Dabbling Divas

Archive for the ‘Money’ Category

Do you know how much you spend on groceries each week? Each month? Well the government has an idea as to how much the “average American family” spends. There is an online calculator to try out here. I calculated mine and it was almost $900 a month!! I have NEVER spent $900 a month to my knowledge. Try it out. How much do they think you should spend? Leave a comment and check out our discussion boards.

With fall just around the corner and cooler days upon us, it’s a good time to start thinking about how to lower our heating costs.  Heating your home is the largest user of energy and with that said can be a biggest saving when you follow tips to use less.  Here are ten no and low cost simple tips on how to reduce the cost of your bill this winter.

1. Change the filters on your units.
2. Turn it down. You can save 1-3% of your bill for each degree you turn it down.  Going from 70 degrees to 68 degrees could save you as much as 6% per month.
3. Make sure you keep closet doors, pantries and rooms that aren’t used much closed.  There is no need to heat spaces you don’t use.
4. Open blinds and curtains on the south side of your home during the day to let in solar heat and close them at night to keep it from escaping
5. Put an extra blanket on everyone’s bed and dial down the thermostat a bit at night.
6. Reverse your ceiling fans and keep them on lower to circulate heat more evenly in your home. 
7. After cooking meals in the oven, turn off the oven but keep the oven door ajar to heat the kitchen.
8. Turn off cooking fans or bathroom fans as soon as they are not needed as they will push your hot air out of your home.
9. Keep throws in your family room to keep you warm and cozy.
10. Use electrical outlet sealers to reduce heat loss on outside interior walls. Find them at Lowe’s.

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this on our message board.

All too often we take our cars for granted. I hear stories all the time from my husband who is a Master Technician for Chrysler.  So, I thought it would be a good idea to share some things for both safety and for saving money. A well maintained vehicle will save you money in the long run and keep you on the road.

Do a walk around.  This was taught to a lot of us in drivers education, it’s basically to check that all your tires are properly aired up.   Once a week you should also turn on all the lights and do a walk around to make sure they are all working properly. Get someone to help you make sure your brake lights are working also, if you don’t have anyone you can do this at night by looking in the mirrors.

Monthly check the fluids like oil and antifreeze in your car.  Make sure the engine is cool before checking fluids.  If you have no clue how to do this, search for it on YouTube there are plenty of videos there to help you.

Brake squeal – This is a noise you get when the wear indicator on your brake pads reaches the point of hitting the rotor.  This should be looked at as soon as possible.  Letting it go to the point of “grinding” could me hundreds more dollars for repairs.

Have your tires rotated every 10,000 miles.  This will help the wear and life of the tires and if there is a problem with any of them you’ll know about it.  Many people take their tires for granted not realizing their safety is “riding on them”.

Engine temperature lights or gauges – If it looks as if your car is overheating, DON’T keep driving it!  This can cause a blown head gasket or major engine damage, that will cost thousands of dollars to be repaired.  Pull over and let the car cool down before trying to drive it again.  If you are unsure call someone or a tow truck.

Clicking in the front end -  One of the main causes of a clicking in the front end while turning is a CV joint.  This applies to front wheel drive cars.  This CV joint is part of the axle that makes your wheels go.  Left unattended one of these joints can break leaving you stranded. 

Thumping in the front end while turning – This could be cause by several things, it should be looked at as soon as possible as it can become a safety issue as well.

Basic maintenance – Check your owners manual for basic car maintenance.  It tells what services should be done to your car in certain intervals, such as 30k, 60k, 90k, etc.

Safety isn’t all about how you drive; it’s also about taking care of what you drive.

Please feel free to leave a comment or discuss this further on our message board.