, make sure it is securely covered, securely set and accessible for cleaning. Most all rain barrels can sit conveniently under any residential gutter down spout. The rain barrels should be installed at or near ground level, on a level surface to prevent tipping when the barrel is full. Don’t position the rain barrel near stairs or structures that would pose a danger for the area.
Make sure the rain barrel has a screen for water collection and the barrel should be slightly elevated off the ground to allow gravity feed when it is in use. The water should be used or drained regularly to reduce the risk of mosquitoes or contamination.
Rain barrels are becoming very popular in rural and urban areas mostly for environmental reasons but the costs savings these products bring should make them even more widely adopted by those who like cheap home living.
Quick Tips to Save Money on Heating
Saving money on winter heating bills can often be done with very low expenditures or hard work. Management of your existing resources is the biggest factor in reducing the heating expenses. A pleasant side effect is the less energy consumed the less emissions there will be polluting our environment. Save money and do a little to help to stop the damage to the environment caused by burning fossil fuels in your furnace.
1. Replace your old thermostat with a programmable model. Low-cost programmable thermostat models sell for around $25 and can easily pay back their cost within a couple of months. Better yet, they can save you more than $100.00 each year. The simple value of programmable thermostats is the device will automatically change the trigger on the thermostat for the home temperature so the heating and cooling of the house is operating more efficiently at the right time of day. For example, keeping the heat high at night while a family sleeps is clearly an inefficient use of heat and money. The programmable thermostat can be set to automatically drop the temperature at night time and then automatically turn it up at preset time in the morning. The thermostat can be preset to also turn the heat down during the day to let sunshine warm a home or keep the heat off when the family is not home. A programmable thermostat is pretty much a must have device based on costs and savings.
2. The follow up to the programmable thermostat is general rules on setting the temperature in the home. Be sure to set your thermostat as low as possible in the winter while still being comfortable. The closer your indoor temperature is to the outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall heating bill will be. If you still don’t use a programmable thermostat, shame on you, and make sure not to set the thermostat at a warmer setting than normal when you first get up. This will not warm your home any faster and it usually results in excessive heating which costs you money.
3. Check for window air cracks and spaces where the cool air can coem in. Repairing even some leaks can save a fair amount of money. Loss of heat from drafts along windows is a big drain on the heating system. Repairing these cracks and leaks can be performed by caulking along the frame and making sure the window as well as the storm window shut tight and snug.
4. Seal the leaks along door openings as well. Check to see if you feel a breeze at the bottom and sides of your door frames and doorways. Purchasing door blocks and sweeps to help block the flow of cool air will keep your rooms warmer and use less energy.
5. Close the heating vents in rooms that are rarely used. There is no use heating a room that nobody is using. The one issue you need to take care about is determining where your thermostat sensors are located. If they are located in a room that you close off, you may actually make your furnace work harder as it tries to warm a room that you have effectively shut off. Follow up by closing the doors to rooms that are not often used. This will keep the furnace from heating more space than necessary. Keep all your closet doors closed. There is no need to heat your closets during the winter.
6. Use the power of sun for heating and protect against fast cooling. Close the curtains on north facing windows to add an insulating barrier. This will help shield them and make it easier to keep the house warmer. Opening any curtains on the south side of the home along the windows will let in more sunshine. Be sure to close them after the sun has gone down. Using the sun and the warm and cool air outside of your home properly can help maintain room temperature and help avoid unnecessary use of the furnace.
7. Have your furnace checked periodically by a professional to make sure it is operating efficiently. Not only will this save you money now by having it work at top performance, it will also save you money in the long run by extending the life of this equipment. Dirty filters and dirty valves reduce the furnaces efficiency measurably. Maintenance isn’t necessary every year and you can inspect the furnace yourself as well as change the filters by yourself, the filters are cheap and should be changed every two months. Change your furnace filter once a month. Dirty filters reduce airflow, making your furnace work harder and lowering the performance and efficiency of the entire heating system which ultimately costs you more money
Remember, saving on the heating bill can come from very quick and easy patches in the system. Ignoring these drains on heat use may only cost a few to several dollars a month but these numbers add up quick. And saving on heating costs not only helps the family budget but helps reduce emissions and helps the environment. Cuddle up under that blanket at night with a movie at home and save money while you save the environment.
