Smart ways to pay less for gas!!!!

Here are 8 great ways to save money on gas whether you cover a lot of ground for work or are gearing up for a fun summer road trip:

Tip #1: Buy discounted gas gift cards from various vendors at sites like PlasticJungle.com and GiftCards.com.

Tip #2: Buy gas in the morning or at night when it's cooler so less evaporates from your tank.

Tip #3: Don't idle for more than a minute because that wastes more gas than restarting the engine.

Tip #4: Fill up during the middle of the week because gas prices rise on Thursdays in anticipation of weekend travel.

Tip #5: Lighten your load--every extra 250 pounds of weight in your vehicle burns an extra mile per gallon of gas.

Tip #6: Download an app for your smart phone that makes it easy to find the cheapest gas prices like GasBuddy or CheapGas!

Tip #7: Ask a mechanic about the lowest octane gas recommended for your vehicle--the manual may recommend high octane even though it's not necessary.

Tip #8: Drive with your windows closed on the highway (to save as much as 10%) and open the windows and turn off the air conditioning in stop-and-go traffic.

These tips were inspired by energy expert, Chris Faulker, CEO Breitling Oil & Gas.

Summer time energy saving tips!!

These tips are designed to help you choose effective ways to reduce your energy bills. Some measures may not be relevant depending on climate, the age of your home and appliances, and past improvements made to your home.

The savings numbers are based on your total summer electric bill. Equipment mentioned must be electric powered for estimates to be accurate.

Also check out our What To Do Before It Gets TOO HOT! page.



FAST AND FREE

The average home spends about $1,900 a year on energy costs. But you can lower your energy bills and help save the environment at the same time!

Be a speedy chef


Nothing is more energy efficient for cooking than your microwave. It uses two-thirds less energy than your stove.

Push a button to wash your dishes


Surprise! Your dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. Then let dishes air-dry to save even more!

Fill up the fridge


Having lots of food in your fridge keeps it from warming up too fast when the door is open. So your fridge doesn't have to work as hard to stay cool.



Cutting back unnecessary energy use is an easy way to reduce energy consumption while saving money. Here are some additional suggestions you can do at home, at absolutely no cost to you.

Turn up your thermostat

Set your thermostat to 78 degrees when you are home and 85 degrees or off when you are away. Using ceiling or room fans allows you to set the thermostat higher because the air movement will cool the room. Always take into account health considerations and be sure to drink plenty of fluids in warm weather. (Save: 1 - 3 percent per degree, for each degree the thermostat is set above 72 degrees)

Use your appliances wisely

To help prevent electricity outages, avoid running your appliances during peak hours, -- from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. -- or anytime an electricity emergency is declared.

Do your laundry efficiently by using the warm or cold water setting for washing your clothes. Always use cold water to rinse clothes. (Save: 4 percent)

Line dry clothes whenever you can. (Save up to 5 percent)

When you need to use the dryer, run full loads, use the moisture-sensing setting, and clean the clothes dryer lint trap after each use. (save: 0.5 percent)

Conserve energy by running your dishwasher only when it is fully loaded, and turn off the dry cycle and air dry dishes instead. (save: 1 percent)
Operating swimming pool filters and cleaning sweeps efficiently

Reduce the operating time of your pool filter and automatic cleaning sweep to fourto five hours, and only during off-peak time. (Save: 1-2 percent per hour of reduction)
Eliminate wasted energy

Turn off appliances, lights and equipment when not in use. (Save: 2%)

Unplug electronic devices and chargers when they aren't in use-most new electronics use electricity even when switched "off." Turn computers and printers off at the power strip. (Save: 1-2 percent)

Unplug or recycle that spare refrigerator in the garage if you don't really need it. This will save you up to $150 per year! (Save: 10-20 percent)



INEXPENSIVE ENERGY SOLUTIONS

Make a quick trip to your local hardware store to purchase inexpensive energy-saving tools and equipment.

