The holidays have ended, but one final gift remains. With perfect folds, this package is wrapped in paper as white as the snow blanketing the beautiful San Juan Mountains. You almost hate to unwrap it. Not because of its beauty, but rather, because you know what’s inside – bills from last month’s shopping.
If you stayed within your budget and have money set aside to pay credit card debt before interest incurs, congrats! You also deserve recognition if you established a holiday budget. Even if you’re over budget, your intentions were a good start to being financially responsible.
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Unfortunately, you can’t pay bills with good intentions. But you can put good intentions into action steps to save money over the coming months. In doing so, you’ll save money and waste. With a few simple practices, you’ll see savings for the most costly living expenses: heating and food.
Heating your home, including water, accounts for roughly half of household energy costs or 9% of the average household income. This statistic is an average, meaning others pay more. Which segment of the population spends more of their income on heating? Low-income households.
Colorado offers a weatherization assistance program and federal assistance can be found through the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program. Weatherization can have a significant impact on lost heat. Some weatherization techniques have an initially high price tag, such as on-demand water heaters or solar panels, but you can receive a tax credit in the year they are installed.
The other high-cost, basic need item is food, which consumes about 12% of the average household income. Together, they account for a big chunk of monthly expenses.
You may not have the resources to install solar panels, but for little to no cost, you can implement these steps to save money on heating and food.
- Closing window coverings at night; open south-facing window coverings during the day (or other windows that let in a lot of light and heat).
- Close fireplace dampers when not in use.
- Seal gaps in doors and windows with new weatherstripping.
- Reduce the water heater to 120 degrees F.
- Clean or replace filters on furnaces.
- Clean baseboard heaters and radiators; be sure they are not blocked by furniture or drapes.
- Fix leaky faucets – they waste gallons of water a day, which you pay to heat.
- If you have programmable thermostats in your home, ensure they are up to date with your schedule. Lower the temperature setting at night and while away from home.
- Turn off the lights when you leave a room.
- Unplug items not being used.
- Only wash full loads of laundry or dishes.
- Let dishes air dry vs. heated dry in the dishwasher.
- Making food at home
- Prep food – buy a whole stock of broccoli vs. precut and bagged.
- Meal-planning; planning to use what you already have.
- Don’t make more than you’re willing to eat within seven days.
- Label and date food in your fridge; eat the older items first.
Nicole Clark is director of La Plata County Extension Office. Reach her at nclark@lpcgov.org.
