Paying the bills is a fact of life that many of us could probably live without. Unfortunately, the bills are here to stay. The good news is that there are ways you can lower your monthly bills and free up some extra spending money for the more fun things in life. Here are some easy tips to get you started on lowering your monthly bills.

How to Lower Your Monthly Bills

Lowering Your Mandatory Bills

The mandatory monthly bills are those such as household utilities and probably phone lines for most of us. Believe it or not, it doesn’t take much effort to lower these bills – just keep these things in mind:

• Close the doors to rooms and closets you’re not using. This will save you from heating or cooling unused space in your home.
• Always make sure all your windows are closed before turning on the heater or air conditioner.
• Reduce water usage by shortening showers (or if you are really serious, shut the water off while you are soaping up), stretching laundry (don’t run a half full load either), choosing low maintenance landscape, and watering your yard before 8 a.m. or after 5 p.m. to minimize evaporation. Also, if you have a dishwasher, don’t assume it is more expensive to run than hand-washing. Studies actually show that an efficiently loaded dishwasher can cost less than hand-washing dishes!
• Keep up on household maintenance. If you notice an unusual rise in any of your bills, you might just need to do a simple repair. Last month my water bill almost doubled, so I did some investigating and found out the toilet flappers were deteriorated. Since I replaced the parts (only about $10 each) my water bills have been lower than they ever were before!
• If you have gas appliances, you can lower your gas bill a little by turning down your water heater.
  After all, you don’t need it on full blast now that your are cutting back your showers, right?
• Routinely check with your internet and phone providers to make sure you are getting the best deal possible. If you notice that your provider is running a special, be sure to call and inquire. They just might update your account to give you the benefit.
• Cut back your phone lines. The average phone user really only needs one phone line, so consider cutting your extra lines.

Lowering Your Household Expenses

In addition to lowering your monthly bills, you can reduce your monthly expenses on necessary household items such as toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies and groceries. Knowing how to save on these items can really help lower your monthly expenses!

• Instead of buying paper towels, invest in a few extra cloth towels. It is a lot cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) to run cloth towels through the wash than to keep buying rolls of paper towels.
• Purchase store brands. Learn how to choose store brands here.
• Mix your own cleaning solutions. Cleaning solutions can be pricey, but you can mix your own for much less. Visit a janitorial store nearby to inquire about mixing your own solutions.
• To save on groceries, create a grocery budget and check out these 30 easy ways to save on groceries!
• Consolidate! You can consolidate things such as internet and TV. Nowadays, you can view many TV shows online through websites such as Hulu and Netflix. So, you might consider cutting your TV expense.

Even if some of these suggestions aren’t for you, exercising a few of them will get you on the right track to start lowering your monthly bills. For more suggestions, talk to your utility providers. They are always happy to help you reduce and save!

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