Replace air conditioner filters

Dirty filters restrict airflow and can cause the system to run longer, increasing energy use. Replace filters monthly for maximum benefit. (Save: 1-2 percent)

Plug your home's leaks

Weather-strip, seal, and caulk leaky doors and windows and install foam gaskets behind outlet covers. (Save: up to 2 percent)

Choose ENERGY STAR® products


Buy ENERGY STAR® certified table lamps and light fixtures, and replace your incandescent light bulbs that are used more than two hours per day with ENERGY STAR® compact fluorescent bulbs. For example, install compact fluorescent bulbs in your porch light if you leave it on overnight. (Savings: for each bulb you'll save 0.2 percent for each hour the bulb operates on a typical day. Therefore, replacing an incandescent bulb that burns 10 hours per day will save 2 percent)

Buy ENERGY STAR® certified torchieres. (Save: up to 1 percent for each hour/day that it's on)

Install an ENERGY STAR® programmable thermostat. (Save: 1-3 percent)




GOOD ENERGY SAVING INVESTMENTS

Planning to do some remodeling soon? Time to replace old appliances? Consider these energy efficiency suggestions when you make purchases.

Install a whole house fan

A whole house fan is permanently installed in your attic and draws cool air into your home through the windows while forcing hot air out through your attic vents. Use after sundown when the outside temperature drops below 80 degrees, and in the early morning to cool your house and help reduce your air conditioning use. (Save: up to 5 percent)

Install window shading

Install patio covers, awnings, and solar window screens to shade your home from the sun. For additional future savings, use strategically planted trees, shrubs and vines to shade your home. (Save: 5 percent)

Solar control window films applied to existing glass in windows and doors is an effective method to reduce peak demand during hot months and conserve energy anytime air conditioning might be required. In addition to the energy management benefits, the use of these films can also reduce exposure to ultraviolet radiation and reduce glare. Vist the International Window Film Association for more information. (save 5-10 percent)

Invest in a new air-conditioning unit

If your air conditioner is on the way out, buy an ENERGY STAR® air conditioner. (Save: up to 10 percent)

Seal your ducts

Leaking ductwork accounts for 25 percent of cooling costs in an average home, so have your ducts tested and have any leaks or restrictions repaired by a qualified contractor. Note: duct cleaning is not the same as duct sealing. As of October 1, 2005, if you install a new central air conditioner or furnace, your ducts will have to be inspected. (Save: 10 -20 percent)

Replace your refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR® model

Refrigerators with a top or bottom freezer design can save you an additional 2-3% on your bill compared to a side-by-side design. (Save: 10 percent)

Increase attic insulation

If existing insulation level is R-19 or less, consider insulating your attic to at least R-30. (Save: 10 percent)

Keeping your kids busy this summer on a budget!!

By: Mp Nursing

Summer is fun-filled. Summer is relaxing. Summer is…”I’m boooored”? Uh-oh, those dreaded words no parent ever wants to hear. So how do you keep the kids busy during summer vacation? How do you fill seven days a week with activities for the kids over summer vacation without overrunning your budget?

First of all, put the kids to work!
•They can run a lemonade stand. Lemonade stands teach finance, sales and customer service lessons!
•Planting a garden is something you can do together with either flowers or vegetables. Periodic watering and weeding reinforces responsibility.
•A sponge, soap and hose make the perfect car wash. This allows them to have fun on those hot summer days with the other kids on the block, while helping the neighborhood parents cross something off the honey-do list.
•Letting the kids paint the fence may seem like a bad idea (depending on their age), but not if they’re using a brush and bucket of water (or a hose). You might end up with a clean fence, and they’ll definitely have fun helping you out!
•There are always plenty of chores around the house: have them help clean out the garage, their rooms, the game closet…the list goes on. If you hide some goodies in the area to be cleaned, it can even become a treasure hunt.
Secondly, keep them thinking!

