Managing Home Maintenance Costs

Well the holiday season is pretty much over and the bills are starting to come in for all of those gifts you charged to your credit cards. It does not matter if it is Christmas, Valentines or just a big birthday party, if you do not pay these credit card bills right away, the interest is going to start and the credit card companies charge a lot! Of course, the best way to avoid these expenses is to not buy them in the first place, however for most of us this is just not realistic.

This site is about helping people save money and we usually do not talk about credit cards. It is more focused on do it yourself projects, however given the time of year we thought it would be appropriate to introduce this subject. You might have worked all year long to save money on various projects, kept the heat low or turned the air conditioning off only to pay a lot of  interest on a credit card balance you really did not anticipate.

Credit Card High Interest Rates

Many bank credit cards will charge up to 19% interest on unpaid balances, while store credit cards sometimes charge as much as 28% on unpaid balances. That is a lot of interest and it can take a long time to repay even a small balance especially if you only make the minimum payment each month.

In keeping with the objective of the web site, we would like to encourage our readers to really make an effort to repay your credit card balances as quickly as possible to avoid losing all of that money in interest charges. You can reduce your heating cost, your air conditioning and your hydro usage only to lose all those savings in a few months to added interest charges. Even if you have to take out a small personal loan to repay your credit card balances, you will be ahead of the game since you will pay a much lower interest rate than what you will pay with your credit card. We cannot emphasize this enough.

Pay Your Bills on Time

One last thing about paying your bills after the holidays.  Make sure you pay them by the due date or a few days before the due date to make sure you do not trigger interest charges as a result of missing the due date by one or more days. I have had this happen to me. I missed the due date by one day because the bank I deal with took 3 days to transfer the money. I ended up paying an additional $30 in interest charges, because they calculate the interest due on the full amount for the full time period since the item appeared on my credit card.

You might think that the bank was in error and they should have refunded the money to me. Well if you read the find print, it says next business day for most transaction and a specified period to transfer funds to an external company from your bank. I always allow 3 business days now to transfer money to pay bills I have and this is the minimum. If I am concerned that it might take longer due to holidays and increased business, I will send the money even sooner to pay my bills on time.

Our last post was all about cold air return vents and the importance of having enough of them to ensure excellent air circulation within your home. This post is really just a reminder to adjust your vents for the coming heating season.

Most people have air conditioning and in modern homes there will be a hot air return vent located near the ceiling just above cold air return vent which will always be at floor level. You will also only find these on the second floor of two story homes and at the ceiling level in one story homes. In the spring you may have closed the bottom cold air return vents which forces the air return to the furnace to be drawn from the ceiling were the air is hottest. Cold air as you may know falls to the lowest levels while hot air rises.  By closing the bottom vent you are forcing the hot air to be drawn into the return system to be cooled by the air conditioner.

Winter Time – Open Your Vents

Once winter comes around, and you are now heating the air, you want to have the cold air which is at floor level drawn into the air return system at the floor level. It is time to open these vents and allow the cold air to return to the furnace to be heated by the furnace. Since cold air is so heavy, it will automatically flow to the lowest level into these cold air return vents.

Why Should we Open and Close These Vents

There are a couple of reasons. The most straightforward reason is that you want the air to flow in an optimum way and either cool or heat your home as fast as possible so that you are comfortable. Another reason, which is becoming more and more important as the cost of energy increases, is that you want to save as much money as possible by reducing your energy foot print. By using your homes air circulation system efficiently, you can actually save money and reduce your annual costs to heat and cool your home.

It Only Takes a few Minutes

This is a simple thing to do and it only takes a few minutes twice a year to do. The motivation of our site is to help home owners save money and this is another way to do just that.

If you have thoughts about this, please leave us a constructive comment. Our readers will appreciate it.

