Nowadays, the cost of living in many cities around the world is the highest ever seen in centuries and often, families are the ones to experience all negative consequences of this fact. The most common burdens for the family budget are the utility bills, most specifically the electricity and the shopping expenses. If you manage to lower these, you can easily use the savings to arrange unforgettable vacation for the entire family or buy the stuff you need, but couldn’t previously afford. So how to achieve that? Simple – check out these amazing tips and lower your electricity and shopping expenses from today!

Saving from Electricity 101

The demand for electricity is constantly growing around the world and from everything so far it seems that we are not prepared to provide this commodity to the rapidly growing population of people on earth. The results are poor service quality and almost constantly increasing electricity bills. However, with simple tips and tricks around your house, you can dramatically decrease the energy consumption of your home and cut down these expenses:

• Clean the coils of the fridge – dirt on the fridge coils causes the item to consume much more energy, so cleaning these on monthly basis will definitely pay off in the long run.

• Fill-up the freezer – keeping just a few items in the freezer increases its energy consumption, so the more stuff you stack in there, the lower your electricity bill will be! Still, make sure to check the manufacturer’s instructions first.

• Remove unused devices from the grid – many people, probably including yourself, leave the devices plugged to the grid, even if they don’t use them. While the energy consumption is not that high, the overall results could be pretty disturbing.

• Employ LEDs – The LEDs has been becoming increasingly popular over the past few years and even though, they are slightly more expensive than standard incandescent ones, they consume up to 75% less energy, while at the same time last up to 10 times longer!

• Plant shade trees – believe it or not, governmental studies suggest that trees properly planted around a house could reduce the air-conditioning needs with up to 50 percent!

Cutting Down on Shopping Expenses

The average family also spends incredibly large portion of its budget for various shopping expenses. Here are some of the top tips to reduce these, without making any sacrifices:

• Discounts and coupons – this method for generating solid savings from shopping expenses Is pretty much essential. Start with the local grocery store – what are the weekly/daily discounts available there? Since nowadays most of the items could be acquired only, it’s not a bad idea to search for local Groupon deals or alternatives that can help you save some money!

• Resist impulse purchases – probably the most common reason why shopping drains your family’s budget are the impulse purchases. The best way to avoid them is to simply ask yourself – Do I really need to buy this item now? Chances are the most common answer to that question will be “No”.

• Try to qualify for bulk discounts – many of the goods you need in your house on everyday basis could be purchased in bulk quantities and you can save a lot of money! I’ll leave it up to you to identify these in your household.