Akron Today Magazine

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Money

How to Waste Money Fast

There are a lot of ways people waste money and we are going to cover some common traps people fall into.

One of the first things you want to consider is your impulse buying.  One very wealthy person I was listening to on a podcast said he has a rule that anything that is over $50 and not immediately necessary he waits 30 days before buying.  The reason is that if you give it a little time, you may realize you can live without the item and even if you have the money to buy it, maybe you do not want to add clutter to your home.

But some of the real culprits are in those monthly bills.

  1. Paid TV is a big one.  With approximately 1/3 of paid cable subscribers cutting out TV, you have to ask yourself what you are still doing paying for it.  More and more you can simple stream the channels you want and reduce your payments big time.
  2. Cell phone bills are also something that should be reviewed every year or each time your contract is up.  Moving to a lower cost carrier will often cut your monthly fee and the difference in service is often negligible.
  3. Gas for the car is another area where yo can use something like the Gas Buddy app and save a few dollars each time you fill up by choosing the best prices close to you.  This adds up over the course of a year to being potentially hundreds of dollars.
  4. Gas for your home – if you are not shopping for lower priced utility providers you are spending too much.  This is a must.
  5. Credit Cards – While it is best not to have credit card debt, it is also not a good idea to pay high interest on the debt if you have it.  Shop around for a favorable balance transfer and then work like crazy to pay it off before the better offer expires.
  6. Eating out – while we love to eat out, it is also possible to look up a fancy recipe on YouTube and cook a great meal at home for a fraction of the price.  Better yet, have a pot luck with friends and you will all have a good time with little cost and more fun.

These are just some of the money traps you may be falling into and wasting your hard earned cash where you do not need to.

Creating Bridges for Ohio Residents to Escape Poverty

Bridges Out Of Poverty is an organization that is creating a common understanding of poverty and addressing people’s needs. We had a chance to interview two leaders with Bridges in Ohio, Eugene Krebs and Philip DeVol, authors of “Bridges Across Every Divide.”

1) What should ordinary people know about poverty?

In order to understand poverty, we feel that you need to read and understand the common language and various lens or ways of looking at our situations. (a)Bridges Out of Poverty gives people working in the institutions a new way to look at poverty and class issues. (b) Getting Ahead in a Just Gettin’-By World offers that same language to people in poverty. (c) Bridges to Sustainable Communities is for legislators, CEOs, Eds. This gives everyone a common language and understand of what to do about poverty. The latest book builds on 20 years of growth; it’s time to address poverty at the policy level. (d) Bridges Across Every Divide does that.

2) Is poverty in the US getting worse or are people’s lives getting better?

The answer is both. Economic development, wages and opportunity are wrongly imagined to be like soft butter spread on fresh toast; evenly. Instead it is more like cold butter on Wonder bread; kinda lumpy. For some people their lives are getting better, because they have post graduate education. Others who lack education or are a prisoner of geography find it harder to break out, often due to transportation issues, along with the benefit cliff. Sometimes they need to realize they can have “agency”.

3) Besides job skills, what other skills do people need to escape poverty?

Go back one square; how do you get job skills? By having “agency”, which is a fancy word for feeling like you can be in charge of your own life. If you have agency, you understand why are in the situation you are in now, and you build your own ladder up. After you get agency, you seek job skills. Bridges and Getting Ahead graduates have agency and it is the core job skill.

4) Tell me about Bridges and how it helps people

In the US we have approached poverty the way the blind men in the fable approached an elephant. As they touched the elephant the man who touched its trunk thought it was a snake, the man to touched the tail thought it was a rope, one thought it was a wall and another a tree. Bridges/GA give a community a comprehensive understanding of poverty and class issues. They have a common language. We understand that we are all problems solvers. People in poverty are needed at the planning and decision making table because they know what poverty is like. People in wealth are needed at the table because they have the long view, resources, and connections. People in middle class because they love to attend meetings; they have to-do lists. Every sector that is impacted by poverty (almost all of them) can get better outcomes by using Bridges concepts to plan and operate their systems. People in poverty are helped by the changes they make themselves, the changes made by the institutions and the changes made at the community level.

