How to cut your electric bill by $50

We are on a very tight budget and last months higher than normal electric bill really put our budget in a tail spin. I could have just pouted or I could have set to work trying to solve the issue at hand. I choose to get to work!

After much research and calculations I found some really simple ways you can cut your electric bill by $50. 

Did you know the normal household spends over $100 a year just on power drains? 

These are the appliances we keep plugged in even when they are not in use. I did a walk through our house and unplugged all of those power drains. My list was pretty large, and it included a toaster, can-opener, electric toothbrush charger, coffee maker, curling iron, hair dryer, iron, sewing machine, 4 lamps, two laptops, notebook, Kindle charger, cell phone chargers, and a power tool charger. 

By plugging those items I use every day into a power strip, and then turning it off when not in use, I was able to really cut back on those power drains.

 Savings $8.00 a month

I wash on average 6 loads a week. For each load that I hung on the drying rack or clothesline I saved .31 cents a load.

Savings $7.44 a month

I have to admit I have an awful habit of leaving the stove light on. We do use it as a night-light, and even though it doesn’t cost much to leave on, it still saved us a bit by turning it off.

 Savings $1.46 a month

We cut our TV watching in half. We have an energy-efficient Samsung Plasma TV that only costs a few dollars each month to watch, but by cutting it in half we still saved.

Savings 1.50 a month

We have a 16 cubic foot manual defrost freezer that costs on average $5.00 a month to run. It needed defrosted, and was less than half full, so I was able to condense everything into my side-by-side and shut it off for a few months.

Savings $5.00 a month

I found a great energy calculator that helps me figure out how much electric we were using by just having the lights on. Using the calculator I was able to find our monthly lighting cost. By making a two-light-on rule, I was able to cut our normal $18.60 monthly power pull down to half.

Savings $9.30 a month

For every degree you turn your thermostat down you save about $10 a month. We have a programmable thermostat and were able to program it to better conserve our energy. During the day, when no one is home, we set it way back in hopes that it will save us even more. We lowered ours by 2 degrees. 

• Morning – 6:00 AM – 68 °F
• Day – 8:00 AM – 62 °F
• Evening – 6:00 PM – 68 °F
• Night – 10:00 PM – 62°F

Savings $20.00 a month

Now I can’t do anything about the weather and the long cold spells we are having, but I can watch our electric consumption and try to conserve where and when ever I can.

Total estimated savings: $52.70

Bonus Tips:

• When the fireplace is not in use, close the damper.
• Take showers not baths; you’ll use less hot water.
• Thaw foods and cut into small pieces, they will take less time to cook.

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Here is a list to some of my favorite homemaking tools and resources:
(Contains Affiliate Links)

Hand Made Amish All Broomcorn Broom	Cotton, Printed Damask Chef Kitchen Apron	Shark Navigator Lift-Away Vacumm
Cotton Wet Mop with Handle	Neat ‘N Tidy Bucket, 11-Quart	Large Wooden Drying Rack
Cotton/Polyester Blend Clothesline	Whitmor Natural Wood Clothespins, 100 pins	Essential Oil- Beginners Set – Aromatherapy