•The local library may have kid-centric reading programs planned for the summer. Whether or not they do, though, try to fill at least a good portion of one day a week with books. It’s important to keep them sharp for September.
•Nature walks will give them plenty of exercise, and kids always find cool stuff along the way. Let them collect interesting leaves, acorns or other natural flora, which you can help them learn more about on the internet.
•Museums and zoos offer great learning opportunities (as well as tons of energy-sapping exercise), and many offer ‘kids-are-free’ days. Identify your kids’ interests…do they like music? How about a tour of that local guitar manufacturer? Do they like airplanes? A trip to the airport will prove exciting for them! Be creative.
Lastly, let them have fun!

•Look around the house for things that would make a good obstacle course in the yard. Have the kids help design it, then turn them loose and let them compete!
•Summer means swimming. If you, the neighbors, family or friends don’t have a pool, check to see if local community pools are available. Or buy a Slip & Slide for the backyard and hook up the hose!
•Movies are a nice break from the heat, and during the summer lots of theatres run money-saving specials for the kids.
•Organized sports like baseball teach good sportsmanship and offer the kids tons of opportunities to make new friends. Local communities offer teams over some of the summer months.
Remember the main objective is to keep them busy and let them have fun. But also remember the side objective…to tire them out so they sleep as soundly as you long to! Rotate activity days with other parents so you can even steal a few hours of precious time for yourself.

What are your favorite inexpensive summer activities for kids?

Tips to organize your space

How did we get here?

A junk room almost always has an innocent, accidental beginning. One day guests are coming for dinner and, in a mad dash to clean up the apartment, a load or two of flotsam and jetsam gets piled in the extra room. Maybe there never seemed to be time to sort it, only add to it, and before you knew it, your once spare room is anything but. Now it is loaded with items you might need, but can’t imagine having the hours or energy to sort through. Welcome to Hoarders: Chapter 1. It’s time to get serious about organizing your space and taking the room back from the junk.

Give the junk an identity
Mark your calendar for a weekend or a day off, roll up your sleeves, turn on some great music, and enter your junk room. This time, it’s personal. Come equipped with several boxes or bags, and put the junk you find where it belongs. Put old mail and paperwork in a box or bin and carry it to your desk. Place piles of clothes in the hamper to wash or hang up, if they are still clean. Get your sports equipment or shoes into a closet where they belong.

Now, when every bit of your “junk” has been revealed as something useful or as garbage to be dealt with appropriately, clean the room as never before. Then, sit down in your former junk room with a snack and favorite beverage, or take a nap on the guest bed that was hiding under all that stuff.

This is your new room. Now that you have reclaimed this “extra” square footage of apartment living space, odds are good that you will never again relinquish it so easily.

Sort or suffer
Clutter is the bane of many existences. It saps our time and our enthusiasm. Everything is harder to find and accomplish in an apartment where too much stuff gets in the way. So, keeping your space organized isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about mental health, too. A clean home is, truly, a happy home.

Piles can be insidious. They crop up when you’re not looking and seem to grow over-night. The next day, a counter or table is covered, and you keep pushing the stuff aside to make room to live in…don’t let it get that far!

In order to keep a healthy balance in your apartment, you really must commit yourself to regular decluttering Otherwise, you will be tempted to carry piles of stuff back to what was once the junk room.

When the mail comes in, don’t stack it: sort it. Separate bills and important mail from junk mail immediately, and deal with each appropriately. When the coats and shoes come off, store them where they need to go. The greatest aid in keeping your living spaces livable is not to wait — deal with your belongings right away, every day.

Get organized
Even with the best of intentions, we may need some help staying clutter free. If your entryway is often a bottleneck of potential junk, install hooks, a hall tree or storage bins so that coats and shoes always have a place to go. If paper is your poison, place small bins on a table or counter with family members’ names on them so that everyone can sort his or her own mail and papers. And if toys or office items never seem to make their way back to their proper places, consider placing a basket or bin in the front area of your apartment so that you can easily ferry those things back where they need to go.

Okay, junk room, your days are numbered! Reclaim the space and make your apartment livable again by dealing with clutter before you have to hide it away in your valuable living areas.