How to cut living costs

Money saving options for college students

By Nora Strehl
Western Herald

Even though the best of this bitter winter is behind West Michigan, winter’s cold chill is not gone just yet.

Don’t expect utility bills to be shrinking anytime soon, either. As soon as those high heating bills are out of the way, the high air conditioning bills are set to replace them.
Add that to the inevitable return of soaring gas prices and dwindling discretionary funds, and students suddenly scramble to find a way to afford their summer plans.

Many households went into complete shock when opening their $500 monthly energy bills these past, several cold months.

With a colder than usual winter, thermostats took more effort than normal trying to reach that 70 degrees or above mark.  Not surprisingly, energy bills for some households have more than doubled.
In an article written by Bryan Wong, owner of alternative energy information, an average American household consumes between $1,500 and $2,000 annually on electric bills alone.

Bills in excess of $500 really add up, especially when there are other necessities that need to be paid for, such as rent, food, clothes and other costs.

People have been cutting back on things that normally would be an easy buy in order to accommodate for large energy and rental bills that are being paid on a monthly basis.
“I have spent $1,300 so far this year, and that is only for my Consumer’s bills,” said Christian Shaull, a sophomore at Western Michigan University.  “I have other things to buy, and I’ve had to resort to selling my plasma, when my paychecks just do not cover their cost.”

People can cut back on things like eating out, car repair, getting a hair cut or going to the doctor; in many of these cases, students find they can actually do some of these things by themselves, or with a little help from friends.

Instead of struggling to find a parking spot on campus, and paying a good amount of money for the permit, many students are now shuffling up and down Oliver Street on foot to get to class.
With warmer weather around the corner, expect to see an increase in the number of students riding bicycles as well.

Satisfying the munchies might take a little more ingenuity now, since going out to eat may not be as easy an option.  Students need to get back to the basics when it comes to satisfying their hunger.
“I don’t go out to eat a lot, anymore,” Kalamazoo resident Paul Riebe said.  “Instead of spending money on a meal and a tip at a restaurant, I can make a burger on my own grill and play Rock Band at the same time … for free!”

Another money saving tip is to reduce the amount of energy being used, especially with summer soon upon us.

Don’t crank the air conditioning down.

In fact, don’t even turn it on.  In the same way we get acclimated to air conditioning, we can get acclimated to high summer temperatures.

Save the air conditioning for those extreme days.  Another tip is to replace light bulbs with compact fluorescent lights, turning off lights and other electronics when leaving a room and insulating the
house. These are all ways to reduce energy consumption and cut costs.

According to an article written by Cocalico Plumbing and Heating, the Department of Energy calculates that heating and cooling account for nearly half the energy used in a typical home, that makes up for 56 percent of all utility costs.  The majority of that 56 percent may often times be  wasted, which in turn is wasting money.

Sitting in the living room at 60 degrees, with boots, a scarf, and mittens on, seems almost worth it.

With just a little effort, lowering costs is simple and is a fast growing trend everyone can support.

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Posted by HeraldAdmin on Mar 18 2009. Filed under Living Guide. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

Cody Kimball
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