How to Reduce Utility Bills by Thousands in 4 Easy Steps

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This post about how to reduce utility bills is sponsored by Ooma, but all awesome money savings tips are my own.!

Since hubby and I are moving into our first home, we are working hard on learning how to reduce utility bills. Our journey to fatten our wallet is your gain, because I’ve learned some super secret tricks that has allowed us to  learn how to reduce utility bills, which means we are going to have more cashola in our pockets to spend on other things that we really like, like wine or coffee.

First of all, learning how to reduce utility bills isn’t just about saving money. It’s about putting your money where it’s important. Yes, things like heat and water and electricity are super important, but they aren’t really things people are passionate about. I’ve at least never met anyone that runs to the mail box and exclaims ” YES, my electric bill is here!” (If you do, you might want to get your head checked and drink wine……lots of wine) That’s why reducing your utility bills is so important so you  have money left over to fund your passion project. Get your nails done, take the family out to dinner, save up for that trip to Ireland. Now those ideas are dollars well spend. Spending your hard earned dough on heating, cooling, and phone bills are a necessity but not something you should spend billions and billions of dollars on. (ok that’s an exaggeration, but you get the point)

Hubster and I have slowly but surely been whittling down our utilities bills, and we’ve saved thousands over the years. It’s freed up our budget and lowering our utility bills has actually brought us some joy in our lives. Before we didn’t have much disposable income to enjoy extras in life. We were living paycheck to paycheck. Slowly but surely learning how to reduce utility bills allowed us to actually live our lives and have a little bit of fun.

That’s what life is about, doing the necessities but doing it in such a way that you still have time and resources (in this case money) to do the things that you LOVE! Life is too short to work, pay bills, and die.

Now are you ready for our 4 super secret tips? Ok, some of them are not so secret, but are definitely good ways to reduce your electric bill among other things!

How to Reduce Utility Bills by Thousands in Four Easy Steps

What can you live without? This is the single most powerful question you can ask yourself. Do you really end up watching all 400 channels on your Cable or Satellite TV subscription? Pretty sure that answer is a big nope. What else do you have around your house that is just eating away your dollars? Here are a few suggestions how to save hundreds.

• Cable: Cancel  your cable or reduce your package to only the shows that you watch. If you live in a big area, you might be able to get these channels over the air waves. All you have to do is buy a digital antenna for your house. Or you could subscribe to one of these streaming services that cost less than $20 a month.
  • Netflix: Unless you’ve been living under a rock you probably already know Netflix is pretty awesome. Check out a Netflix Subscription here.
  • Hulu: Much like Netflix, but not quite as awesome in my book, but dirt cheap
  • SlingTV: SlingTV has a lot of great stations that Hulu and Netflix don’t have like Disney, AMC, HGTV, History Channel, Food Network and more!
  • HBO Now: If you are a Game of Thrones fan, this is a must have, it’s dirt cheap and if you only watch one or two shows once you have caught up you can cancel the months you won’t be watching.
  • Amazon Prime: We love Amazon prime because we not only get free 2 day shipping, we get to watch tons of great movies, shows, and music for free. If you are an Outlander fan like I am, you can also add Starz for a small price, and cancel once the season is over.
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• Landline: With almost everyone having cell phones nowadays, why PAY to have a landline?? They charge about $60 for a landline. If you love the convenience of having a landline but don’t like the bill, let me introduce yourself to my little friend Ooma. Sometimes my cell phone is at the other end of the house, or the kids can’t hear t heir’s, that’s why I love having an Ooma in the house. We can still have a central home phone, without the bill. Ooma offers these awesome features:
  • No money charges (just pay the taxes, and that’s it)
  • You can have a home phone without the home phone charges
  • With the Apple iOs app know who’s calling even when you aren’t home.
  • Join up the Philips Hue Lights and they can tell you when someone is calling (can’t wait to try this!)
• Magazines, Monthly Subscriptions, Gym Memberships: Do you have any of these that just collect dust? When’s the last time that you actually used that gym membership? Yup, we know that’s probably a few months back. Cut the fat and get rid of these memberships that you don’t absolutely salivate over every time you use them.

Easy steps to reduce your electric bill: There are quite a few ways that you can save on your electric bills. Here are some of our favorites.

• Off-peak heat: Some electric companies allow you to use your heater during off peak times. Our new house qualifies for this program and our heating rates during the winter are going to be 50% lower than what everyone else is paying. It usually requires that you have a back up heating system, but doesn’t hurt to call and see if you qualify for this program.
• Upgrade your thermostat: If your thermostat is old or not functioning properly, your air conditioning or heat doesn’t know when to turn on or off. Consider upgrading to a good digital thermostat like the Nest Thermostat.
• Unplug vampire devices: Devices that stay plugged in all the time and aren’t used really often use electricity too. Next time remember to unplug them. For me it’s things like my hair dryer, coffee pot, and can opener. Only plug them in when you need them.