9 Smart Ways to Save Money This Winter

Winter is an expensive time of year. Utility bills rise and, of course, there is Christmas to fund! If you are worried about how you are going to be able to afford the next few months, here are some savvy ways to save some money.

Install LED Bulbs in Your Home

You’re going to be turning your lights on a lot earlier during the winter months. Next time your normal light bulbs fail, you should replace them with LED bulbs rather than normal incandescent bulbs or CFLs. While LEDs may be more expensive to purchase, you will quickly make your money back, and more, as they use only 20 per cent of the energy of normal light bulbs.

Seal Your Windows and Close Your Curtains

Two simple suggestions that can go a very long way. It is well known that cold air comes in through windows and heat easily escapes here too. This is why you should close your curtains and seal your windows. This will create a barrier so that you can keep your home warm.

Make Gifts

If there is one thing that makes the winter period very expensive, it’s Christmas! But you don’t need to spend a fortune during the festive time. Why not make gifts instead? Not only will this save you some money, but also your friends and family members are bound to appreciate the effort you have gone to in making them a personalized gift from the heart.

Don’t Use Your Exhaust Fans

Do you turn on the exhaust fan when you take a shower? If so, you’d be better off simply leaving the bathroom door open. This is because exhaust fans blow the warm air inside your property outside, which drops the temperature inside your home because that air is replaced with cooler air. If that was not bad enough, in most cases, exhaust fans blow out moist air, which does an even better job of holding the temperature.

Shop Savvy

There are numerous sales periods before Christmas. Not only do you have Black Friday, but also there are a lot of stores that begin their sales on Christmas Eve. If you’re able to leave some of your shopping until the last minute, do it!

Heat Your House More Efficiently

There are a number of ways you can save money by heating your home more efficiently. One option is to use central heat instead of space heater systems. If you spend most of your day in one part of the house, for example, if you work from home and sit at your desk most of the day, a space heater may be tempting. This is because they are designed to heat a small space. Nonetheless, while this may seem like a sensible choice, you could be wasting a lot of money, especially if you are using more than one.

Set Ceiling Fans to Run Counterclockwise

This may seem like a counterintuitive approach. However, this can make a room feel warmer. This is because warm air rises in a still room, collecting near the ceiling. This is significant, as there can be as much as a ten degree difference between the floor and the ceiling, which means your feet always get cold first, which makes you tempted to turn the heating on. Therefore, by running your ceiling fans in a clockwise direction on a slow speed, you will pull air upwards to the middle of the room without using much energy. This then has the impact of pushing the warm air at the top of the room to the sides and down the wall. This results in a gentle airflow, which makes the room a lot more comfortable.

Bulk Buy

If you are planning on having a lot of guests around at Christmas, make sure you take advantage of the discounts that are available by purchasing groceries in bulk.

Use Secondhand Decorations

They always say that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. That is most certainly the case when it comes to secondhand decorations. Every year, people are throwing away decorations they no longer want. Why purchase brand new festive adornments when they are only going to be on display for a couple of weeks? Plus, no one is going to know that yours are secondhand anyway!

As you can see, there are a number of ways you can save money throughout winter. A few small changes can certainly go a long way, enabling you to put some money into your savings account or fund this year’s Christmas presents.