5) How does mental health and addiction make the issues more difficult?

Mental health and addiction issues are part of just one cause of poverty: individual circumstances, choices, and behavior. This cluster of research is the default mode of conservatives. It has to be addressed. Phil came from the addiction field, 19 years as ED of an addiction treatment center. He used Bridges ideas and their clients did better. But there are three other clusters of research on the causes of poverty: political and economic structures (the default mode for liberals); community conditions (where you live determines how difficult or easy it will be to get out of poverty) and exploitation of people in poverty (private and public ways of taking the last dime from the pockets of the poorest people.)

So – the causes of poverty are not the either/or given to us by the left and right. Bridges sees that poverty is both/and. Poverty is caused BOTH by the choices of the poor AND by political economic structures…..AND community conditions and exploitation.
In Bridges communities we address all four causes of poverty.

6) What can someone who wants to help do to make a difference?

It is a cliché but getting involved in a local Bridges initiative. Read the books and go through the training. Talk to your church, synagogue, or mosque, Salvation Army and United Way. Use the Bridges concepts to improve the outcomes where you work. Offer Getting Ahead classes to engage people in poverty in the work. Build a Bridges collaborative that operates above the silos. Plus ask Andre how to get involved in this region.

7) How did you both get involved with this effort?

Gene: At my last think tank one of my tasks was to interview the 5,000 people who make Ohio work. So during one of my bi-monthly bipartisan coffees with Jennifer Brunner, former D Secretary of State and U.S. Senate candidate, I asked her who I should interview about poverty, and she replied instantly “Phil DeVol”. If you watch that video on the Center for Community Solutions website you can see the gears in my head all stripping out as he explains his approach.

Phil: As mentioned above, I used it where I worked, spread it to the community and (after co-authoring Bridges Out of Poverty) watched as other communities went through the same organic, locally relevant process. Now many sectors are using Bridges/GA concepts: employers, banks, healthcare, post-secondary, criminal justice, faith-based, education and so on. Bridges/GA is now in 47 states, 6 other countries and GA has been translated into Spanish, Slovak, and Czech.

7) Tell us about your book, “Bridges Across Every Divide” and how to find out more.

We explain how the Bridges model works but we also push back against Henry Adams, grandson and great-grandson of U.S. Presidents who famously wrote that “politics is how we organize our hatreds”. We believe him to be wrong because in Bridges communities we have seen people from all political persuasions working together on poverty issues. In our book we lay out another path to politics and policy development, one based on relationships. After leaving the Ohio House, Gene convinced the legislature to pass ten suggested bills into law, all without a PAC in a state like Ohio which is “pay to play”. We outline how to develop sound policy, pass it, defend it, but even more importantly, using the Bridges model as the framework, a new method of developing a process to determine how we govern ourselves. To order go to https://www.ahaprocess.com/store/bridges-across-every-divide-book/

Why should we hurry to solve this issue of poverty? Because we have always used unskilled and low skilled manufacturing jobs to help the poor and working poor move up to the middle class, if not for them, at least for their children. However, estimates are that about half of all jobs in the near future will be replaced by automation and artificial intelligence. We need to act now to move people out of poverty as the traditional means are evaporating.

To see videos about the book please go to Columbus on the Record https://video.wosu.org/video/the-complex-problem-of-poverty-xynpzr/

The State of Ohio. Begin near the 5 minute mark: http://www.ideastream.org/programs/state-of-ohio/more-info-on-the-fbis-raid-on-rosenberger-and-an-anti-poverty-program-still-working-in-ohio

5 Ways To Get Your House Ready to Sell

It’s time to move! Whether your job is taking you to a new city, you’re ready for a fresh start across the country, or you’re moving down the street for a few extra bedrooms, moving is a stressful, challenging time. As you prepare to put your house on the market, you have to be ready for strangers to traipse through your home at any given time. And most importantly, you need to impress them to get it sold. The following tips can make a big difference, and are sure to get that SOLD placard on your lawn in a flash.

