Perform these tasks to save money ... and energy in your home.
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Your Efficient, Comfortable, Safe Home
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Maybe you’ve purchased your first home because of the federal tax credit through the end of 2009. Or maybe low interest rates and a decline in housing prices helped you decide to take the plunge into homeownership. Whatever the reason, congratulations on owning your first home!
You may feel overwhelmed with the unpacking, decorating details, and fix-it-up chores facing you; it’s hard to know where to start. That’s where a blog from Trent Hamm at “The Simple Dollar” may help. Trent is an Iowan who simplified his lifestyle: quit his day job to write and work from home, dug his family out of debt in just several years, and now lives an extraordinarily rich and interesting life. He shares his common-sense outlook on life and money in his daily blog postings that have gained national attention.
One of his posts from 2008 offers a list of 18 Things a New Homeowner Should Do Immediately to Save Money. His suggestions include changing incandescent lightbulbs to CFLs and marking basement cracks with masking tape so you can monitor additional settling and have the cracks checked by an expert.
Many of his suggestions are those your electric cooperative also suggests as ways to save energy and money. You might consider printing off Trent’s list and attempting to complete a few of these soon. Many are inexpensive or even free to accomplish, while others can garner a tax credit if completed soon.
Learn more about Trent and "The Simple Dollar" in an interview article posted in Smart Choices in October 2007.