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1. Lower Your Thermostat a Few Degrees
Let me tell you, your thermostat is like that one friend who always wants the party too hot.
And you end up paying for it every month.
Dropping it just a few degrees won’t turn your home into the Arctic.
But it will drop your bill faster than you think.
Seriously, do you really need to feel like you’re living in the Bahamas 24/7?
Probably not.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Set your thermostat 2–3 degrees lower and use a free app like Google Home or your smart thermostat to track the savings.
2. Unplug Electronics When Not in Use
Here’s the thing nobody tells you. Electronics are sneaky little vampires.
Even when you’re not using them, they sip electricity like it’s cafecito.
That phone charger?
Yep, still costing you money when it’s plugged in.
You wouldn’t keep the sink running all day, right?
So why keep wasting power?
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Unplug chargers, TVs, and consoles when not in use, or buy a cheap smart power strip on Amazon that cuts the juice automatically.
3. Switch to LED Bulbs
Remember those old-school bulbs that get hotter than Miami pavement in July?
Yeah, they’re draining your wallet.
LED bulbs use way less energy and last forever.
Okay, not forever. But long enough that you’ll forget when you bought them.
And no, they don’t make your house look like a hospital waiting room anymore.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Replace bulbs in your most-used rooms with LED bulbs from Walmart or Amazon. You’ll see savings on your very next bill.
4. Set a Timer for Your Heating and AC
Your AC doesn’t need to work while you’re out living your best life.
Why pay for cool air when no one’s home to enjoy it?
That’s like ordering pizza and never picking it up.
Timers let you run heating and cooling only when you need them.
It’s like hiring your AC to work business hours instead of 24/7 overtime.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Use a programmable thermostat like Nest or Ecobee to schedule heating and cooling around your daily routine.
5. Run Appliances at Off-Peak Times
Electric companies love it when you run the dishwasher at 7 pm.
Because that’s when everyone else does too.
But you’ll pay more for that convenience.
Running appliances during off-peak hours is like going to the beach early. You get the same fun, but way less crowd.
And yeah, lower bills too.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Check your electric company’s website for off-peak hours and set your dishwasher or washer to run at night.
6. Wash Clothes in Cold Water
Unless you’re rolling around in mud every day, hot water isn’t necessary.
Cold water cleans your clothes just fine.
It also keeps them looking fresh longer.
So yeah, your favorite black t-shirt won’t fade into “mystery gray” as fast.
And the bonus? Lower energy use = lower bill.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Switch your washer setting to cold water by default. It’s usually one button away.
7. Turn Off Lights When You Leave a Room
This one feels like the thing your parents nagged about every day.
Guess what. They were right.
Leaving lights on is like leaving money on the table.
Do you really need your kitchen glowing like a nightclub when nobody’s in there?
Exactly.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Make it a habit to flip the switch every time you leave a room. Add sticky notes on switches if you keep forgetting.
8. Choose a Cheaper Phone Plan
Paying $90 a month for a phone plan feels normal… until you realize you barely use half the data.
There are so many cheaper options now.
And no, you won’t lose coverage or suddenly be stuck with “No Service” every five minutes.
Switching plans could save you hundreds every year.
That’s money you could put toward literally anything more fun.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Compare carriers with tools like WhistleOut and switch to budget-friendly providers like Mint Mobile or Visible.
9. Lower Your Water Heater Temperature
Your water heater works harder than a Miami DJ during spring break.
But here’s the catch. Most are set higher than you actually need.
Lowering it a few degrees can shave serious dollars off your energy bill.
And unless you love boiling showers, you probably won’t even notice the difference.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Adjust your water heater to around 120°F for safe and comfortable use while saving money.
10. Take Shorter Showers
Hot showers are heaven, I get it.
But staying in there for 20 minutes?
That’s just turning your bathroom into a spa while your water bill explodes.
Cutting a few minutes makes a big difference.
And hey, you’ll get extra time back in your day.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Use a shower timer app (yes, they exist) or play one short song as your shower cutoff.
11. Do Routine Home Maintenance
Ignoring small issues at home is like ignoring a weird sound in your car.
It always gets more expensive later.
Fixing a leaky faucet or sealing a draft now costs a few bucks.
Waiting six months?
That’s when you’re calling a pro with a fat invoice.
👉 Here's How You'll Do It: Do monthly checks on faucets, filters, and seals. YouTube has free tutorials for every small repair you can imagine.
Hi! I’m the founder of Money Vice and a passionate personal finance enthusiast. I started this site to help people across America save more with the least difficulty, get rid of debt, and to start putting their money to work (in the easiest way possible).
