Ways To Stretch That Dollar! Part Two

Part Two Contains Ways I Save Around The House

• Use a DIGITAL THERMOSTAT that you can program. I cut my electric bill in half and my house is comfortable all year long. We spent $25 and approximately 30 minutes installing and programming the digital thermostat. It was so easy and the savings have been HUGE!
• CAULK WINDOWS & DOORS. I don't mean seal them shut - just around the facings where all the cracks are. If you see daylight - you are throwing money away. You may need a rubber or foam threshold at the bottom of your doors. Can you hear your father yelling "shut the door, we are not cooling the whole neighborhood!"? It is the same thing. Keep your warm/cool air inside and the bugs outside. It costs around ten bucks and could take a couple of hours depending on how many doors and windows you have.
• AVOID IMPULSE BUYING. Do you absolutely have to get that blouse? Sleep on it a few days. Most of the time I decide I really don't want or need whatever it was that SEEMED so important at the time.
• Better yet - DO NOT GO shopping unless you have a list. Hitting the stores when you are bored is a bad, bad, bad idea. If you know you have a problem with sticking to a budget, do not invite unnecessary temptation.
• UTILIZE THE PUBLIC LIBRARY for entertainment. It is not just for books - you can check out videos too. Many libraries have reading/craft programs for young children and "how-to" workshops for adults. Super cheap fun!