1) Clean it up! It sounds simple, but a clean home is inviting, presentable, and gives potential buyers a look at the house in its most perfect possible state. Dust those ceiling fans, mop the floors, and make every surface sparkle. And don’t forget the outside – clean the gutters and power wash the siding.

2) Outdoors matter. Speaking of the outside, don’t neglect your landscaping. Plant a few flowers, pull out the weeds, and keep it freshly mowed for the best first impression you can give. We tell kids to never judge a book by its cover, but it’s unavoidable – everyone wants a pleasant looking home.
 
3) Fix everything. There would be nothing worse than thinking you have your house sold, but the deal gets hung up because of some needed repairs. It’s a buyer’s market, so make it easy on yourself in advance and replace those broken windows and the broken water heater. And that bright orange bedroom wall you love? Not everyone will, so repaint it a neutral white or gray before you leave.
 
4) Organization is key! Buyers may open up that forgotten closet or unkempt drawers, and if it looks jam-packed or messy, they might be led to assume there just isn’t enough storage space in the house. Keep it neat!
 
5) Make it inviting. Some of the smallest details matter a lot to buyers who are imagining what life might look like in your home. Get a new welcome mat, keep out just a few striking trinkets and artwork, and make it feel like home.

 

Shopping Around – The New Norm

Shopping around for items is normal, but many people are moving towards shopping for items and services that used to not be questioned.  Prices can be very different from one place to another depending on the vendor. And things that used to be a monopoly have a high degree of competition now.  This week I saw a friend on Facebook complain about a new medication he needed be $500 a month and not covered by insurance.  Within an hour he had people telling him how to get it for $60 and places he could maybe get it free (from manufacturer) and how to do it.

Facebook and other social media channels are helping people collaborate and share information to find better deals on things.  But are you looking for better deals when it comes to some of these things?

  1. Utilities – By shopping for utility providers, you can reduce your rate significantly.  Put when your contract is up on your calendar and reshop for it once it expires or your rate will go up and not one will notify you.
  2. Medical – The exact same procedure can be radically different from place to place.  Some people even find it cheaper to go to another country and have a medical vacation versus just taking the first offer on a medical procedure.  (Please do not shop around if it is an emergency though!)
  3. Auto Repairs – If you are one of those people still going to the dealer, you are paying too much for some things.  I do like the dealer for maintenance but not for big jobs unless it requires a specialist.  That said, this is one area asking around is very important.  Just taking the cheapest person to fix your car can be a nightmare.
  4. Prescriptions – Not only does the place matter, but there are programs that will give you a discount at your pharmacy, whether in Akron, Hudson, Fairlawn or Aurora.
  5. Cars – Sure we all shop around for cars already, but did you know if you know what you are looking for and you start calling dealerships (especially if you are a little flexible) you can get a great deal without ever setting foot on the lot (until you buy)?
  6. Entertainment – I cannot even say “TV” or “Cable” anymore because there are so many options for entertainment.  Do you just watch movies and tv shows?  You probably only need a streaming service.  The trick here is to know what you can’t live without and then shop around for the entertainment necessities and cut out the unused stuff.
  7. Insurance – If you got the best price on insurance more than a year ago, why have you not shopped it around again?  For example, we got a great deal on insurance a year ago and this year they raised the price about 30% for no reason.  Clearly the first year was a discount to get the business and they hope people will not move after year one and the price increase.  Time to start calling around.

I wish it was not such a hassle.  It is an unfortunate byproduct of our hyper capitalistic economy that businesses are always using gimmicks, specials and tricks to squeeze more money out of you.  You can either accept the games and pay more or you can manage your buying and pay less.  The choice is yours.