Have you watched any of these shows lately called, Extreme Couponing”? We have watched a few and are amazed at the amount of money that these people save. Sometimes they buy a thousand dollars worth of food and end up paying a couple of dollars for the food items they are purchasing because of the coupons they collect and use. They end up with many items of the same thing, and I guess that is ok as long as it will not spoil. Some even donate what they cannot use to charity which is a really great thing.

It has sparked another kind of problem. Apparently because of these shows, there are people now who are rummaging through garbage bins on garbage day and collecting coupons that people are throwing out. Others are collecting coupons by stealing them from the inside of newspapers before they are delivered. This is clearly wrong and we do not condone this method as a means of saving money.

Still, if you can collect coupons, it is a great way to save money on things you need. My neighbor recently received a coupon in the mail for Philips fluorescent lights. It had a value on it of $3.27 and he figured that he would get a discount of that amount off the regular price. Instead when he got to the cash register, the $16.00 cost for three lights had been reduced to $3.27 for $12.73 cents savings. Add sales tax to that and it is even higher. What a great deal. On top of getting such a good price, he is also going to save money as well on his electrical usage!

We are not big collectors of coupons, however after watching these shows and seeing what my neighbor saved we are considering saving coupons. It is a lot of work to collect them, sort them and then remember to use them at the grocery store. I used to think that only poor people would use coupons, but when you can save hundreds of dollars , why not use coupons?

Now each country is different. Apparently in the US, coupons have a much greater overall value than they do in Canada. For some reason they are not used as much here and are not as popular. But as my neighbor demonstrated there are still lots that can you save you money. While you may not reduce a thousand dollars of groceries to almost zero, still saving a few hundred dollars is well worth the effort!

If you have coupon stories let us know. I am sure our readers would love to hear about these money saving deals too.

We really enjoy watching the biggest loser. This past week we also learned that we already do some of the things that they discussed on the biggest loser which helps us control our weight and also save money !It is an inspirational show, we actually learn a few things about diet and about how to manage our food intake.

Portion control!

Portion control is really the biggest thing to help you control your weight, lose weight and manage your diet.  Eating less also has a side benefit. You spend less money buying food and preparing food!  It is the old adage, energy in must be less than the energy you burn if you are going to lose weight. So one way to manage this is to control the size of the portions you are eating and also save money.

If you are at home, use a small plate. I know for myself if I use a large plate, I have a tendency to fill it up, while I do the same thing with a small plate, there is only so much food I can put on the plate. BY the time you have finished the food on the small plate you are starting to feel full and if you can wait 5 minutes, you will definitely feel full. Sure you might go back for a second helping, but again you are using a small plate and it will only hold a small amount of food. Sure you are tricking your mind and your stomach, but if it works why not use every trick you can to lose weight.

When you are out of the home dining in a restaurant, it is a bit more difficult, so we have another suggestion that will also help to save some money as well.

Share meals when dining out!

As we travel around the country, one thing we notices is that the size of the meals served at restaurants are huge. Portion sizes at restaurants have gotten out of hand. Many restaurants and I guess their patrons as well feel that they must serve large portions to attract their guests.

We have found that for many meals if we split the meal it is more than enough for each of us and we save money at the same time. The restaurants for the most part are ok with this, and sometimes will even split the meal for us, serving it on two separate plates. Sometimes they will bring us a second plate and let us split the meal our selves. Either way we eat less and we save money. What a deal! Many of our meals costs us half of what it will cost other people! Some would call us stingy, but I am more concerned about weight and on top of that I get the side benefit of spending less.

There are some places that want to charge a fee for splitting the meal. We just do not go back to them and we tell people as well. They end up losing business as a result. So when you go out to eat split your meals.

Portion Control and Buffets

Buffets are really difficult. You cannot split meals here and you cannot save any money as well, so unless it is a really good deal, it is best not to go to them. If you have a problem controlling how much you eat, it is probably best if you avoid going to a buffet. With all of the excellent food it is usually best to just not go, because it is human nature to overeat when all of that food is just sitting there. Use the small plate approach and eat slowly, but we are pretty confident that you will still over eat in this situation.

