Energy Efficient Tips For Your Refridgerator

Refrigerators are one of the biggest consumers of energy in your home. Since they run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week you want to make sure they are running efficiently.

Here are some tips to help you make sure your fridge is energy efficient.

Clean the coils under the fridge 2-3 times a year. I just did this last week and I couldn't believe the amount of dust and dirt that accumulates under there. I used my Shop Vac and it worked great.

Make sure the door seals are clean and hold a secure fit.

Both fridges and freezers are more efficient if they are full. If you need to, add bags of ice to fill in the gaps.

Avoid standing with the door open for long periods of time.

If your refrigerator is located next to your oven or stove place some insulation between them.

Defrost your freezer regularly. Ice build up of more than 1/4 inch can reduce the efficiency.

To keep humidity under control, liquids in the fridge should be covered.

Also make sure any hot items are cooled before putting them in the fridge.

This post is linked to the Frugal Tuesday Tip hosted here at Learning the Frugal Life.

Frugal Halloween Costumes

With Halloween right around the corner it is time to start thinking about that costume for your child (or yourself!) if you haven't done so already. Halloween costumes don't have to be expensive. There are many options. See the little pumpkin man above? That costume has been around the block. My 11-year-old wore that when he was 4. My 4-year-old wore it last year and now this year my 3-year-old will wear it.

The crazy looking skeleton man and the ninja, both of those costumes were bought at Target last year at the end of the season for 90% off. I spent $2.50 for the skeleton and $1.30 for the ninja. So watch for clearance costumes at the end of this season.

Of course you can always watch garage sales and thrift stores for cheap costumes.

Making your own costume is also a very frugal and fun option. My niece made a clever costume a few years ago that I remember. She went as a "smarty pants" and glued smarties candy all over an old pair of pants. Here is a helpful website with hundreds of costume ideas. Simple ideas like cotton candy...dress yourself in a white sweatsuit for the stick and wrap your upper body and head with pink tulle!

For more frugal ideas visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Keeping the Food Budget Low on Vacation

Going on vacation can still be frugal if you plan ahead. Food is one area where we tend to spend alot of money. Here are some ideas that can keep your food budget down.

Breakfast...Bring bagels, fresh fruit or rolls. Make ahead homemade bread or muffins and bring them with you. Some hotels have refrigerators in the rooms, if so, bring a carton of milk and a box of cereal. Or better yet stay at a hotel with FREE continental breakfast!

Snacks...Pack your own snacks. This will stop impulse buys at the gas station where you will pay double the price. Pretzels, peanuts, or chex mix are all good options. If your staying at a hotel and your room is equipped with a microwave, popcorn is always fun too.

Drinks...Water is the best drink to bring. You can bring your own water bottle from home and if it spills, no sticky mess.

Dinner...Pack a cooler with sandwiches. Another good idea is to pack a crockpot and some soup or stew and you can have a meal in your room. You can plug it in before you leave in the morning and dinner will be ready when you get home.

Do you have any tips to keep your vacation grocery budget down?

The Great Clothing Exchange

It's that time of year again. The changing of the seasons. With 4 boys its tough to keep up with all the clothing sometimes. Here is how I organize everyone's clothing by season.

Rubber totes.

I buy alot of clothes from garage sales. When I find things that fit for the following season I store them away in rubber totes. Also, when one boy outgrows something I put that in the tub for the next boy down to wear. Each child has their own tote and some totes are organized by items or sizes. Labeling the box is the most important part.

When the seasons change I just pull out the correct tote. I go through all the clothing in the tote and get rid of anything that doesn't fit anymore. I fill the tote back up with the off season clothing make new labels for the outside if needed and back down to the basement it goes.

It works for me! To see what works for others visits We are That Family.

Reducing Your Water Usage

Conserving water usage can save you money. While my water bill isn't my most expensive utility, I have noticed it creeping up over the last few months . It has made me sit back and take a look at some of the things I can do to bring it back down.

Time your showers...Everyone loves a nice, long, relaxing shower. Most especially me. Implement a time limit on the shower. Set a timer in the bathroom. When it goes off the water needs to be off.

Turn off the water when you don't need it...Try not to leave the water on while brushing your teeth or shaving. When rinsing off dishes, instead of running the water full blast, before dinner fill the sink with water and then just dip the dishes before loading them into the dishwasher.

Put in low-flow shower heads and faucets...These units use less water while still maintaining the pressure. We actually had an energy audit from our utility company last year and he put these in for free.

Fix dripping faucets and leaking toilets...Even these small leaks can add up to wasted water and larger bills.

Check outside faucets, sprinklers and hoses...These items need to be checked and maintained as well. Since we don't use them as often leaky faucets can go unseen for weeks or months.

Invest in making rain barrels to water your garden or flowers...Instead of paying to water your garden why not recycle rain water? This past Spring we made these rain barrels and have used them to water our vegetable garden. Only a handful of times have we actually had to use the outside hose.

Plan for the Unexpected

It is impossible to know what problems lie around the corner. A car will break down, the dryer stops working, you may need an unexpected surgery. All of these things are unplanned. Having an emergency fund set aside can make all of these difficulties seem a little easier to manage.

Dave tells you to have a $1000 emergency fund. We follow this rule and it has come in handy many times. Remember, if you take money out of it, make sure you replace it.