Is It A Scam? How To Spot a Scammer

Even the least technical among us now are wired into the vast computer network called the Internet and using apps built by people all over the world.  Most of us are comfortable putting some portion of our identity out there online in many different ways.  And the fear people use to have about using credit cards online is not as common as it once was.

With all of this, it is more important than ever to be able to spot a scammer and prevent the theft of your identity or money.

What is a scam?  

First, you do not want to be able to trust anyone.  Someone asking for your email address to enter a contest is probably just good marketing and not a scam.  However, any time you enter your email you should consider if it is worth it.  Do you want regular emails from the company or website in exchange for a tiny chance to win something?

Email Scams

Email has been very difficult for even highly educated technical people.  Once one person has their inbox hacked, then anyone in that inbox can get emails from anyone else in that inbox with links to viruses.  If someone you know sends you an email saying “I found this link for you” or something like that – do not click.

Also, anyone offering you money or needing some info when you did not initiate the contact should not be easily trusted.  Remember, your bank, the IRS and other organizations can be called to confirm that they need something from you.  Use a trusted phone number, not the one in the email you are unsure of.

Job offer in email?  This also could be a scam.  Many Multi-Level Marketing companies lure people in with a “job offer” to get them into the MLM company which costs money and does not guarantee any income.

One way to quickly find these things out is to search “company name scam” and read some sites about it.

Software Scams

Any time you give software permission to install or access your computer you are also giving them access to everything on your computer.  This means you should only install highly trusted things.  While the average person might think

  1. I have virus protection and
  2. This software must have been reviewed by someone

These are not always the safeguards you think they are.  Virus protection does not protect you from giving software you install the right to access your computer, unless it is a known and documented threat.  And new threats come out every day.

Also, the idea that code is reviewed is not actually possible or practical.  There is a lot more trust involved than the average person realizes.

All of this means you should be careful what you install and also careful what you keep on your phone and computer.

Phone Scams

Phone scams occur in many forms.  Automated voice as well as people calling.  Just as in emails, you should not give information to people that call you.  If you call a company directly like your credit card company, the IRS, your medical company – then you know you are talking to a real representative.  I once had a company send me an email from their company email to verify they were real.  While even this could be faked, it would take some time so it gave me the confidence to do business with them.  Nearly always I do not even answer calls though.

What can be especially dangerous is when you are new to a category and do not know how the systems work.  For example, college or turning 65.  If people know your age they can guess that you are experiencing new systems such as college registration, scholarships, medicare, etc.  Much easier to trick someone new to a system like this so you have to be extra vigilant.

Mail Scams

Mail is just as dangerous as any other form of communication.  One common scam is looking up people’s ownership information if they own a domain (this is by default public information) and sending them a fake invoice for domain SEO.  It will be something like $75 per year.  Since the domain is a once a year type renewal, people forget the process and pay these fraudulent invoices.  You should have your domain set up to auto-renew and you should check it once a year online to make sure your credit card has not expired.  It is very unlikely they will send you a paper invoice.

These are just some of the scams you can get hit with.  It is changing all the time and some are very sophisticated.  Be smart and skeptical of anything that sounds too good to be true.  Stay safe.

7 Ways to Make Today GR8TR

The only way to make a lasting change for the better in your life is by doing little things better every day.  Even if you quit something cold turkey (all at once, for my non-US readers), you still must commit to maintaining that change day in and day out.

Here are seven things you can do today that will have an impact on you and the world in a positive way and make everything GR8TR.  They take very little, or no, time but can be a big change in your life if done regularly.

Be More Present

The biggest single change is an ancient one:  to be more present in the moment.  This means look around, pay attention to what is happening around you and engage with the world on purpose, not on the side.  So, a little less mobile phone screen time is going to be needed.

Smile More

Smile more and look at people.  Say hi.  Force yourself to engage a bit more with people you do not have to around you.  Even forcing a smile has been shown to make people actually happier.

