Find Average Utility Bill Costs with the WhiteFence Index

Recently, we've had a few discussions on this blog about monthly spending as well as the average cost of utilities during the summer. Naturally, utility costs and rising prices are always a concern for people, especially during an economic climate such as this one. It always helps to save money wherever we can, and the easiest place to start is our home services like electricity, high-speed Internet, etc.

Another resource that can prove useful if you're trying to get a sense of how your average utility costs rank is to use the WhiteFence Index. This tool allows you to look at top cities, by utility or service, to see what the average costs are for that area. It's actually pretty helpful, and looking at it right now I can see that I'm paying a little more than average for my home phone/TV/Internet package.

So, where do your bills fall? To find out more, visit the WhiteFence Index.

Taking Stock of Your Monthly Spending

In dealing with most things in my life, I wouldn't generally consider myself an apathetic person. In fact, I'm fairly on the ball when it comes to taking care of my responsibilities at home, or to my friends. But for some reason, when it comes to money matters, I sometimes adopt a lazy attitude about my finances and how I can be saving more money.

I don't mean being a budget hawk or anything like that, where I'm counting every cent (oh those good ol' college days), but being conscious of where my money is going and where it is being wasted. Really, sometimes money just seems to disappear like picnic baskets in Jellystone Park. Minus the bears, of course.

As an example, my wife and I recently noted two areas where we could tidy up our monthly spending. The first was home phone. While having a home phone line can be useful for a variety of reasons (such as home security), we decided recently that we just weren't using it that often and might consider changing our plan. Likewise, our electricity contract just went up last month, so it's time to start looking around for a new rate. Guess which one of those we've done. Neither. I'm not really sure why that is, but I guess it's just easier to retain the status quo than it is to actively search for better deals.

So, here are some easy, non time-consuming things to help take a quick stock of your monthly spending:

The Cost of Utilities in the Summer

I'm not sure where all of this blog's readers live, but here in Texas, we are slowly beginning to warm up. Soon, the weather here will transform from something fun and sunny to hot and death-inducing. This will happen seemingly overnight, and us Texans will be very upset about the heat as well as the stifling humidity. This will last until about November, where we will then be shocked by the fact that the Earth can in fact cool down a bit. Rinse and repeat for next year.

As things heat up, so will our home energy costs. Last week, we did a post talking about saving money with windows, and how they can be the biggest energy holes in your entire home.There are other factors that go into your monthly utility bills, such as weather sealing on doors, insulation, electricity/gas, etc. Each of these will affect your final monthly payment either positively or negatively, resulting in what you spend.

Since my post about windows and saving money, I've been wondering about what the summer energy bills are going to look like for my home. While things have been relatively tame during the winter, my wife and I have yet to experience a summer in this home, and I'm starting to wonder what kind of money we're going to have to pay to keep things from getting too hot inside.

So, it made me wonder what all of you pay each month for your summer energy bills. Feel free to answer the poll and discuss in the comments! If you live in a deregulated state for electricity, this might be the time to switch and potentially save before the summer. See if WhiteFence can help.

Planning a Cheap Summer Vacation

If there's one thing that Spring Break exists for, it's getting people fired up for summer in a major way. People start ramping up their plans for the May through August months, ready to set out on trips across the country and beyond. When I was growing up, my mom would always take my brother and I on camping trips, which I loathed at the time but kind of miss now.

Anyway, summer vacations, while fun, can tend to be expensive. Unless you live somewhere gorgeous and plan on taking a stay-cation (please don't tell us who you are, for the rest of us will hiss), traveling costs money, especially if you're bringing a family along. Recently, Trent over at the Simple Dollar posted some tips about keeping the summer vacation costs low. While there's nothing super specific in terms of "the perfect equation to save you x dollars this summer", he offers some good general guidelines about saving money when planning a trip.

I think one of the most helpful tips that he offers are about announcing your plans to your social network prior to your trip. You never know who might let you know that they have a place for you to stay, or perhaps even discounted tickets or coupons to something that you want to go do. Who knows, you could even get a free meal out of it as well. In addition, he also points out to be resourceful. If you're going camping, don't just buy firewood - collect it yourself. Fill up a thermos at water fountains if you're at an amusement park, etc.

