gas bill

Tuesday’s Tip: Take the Roadmap Challenge (Part 2)

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Well, it’s been a week since I introduced the first part of the challenge. Did you try it? How did it go? Did you notice anything about your spending habits? Were you surprised by anything? Many times we’re shocked by how much we spend. We don’t realize that those ‘little things’, the inexpensive items we buy on a whim, can actually add up to quite a bit when it happens on a regular basis. Think about what you saved in one week – and now imagine that on a slightly grander scale . . .

Which leads me to the next part of the challenge, in three steps.

Step 1: Take a good, hard look at your expense log from the past week. Is there anything you could stand to cut back on or do without? (Answer HONESTLY!!!) You may find that there are a couple of things on your list. That’s ok.

Step 2: Pick just ONE thing on your list and cut it out for the next 30 days. April 1 – 30. One month.

Step 3: Keep track of how much you save over the course of the next month.

I’m not asking you to give up every extra expense, just one. Pick one that’s the most frequent purchase. Or maybe one that’s the most unhealthy. Or the most expensive one. Whichever one you pick, do without it for the next month. On April 30, take the amount of money you saved and multiply it by 12 to see how much you can save in a year. Then ask yourself, What else could I do with that money? Pay down debt? Make an extra payment on something?? Pay something off???

Once you’ve done that, contact me and let me know what you cut out of your spending, how much you saved in a month, how much you’d save in a year, and what you learned from the experience. If you do, you’ll be entered into the contest and you could win a FREE consultation with me. You’ll get the Money Roadmap package which includes my book, a binder, and ledger paper, plus I will help you set up your own Roadmap and teach you how to use it.

There it is. The Roadmap Challenge. Try it. What do you have to lose? More importantly, what could you gain with good money management??

Good luck! I know you can do it! I can’t wait to hear from you!

Today is April 1st. Ready . . . set . . . GO!

Tuesday’s Tip: Hold It In!

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With the weather in Chicago turning (much!) colder, my husband and I had our yearly conversation about how to keep electric and heating costs down this winter. Not that our bills are outrageous. In fact, ours seem to be lower than a lot of people we talk to, but it takes a little effort to keep them under control. Still, we want our family to be comfortable, so when our daughter came to us complaining that she had to pile six blankets on her bed to keep warm at night, we were concerned. Hubby and I looked at each other. The window? And not just any window. A set of three large windows, actually, that take up virtually one entire wall of the bedroom. Without a word, we both trudged up the stairs to assess the situation. Our hands hovered over every joint, edge, and seam of the windows, searching for the tell-tale draft we were sure was turning our little girl into an icicle. We couldn’t find it, but we did notice how very cold it was. The giant wall of glass provided no insulation from the cold that secretly seeped into the room.

What to do . . .

Well, way back in the day, when I was in college (and, no, I’m telling how far back) my roommate and I shared the top floor of a century-old house with windows facing every direction to the outside world. It was great when it was sunny, filling the apartment with warm sunshine. But during the winter, the wind’s icy fingers crept into our little home, making the radiators moan with the effort of keeping us warm. We asked our landlady what to do and all she offered in the way of advice was to stuff towels along the seams and hang old blankets from the curtain rods. Huh . . . yeah, ok. Sure. That’ll work. We tried it anyway, but didn’t like the fact that the blankets blocked out the natural light, making us feel like we were living in a dungeon. And it didn’t do a very good job of stopping the drafts from finding other gaps in the window sills. So, we asked our parents. They suggested putting plastic over the windows. We did, and it worked. It wasn’t perfect, but we were much warmer and, subsequently, happier knowing we weren’t going to have to take a blow dryer to our toes in the morning anymore.

So, my husband stopped by the hardware store on his way home from work the next day and picked up a package of insulating wrap. It was only about $8 or $10 and was made for large windows and patio doors. After dinner, we set out to keep our daughter from freezing while she slept. Start to finish, it took us about 45 minutes. We took down the valances and curtains, wiped the surfaces, then rolled the double-sided tape along all the edges. Next, we carefully placed the plastic around the window, trying not to make any wrinkles. Then my husband waved my hair dryer over the entire surface until the plastic was taut. Then we replaced all the curtains. Done. The next morning, our daughter gleefully informed us that she was so warm that night that she had to take off her socks and shed a blanket or two. Naturally, we were relieved and glad we wouldn’t be treating her for frostbite.

Surprisingly, the process of insulating windows with plastic isn’t very difficult. Plus, it’s an inexpensive way to block drafts and chilliness while holding the heat in, which will save you money on heating costs. You can even see through it. If you have drafty windows, but can’t afford to replace them just yet, consider installing these plastic insulating wraps to your windows. You can find them at hardware, grocery, and discount stores. (Chances are they’re on sale right now.) They also come in several different sizes with everything you need to protect your windows, including instructions. You supply the hair dryer. It’s an easy, inexpensive alternative to freezing to death or going broke.

Tuesday’s Tip: All Heated Up

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Since the cold(er) weather is quickly approaching, if not already beginning to settle in, I thought maybe I’d talk about heat. Specifically, heating our humble abodes.

Gas and electric companies always seem to be crying hard times and raising our rates even though just about everyone I know is crabbing about their bills! So, in an effort to save some moola this winter, try lowering the temperature in the house a couple of degrees. We have a digital thermostat that does a very good job of regulating the temperature in our house. And with good insulation, it’s even better. We have the temperature set at 68 degrees right now, but even during the winter we don’t usually set it above 70.

Whenever we get together with friends or family and we’re just sitting around chatting (especially with the “older” crowd), the conversation never fails to include the rising cost of things. I find it slightly humorous that people are continually surprised by the fact that our heating and electric bills are lower than everyone else’s. Well, that’s because we don’t turn our house into a sauna in the wintertime. Yes, we wear sweaters and socks or slippers in the house, but we’re comfortable that way. It’s not as if we’re huddled in front of a tiny space heater under 15 layers of clothing and blankets just trying to save a few bucks. Our bills have been $75, $100, or more, lower than some of the people we know. Talk about being surprised!

True story: A couple of friends were complaining about how high their bills were during the winter. Then we went to their house for a small gathering – and nearly suffocated! We were dressed in jeans and sweatshirts, but we were greeted at the door by our friends wearing shorts and T-shirts! No joke! The house was so warm that they actually dressed as if they were headed to the beach. I’m not saying you should have the temperature so low that you can see your breath in the house, but holy cow! Really???

So . . . Don’t think it matters? Guess again. The warmer you have the house, the more your furnace kicks on to maintain that temperature. The more it works to keep your house warm, the more energy (gas and electricity) you use. The more energy you use, the higher your bills will be throughout the winter.

So before you crank up the heat, think about setting the temperature slightly lower and dressing for the season. Try a few different settings, and maybe even dropping the temp a little lower at night. I’m not talking 10 degrees, I’m talking 2 or 3 depending on where you normally have it set. Hey, I’m all for comfort, but I’d like to be able to afford food, too. And I happen to like sweaters . . .