Money Tips Network

A few days ago, we received our first measurable snowfall of the year, bringing us a two-inch blanket of snow that covered the world in white. It was a stark reminder that, although the calendar doesn’t quite say so (yet), winter has arrived.

As anyone who has ever had to pay an energy bill north of the tropics knows, cold weather can mean a spike in energy costs. It costs money to heat a home – serious money. Our energy bills tend to go up by about 50% in the winter – and that’s after doing almost everything we can think of to keep things under control. Before that? Our bills would often double compared to the fall.

So, what exactly are we doing to slice 25% off of our energy bill? For many people, that’s $50 or $100 a month in savings, so it’s well worth looking into. Here are 20 strategies we’ve employed over the last several years to grind down our winter energy costs.

Pantry staples like vinegar, baking soda, and salt make house cleaning easier and cheaper. Photo: Perry Goh

The last time I went shopping for cleaning supplies, there were so many items to choose from I quickly got overwhelmed, grabbed a few things off my list, and made a dash for the exit. Of course, I was missing a few items when it was time to start cleaning, but I made it work.

Why the initial shock? Well, it had been several years since I’d actually shopped for cleaning supplies. During my couponing days, I only purchased the items that were practically free and found creative ways to put them to use; sometimes, the results weren’t so favorable. Anyhow, I eventually created a stockpile so large that I didn’t have to shop for cleaning supplies for quite some time.

This article is by staff writer Kristin Wong.

At another site, I recently wrote about a tool that shows you online prices in terms of hours worked. I used a random item — a fancy coffee maker that costs $116 — as an example. It would take someone who earned $38 an hour approximately three hours of work to pay for that item. A reader replied that, if they made $38 an hour, they wouldn’t waste their time thinking about whether or not the purchase was worth it.

To me, this was a spot-on definition of lifestyle inflation, summed up perfectly in one simple comment.

Welcome to Wise Bread's Best Money Tips Roundup!

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I have a hard time parting with things that hold significant sentimental value. Yeah, they're just sitting around my house, collecting dust, but these things are part of my life, memories of good times, and I don't want to get rid of them. (See also: Toss It or Not?

What’s inside? Here are the questions answered in today’s reader mailbag, boiled down to five word summaries. Click on the number to jump straight down to the question.
1. Retention bonus versus retirement
2. Don’t want anything for Christmas
3. Angry about politics
4. Saving versus paying off debts
5. Buy it for life: coats
6. Frugality and minimalism
7. Living off dividends
8. Inflation and retirement
9. Am I paranoid about risk?

While 73% of online adults use several forms of social media, Facebook remains their first choice.

And that's what we love about Facebook. When we put up an update, somebody is going to read it. However, not of all your updates are as smart as you think.

No turkey? No problem. I've been hosting meat-free Thanksgiving celebrations for the last decade. By the end of the evening, my friends and family are stuffed with amazingly nutritious and delicious foods from soup to nuts.