{"id":4389,"date":"2020-02-07T10:24:23","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T17:24:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/?p=4389"},"modified":"2020-02-07T10:24:24","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T17:24:24","slug":"5-easy-ways-to-save-big-on-monthly-home-expenses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/5-easy-ways-to-save-big-on-monthly-home-expenses","title":{"rendered":"5 Easy Ways to Save Big on Monthly Home Expenses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Having a home comes with a lot of advantages, especially for the modern family. You don\u2019t have to deal with unhappy first floor tenants when your 3-year-old is running around upstairs, there\u2019s no aggravating landlord popping up unannounced and your family has more than enough freedom to truly make it feel like home.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there\u2019s also a lot of upkeep and all-around oversight that you have to take into account. From utility bills, monthly mortgage payments or even grocery costs, home expenses pile up quickly. If you\u2019re looking for some easy ways to gain quick relief, test out some of these tricks to get your family\u2019s finances in the green. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Consolidate Other Debt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oftentimes, debt can cripple our abilities to budget effectively. Other debt may be taking away from extra money to put toward your monthly home expenses. Instead of struggling to make ends meet, consider accessing the value that your home has accrued<\/a> over time and start living comfortably.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The perfect time to utilize this option is when resale values for homes in your area are rising. If you have lived in your home for more than five years and have made each of your payments in the sufficient amount on time, you\u2019ve likely built enough equity in your home to cash in on it. You can then use this money to pay down other loans like credit cards, education or medical debt.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you haven\u2019t built up enough equity in your home to meet your goals, a personal loan is another option. Some personal loans will have much lower interest rates, especially when compared to medical debt, so you can pay off other loans with hefty fees to save money in the long run. No matter how you choose, paying down what you owe to loosen up your finances is a sure-fire way to save some money on your monthly home expenses.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Get a Smart Thermostat<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You wouldn\u2019t put straight cash through a paper shredder, would you? That\u2019s essentially the idea behind heating or cooling your home with a traditional HVAC system. It\u2019s time to bring your home into the new decade with smart technology that will save you a heap on your monthly utility bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By installing a smart thermostat<\/a>, you\u2019re capable of heating\/cooling rooms that are used more frequently than others without squandering energy on other areas of the home that aren\u2019t entered often. Or, choose specific times for heating\/cooling so you\u2019re not wasting money on an empty room.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Hire A Local for Yard Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s convenient to have your yard work done with a call to your community landscaping service, and while it may seem like that\u2019s the only option, there\u2019s plenty of labor to go around. From yard work to snow plowing, the obligations change with the season. Luckily, Johnny who lives down the street is taking on some extra odd jobs in his free time to help save for college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out sites like Care.com for up-to-date information on what\u2019s available in your neighborhood. There also may be local charities with discounted offerings for services like yard work. Or, put an ad out on Craigslist to see what you get back. A simple Google search will open the door for all kinds of opportunities that will give your bank account a break. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Use a Budgeting App to Track Spending<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budgeting is no simple task and constantly monitoring your finances can lead to an unhealthy, slightly obsessive relationship with money management. Instead, download one of the many budgeting apps<\/a> on your smartphone to do the heavy lifting for you.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Budgeting apps are useful in several ways. They track your spending habits so you can assess where you could cut back, present you with recommendations on where you can invest your money safely and can even set money aside on a weekly basis to help you build a sturdy rainy day fund. Monitor monthly expenditures like grocery or gas costs so you can plan ahead and be ready when mortgage payments or utility bills are due.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether you\u2019re saving for an exciting family getaway or simply stockpiling to ensure your financial health stays in tip-top shape, utilizing an app is the perfect opportunity to save some serious dough. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Bundle Your Subscriptions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last, but certainly not least, are your recurring subscription fees. It\u2019s easy to forget about how many services you\u2019re paying for when you set them to automatic payments. Instead of turning a blind eye, take a closer look at each of those services to see if they qualify for substantial savings.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, Disney+ is currently offering<\/a> a bundle with both Hulu and ESPN+. So if you\u2019re paying for either of those right now separately, it may be cheaper and more convenient to combine them in the bundle.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, keep an eye out for family plans. On Spotify, the family plan consists of 6 different individual accounts for one monthly fee.. Therefore, instead of paying for each account at a whopping $9.99 per family member, check out the family plan for a mere $14.99.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you minimize your monthly expenses? Share your insider tips here!
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Having a home comes with a lot of advantages, especially for the modern family. You don\u2019t have to deal with unhappy first floor tenants when your 3-year-old is running around upstairs, there\u2019s no aggravating landlord popping up unannounced and your family has more than enough freedom to truly make it feel like home.\u00a0 However, there\u2019s … Continue reading 5 Easy Ways to Save Big on Monthly Home Expenses<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[419],"tags":[847,700,212,2682],"yst_prominent_words":[2677,2679,2671,2681,1139,2678,546,2672,2675,1055,1582,2674,2669,2673,2680,981,2676,1111,1208,2670],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4389"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4391,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4389\/revisions\/4391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4389"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.realtyexecutives.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=4389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}