How to Decrease Monthly Household Expenses

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By SimplyFrugal
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Decrease Monthly Household Expenses

It seems as though we are all looking for ways to cut back on our expenses, especially with increasing costs on gas and groceries. Continue reading to learn simple ways to decrease your monthly household expenses.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Monthly heating bills are becoming the highest household expense, especially in the colder climates. Whether you heat with oil, gas or electricity investing in an inexpensive programmable thermostat could save you $10-$20 a month. The programmable thermostat allows you to set the temperature lower for the times that you are away from the home or during the night. A period of 6-8 hours is recommended for the maximum efficiency.
Step 2

Phone service, including landlines and cellphones, have also become a common household expense. Most of us agree that these are necessities in our lives. Consider switching to a Voice Over IP (VoIP) service, such as Vonage, to reduce monthly unlimited calling to approximately $30 a month with tax. Get together with family and friends to take advantage of cellphone family plans. A family plan will 5 cellphones could reduce the cost to $20 per phone/month.
Step 3

Do you really watch all of those channels included in your cable or satellite TV package? Consider decreasing your package, even just for the summer months when you are spending more time away from the TV. A few months without all the extras could save you hundreds of dollars.
Step 4

With so many electronics, our home electricity is always in use. Even when an electronic or appliance is not in use it is still using a small amount of electricity. Consider unplugging cellphone chargers, coffeemakers, toasters/ovens when not in use. Also, program your computer to automatically go into standby mode after inactivity for 10-15 minutes.
Step 5

Follow the links in the Resources section below for more ways to save!