Eat slow, Weight20 Minutes So your  Stomach Feels Full!

This post is about saving money, however it is also a message about controlling your weight so we talk about eating slowly which in the end will save you money as well. This is one of the best ways to manage the portion size and how much you eat. Apparently it takes a little time for your stomach to register that it is full and let your brain know that you have eaten enough. Some people say wait 10 to 20 minutes and then decide if you are going back for second helpings.

Fast eaters tend to over eat, so if you wait even 5 minutes before getting that second helping you may find that you have eaten enough. We find that discussing topics over the dinner table is a great way to slow down your eating and also get that full feeling. Let’s face it you cannot eat when you are talking, at least you should not, just for good manners. Talking slows you down and forces you to enjoy the food more and provides time for your stomach to register the fact that you are full. maybe you will realize that you are full and will avoid going for that second helping!

Use Every Trick in the Book

Aside from just deciding to not eat as much, we are suggesting that you use every trick you can to control how much you eat and save some money as well. If you use a couple of little tricks to manage your eating, so what. At least you are losing weight, or controlling your weight.

Bottom line, you need to deal with the long term reason regarding why you have over eaten. Using these tricks will help you get going, but to maintain your weight or lose weight you do have to deal with the reasons why you over eat.

There are probably a lot more tha can be used as well. If you know some of these tricks to control the portion size, why not leave us a comment and let our readers know about it. Spam comments will be auto deleted!

I think that this is a great way to save money heating or cooling your home. Closing the vents off and also the cold air return vents is a great way to save energy and only heat those areas in your home that need to be heated. If you are not using them, why heat them or cool those rooms? Remove all of your plants and anything that might be damaged by excessive heat or cold and save yourself some money.

This is a great way to save money, however there is a smart way to shut the vents off.  We would appreciate your comments as well, since we are always looking for ways to save money.

There are a couple of things to watch however and take into consideration, especially in winter when it is below freezing.

Heating Rooms With Water Pipes

Any pipes with water in them will freeze and a leaking pipe can cause a lot of damage. If there are pipes in the room such as a bathroom, you pretty much have to heat that room to avoid any possibility of a frozen water pipe. Take this suggestion very seriously, because water can cause thousands of dollars in damage.

Cooling Rooms

On the other hand if you are trying to save money by cutting down on the air conditioning, you can pretty much shut off any vents you want to avoid cooling more area and save on the cost of cooling. Always make sure that there is a clear area for air to flow in rooms you want to have cooled. There must be a vent delivering air to the room and a vent to return the air to the furnace for central air conditioned homes. If you do not complete this circuit, the air conditioning will not work properly and may damage your air conditioning unit and cost even more.

Location of Your Thermostat

In order to effectively save money you must take into account the location of your thermostat. If it is in a room that you do not use and want to shut off from either heating or cooling you are out of luck. The thermostat will control the temperature in the room that it is in and this impacts the rest of the house. Shutting off the vents in this room is only going to cause the furnace to run longer in a heating situation and the same with cooling since there is no air circulation in the room. So leave the vents open in this room were your thermostat is located including cold air return vents and hot air return vents.

Cold Air Return Vents

This is another issue to take into account. Most homes will have a cold air return vent located in all of the major areas of the home. For example, we have two downstairs, one in the family room and another in the living room which is the 2nd part of the house. In addition there are two more upstairs, one in the hallway and the other in the master bedroom. These vents must be left open for air to circulate properly.

Hot Air Return Vents.

These vents are located in the same location as the cold air return vents, however they are located at the ceiling level instead of the floor level. In the winter time cold air settles to the floor and is drawn into the cold air returns located at the floor.  In the summer hot air floats to the ceiling and this hot air is drawn into the hot air returns along the ceiling. These vents should also be left open during the cooling season, however you can close them during the winter time. Similarly the cold air returns can be closed during the summer time and must be open during the winter.

