In the summer time while trying to stay cool saving money can be hard to do! Our air conditioner is a luxury, we don't have to run it but sometimes it helps us sleep better. At the same time, as with any luxury, our pocket book gets kinda skinny. So I have learned a few small ways to save money to help with the extra expense.
- We make our own Popsicles. What kid doesn't love Popsicles in the summer?! I bought enough sets of Popsicle makers for the kids to each have 2, plus 2 extras for dad ;) They only cost me around $.90 for 1 Popsicle maker that makes 2 Popsicles. This way the kids can pick the flavors they want and I know what the Popsicles are made of. We even make fudgesicles from chocolate pudding, and smoothie pops with real fruit in them. Root beer float pops are good two ;) You also won't have a box taking up space in the freezer with Popsicles that are going to waste because the kids don't like the flavors that are left, or because they forgot they were in there. Ice cube trays also work well for making mini Popsicles ;)
- Grill. We have a charcoal grill and in the summer we grill a lot! When I have to run my oven in the house I am paying to run that plus the air conditioner works harder while the oven is running. Or we resort to my electric skillet it cooks the food and doesn't heat the whole house up like my oven does. George Foreman grills are a good alternative too.
- Don't just run the air condition because you don't want to take the time to shut it off until it's time to turn the furnace on. If we are going to have a couple of cool days in a row or more, we will shut the air off, but when we do turn it on I don't wait till its really hot and sticky. If I know it is going to be really hot that day I will turn it on while its still a little cooler outside so the AC doesn't have to work as hard to cool the house back down.
- Rain barrels. They are relatively cheap to put in and they supply water for my flower beds and herb garden without me having to run the hose. Saves on electricity and water bills ;) Basically a rain barrel(for those who may not know) is a large barrel or tub placed under eve spouts to catch rain water. Some have hoses attached to them for watering, I will usually just dunk my watering can in mine.
- Grow a garden. Fresh produce is not only very healthy for you, it is also cheap to grow and will save on your grocery bill. Even more so if you can your surplus. You can also swap with friends or sell your extras.
- Instead of paying for admission to a local pool or water park go to the nearest natural swimming hole instead. My kids had more fun swimming in the lake my in-laws were living by last summer, than they did going to a crowed town pool.
- Hit the garage sales! You can find tons of bargains at garage sales, especially city wides. We used to go to garage sales every weekend when I was growing up, but the best time is to watch for local city wides. More people are likely to have a garage sale during city wides, and some save their stuff just for city wides. Remember not to be afraid to haggle, some people will stand firm, but others really want the stuff gone and might budge some on their prices.
- Don't turn the lights on till you have to! My kids used to have every light on in the house from sunrise to sundown. When I figured out what they were doing I immediately put a stop to it! The next month my electric bill had gone down. With the days being longer we are usually outside till it's too dark, but on those scorcher kind of days when we are sitting in the air conditioned house I make sure the kids do not turn the lights on till they absolutely have to!
- Keep your freezers full. A full freezer runs more efficiently. We fill clean empty plastic bottles 3/4 of the way full and freeze them. This keeps our freezer full, plus if the power goes out in the winter we will have clean drinking water and ice packs to keep the frozen food cold. I will even use the frozen bottles as ice packs for our cooler when we go camping or on trips, and when they thaw you have cold water to drink without the extra expense of buying bottled water at the store. They also work well for boo boos ;) and way cheaper than the cold compresses from the store.
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