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Utility bills can be a big part of any household budget, and you can cut your utility costs with a few simple precautions.

The bills for electricity, gas, garbage pickup, cable TV, telephone, cleaning supplies, pet food, and a dozen other items take a big bite out of the bank account each month. Saving money here without suffering can be tough. Sure, you can cut the electric bill by turning off the air conditioner, but when it’s a hundred degrees outside, what fun is that? A better approach is to look for less drastic savings that together add up.

Cutting energy costs

Making sure your house is well-insulated. Caulk around all windows. On a very hot or cold day, place your hand in front of electrical outlets to check for leaks. You can purchase inexpensive kits to insulate outlets and light switches.

In warm weather, keep blinds or drapes drawn during the day to keep out the sun’s heat. In the winter, close blinds and drapes at night, but open them during the day to let the sun help warm rooms. Use heavy drapes and rolled towels to block drafts at windows and doors.

Plant trees and vines to shade south-facing windows from the summer sun. Use awnings and overhangs to shade windows and doors as well.

Keep the thermostat as high as comfortable in summer, and as low as comfortable in winter. Invest in a programmable thermostat that allows you to set the thermostat to a lower or higher temperature while you’re away from home or at night.

Use ceiling fans in the summer to create a cooling breeze and in the winter to pull warm air down from the ceilings to your level.

Dress appropriately for the time of year. Wear shorts and T-shirts in summer, sweaters in winter.

Put a blanket on your water heater, or use a water heater timer to heat water only when you need it.

Check the seals on refrigerators and freezers. Close the door on a dollar bill. If you can slide the bill out easily, the seal needs replacing. Keep refrigerator and freezer coils clean so that they run most efficiently, and don’t let frost build up in the freezer compartment. Freeze bottles of water to fill empty freezer space, since a full freezer runs most efficiently.

Lower your water bill

Check toilets for leaks. Place a drop of food coloring in the tank. If any color leaks into the bowl, replace the interior valve to stop leaking. Fix dripping faucets to save water. Take showers instead of baths, or fill the tub with only a couple inches of water when bathing. Don’t leave water running while brushing teeth. If you wash dishes by hand, rinse dishes in a basin rather than under running water.

Use landscape plants that require less water and mulch existing plants to conserve water. Water deeply once or twice a week to encourage deep-root growth.

Lower the phone bill

Consider canceling long-distance service. Instead, use cell phone minutes for long-distance calls. Or purchase pre-paid phone cards and use these for long distance. You’ll save monthly long- distance charges and taxes. Wholesale clubs such as Sam’s and Costco have phone cards for an inexpensive per-minute charge and these cards can be used anywhere and can be re-charged over the phone.

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