Vents in your Basement

If you do not use your basement, you probably should shut the vents off in the summer time to avoid cooling this area as well.  Be careful in the winter, since there are lots of water pipes in this area of the home and they must nor freeze in the winter time.

As with all cost savings suggestions there is often a smart way to save money and another approach which could even cost you more. If you have any doubts leave the vents open,or get a professional opinion.

Readers are encouraged to leave their comments and suggestions as well to help everyone save money. Spam comments will be deleted.

Should you purchase a rototiller or rent one, and what kind should you get. We have a garden that is roughly 10 feet wide and 20 feet long. It is too big to dig by hand although I have done it and this was really a workout, believe me. For those of you who are into exercise, digging up your garden by hand and then raking it and working the soil until it is pulverized and ready for planting will definitely give you a workout! On top of that you will also save money since you do not need to purchase a tiller or go to the gym. You save money which is the point of this web site, however it is not really the point of this post.

I have been renting a roto tiller for the past 5 or 6 years and have found them to do a really good job, they are small enough to fit in the trunk of my car and I only need the tiller for perhaps 2 hours. There are a couple of issues about renting a tiller. First how long you rent it and when you rent it can make a difference in how much you pay. In addition, you need to consider the size of tiller that you use, to ensure that the job gets done quickly and to your satisfaction. Last should you rent or buy.

When should you Rent?

Most places that rent eequipment of this type to home owners as well as construction people, have standard rates and there is really not too much negotiation that  you can do regarding the price. However there is several little tricks that you can use to make sure you pay the minimum. First they will usually rent for a minimum hour time, sometimes it can be for 2 hours and then you pay be the hour after that. For example the tiller I rented was $16 for the first 2 hours and then $3 for each hour after that. If you can get your job done in 3 hours or less you are going to pay $19 and that is not too bad.

I always try to go in just before closing and rent my equipment for the minimum time frame. This way I would pay $16 for the tiller, yet I would have it for a full 24 hours instead of just two hours. Now you need to be able to get your work done in the evening, since it does get dark early depending on were you live. Another good time is just before a long weekend. The shop is usually closed for the holiday , so you might it lucky and have the equipment you are renting for a full 48 hours at the 2 hour price. Now that is a deal!

Size of the Tiller you should rent?

Always make sure you rent a tiller that is large enough to do the job. A small tiller will take you longer to cover the area that you are working up, as well it may not be heavy enough to really dig into the soil if it has dried out and become hard. This was my case, and my light tiller would only work into the soil about 4 inches. I would have liked to go deeper and have before, but this year the soil is dry and hard. WE simply did not get enough snow this year.

A larger rototiller would have been more difficult to transport. It would have been heavier and possibly would not have fitted into my trunk, however I know a heavier tiller would have done a better job in this case. Even though it would have been more expensive to rent,  I would have rather used it to do a better job.  So do not go for the smallest tiller if you are looking to work the soil to a deeper level and to also complete the job quickly. They are  more powerful and heavier so they will go deeper and work faster.

Should you rent or buy a rototiller?

I have been renting a tiller for the past 5 or 6 years and I have to say this is the best approach for me. Each time it costs me about $25 with taxes to rent the tiller, so I have spent approximately $150 over the past 6 years which does not come close to what a new one would cost. Now I tend to keep my tools a long time and I also maintain them, so I know that a roto tiller would definitly pay for it self over the long run, however I only use a tiller once per year for may be 2 hours at a time. With the problems of gas going bad and gumming up the carb, it just is not worth it for me to purchase my own rototiller.

For larger gardens it might well be worth while to have your own. You would probably use it more often and then it makes it all worthwhile. So save yourself some money by renting a rototiller and if you really want to save money work up the soil by hand. the job will be almost as good, and you will really get a lot of exercise.

That is it for this post. If you like this post, leave your comments and suggestions for more posts. We area always trying to save some money for everyone and we look for great new ideas.