Our electricity bill last month was $42. That is next to nothing when compared with bills of the past which ranged from $150-$250 per month. Here is how we lowered our bill:
- Our hot water and stove are on gas which is included in the rent.
- We have been turning everything off as soon as we aren't using it anymore. And I mean off, not on standby.
- We have been spending more time together. 1 room worth of electricity is cheaper than 2 rooms.
- I paid my bill early, which saved me $4, so I really only paid $38 for the month. $4 saved is $4 saved!
- We have an air conditioning unit which we try not to use. We will open and close doors to try and make the temperature better. If needed we will turn the air conditioning on for a few minutes and then turn it off.
- I do big batches of cooking so that the oven just has to preheat once. And my oven is huge, so it takes forever and a day to preheat. May as well bake as much as possible and then freeze it!
What other tips do you have for saving on electricity?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Do you really need a telephone?
Inspired by a post over on Penniless Parenting, I decided to share what works for me in terms of having a home phone. Or not, since I don't have one.
A while back, in our old house, the phone line had a fault and stopped working. It took a while (months) to get in fixed, so we learned to live without a home line. When we moved into our new house we decided to forgo the homeline and live as we had been. A homeline would have cost us $50 a month. Here is how we get by without it:
-We have a naked broadband plan, where we pay $5 more a month to have the plan, but no homeline.
-We also pay $10 a month (some months, not so much over summer when the boyfriend doesn't need to make business calls) for a skype account that gives us unlimited landline calls.
-We also skype overseas friends, which is free.
-The boyfriend pays $50 a month for his cell phone. This is the cheapest and best plan and even if we had a landline he would still have the plan, so while it doesn't really count, he does get free minutes that he can and does use.
-I have the boyfriend and my mum on a bestmate plan, which means that for $12 a month I can call either of them as much as I want.
-If I want to get in touch with people I just text them or facebook them. If it is urgent I will use the boyfriends minutes, but it is never really urgent.
So I spend $12+$5+$10 a month on being able to call people without a homeline. That comes to $27 a month, which is a saving of $23 a month! That $23 can be put to better use elsewhere!
A while back, in our old house, the phone line had a fault and stopped working. It took a while (months) to get in fixed, so we learned to live without a home line. When we moved into our new house we decided to forgo the homeline and live as we had been. A homeline would have cost us $50 a month. Here is how we get by without it:
-We have a naked broadband plan, where we pay $5 more a month to have the plan, but no homeline.
-We also pay $10 a month (some months, not so much over summer when the boyfriend doesn't need to make business calls) for a skype account that gives us unlimited landline calls.
-We also skype overseas friends, which is free.
-The boyfriend pays $50 a month for his cell phone. This is the cheapest and best plan and even if we had a landline he would still have the plan, so while it doesn't really count, he does get free minutes that he can and does use.
-I have the boyfriend and my mum on a bestmate plan, which means that for $12 a month I can call either of them as much as I want.
-If I want to get in touch with people I just text them or facebook them. If it is urgent I will use the boyfriends minutes, but it is never really urgent.
So I spend $12+$5+$10 a month on being able to call people without a homeline. That comes to $27 a month, which is a saving of $23 a month! That $23 can be put to better use elsewhere!
How To: Save on Housing
We currently pay $310 a week in rent. For the area that is very good, and it includes the gas we use for our stove and hot water. This is how we saved on our housing costs.
- We looked at several properties and got an idea of what a good price was
- Once we knew what to look for and what to spend we were firm. I sat in the real esate office until the estate agent would show me through the house. I was the first one through, the first to apply and the owner accepted our application that day.
- We moved outside of where we wanted. We wanted to live in a specific suburb, but by settling for a suburb about a km away we were able to save money
- Get a smaller place. We downsized from a huge 3 bedroom to a small 2 bedroom. This saved us around $100 a week.
- Get rid of stuff. Sell it for a bit of extra cash so you can fit into your downsized house!
I did say that we have a good price for the area. We do live in a more expensive area, but it is closer to both of our work places so we do save a load of money on petrol. Gotta weigh up these points!
- We looked at several properties and got an idea of what a good price was
- Once we knew what to look for and what to spend we were firm. I sat in the real esate office until the estate agent would show me through the house. I was the first one through, the first to apply and the owner accepted our application that day.
- We moved outside of where we wanted. We wanted to live in a specific suburb, but by settling for a suburb about a km away we were able to save money
- Get a smaller place. We downsized from a huge 3 bedroom to a small 2 bedroom. This saved us around $100 a week.
- Get rid of stuff. Sell it for a bit of extra cash so you can fit into your downsized house!
I did say that we have a good price for the area. We do live in a more expensive area, but it is closer to both of our work places so we do save a load of money on petrol. Gotta weigh up these points!
Me and my mission
Hello and welcome to Tiny Budget, Tiny House, Big Living.
I am a 22 year old woman living just north of Auckland, New Zealand with my boyfriend and our 3 cats/children. I work in retail and am a student, while my boyfriend is a music teacher. Teachers, students and retail workers don't pull in the big bucks. So I am working on frugal living and saving some money so that we can keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates!
I hope you all enjoy the journey!
I am a 22 year old woman living just north of Auckland, New Zealand with my boyfriend and our 3 cats/children. I work in retail and am a student, while my boyfriend is a music teacher. Teachers, students and retail workers don't pull in the big bucks. So I am working on frugal living and saving some money so that we can keep a roof over our heads and food on our plates!
I hope you all enjoy the journey!
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