This week, a few more things to consider that will save you money.
First, a water heater insulation blanket. Not a high tech item, this is just a layer of insulation you wrap around your hot water heater to prevent the heat from escaping through the tank exterior. A tank that’s warm on the outside is a good hint that the wrap will help. While you’re at it, go around your house and find any gaps around doors or windows that you can caulk or insulate. You should also check your wall outlets on external walls, you may find cold air leaking in through them in the winter, and the hardware store has insulation specifically designed for this application.
Rechargeable batteries – flashlights, kids’ toys, digital cameras, all these items use batteries, lots of them. The technology for NiMH (Nickel Metal Hidride) has improved dramatically over the last few years, and they can be recharged 1000 times before losing their ability to take a charge. Another case of doing the math and deciding if you can save money here.
Software – Moolanomy offered a great find, Winlibre which contains a full suite of software. One included title is OpenOffice which is a Microsoft Office substitute capable of opening and authoring MS Office compatible files.
Last, for today, I was at the deli counter the other day and could help but notice, the potato salad was $4,49 per pound, as was the cole slaw. This got me thinking. Learn to make you own side dishes. Some of the prepared foods at the grocery store aren’t too outrageous, but others are over five times what it would cost for you to make it from scratch.
Have a great weekend.
Joe