Ways to Save Money : Money Clicks

»  Home & Related Expenses Tips

• Change your furnace filter every month. A dirty filter reduces airflow, lowering the performance and efficiency of your system
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• Replace your old air conditioner or cooling system with a new high-efficiency model. If your current unit is more than 10 years old, installing a 16 SEER Ultra High Efficient unit could reduce your air conditioning operating cost as much as 65 percent.
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• Do your laundry efficiently by using the warm or cold water setting for washing your clothes and always use cold water to rinse clothes. (Save: 4 percent if you have an electric water heater.)
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• Invest in a water heater timer if you have an electric water heater. Even better, if your electric box is conveniently located, just flip the breaker switch off after showers, etc in the morning, and flip it back on in the evening.
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• When buying a home, save tens of thousands of dollars in interest by shopping for the shortest-term mortgage you can afford. On a $100,000 fixed-rate loan at 8% annual percentage rate (APR), for example, you will pay $90,000 less in interest on a 15-year mortgage than on a 30-year mortgage.
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• Winterizing your home translates to lower utility bills and repairs. Put a lighted candle at doors and windows to determine air holes. Clear debris from rain gutters. Place insulation around water heaters. Wrap outside pipes in tape or rubber. Trim branches and remove rotting trees close to your house which may cause damage.

• The same nut, bolt, or fastener can sell for more than twice as much at the same hardware store, even on the same aisle. If you are looking for a common size, get your bolt from an open bin rather than a "system" drawer. These drawers are stocked with a complete array of sizes and are hugely more expensive.
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• Plant perennial flowers instead of annuals. You incur a one time cost and enjoy the flowers for years, with no additional effort or money. Annuals, on the other hand, require an outlay of cash and effort every year.
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• Cut back on paper products. Paying almost a dollar a roll for paper towels can really add up. Use cloth towels whenever possible and break out the dishes. It may require a little more on the cleaning end, but it is cheaper in the long run.
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• Freshen the air in your house without paying a fortune for canned spray. Just squeeze a few drops of a fresh lemon or a fresh orange into the dust bag of your vacuum.
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• Don't pay lots of money for Windex. Wait until the gallon size windshield washer fluid for cars goes on sale, and stock up. Refill the Windex bottles you have, and save.