Are All Those Utility Bills Starting To Add Up

Take a look around the house and count all of the monthly payments you are currently making. I'm sure some of these might include gas, electric, water, garbage, cable, internet, ... You can see how this list quickly spirals into a serious montly financial commitment.

Ideas to save money on your utilities

1. Gas Bill

   - Turn your thermostat up a bit when it's hot and down a bit when it's cold. An electronic thermostat that automaticly adjusts the temperature while your at work or sleeping can also reduce your gas bill substantially. Additional tips to reduce your gas bill.

2. Electric Bill

   - Replace your old lightbulbs with compact fluorescent lightbulbs, they last much longer and burn a fraction of the energy of regular ones. Turn off your computers and monitors when you are not using them, newer flatscreen monitors use more power than the older CRT models.

3. Water Bill

   - Try switching to a low flow shower head, they use up to half as much water. Check for leaks, it may not seem like much but a 24-7 leak can add up to quite a bit of water. Cut back on landscape watering, almost 70% ends up as just runoff. Learn more about conserving water.

4. Garbage Collection

   - Recycle! Many areas charge by the amount of trash you throw out, but it's free to recycle. You will be suprised how much of your garbage can actually be recycled and on top of that, you're helping to save the environment.

5. Cable and Internet Bill

   - If you don't watch a tun of TV, you might be able to cancel your cable and just use hulu.com or a similar site to watch the same episodes online.