Having an air conditioner can significantly increase your utility costs during the summer. Gone are the days of opening windows and putting up with the heat. Homes are usually built with central air incorporated unless you are fortunate enough to live in a cool and dry climate year round. If you want to save some money and still enjoy your air conditioner, here are some ideas.
Window Mounted Units
Contrary to popular opinion, bigger is not always better when it comes to air conditioning. Figure out the square footage of the room before you purchase, but take into consideration higher than normal ceilings and the amount of sunlight that enters from windows. A larger unit takes more energy to power.
If you have a fan in the room, use it even when the air conditioner is on. The fan helps circulate air in the room, cooling it more efficiently. Additionally, moving air feels cooler than still air, so you can get away with a higher temperature and still feel comfortable.
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Are you in debt but have never thought about paying it off faster by reducing your debt obligations? You should…
I am still on the edge about whether or not to do balance transfers. I have three credit card that have a total balance of $2037.84. I am wanting to it off completely within 6-8 months. My annual APR’S are 20.24%, 10.25%, and 22.90%.
I have no doubt that I will be able to pay off within 8 months and I always pay my cards on time.
I just can’t figure out how much I would pay for the transfer fee (whether it was 3% or 5%) and how much I would actually save with 0% interest on balance transfers.
Though the precise calculation needs a fair bit of specifics that aren’t provided here, we can make some assumptions and still make this exercise worth while. We will assume that the total balance is spread out on the three cards and therefore having an annual APR of 17.80% with a rough monthly interest rate of 1.48% (I know this isn’t technically correct, but this is adequate for making the point). We will further assume that Danielle, the reader, is going to pay an equal amount for 8 straight months to pay off the entire balance.
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While reviewing Sallie Mae Bank’s online savings account, I realized how little the actual company behind the web interface mattered to me. I know, I know, the importance of choosing the place to store the majority of my liquid savings is critical. But when every company’s offering is just done through “software”, which for the most part, is the same, what other features could tip the scale?
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There’s a traditional approach to getting rid of student loans: you pay them off. Depending on the type of degree you got, that can mean a sizable chunk of your income going to student loans for years to come. Repayment isn’t the only way to eliminate student loans, however. There are other options that offer alternatives. Each program offers different options in terms of how much of your loans it will pay back, and repayment from certain programs is only available for specific types of loans. Here are a few others ways you can eliminate that debt.
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Sometimes, as personal finance writers, we get carried away with the idea that everything needs to be saved, saved, saved. All the time. But personal finance isn’t just about building up emergency funds and maxing out retirement plan contributions. It should also be about learning to enjoy life a little bit right now. It’s nice to think that you will be able to amass huge amounts of wealth and then just retire and do whatever you want. But what happens if you are 50 or 60 or whatever, and no longer in prime condition to enjoy the fruits of your years of labor?
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I knew baby Sara was smart, but when she started teaching me personal finance concepts…
Many of the kids and money articles discuss how we can teach our children money matters, but let’s turn the table this time. Since baby Sara’s birth a week ago, she already reminded me of many principles that you and I can both benefit from. Here they are.
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Sorry for such a quick note the other day, but it’s been pretty busy times lately. Many wondered, and many more asked about them, so here are baby Sara’s pictures! Say Cheese!
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They turn up in the mailbox every month, demanding your attention and your money. If you want to save money on bills you need to approach the problem in two ways. The first thing is to cut services you don’t need and the second is to find ways to get the things you need, cheaply.
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A few weeks ago, I started asking readers to submit their money questions in case they wanted a second opinion on their dilemma. If you have a question you would like answered, you can just contact me.
My name is Ken and I am turning 23, single. This year, I felt that I had to diversify my investments. I plan (and have already started) to diversify my finances to many types of savings/investments such as savings, time deposits, stocks, mutual funds, UITF, forex, etc., as well as a personal savings and emergency fund. Although I’m not planning to retire yet, I plan to invest in long-term, 1-5 years investment products. Do you think this is a good idea, considering that I’m completely debt free? Or do you think I have gone overboard in my investment strategy?
Investing is always a good idea, especially for someone with no debt. From the terms you use to describe your investments (time deposits instead of CDs, and UITF, a mutual fund like investment available in the Philippines), I assume you are foreign. The good news is that investment strategies are more to do with you instead of where you are currently living.
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Vacations provide an escape from reality. They give us the opportunity to step outside our daily routine and relax in a new environment. One week a year we book the fanciest hotel, go to the big name restaurants, and splurge on the ultimate activities. Then, in 2009, came the staycation. With everyone watching their budgets, these luxury vacations fell by the wayside. Holidays were spent in the back yard or at the neighborhood pool. No more cruises, no more resorts.
Most people think of vacations as “all or nothing”, but there is a middle ground. A vacation does not have to be expensive. Like many other things in life, a vacation can be done on a budget, and the experience can be more valuable because of it. Though this strategy involves changing the way you think about travel, reconsidering your vacation options can open doors to new places, new adventures, and reduce your budget too. Here are some tips to help you along the way.
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