#1 No cost ideas

Ok, where to begin?
There are several things we can do to our house to make it run more efficiently.  I will mention
the ones I can think of and would love insight from you for more. There are a lot of big things we can do, but there are also many little things we can do as well. I am going to start will the little things because, let's face it, the last thing you want to do when you are pinching your pennies is to spend thousands of dollars putting in new windows throughout your entire house. So first I will start with things you can do that will cost you nothing out of pocket and start saving you money today.  Then I will move up from there.  Remember that I would love for you to add to this list so I can do even more to save too.

#1 No Cost ideas

1.  Turn off the lights.  Good Grief, do it already!  If you are not in the room turn them off.  Is your room scared of the dark?  Are you in a room with 3 lights on? Turn 2 of them off.  Hello! This one is easy.

2.  Shut the door.  Were you raised in a barn?  Don't let that precious heat out.  When it's cold and the door gets left open I can just see the dollars flying out the door.  You cannot heat the outside.
          a. Summer time is different, I will address Summer time at a later date.

3.  Turn things off that you are not using.  Shut down the computer in the other room.  Turn off the T.V that you are not watching.  Go around your house room to room and check for these things.  You will be surprised,  I bet you didn't think you had anything on anywhere did you?

4.  Open the curtains to the windows that the sun shines in.  It wants to warm you up, so let it.

5.  Close the vents to unused rooms.

6.  Unplug everything that you don't need to have plugged in.  I know it's off, put there is still a trickle of electricity running through to your cords.

7.  Turn Down The Furnace! I keep thy thermostat set on 68 during the day and 60 at night.  I would set it even  lower, but then there would be a rebellion and my life would be in danger. Put on a sweater or a hoodie and some warm socks.

8.  Shut doors to rooms that you are not using.

9.  Wash and rinse your laundry in cold water.

10.Set your dish washer to a lower setting.

11.Turn down the thermostat on your water heater.

12.Don't take marathon showers.  (once in a while if that's your thing, but not everyday)

13.Bathe with a friend.  Do you have a huge Jacuzzi tub? I rarely Bathe alone (this is my favorite one).