A recent post on the blog The Simple Dollar charted the author’s money saving moves over each of the 24 hours in a typical day. At midnight, for example, a programmable thermostat adjusts his home’s temperature, saving on cooling in the summer and heating in the winter. At 3 a.m., clothes hung out to dry the night before in a spare bedroom continue to dry in the cool night air, saving on the cost of running the dryer. At 5 p.m., a homemade dinner costs less than $1 per person.
You may not be drawn to all of his ideas (homemade laundry detergent, anyone?). However, I like the idea of thinking about the activities of a typical day to look for ways to spend money more effectively. Drive to work on your own each morning? How about carpooling with a neighbor who heads in the same direction every day? In the habit of hitting the vending machine each afternoon to ward off fatigue or stress? How about bringing a piece of fruit to work instead? Go to bed each night with lots of electric devices drawing energy? Unplug them before turning in or plug multiple devices into a power strip and turn it off when they’re not in use. Little money saving habits practiced on a regular basis will add up to lots of savings.
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