How to Save Money on a Low Income in the Wintertime

1. Turn down your thermostat

All you have to do is turn down your temperature by one degree! One degree is small enough so you won’t notice the change in the heating in your home. It won’t feel drastic at all to you. However, it saves you a lot of money in the long run.

Statistically, it’s been proven that dropping the temperature at home by one degree can save you as much as $100 a year. And if you do happen to feel that change in your home when you drop the temperature by a degree, it’s simple enough to just start wearing warmer clothes.

2. Only heat up small amounts of food and water

If you are the only one at home, there’s no need to heat an entire kettle of water. Just heat up the quantity you need. The same goes for food. Just heat up what you need, not the entire pot.

More water or food needs more energy to heat up. It doesn’t make sense to heat up an entire container of anything if all you need is a little bit.

3. Seek out warm areas of your home

The temperature in your home is not the same from room to room. Some spots are warmer than others. Naturally, the basement is the coldest spot.

If you work from home, for example, make sure you are working in the warmest spot. If you choose to work in the basement, you’ll be tempted to turn up the heat in your home to accommodate the cold temperature in the basement.

Working in a warmer room will help you save money because it stops you from turning up the heat.

4. Insulate your home with curtains

Make sure you have curtains on your windows, it will prevent heat from escaping.

5. Open and close your curtains

In the morning, open your curtains, shades, and blinds but leave the windows closed. This will let the heat of the morning sun into your home. With climate change, it’s even warmer than it used to be so take advantage of that in the winter.

As soon as you see the sun dying down during the day, that’s when you shut the curtains, shades, and blinds so they can do their job by providing that extra layer of insulation and keeping the heat indoors.

6. Turn off the heat when you leave

If there’s no one home, turn off the heat. Why are you heating up your home if it’s empty? When you come home, keep on your jacket till the house heats back up.

7. Use the television for lighting

A colleague once gave me this tip. He told me he never left his lights on and he used his television as his source of light. Whenever I’m in the living room, I use my television for lights.

Having all your lights on all the time consumes a lot more energy. How about during Christmas? Just leave your tree on and use that as your source of lighting. It will save you a lot of money on energy bills to turn off more lights.

8. Save on fuel

Limit the times you use your car to save money on fuel costs. Plan ahead and make one shopping trip to purchase everything you need.

How to save money on a low income

These are tiny little changes you can make to save money on a low income. You can’t see these changes with your naked eye since they are so small, but you’ll see the benefits in the long run.

These tiny changes all add up to save you a lot of money. I don’t like to spend my hard-earned money in silly ways, that’s why I use these tips in my own home because I want to know where my money is going.

Let me know in the comments if you think these tips are good ways to save money on a tight budget or if you have other tips that can help others.