For anyone that's currently in the middle of planning their next big trip, it's certainly a must-read. So, who's already made their plans for the summer?

Source- Simple Dollar

Windows, Energy Efficiency and Saving Money

We've talked a great deal on this blog about energy efficiency, how to save money on your energy bills and how to save money in general. There are many ways that you can go about cutting your monthly costs, from switching providers to being conscious of your energy habits. However, one of the biggest energy holes in your home happens to be your windows.

Right now my wife and I have single pane aluminum windows in our home, which are some of the worst barriers in terms of energy efficiency. Sitting on our couch watching TV over the winter, we could feel the drafty cold air pouring in on our backs. Apparently, houses lose as much as 30% of their energy through the windows, and replacing them can save about 25-30% in energy costs per year. Over time, that turns into quite a bit of savings.

Unfortunately, windows don't come cheap, especially if you live in a house with quite a few of them. As a result, trying to make the right decision about the types of windows you need can be overwhelming. My wife and I listened to a two hour spiel from a window salesman last night, so we know this first hand. Here are some factors to consider when replacing your windows...

Remember, Taxes Are Due Tomorrow

I just wanted to take a second to remind everyone that federal taxes are due tomorrow. If you’re one of the millions of procrastinators this year (like me) you have only a precious few hours left to get everything squared away and sent off, so get to work!

Usually I’m one of those Ned Flanders-style nerds that file their taxes the day they get their last W2 in the mail, but this year a combination of added complications and an ever busier schedule had me dropping my return in the mailbox just last night. Wait a minute. Did a blogger just say they mailed in their tax return?

You see, one of the main reasons I waited so long was that this year I had to actually send in a physical return. Printing and signing your return and sending it in with actual W2s? How Quaint! It actually ended up with a mad dash last night to find an envelope (finally found a single envelope hiding in an unlikely closet) and stamps. Nothing really drives home how much the Internet has changed our lives than turning your kitchen upside down hunting for stamps.

So why did I have to go old-school with my return this year? Last year my wife and I bought our first home (also known as a time vampire) and we’re eligible for the First-Time Homebuyer Credit. To claim our credit we had to send in a printed copy of our return along with a copy of our final settlement statement, something I was not expecting. Fair warning fellow procrastinating first time homebuyers: you’re going to have to print out your return this year and find some proof to send along. No e-filing for you this year!

Are you stressed about tax time, or are you one of those overachievers like Eddy, kicking back and already enjoying the fruits of your return? Let us know in the comments!

Poll: Do You Have Home Security?

Recently, there have been a few occurrences near my neighborhood that have started to make me wonder about home security. I have never lived in a home with that service, though my house does still have the old sticker on it from the previous homeowner. For some reason, my brain tells me that's just as good of a deterrent to would-be wrongdoers, when in reality, it probably isn't.

Really, when I think about it, my only memorable experience with home security is when I was living with a family in Austin during a Summer internship. My first day on the job, I got off work early and returned to the house. While the family had given me a key, they forgot to tell me what the security code was. I came in and tripped the alarm, hoping that I could get the alarm turned off before the cops showed up and found a young vagrant like myself standing in a stranger's home. Luckily, the owner of the house showed up within moments and saved the day.

I'm sure that's not how most people experience home security, but that's the only encounter I've had with it. Lately, my wife and I have been considering it for our relatively new home, just to ensure that we and our belongings are safe.

What about all of you? Do any of you have home security? Do you see a need for it? Tell us in the comments.

Don't get Fooled on Your Next Bill

Whether it is April Fool’s Day or not, no one like to get fooled when they open their monthly bills. Nothing can ruin my day more than when I open up a statement to find hidden fees, extra charges or that the interest rate on my credit card has gone up.