Saving a certain percentage of your paycheck each month for unexpected expenses will be very beneficial in the long run. It will cause less stress and tension and will be one less thing to worry about.

For more frugal tips visit Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Price Comparison

Today I ran to Wal-Mart to price check some diapers. I knew I could stack come Huggies coupons at Target (I had a $1.50 MC off plus I could combine this with the $1.50 Target coupon = a $3 savings) so I wanted to make sure I was getting a good deal.

At Target they have Huggies on sale for $8.99. For a size 5 diaper there are 32 diapers in the package. With my coupons it would be $5.99 averaging $.19 per diaper. At Walmart I found that the Walmart brand diapers were $18 for the huge box, 116 diapers. These diapers averaged out to be about $.16 per diaper. This was obviously a better deal than Targets sale on Huggies even with the stacking of coupons!

Even though stacking coupons can give you lots of savings it still may not be the best deal out there. Lots of times coupons are offered for already high priced items. It is wise to always compare the unit price to make sure you are getting the best deal.

Another important thing to remember is to be flexible and try not to be brand specific if at all possible. For me, we can be flexible on what diapers we use. My son doesn't have allergies or sensitivies so we are able switch back and forth.

Linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.

Do I Really Need This?

For some reason staying within the limits of the budget lately has been really difficult. On paper it looks pretty. We should be able to put a large chunk towards savings each month. However at the end of the month the money is not always exactly where it should be. The categories that got me this month?

Groceries
Clothes
Entertainment
School Activities/Supplies

Ok, groceries. I did stock up a little. Although my pantry isn't looking very impressive. I really am not sure how I spent all $500 so quickly this month.

Clothes. I did get Will and myself some new clothes this month. He was needing some new work shirts and I was really wanting some new lounge pants. I did use some leftover Christmas money. Jake needed new football cleats at $50 a pop, Tony needed gym shoes and regular shoes because his were too small.

Entertainment. We splurged on eating out alot this month. Plus we took a trip to the Omaha Zoo.

School Activities. I had to buy supplies, pay fees, and buy Tony's band instrument. That pretty much killed my budget for the year!

{{{Sigh}}}So I am sitting here asking myself...did I really need all this? The answer. No, not all of it for sure. Probably not most of it. Staying within the limits of your budget can be very challenging sometimes. Sometimes all it takes is asking yourself "Do I really need this?" By asking yourself this question before making a purchase quite often the answer will probably be "no".

It's your money and your responsibility on how you spend it. No one can take that away from you. When you go to buy something stop and ask yourself "do I really need this?". If it is something you want and need and it fits in your budget then go for it. If not, then learn how to say "no".

Swapping Fruits and/or Vegetables

One way to save money on produce, besides having your own garden is to have a fruit or vegetable swap. If you are having a bumper crop of tomatoes but not producing any peppers why not swap with someone who would be willing to trade?

Trading with neighbors, relatives or even posting on sites such as Craigslist are all options that could be considered.

I know I have lots of hot peppers, anyone have anything they want to trade?!

Linked to Works for me Wednesday at We are That Family.

Stocking Up on Next Year's School Supplies

I got an email from a reader with this great tip.

So I was reading my town's newspaper & this lady 
had a genius idea. She said when she does her 
school shopping she picks up the list for next 
years grade and buys supplies when they are clearenced 
and then shops in her closet the following year before 
going school shopping.  I just thought it was a brilliant
idea and maybe you'd want to pass it along.

Thanks Tracy for sharing this tip!

Look High, Low and Behind

I found this Hershey's Syrup back behind all the other syrups on the shelf at the store the other day. The yellow caught my eye! These bottles were the same price as the others but had 2 extra ounces in them.

Sometimes you can find items with extra ounces, extra items, or even coupons attached. It helps to be on the look out for these things.

Ways to Help Stay Cool When it's Hot

Well with the temps in the 90s here this week I have had to break down and turn on the air conditioner. I am trying to keep it at 76 during the day while my husband is at work. For now it is programmed at 72 but I am hoping to bump that up to 74 as soon as I can figure out how to run the programmable thermostat!

You can lower your cooling bills by adding some of these other helpful tips.

~Shade your house from the sun. Planting trees on the south side of the house is a good investment.
~Install awnings over windows that get direct sunlight.
~Adding insulation to your attic will help reduce the amount of heat absorbed through the roof and then through the ceiling. (We did this last year and it has made a huge difference.)
~Close your drapes during the hours of the day that direct sunlight is coming in.
~If you use your air conditioner, turn your thermostat up higher. If you set it to 76, that will feel pretty good to the 90 degrees that it is outside.
~Use fans to circulate the air. Overhead fans are great, but even small box fans will help move the air.
~At the end of the day when it is dark and the temperature is cooler and not humid, turn off your air conditioner and open the windows or just turn your air up.
~Instead of using your oven, grill outside to keep from heating up the kitchen.
~Use small appliances like the microwave, crock pot or skillet instead of the oven or stove. This is more energy efficient and it will cut back on unwanted heat.
~Hang clothing outside instead of using your dryer.
~Turn the heat cycle off on the dishwasher.
~Take short showers to avoid a buildup of steam.

Linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom.