Four Unexpected Things Around Your Home That Are Costing You Money
When it comes to unexpected expenses around your home, chances are you think of leaving the light on in the kitchen when you’re not there or energy-draining appliances that are plugged in 24/7. But it’s not just your electrical waste that can kick your energy bills up a notch.
To help you save some extra cash throughout the year, consider the four following factors around your house that could be costing you more than you think.
Not Making The Most of Your Storage Space
If you have limited storage space around your home — we’re talking garages, attics, basements, and storage sheds — then you have two options: throw away stuff you don’t have room for or let it pile up around your home like a hoarder. If your garage is full to bursting with ATVs, boxes of holiday decorations, old lamps, comic books, and more, you’re not using your storage space wisely. When you’re forced to get rid of those extra vehicles, collectibles, lawn tools, or power tools while they still have value, then you could actually be wasting money.
At any given time, there is about 2.3 billion square feet of “ready-to-rent” storage space available, and the average 10×20 foot storage unit costs just $100 a month. Whether you use a self-storage unit or maximize your garage space, use your storage space wisely.
Not using the right yard equipment
Every homeowner loves to have a healthy, green lawn. But you could actually be overspending on grass seed and other landscaping materials to fix the problems you might be creating yourself using the wrong yard equipment./p>
For instance, overwatered yards are more likely to grow weeds and need more fertilizer applications than other yards. That’s more money you’re unnecessarily spending on fertilizer and weed killers.
Make sure that you’re using the right yard equipment (your soaker hose ought to be no more than 100 feet long) and that you’re using the proper techniques to take care of your lawn.
Not updating your windows
If your home is new construction, odds are your windows are in great shape and are designed with energy efficiency in mind. But an older home’s windows may not be as energy-efficient as you’d like them to be.
In fact, older windows can actually let heated or cooled air escape from your home, increasing your home’s energy usage and shortening the lifespan of your HVAC system. If replacing your home’s windows isn’t in your budget right now, tinting can be just as effective. Professionally tinting your home’s windows can actually save you 40% on your home’s utility bill.
Not using a smooth pavement on your driveway
It can be a pain in the neck to have your driveway re-paved, which is why it’s important that you do it right the first time. But some homeowners can make the mistake of choosing the wrong pavement material, paving their driveway too fast, or hiring the wrong contractors for the job.
A botched paving job or the wrong paving material can cause your driveway to need repairs and re-paving sooner rather than later, which adds unnecessary costs to your home maintenance. Smoother pavements can result in longer pavement life by 10% to 25%, which means lower maintenance costs. By choosing the right materials and the right contractors for the job, you can save yourself the additional costs of needing to re-pave your driveway in half the time.
Unexpected costs can come from many places, but sometimes the call is coming from inside the house. By following the tips we talked about above, you can reduce your energy bills and storage costs year-round and keep your money in your wallet where it belongs.
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