I have been trying to find ways to save a few dollars here and there around the house...trimming the fat so to speak. Attempts to get my wife to buy gallons of bottled water to drink instead of single servings has failed...she is willing to pay for convenience. We have raised the temp on the A/C to 76 in the day and 78 at night (which I may raise again) and we have ceiling fans running on low to circulate the cool air even more. We have put UV window film on the patio doors to reflect back some of the heat (our patio doors when the sun was shining through them made the kitchen/dining area 10-15 degrees warmer in the summer), we keep the blinds closed in the summer (on the south, east and west sides of the house), I try to not let geekbox run 24X7 and turn on megaserver only when I want to update it or download stuff. We have stopped carpooling since we cannot get to work when I like to and the stress on getting my wife up and ready at 7 AM is just too much for her. I use a dish "wand" to wash small amounts of dishes instead of running a sink full of water to do them. Also, not being allowed to water our lawn much will help our water bill a fair amount, but most likely kill the yard in the process.
I was listening to Dave Ramsey the other day on local Christian talk radio and he had some ideas that we are already doing. I wish I could convince my wife to take the plunge and really cut back, but I know that is not something that would go over very well. If you have never listened to him, try it and see if what he says does not make sense to you. Also find his "7 Baby Steps" plan to get out of debt. I have used his plan when I was single (before I knew who he was) and it worked. "Debt Snowballing" is a great plan that not only pays down debt, but it builds your confidence.
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