Money Saving Monday: Utility Savings

There are a variety of ways to lower the costs on utility bills you already have to pay—budget billing, comparison shopping and simple alternatives are some of the easiest. They don’t require you to reduce your consumption in anyway. You only have to work with your current provider or consider finding a new one. Real impact in your bills comes when you find ways to decrease your actual use. One quick, obvious way to lower your electric bill is to turn off items when not in use. But, did you know many electrical products continue to use power even in standby mode?

Of course, it’s kind of a pain to walk around unplugging things every night. Not to mention the precious items you can’t unplug like DVRs and cable boxes. That’s where this doodad really comes in handy—it allows you to cut power to several items at once while leaving a select few in standby at all times. This particular model even allows you to select one item as the control outlet. You could plug your t.v. into the control, your DVR into the always on outlets and the rest of your home theater system into the other outlets. Every time you turn off the television, the power gets cut to the rest of the strip!

We love to hear about your tips, tricks and frugal living ideas each Monday. Next week kicks off our new “For the Love Of…” series. We’ll be offering advice on doing the things you love, on a budget. Join us on Money Saving Monday to share your tips for Superbowl Sunday—I know my Indy friends will be ready to go all out, but let’s keep it frugal!