Help Someone

Slightly more than hold the door and not as much as give someone money.  Just find a way to be helpful to someone throughout the day.  Think of that “act of kindness” sort of attitude.  This has maximum effect when the person is not actively looking or asking for help.

Boost Health

Today do one small thing that improves your health.  This could be skipping a sweet or could be going for a walk.  Does one day only make a different?  Maybe not.  But a journey starts with the first step.  Also, it is worth noting that when you are being healthier you are not only helping yourself, you are also helping the world.  You are consuming less resources in many areas, such as food, food processing and health care resources.

Add to Savings or Investment

Unless you have already set this up, today would make your future life GR8TR by setting it up now.  Set up automatically saving money each month.  Have a monthly amount moved to another account for saving, investment and retirement.  If you do not want to get involved in how to invest, you can use automated systems like Wealthfront or Betterment to do it for you.

Cut Something Bad Out

Breaking a bad habit can start today.  And you do not always need to completely stop doing something.  Maybe setting strict limits, such as only drinking on weekends or only buying shoes once a quarter.  Maybe it is changing from expensive coffee drinks to a simple black coffee.  Or maybe it is something that can help the environment such as not using plastic utensils and straws.  Cut one thing out today and keep it up, and lots of things get better.

No one can make wholesale changes in one day.  Instead, you can start today and make small changes that build up over time.  It all starts with a higher level of consciousness and effort day in and day out.  GR8TR is our effort to help people daily think about their activities and the impact their lives have on everyone else, and become better, and GR8TR.  To find out more about GR8TR visit www.GR8TR.us and join our email list if you are committed to improvement and planning for the future.

 

 

Estate Planning Pitfalls – 5 Things You Need

“I have a will. I am covered.”

If this seems like something you would say, you probably are not aware that you are not covered for 80% of the life events that you need to be. Yes, a will is important. But you are far more likely to have another kind of issue that a will does not address.

In this article we will walk you through four other documents you need to protect yourself, protect your family and minimize the costs and hassles that can be experienced by your loved ones in the event that you have a medical emergency or become incapacitated.

As you read this, do not feel overwhelmed. There are attorneys who specialize in setting these all up for you and are very experienced in making sure there are no gaps or errors. In the greater Akron area, call Boone Legal at (330) 968-6003 for help with these.

Here is the list of must-haves to protect yourself and your family:

  1. Yes. An actual Will is important for distributing your assets according to your wishes. If you do not have a properly made Will that clearly states where or who your assets should go to, the State of Ohio makes a plan for you, which may or may not comply with your wishes. It is also important to note that even if you have a Will, you will most likely still need to probate the Will when you die, which is an expensive and time consuming process. The only way to avoid probate is through the use of advanced estate planning techniques that are best discussed with an attorney. Call Boone Legal at (330) 968-6003 to discuss these advanced techniques so that your assets pass to your loved in the way that you desire.
  2. A Financial Power of Attorney (also called a Durable Power of Attorney)– This is very likely to be needed in the event that you become unable to make financial transactions for yourself. This gives someone you trust the authority to complete financial transactions on your behalf. This can include renewing car tags, filing taxes, paying bills, etc.
  3. Living Will – This is needed to specify your wishes in situations of medical treatment in which you are no longer able to express informed consent to a doctor. Often referred to as the “pull the plug” document, a Living Wills names an agent to speak on your behalf should you be unable to make life ending decisions for yourself.
  4. Health Care Power of Attorney- Similar to a Living Will, a Health Care Power of Attorney names an agent to give informed consent to medical treatment should you be unable to express consent yourself. A Health Care Power of Attorney grants a broader scope of authority than a Living Will and in Ohio, it is customary to have both a Living Will and a Health Care Power of Attorney in place.
  5. HIPPA Release – This gives someone else authority to access your medical records and find out information regarding your health. Without this, your family may be left in the dark if you are experiencing medical issues.

