Window coverings are greatwhen they look nice but did you realize they can do more than look good? If you’re wanting to cut down on your heating and air conditioning bills one thing you can do is use your window coverings effectively. what I mean is make them work for you. Consider the material and thickness of your window coverings when choosing them. In the summer use a darker curtain or close the blinds completely to block the sunlight from coming in. We lowered the temperature of our home several degrees by doing this. In the winter leave your blinds or curtains open, so that the sunlight gets in and helps heat the house.

Times are tough. With the economy the way it’s been people are spending cautiously. I hear on the radio every week that unemployment rates in my state are on the rise. I know a lot of people that looked into mortgage refinancing, just to save any money they could. For those that don’t know, mortgage refinancing allows you to pay off one mortgage in order to create a new one, as well as combine two mortgages into one. Sometimes people combine other bills into their new mortgage, to cut down on monthly spending. The oddest thing I ever heard of someone adding in was a minivan. Have you ever refinanced a mortgage? Did it help you?

If I could go back in time and do things again one thing I would do is plan my housing. As a teenager and young adult I never dreamed that buying a home could be so expensive. Looking back, I should have spent differently when I was younger. I think people should consider buying land early. It can be left empty until you’re ready to build. You can build yourself over time. Or, you can get a manufactured home. Think ahead, it’ll save you monmey.

The end of the year is almost here. If you have a flexible spending account make sure you’ve used it up. Some things that may qualify that you might not have thought of include prescriptions and weight loss products including gym memberships and exercise equipment. I paid for an exercise bike through my health insurance this way many years ago. I don’t have one any more. If you were getting a product for home to help you get in shape what would it be?

I am a great believer in having life insurance. It can help protect your family, your home and your belongings. One of the ways I try to cut costs is to get quotes every year on services that I have, and that  includes getting updated life insurance rates. Not only is it good to check your rates, it’s also good to evaluate if you have enough coverage. It’s not a particularly fun thing to think about, but it’s an important one.