Single Mom’s Guide to Lowering Utility Costs

Sometimes the cost of heating and cooling your home can be what breaks your monthly budget. For a single mom, even the slightest “surprise” in the utility bill can mean the difference between paying it on time or having to juggle.

Don’t let utility costs compromise your chances of saving money or having plenty of food in the house — learn how to drive costs down with these handy tips:

Bundle up! During the wintertime, wear layers of warm clothing. Dress your kids in a t-shirt and sweater, heavy jeans or pants, and two pair of socks. Knit caps on little heads will keep them even warmer. Fingerless gloves are “cool” and keep little hands warm while keeping plenty of mobility to play with their toys.
Close off rooms. You probably don’t use every area in your house. Close off the rooms you don’t use by closing the doors or pinning heavy quilts over the door frames. This makes your heaters work less, and saves you money. If there are vents in the rooms you close off, make sure the vents are closed, so the warm air will circulate to the rooms where you really need it.
Use lined curtains. Heavy curtains with liners inside will protect against the cold during the winter and will block out the heat of the sun in the summer. It’s a cheap way to keep the house comfortable!
Use your oven in the winter, your crockpot in the summer. During the wintertime, cook hams and roasts that take a long time, and always opt for the oven. This will put more heat into the kitchen, and make for a toasty warm place for the kids to do their homework. During the summer, avoid the heat by using your crockpot to make your favorite dishes.
Weatherstrip around windows and doors. Good, thick weatherstripping is available for a few dollars, but it will save much more than that on your heating and cooling bills.
Use draft dodgers. Heavy “draft dodgers” filled with sand or even a rolled-up towel will work well along the bottom of doors, where air can easily creep in and out of the house. Though draft dodgers are popular during the winter, they can be used to keep cool air inside during the summertime.
Use fans during the summer. If you can catch a cool breeze through the window, why not use a fan to pull it through? You can turn off the air conditioning and cool your entire house with a few strategically placed fans and open windows.

If you still need help lowering your utility bills, talk to your local cooperative or electric company about possible savings they might offer, or look into financial assistance programs for single mothers that might include utility help. You can make it work!