Many families need an additional document in place called a Trust, which allows for more privacy, flexibility and if properly drafted and funded, can even be used to protect and preserves assets for heirs. Even if you think your means are modest, a trust can help facilitate the transfer of assets and reduce the costs and losses of those assets.

Failure to have any of these can result in considerable loss of money, or time, or both. With a little advanced planning you can make sure no matter what the emergency is, your family can have the resources and access they need to make good decisions on your behalf and minimize the expense and frustration when you pass.

Boone Legal helps Northeast Ohio residents plan for all these things and have greater piece of mind for their own well-being and for their family’s future security. Call (330) 968-6003 or visit https://www.boonelegal.com​ to find out more.

Annual Penalty For Non-Action

Every year, in the United States, we have to file and pay federal, state and local taxes, and we have to do them because there is a due date and penalties if we failed to file. Filing taxes are chores that MUST be done every year regardless of whether you want to or have the time to do them.

In a household, there are other chores that we MUST do, but neglect to do because those chores don’t incur penalties nor do they have a due date. One of the many drawbacks to neglecting to do our household chores is the fact that we are losing money. 

Here is a short list of the household expenses you must look at every year and reevaluate to see if everything is as it should be.

  1. Homeowners Insurance – Every year, your insurance company sends you the renewal papers to find out whether anything has changed.  From the coverage of your home to other structures in your property, the coverage you have for the home has to make sense to you. If you have a $1,000 deductible, consider all the $1,000 additional coverage charges your insurance company is charging you every year.  Your deductible comes first to pay for these losses. Why pay for them every single year if at the end you will be paying out of pocket anyway?  You must have home insurance to protect your home, but you have to be vigilant about what your insurance company is charging you. If you need more information or want to find more about home insurance follow this link. https://www.usa.gov/property-insurance
  2. Car Insurance – Nowadays, many insurance companies offer accident forgiveness or accident credits if you haven’t had an accident for the last twelve months. They offer a good student credit if you have teenagers in your policy, and they can offer you great rates if you bundle your home and car insurance.  Give them a call and talk to their agents, they want your business and they will find very competitive rates to lure you over.  Those TV advertisements are not all phony gimmicks, they do want your business, and shopping around for insurance coverage can save you money. For more information about car, homeowners, renters and flood insurance follow this link to this government site. https://www.usa.gov/property-insurance#item-34897
  3. Life Insurance – According to  2017 statistics,  almost half of Americans do not have any life insurance coverage and the other half has only the basic group policy.  If you have children under the age of eighteen living at home and do not have life insurance policy, we recommend to shop around and buy a policy right away. It is very scary to think of the consequences if something bad should happen to you, but it is very irresponsible to leave children financially unprotected.  Many Americans that do not have a life insurance policy believe the price of having one is much more expensive than it is.  With too much information at your disposal, it is easy to shop for insurance and find the best possible rates.  Talk to your partner or spouse and decide what insurance policy makes sense for you and your loved ones.

On top of these, there are other things that go up frequently and you should shop around when they do.  Utilities, mobile phone and television are just some other examples.

About Those Memberships

Today we are going to explore all those membership offers you need to decide about.  Are they a good value for your family?

Is a Consumer Reports membership worth the money?

Depends.

Americans buy billions of dollars worth of merchandise every year. From clothing, toys, and electronics to the most unnecessary items on their lists. If you are a person who likes shopping or buy things online, a membership like this can give you an extensive list of options while comparing quality and prices all from one place.

If you are buying electronics, appliances, or big ticket items, it is a good idea to buy a Consumer Reports membership and find out whether the item you are buying is worth the money. They have ratings for over 8,000 items to help consumers like you and I make a better decision when buying something for our home. The membership by itself can save you money the first time you buy a big ticket item.  You can get your membership fee back in the first year if, for example, you buy the best-rated lawnmower which should last longer, have  fewer problems, and minimize maintenance expenses.

