Throughout January we have published a series of posts on how to save money around your home during the winter months. Our posts fit into one of three categories: increasing energy efficiency, listing creative tactics to save money or other ways to refurbish or reuse your existing items!

Here are 5 more ideas from each category and links to help you save the most money possible in your home!

Ways to Make your Home More Energy Efficient

1. Raise the temperature in your home slowly to keep your bills lower. If you quickly raise the heat, the pump’s temperature activates the heat strip, which uses tons of energy.
2. Set your thermostat between 68-70 degrees during the day, and 65 to 68 degrees at night in the winter to keep your home comfortable and save on heating costs. Then, set your thermostat to 60 degrees but don’t turn it completely off if your home will be empty.
3. Consider how your decor plays into your heating scheme. Cover any bare floors with carpet or rugs to help retain heat and insulate floors. Also, don’t block any air vents with drapes or furniture and don’t put anything on top of your HVAC unit so it can work at optimal efficiency.
4. Replace your 5 most used light fixtures with Energy Star products. Then select light-colored or opaque lamp shades and place lamps in the corners so they reflect light from the walls.
5. A full freezer uses less energy than an empty one. For maximum savings, consider filling your freezer with gallon containers of water.

Find out more helpful energy saving tips for your home by reading this post!

Money Saving Tips Around your Home

1. Use a microwave or toaster oven to warm up leftovers, which use less energy than cooking with a conventional oven. And keep the oven door closed while cooking to prevent the temperature from dropping and having to heat back up.
2. Set your refrigerator temperature between 30 and 42 degrees. And repair refrigerator door seals if you feel cold air coming out or if moisture is collecting.
3. Turn off your dishwasher after the wash cycle and let your dishes air dry. This will help you save on energy costs by keeping your dishwasher from heating up your kitchen.
4. When doing your laundry, always wash with cold, because laundry detergent works just as well with hot or cold water. It will save you about 40 cents per load and that savings can add up!
5. Plug electronics into a power strip and turn the strip off when it’s not in use to save money. And remember some electronics go into stand-by mode and still use energy to power display features when they are turned off.

Find out 5 more creative ways to help you save money around your home, by reading this post!

More Repurposing Projects Around your Home

1. Make coasters from old wine corks by using hot glue to attach them and then tying with a ribbon or twine to add a special touch.
2. Turn unused water, Coke or wine glass bottles into soap dispensers. All you need is a new pump so just save one from an empty soap or lotion bottle and you’re ready to go!
3. Take bent or broken silverware and turn them into drawer pulls. Just bend the handles completely, clean or paint the silverware and add them with a screw to create a rustic look.
4. Use empty tin cans as a helpful holder for a hairbrush or other hair care products. Remove both the bottom and top of the cans, wash them out and cover with Washi tape, scrapbook/wallpaper paper or fabric. Then, attach inside a cabinet door with a screw.
5. Use broken candlesticks and picture frames to make pedestal frames. Just spray paint the frame and candlestick the same color and then glue them together.

Find out 7 more easy repurposing projects around your home, by reading this post!

If you are thinking about using all those savings toward a Cook Portable Building, click below to read 3 Important Things to Consider When Choosing a Shed!

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