Here are a few things you can do to keep your monthly bills right on track:

• Read Your Mail – It is very important that you read all correspondence from your credit card companies, utility company, phone provider, Internet service provider, etc. I normally ignore that mail because I think they are trying to up sell me on services. Not so when I missed my electric company’s note that my contract had expired and they were changing me to a new plan that had a higher rate. That cost me a pretty penny until I changed plans. So very important to read your mail.


• Make a Call – Don’t be afraid to call your credit card company or service provider and talk to them about your higher interest rate or that extra service charge you see has popped up on your bill. My credit card company upped my interest rate one day and I simply called, explained I had been a loyal client for a few years and if they could lower it back to what it was. We reached a middle ground and they met me half way.


• Don’t be Late – This is so important I can’t stress it enough. Never pay your bills late! Doing so can get all kinds of late fees added to your account. Credit cards sometimes have clauses that if you’re late then they can raise your interest rate. So do what you can to pay early: mail it early, pay online or even in person.


• Keep Track of Automatic Debits – If you have something automatically charging to a credit card, then keep all those in mind. I had forgotten that I had my gym membership directly charged to my VISA. Well I closed that VISA card out and that caused my gym membership payment to not go through. Next thing I know I got a late balance on my gym and late fees. Also make sure that your card is not getting close to the limit and the automatic payments might push you over. You don’t want to get slapped with an over the limit fee. Been there, done that and OMG the money it cost me was insane.

WhiteFence Provider Highlight: AT&T;

Recently, we started a new series of articles on this blog that highlight different providers on our site, to help you find out more information that you might not have known before. As consumers, it's always in our best interest to be more informed about our choices because you never know, you might come across something that tips the scales.

For the newest edition of our provider highlights, we're going to be focusing on AT&T.; Here are some cool features you may or may not know about the communications provider, particularly its U-verse offerings.

• U-verse remote DVR access - While many people may have heard of U-verse, AT&T;'s great TV service, they may not know about the way you can interface with the DVR in places other than the home. Not only can you look at your DVR selections through your Web browser, you can also view it on the go with your iPhone. Anybody else that is a TV nut knows the pain of being out and suddenly realizing that a favorite show is about to come on. With the U-verse app, you no longer have that worry.


• Total Home DVR - The great thing about this feature is that it allows you to watch a DVR recording from any other connected TV in your home. That way, different people in your household can all watch what they want, when they want. Hopefully it doesn't end up in an old west showdown.


• NFL Redzone - What's better than going to a sports bar to see all the football games you want at once? Being able to do it from your own home. NFL Redzone is a great channel for football fans, because it lets you see the best parts of any game as it's happening. The channel switches between games that are in their most exciting field positions, so you can see the touchdowns as they happen. I'm going to be honest, I kind of fell in love with this one during the season.

These promotions are running as of the date of this blog, but could be removed at any time. To find out more about AT&T; in your area, be sure to visit WhiteFence. More provider highlights are coming in the future. If you've got any you would like to know more about, let us know!

Conserving Water with Faucet Aerators

One of the things that I might be the worst in the world at is saving water. I am pretty conscious of how I deal with trash and recycling, and even more so when it comes to trying to save energy with electricity. But for some reason, I turn into a complete imbecile when in contact with running water. I'm the classic case of "guy who leaves water running while brushing teeth" and "guy who browses the Internet while the shower is warming up". OK, that second one isn't actually a typical person, but that's how I roll.

If you're looking for a way to cut water usage by as much as 50%, a cheap and easy way to do so is through the use of faucet or shower aerators. An aerator adds air to the water flow from these devices, rather than just using a full stream. This cuts down drastically on your water use, and can even save you money on your monthly bill.

To tell if you need one, you should check your faucet. The aerator is located on the tip of the faucet, and can be unscrewed easily. The flow of the water should be written on the side. If it is labeled as 2.2 gallons per minute or more, you might want to consider pulling a switch. If you need some help with how to go about doing this, the guys at Microsoft Hohm have released another entry in their video series with a helpful guide. Check it out!

Have any of you tried switching aerators to save money? Tell us in the comments!

Additional Source- Titusville