How to Make a Budget
Suggest making a budget and most people would rather visit the dentist. But a budget is just a method to keep track of your money and let you use it as you want. It lets you manage your money instead of letting your financial obligations manage you. Having a budget helps save money and allocates your resources in the most favorable way. The other important point to remember is that you will adjust your budget over and over in life as circumstances change. No matter your income level, everyone owes it to his or her financial future to have a budget.
One significant facet of a good budget is using it to work towards common goals such as saving money, allocating more resources to pending big purchase or simply leading a better lifestyle. A budget should shows you exactly where your money goes and provides a spending plan that lets you save for the things that are important to you: a new house, a new car, a comfortable retirement, a college education, travel, or whatever your particular goals and dreams happen to be.
The key to developing a budget and living within it is not complicated, but requires an investment of time. Here are the basic rules to make it work:
You have a good understanding of how you spend your money. If you tried keeping a money diary, you are a step ahead.
You have a system to organize and pay your bills and balance your accounts on a regular basis.
You have an emergency fund equal to 6 months of salary in the bank.
Step One – List your fixed expenses.
These are the expenses that do not change from month to month. Examples are rent or mortgage, car payments, auto insurance, electric bill, your cell phone or money you set aside for school tuition. You could also include the cost to park your car at work, a baseline amount for gas each month or bus fare. Some of these may vary slightly, but the more that you can establish as a typical fixed cost the easier it may be to manage your money. Remember to include bills that you may pay once a year or quarterly as a monthly expense. These may be your property tax bill, quarterly insurance bills, club memberships or private school payments for your kids.
Step Two – Your Variable Expenses
These are the expenses that vary each month and while you can control them, if you are like most folks, some of them seem to get out of hand at times. Items in this category include meals out, groceries, going to the movies and other entertainment, and buying clothes. Include debts on credit cards in this category.
If you have kept a money diary, refer to it to determine how much you spent the past few months in each category. Or look back at your bank statements for a couple months. This way you can determine an average amount spent at the grocery or for meals out. Debit card receipts will help find all expenses – even the small ones. The more detail you can assemble the better. If you use cash for a lot of transactions, you should try to figure out where the cash went. This will help get accurate totals for the areas of expense that are not necessities but add up quickly.
Add up all the expenses and compare to your income. This is where your money goes.
Are you spending more that you earn each month? Is there money that you cannot track at all?
Try to cut spending in your largest variable expense by 5-10%. For most of us this is usually for food – at the grocery or eating meals out. Try packing lunch instead of eating out every day or reducing the amount of prepared meals you buy at the grocery store deli. Little changes can add up.
Do you have money left over?
Congratulations!
Are you saving enough?
Increase you contribution to your retirement account, set up an automatic transfer to your saving with each paycheck. Do it now and let the power of compound interest and time, work for you and your money.
Finally, be realistic. After setting up your budget, don’t obsess if your spending doesn’t match your budget every month. Remember a huge part of your budget is made up of variable expenses. Be flexible and willing to adjust the numbers now and then. For example, when the price of gasoline spikes again, you will know what to expect.
The Trial Budget – To Help Get Ready for Change
Once you have developed a budget and have some experience in adjusting it to fit life’s changes, you will realize the value of a trial budget. At various times in life you will find yourself contemplating a change. It could be a move, a new job or time off to care for a new baby. You can use a trial budget to see what living with a change in income or expenses would be like.
Thinking of buying that first house, or contemplating buying a larger one?
Use a trial budget to calculate mortgage payments, changes to insurance costs and even an increase in expenses to commute to work after you move. Before you make the change, try setting up the new budget and live with it for a month or two while you look for your dream home. Assuming your expenses would increase, calculate the increase and put it in savings so you have to live with the new spending constraints. This will give you the confidence to make the change for you and your family – and increase your savings at the same time.