Small Tweaks for Big Savings: A Guide to Lowering Monthly Expenses

It is not an illusion, for the last few years, monthly bills have been rising. Oil and gas are up (and down and up and down). Electricity is in the news all the time. Rates have continued to rise. From Central Maine Power’s own charts, Electricity Distribution/Other rates increased 18.26% from 2012 – 2021. Transmission rates increased 119.40% in that same time (that is not a typo!). In 2024, CMP customer’s bills went up “about” 8% according to Maine Public Radio. CMP says this is due to outages caused by major storms in recent years.

Most of us have cable, streaming and/or internet monthly bills, auto/home/renter’s insurance, and phone plans. So, what can we do? How can we save more and spend less, but still get through the month? Most of us know the basics: use power strips, energy efficient appliances and light bulbs, and lower the thermostat. Here are a few other ideas!

  • Beware of “Vampire Devices”

    • These are devices or appliances that do not need to be plugged in all the time. They are still drawing power, even if they are not turned on. Examples of these are coffee makers, electric kettles, cable boxes, gaming consoles, charging cords, toasters, TVs, computers and countertop air fryers. The list goes on and on.

    • If it isn’t something that has a clock on it (so you can see the time), unplug it.

    • Another option is to add a power strip to the area. Plug your TV, cable, streaming and charging cords into it. When not using these, turn the power strip off.

      • This may seem insignificant but add up all of the unnecessary appliances and it can make a real difference.

      • My husband rarely charges his phone at home, it is always plugged in, in the car or to his camping solar charger, one less phone to charge can be effective!

  • Laundry, laundry, laundry.

    • If you have kids or are active, you probably spend a lot of time washing clothes. If you don’t, you still do laundry! Make sure that your loads of laundry are full loads, this will minimize the number of loads you have to wash.

    • Wash clothes in cold water. There are a lot of benefits to this. It saves energy, it helps preserve color, it is easier on your fabrics and can even be the better choice for stain removal.

    • Use less detergent. Most people, without knowing it, use more detergent than they need to.

    • Clean your lint trap, it will make your dryer run more efficiently.
      o Summer is coming, set up a clothesline to dry your clothes. Skip the dryer all together. Sheets dried outside are always better!

      • Do you have a space where you can set up an indoor clothesline? My Sister-in-Law has some lines set up in her basement and she dries the majority of their laundry there. I see a drastic drop in our electric bill every spring when we start hanging our clothes outside.

  • We have all heard of cutting the cable, changing from traditional cable services to streaming services. I have spoken to people who pay more than $200 a month for traditional cable or satellite TV alone. **

    • Look at the streaming services and the bundles of different ones that they offer. There is a bundle that includes Disney+, Hulu, and Max for $29.99/month. Amazon Prime is $15 a month and you get free shipping on Amazon Prime purchases with this. Are you an Apple fan? Apple TV+ is as low as $10/month. Want to binge the next big hit on Netflix? Prices as low as $8/month for that! Are you a fan of CBS and Paramount? Paramount+ is as low as $7.99/month.

    • If you “need” all of these, you are still only looking at roughly $70. That is a savings, right there, of $130. There are many, many free streaming apps that you can add on and other specialty apps to focus on your particular interest.

    • But Hillary, what about sports? News? Watching CSI when it is supposed to be on? Most of the streaming apps play live sports and news. My daughter is a fan of the CBS TV show Ghosts. We watch it right on the app on Thursday night when it is on network TV. We get a local CBS channel through this and an NBC channel through the Peacock app. We don’t miss too much!

  • See what your phone company offers.

    • Through my phone provider, as part of our plan, we get Netflix, Apple+, and HULU for free. Others may offer Disney+, Max, Peacock, or others.

    • Some of the streaming services offer Live TV packages as well. These are more expensive but still cheaper than traditional cable or satellite services.

    • We bundle our internet through our phone with a guaranteed price. Since switching from our old satellite TV, internet, and cell phones with one company to another, I save $200/month!

    • Always remember, companies are here to make a profit. Shop different companies’ plans to see what extras they offer, do the pricing, and see what works best for you. I would be surprised if you compared prices and programs and didn’t find savings.

    • If you do get streaming as a bonus of your plan, remember to cancel any services that you are paying for! Don’t double pay them.

      ** Prices listed in this article are not guaranteed and you should check current prices yourself.

Hillary