Save Money All Summer Long with These Simple Tips

The warm temperatures are beginning to intensify which can only mean one thing: summer is fast approaching. While this may make you a tad nervous (after all for some the summer is the season where they tend to indulge and spend the most) there are ways that you can take advantage of the warmer weather and actually save money instead. To learn how, continue reading below.

Conserve Energy

While your natural instinct might be to lower the thermostat to a mere 60s degrees (especially if you live in a city that practically melts during the summer) this move will unfortunately make your summer utility bill skyrocket through the roof. To make sure that you aren’t wasting energy but are simultaneously working to keep your home cool, manually clean all of the air ducts and remove dirt and dust. Replace the filters and make sure that nothing is blocking the vents that may disrupt air flow, such as a large house plant. You should also consider opening all the windows to circulate some fresh air into your home and invest in a ceiling fan to cool the house down—according to experts, using air conditioning costs 35 more times than when using a ceiling fan. If you don’t want to buy a new ceiling fan, scour local thrift shops to find one for a fraction of the price.

Outside Cookouts

If you have a grill—use it. Indoor stoves and ovens heat up the house substantially and it takes a lot more energy to cool it back down. Besides, eating grilled burgers and enjoying the outdoors is what summer is all about.

Air-Dry Laundry

Using electric dryers is also another energy-eater. Instead, use the power of the sun and line-dry your laundry. Not only will doing this help you save a bundle on energy costs, but it will also help maintain the life of your clothes—electric dryers actually beat the fibers from clothes and wear them down more easily. Just make sure you use some sort of fabric softener in the wash cycle and don’t leave the clothes out for too long unless you want them to get hard as rocks.

Put the Kids to Work

School is out for the summer and if you have kids, then send the yardman, pool man, and dog groomer home. Truth be told, some kids may hate cleaning up their rooms, but actually find great enjoyment with activities that involve the outdoors and water—you may think hand-washing your car with a hose is tedious, but most kids don’t. Save a couple of bucks and get rid of the professionals for a bit while your kids lend out a helping hand.

If your kid is old enough, then you can also consider making them find a part-time summer job. They may object at first, but once they realize it’ll save them from boredom and keep steady cash in their pockets, they’ll thank you later.

Attend Garage Sales or Host your Own

For some reason, the summer is the time where people realize they have tons of junk that they don’t want anymore. Well, like the old saying goes, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” Instead of going to expensive department stores, stop by a garage sale or two. It’ll amaze you how many great deals you can find—and some are even brand spankin’ new. If you have some items around the house that you are dying to get rid of, than host your own garage sale and make a few extra bucks.

Low Cost Entertainment

Lastly, keeping your family entertained during the summer doesn’t have to include pricey trips to summer camps and far away theme parks. There are plenty of free (or almost free) activities that the family can participate together in your very own city. Some may not be well- advertised however, so make sure to scour newspapers and websites accordingly. Other activities that are always fun to do are the following: picnics, family bike rides, camping (in the back yard), swimming at the neighborhood pool, checking out books from the local library, and renting movies (go to the Red Box to get new movie rentals for a buck).

About the Author

This is a guest post by Nadia Jones who blogs at best online college about education, college, student, teacher, money saving, movie related topics. She can be reached at nadia.jones5 @ gmail.com.