Amazon Prime membership?

The Amazon Prime membership is not worth it if you don’t buy many things at Amazon.

But if you are like the average American, then with the Amazon Prime membership you will save money on shipping and it can pay for itself.  Plus you get Amazon Prime video and free returns on many items you buy.  The video by itself can make worth having the membership to Amazon if you use that and reduce your cable bill.

Is a Costco, Sam’s Club, or BJ’s membership worth it?  

How about those wholesale clubs?  For many families, it is worth it.  You can get four different membership options depending on what kind of membership you need, and the fee is more than worth it for many families. They can buy many items in bulk to save money, or they can store them when they find them on sale for future use.

One issue is they have so many items on sale and in bulk.  This makes the impulse to buy them hard to resist, and that is one of the major drawbacks of having a wholesale membership like this. Items that are on sale and the price is too good to pass is one of the reasons this membership is not worth the money.  A family might end up with too much stuff in their home and things they do not really need, like a box of muffins or a case of soap.  If you are not saving a lot, or if you are taking too long to use these items, remember there is interest on charge card debt or your money could be used to invest and earn more money, instead of buying enough product to last two years.

Impulse buying is a big thing when entering stores like these, and like it or not, we all love to get a good deal. Knowing what you need and what you will use is a must.  Also, avoiding bulk items that are unhealthy, no matter how good the deal is, will save you money and improve your health.  If you cannot resist these temptations, then these memberships are a bad deal for you.

 

Summer Home and Vacation Savings

Vacation Saving Tips (If You Are Driving)

As the time to start planning your summer vacation approaches, gas prices are going up.  It happens every year in anticipation of the travel season. Even if money is not an issue for you, these tips will help you be good to the environment, and help you save for other things you want to do with that money.

1. Shop around – Some of the best apps for your iPhone that are free and can save you money right away are:

  • a) GasBuddy
  • b) AAA Mobile
  • c) Gas Guru

2. Use Apps to help you with traffic and rerouting trips to avoid traffic jams, accidents or

  • a) Waze
  • b) Route4Me
  • c) inRoute

3. Check your vehicle’s tires. Having a well maintained car will help you save on gas.  The efficiency of your vehicle on the road depends on how well maintained you have kept your car all year round.

4. Follow the speed limit signs. Even when you have a long road ahead, driving at the speed limit posted can save you money on gas.  Driving slower and at a consistent speed burns less fuel, and if traveling for a long trip, use your cruise control to keep a consistent and moderate speed.

5. Keep it light – Excessive baggage or a roof box cargo can make gas consumption a bit expensive. Keeping your windows and sunroof close will reduce the drag, making you car more aerodynamic.

Home Saving Tips

Many of the new  homes have excellent windows, new roofs, new air conditioning units, etc.  Everything is new and working properly.  But, if you have an older home and are looking to save energy and money, what are some of the energy saving tips that will also save you money?

  1. Replacing your old air conditioning unit is not something we do frequently, they last a long time and they are expensive. But, if you have an old unit, the efficiency is not longer there. The electric bill is probably not a pretty sight every month, so replacing the unit is probably the only solution that can save you money in the long run.
  2. Replacing old Windows – The draft you feel as you get close to a window or door is heat leaving your home and making your gas or electric bill higher than it should be. Replacing old windows or doors can save you money in heating bills and add value to your home.
  3. Keeping the temperatures in your home at comfortable levels can save you money.  Too cold in the summer months and too warm in the winter can add hundreds of dollars a year.  Try a difference of a couple degrees and see if you feel a difference in your comfort level and notice the difference in your bill.
  4. Turning off the lights in your home and appliances or other electronic devices that nobody is using saves electricity and money.
  5. Remind your children that the water in the home is not heated by the sun. A short shower can save water and electricity and hundreds of dollars a year.

By using some of these tips, you will not only save money but will help the environment as well.