You likely know that certain bills can spike during the summer months. This can actually be for a number of reasons, and if you’re aiming to cut costs, it’s important for you to know what those reasons could be. Of course, expense types and amounts will always vary from person to person. In order to see where you spend the most money, you will need to draft a budget for yourself and keep a close eye on where your money is going throughout the week. However, you could start by examining some of the items listed below, which are common causes for money sinks in the summer months.
Spoiled Foods
There are a number of sources out there on the internet, such as iDiva, that explain why produce goes bad so easily in the summer. This can apply to anything that you have to leave out on the counter, though, including dishes that need to be transported. Your refrigerator’s cooling power may even suffer if the temperature in your home is particularly hot. In instances like this, you should know how to stack your fridge carefully to increase the storage space and the air circulation. If your fridge is packed too tightly, the lack of air circulation can keep foods from being as cold as they need to be, which can lead to spoiling. Of course, you should also store even foods you might normally leave on the counter in the fridge during particularly warm stretches. This includes nuts, breads and fruits, which many feel safe leaving out.
Hitting the Town
If your house is too hot, it makes sense that you would want to bail and go to the nearest place that has air conditioning. For many, this means making a trip to the mall, a bookstore, a public library or pool, or a restaurant. While this can indeed provide you with much-needed relief from the heat, it can also give you more reasons to break out your wallet and drop money. Locations like restaurants or malls are particularly dangerous if you’re trying to save, because having the temptation of food or items right in front of you can be difficult to turn down. While doing this every now and then isn’t a bad thing, you could really find your tab stacking up if you do it multiple times a week.
Drafty Old Homes
Your old house could be costing you tons of money and you don’t even know it. Old houses tend to have a lot of cracks and crevices, especially around entry points like windows or doors. While this might not seem like a big deal, it means that more hot air is getting inside your house and more cold air is escaping it. This automatically makes any AC unit you have less efficient, as you spend more money and time trying to keep your house cool than you would if it were better insulated.
Electricity and Energy
The top tips to keep your home cool this summer involve maintenance of your AC unit. In the same way that a leaky old house could be costing you money, an inefficient AC unit could be whittling your dollars away while you think it’s working to your benefit. Make sure to get your AC unit checked regularly for any defects or issues, and replace it when it needs to be replaced. Holding on to a busted AC unit may cool your house a little, but the efficiency versus cost rating will be skewed against you.
Carefully monitor your spending habits this summer. Are you doing any of these things, or are any of them a problem for you? If so, now that the problem has been identified, you can work to rectify it and enjoy a much more affordable summer.