Saving Energy
Across the country we continue to see heat waves, wild fires, and crazy weather events. These events are not uncharacteristic for the summer season, however they can have a large toll on our wallets. The costs of keeping us cool, properly hydrated, and comfortable can be high when the monthly bills arrive but it does not have to be as expensive as it is. Below you will see some simple tips to help us save on utilities and some simple expenses during the warm summer months.
Reusable Water Bottles
How many water bottles do you buy or use during a month or even a year? Odds are the total number you buy is way too high and comes at way too high of a cost. Staying hydrated is important but the amount of money we spend to quench our thirst should be much lower than it is. The easiest solution to this problem is to buy reusable water bottles. There are tons of different options and kinds of water bottles out there. There are glass, metal, plastic, and who knows what other materials are used. One thing is for certain, buy using a reusable water bottle you will save a lot of money and help the environment while doing so. In addition, they make high end water bottles that are super insulated to keep your water cold or your hot beverages hot. Finally, if you do not trust the sink or public water fountains they make water bottles with built in filters, these ensures you will always have the highest quality of water throughout the day.
Air Conditioning
During the hot summer months, most people run their air conditioning to help keep their homes cool and comfortable. This is completely natural but people do not always use this climate control system efficiently. Most people will turn on the AC unit and not give it much thought which could cost a lot more money than needed. Most of us work during the day and will not be home for long periods of time but we do not set our thermostats accordingly. When you leave in the morning you should turn up the temperature your house is set at. You do not need to set it at ridiculously high temperatures but some small changes make a big difference. If you have your house set to 68 degrees try turning the temperature up to 72 when you leave in the morning and turning it down when you are at home during the night. This will keep your house at a manageable temperature but not waste the extra energy to keep it cooler than it needs to be. If you want to make this process easier there are now a number of computer controlled thermostat units that can do this automatically. Some of these units even let you change your home temperature from a smart phone giving you the ability to turn the temperature down when you are on your way home so it is cool and refreshing when you arrive.
Conserving Utilities
How many of us leave the refrigerator open longer then we should or leave the water running much more then we should. We have all done it and will likely continue to do so until we become aware of our actions. When cooking try having a more detailed plan. By knowing what we need it allows us to limit the number of times we open the refrigerator and help keep the cool air inside the doors. This will not only help save energy but help prolong the life of the refrigerator by limiting the stress of the mechanism that runs it. In addition, how much water do we waste a year by forgetting to turn off a sink? In America, we are fortunate to have running water at our finger tips and we take advantage of this privilege. So be aware that even though water comes to us easily it does cost money and there is no real need to waste it. Saving water is good for our pockets and good for the environment.
Limiting Car Use
America is a large country and most of us need cars to get everywhere we need to be but are we too dependent on them. Ask yourself when was the last time you carpooled and when was the last time you walked to the nearest shopping plaza. Odds are we are skipping the chance to carpool, walk, or oven bike places more often then we think. Oil is a finite resource and this has resulted in the increase in the price of gas over the last several decades. The summer season is the perfect time to walk more or bike more and use the car a bit less. Every time you walk, ride a bike, or carpool you save a little money and a little bit of the environment as well. So when you have the opportunity to forgo using the automobile use it on occasion, you will even get a bit of exercise as well.
Wasting Food
Many people across the country and the world take food for granted. Many people go hungry every night but we continue to waste food unnecessarily. We tend to over buy, over eat, and let food go bad before we eat it. This has resulted in wasted money and even obesity. A great habit to get into to help solve this problem is planning a weekly meal schedule. This allows us to know what we need to buy and how much of it we need. Planning meals helps prevent us from snacking on unhealthy foods and helps save money when we don’t buy food we do not need. There are now a number of food services that will even do the planning for you, for a cost. If we learn to be more discipline with food planning we will be healthier and save money, but don’t forget to be charitable. You can use a little bit of the money you save to help support a local food bank to ensure no one goes hungry. The best way to fight hunger is everyone making small contributions. It might not seem like much but a lot of people doing something very little goes a long way.
We have been living in a disposable economy for a long time now. We do not fix things like we used to and we waste a lot of materials, food, and energy without reason. We cannot single handedly make the world a better place but if we all do something small every day to limit consumption we will begin to make improvements. Finally there are people who say it doesn’t matter how much water we use or how many recyclable plastic bottles we use because they are renewable and reusable, these items cost money. So if you don’t think you will benefit the environment by following these simple tips benefit yourself and your wallet by saving the money.