When i saw my 1st winter electric bill and i had to ask for help to pay it  ... i said , whoa hold the light switch ! I'm not gonna be doing this anymore! I set about learning as much as i could throught the internet, calling the power company and talking to electricians.
The amazing thing that i learned that seems to boggle everyone's mind is that
1. when you turn off your baseboard heaters at the termostate... they don't go off! They aren't even designed to go off. The suck power 365 days a year, 7 days a week every second that they are on and the ONLY way to stop it is to turn them off at the breaker!
OK...i did flip the breaker switch to off, this saved me in my 2 bedroom, 910 square foot apt $60.00 a month! How? I purchased a portable space heater and heated ONLY the space i was using. I closed off the back room which always feels like it has no insulation or even a window in it... summer or winter.  2. Did u know your electric range also uses power 24/7/ 360 ?
Flip the breaker! How many times do u use that clock on it anyway!
This saved me about $3.00 a month.
3. Your dishwasher even when not in use is costing you money! Yep... flip the breaker!
This saved me about $2.33 a month
4. I had an extra dorm fridge for sodas etc. I cleaned it out and sold it! Cha Ching cash in my pocket!
That saved me about $6.00 a month, cos it was older.
5. that heat lamp in your bathroom that you flip on to warm up the bathroom before you take shower... well that costs you way more than you think and if you have more than one person in you home multiply the cost by the number of people. I like a really warm bathroom to shower in so i think this was costing me about $8. to $10.00 a month. Yep, i stopped using it!
Solution... take the space heater into the bathroom for about 10 minutes before you go in to take a shower.
6. Whenever running water waiting for the hot water , catch it in containers and use it for watering plants, flushing the tolite and watering the pets.
7. I closed off my bedroom and slept on the couch for 3 months. The couch is more comfortable and warmer than the bed i found out.  8. Change ALL old light bulbs out for the new spiral Maxlites. You'll save big bucks here as well.
9. Don't leave lights on anywhere in the residence where people are not using the light.
10. Decide when your favorite programs are on TV and keep the TV off when your not watching it.
BTW my Tv blew up this winter as well from a power surge and i do mean it blew up, sparks, cracklling, flash like lightening in the screen, smoke. So for the winter i used a 10" tv that i already owned. Use what you have and reduce spending cos things may get worse!
So i stopped heating 2 rooms, conserved on water usage, I limited TV on time, conserved electricity, reduced my comfort by a little but not too much.
My last electric bill was $28.34 for a month !
My highest winter bill after the initial shocker was $41.59.
Don't let the power companies own you, learn what to do and do it!
Other things i've done is sell my old vehicle and i take public transportation. This cancelled out my car insurance, my need for gasoline, car repairs, tires, oil, etc. Once in a while i take a taxi or i catch a ride with friends and give them a couple of $ for gas.
I stopped smoking, it's about $5.00 a pack here where i live. That was about $25 to $30.00 a month savings, as i was a lite smoker.
Now i have some jingle in my pocket and most of my friends living on limited incomes ( that refuse to conserve) can't afford to do anything not even go out to a restraunt.
We can make a difference and still live comfortably when we learn less really is more in many cases.
Enjoy life for less!
Ms K.S.Hart
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