Your home is your castle. Your own little slice of domestic paradise. You’ve spent years getting the decor just right, displaying the right artwork and knick knacks that give your space character without it becoming cluttered. You’ve agonized over every single design choice and contemplated over every stick of furniture. And now, after all this time, you feel like Goldilocks, because everything is juuuust right! But (and we’re sorry to have to tell you this) your home has betrayed you! For all the love, care and attention that you’ve lavished on it, it’s leaking your hard earned money. And it has been for quite some time. But don’t worry, with a little insight and investment, all can be forgiven. It’s time to plug the gap in 2020 so you can take your household finances (and enjoyment of your home) to the next level this year.
Your Roof
It’s understandable that you might not have that much of an idea what’s going on with your roof. After all, how many of us really venture up there more than once every few years. But the longer you leave it unattended, the more chance there is that it’s leaking the money you spend on heating up into the sky. Take a moment to climb into your attic and look for damp patches after rain. Or evidence of rodent infestation like droppings or holes where it has been gnawed to make a nest. The cost of missing tiles or shingles and damaged insulation can really add up through the year. And if you feel it’s been getting colder inside as well as outside, your roof may be partly to blame.
Even if you live in a hot southern state, the wrong roof materials can trap you in a hot box and cause you to overspend on air conditioning. Check out this article on Tile vs. Shingle vs. Metal Roofs in Tampa: Which Is Best for You?. Changing your roofing materials is an investment that could pay off in a big way for years to come.
Your Refrigerator
You’re not the only one eating the food in your refrigerator. No kidding. Your refrigerator itself is also eating your food. Or at least, it will if you let it. How many times have you ventured into the fridge to be confronted with wilted, inedible veggies or sour dairy? When we forget to rotate the contents of the fridge, we can lose track of what’s in there. Not only does this mean wasted money, it also contributes to the 150,000 tons of food that goes to waste in the US every single day.
House Energy Vampires
We don’t want to alarm you, but you may have vampires living in your home. That’s right, vampires plural. They suck the energy out of your home while you sleep and drive up that energy bill little by little, year by year. You call these vampires your TV, your DVD player, your stereo and your coffee pot. Unplug them every night before going to bed. Leaving them on standby may consume almost as much energy as leaving them on permanently.
So, it’s not an exhaustive list… but it’s enough to get you thinking. Take a look around at what’s really going on with your home. You might just find that you can recover a good portion of what you’ve been losing without even knowing it.
