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Money Saving Tips

Money Saving Tips

5 Cheap And Easy Ways To Keep Your Home Warm This Winter

how to keep warm in the winter for lessThere are some really nice things that come with the fall and winter season. The leaves turn pretty colors. There are all kinds of nice cold weather fashion. Football season is in full swing. However, if there is one thing that we all tend to frown about, it’s the increase in our energy bills as we all strive to keep our homes and bodies warm.

If you would like your electricity bill to be a bit lower this winter, we have five cheap and easy tips for you to do just that. This way, you can enjoy all that comes with the cold without having to spend an arm and a leg to stay warm in the process.

Don’t turn up your thermostat. Here’s something that just may surprise you. Did you know that you can set your thermostat at around 68 degrees and that’s enough to keep you warm and comfortable? Not only that, but it can cause your energy bills to drop by as much as five percent if you do.

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Money Saving Tips

3 Money Saving Tips For Penny Pincher Auto Owners

car buying tips that will save you moneyWith gas prices seeming like they are a one-way bet heading north and so many financial cutbacks going on everywhere you look, a bit of penny pinching when it comes to running costs for auto owners is now pretty much essential to keep your finances on track.

Here are three money saving tips to keep your auto expenses to a bare minimum and keep as much money in your pocket rather than wasting it on paying out more than you need to.

Reassess your insurance

Making some adjustments to your car insurance needs can send the rate that you pay on a welcome downward spiral. There are several penny pinching ideas you can use to get lower rates and they can have a dramatic effect on the overall cost. The first thing to look at is to consider raising the deductible on your comprehensive policy which will mean that if you can stay out of trouble and avoid a claim you will benefit from a much lower rate overall. If you raised the deductible from $200 to $1,000 on your comprehensive policy you can save an average of 40% on the total cost.

If you have an older car, then think about dropping the comprehensive and collision coverage altogether especially if your annual auto insurance premiums are 10% more than the book value of the vehicle.

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Money Saving Tips

Tips For Finding A Great Broadband Service Provider

a way to find the best internet service providerThere are a lot of great Internet service providers out there, including Sky Broadband, and they all want your business.  Your job is to be a smart consumer and to select the one that will best meet your needs without costing you an arm and a leg.  If you live in a remote location, and you require a strong internet connection, your best choice might be to search for satellite internet providers that service your area.

Below are a few steps you can follow to find the best service to meet your needs:

Research.

Well, for starters, you need to do a little research.  It won’t take you too long, especially if you search for comparison websites that have already done a lot of the research for you and have compiled it in comparison charts so you can quickly and easily see the pros and cons of each service provider and package.

What to look for.

Once you’ve got your charts pulled up, pay close attention to the price, limits of use (if any), and what the additional perks are for the packages you are interested in.  Also make note of how much it costs to lease the modem or router.  You may also opt to buy one yourself and save money in the long run.  Also be sure to note whether or not there is a contract involved.  Can you cancel your services without penalty, or are you obligated for a certain period of time?  Ask about any added fees that you may find on your bill.  You don’t want any surprises later.

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Money Saving Tips

5 Ways To Save Money On Toys And Games For Your Kids

ways to get toys for lessSometimes, when our children ask us to get them a new toy, all we can think about is that they want something else to play with. However, the truth of the matter is that there are all kinds of benefits that come with kids engaging in fun activities in this kind of way. Toys and games keep them active, they help to develop their cognitive skills and if they’re playing with them with other children, it teaches them how to share and compromise with others.

Now, that’s not to say that you should feel pressured to purchase every single toy that your son or daughter asks for. If you did, you might have a huge toy box but no house to put them in (yep, a lot of toys can be pretty expensive). But, when there is an item that catches both you and your child’s attention, we’ve got a few ways that you can purchase that toy or game without blowing your budget in the process. Check these tips out below:

Make some. Who said that every toy had to come from the most popular department store in the city? The truth is that some of the most enjoyable ones are the kinds that can be made by hand. Local arts and crafts stores have a ton of items to choose from or you can go online to websites like YouTube, Pinterest or ParentsConnect to get even more ideas. Just go to those sites and put “make your own toys” in the search fields.

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Money Saving Tips

How To Estimate The Amount Of Electricity Your AC Uses

how much do you pay for your ACYou’ve no doubt noticed that your energy bill goes through the roof in the summer as soon as you turn on your air conditioning. But before you resign yourself to suffering through the sweltering summer heat with nothing more than a dinky table fan and wading pool in the backyard, you might want to figure out just how much electricity your AC unit is actually drawing. This can help you to find ways to use it appropriately for maximum efficiency, energy savings, and a lower utility bill, all while keeping your home relatively cool throughout the summer months. Here’s what you need to do to calculate energy usage for your AC unit.

First you’ll need to collect a few numbers to plug into your equation, starting with the amount of energy your unit uses per hour. You should be able to find this in the paperwork that accompanies your unit, although it should also be posted somewhere on the unit itself. It will be listed in BTUs, or British thermal units, and this number will tell you the BTUh, or the BTUs the system uses per hour. Next you’ll want to find the SEER (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) rating, which tells you how efficient your air conditioning unit is. And finally, you need to look at your electric bill to find out the rate you pay in kilowatts per hour. Now you’re ready to plug in some numbers.

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