Lifehacks That Will Save You Money on Bills

There's no need to pay outrageously priced bills. If you change a few habits now, you'll be well on your way to utilizing lifehacks that will save you money on bills without even realizing it, putting you in better financial shape this time next year.

Once you're aware of all the money saving lifehacks out there, it takes very little time to make necessary changes that will save you thousands for months and years to come.

Reuse excess bubble wrap to insulate your home in the winter.

If you're looking for lifehacks that will save you money on bills and you have loads of bubble wrap that you don't know what to do with, you've come to the right place.

Use your excess bubble wrap to insulate your window panes and save up to 45 percent of your heat from escaping while still allowing sunlight to make it through your window.

If you don't have any bubble wrap lying around your home, there are plenty of stores selling it. Your local Walmart would be a good place to start, and the cost is minuscule compared to the enormous heating bills you will otherwise pay.

Cut sheets of bubble wrap to the size of your window panes, spray some water on the window glass, and press the flat side of the bubble wrap onto the window.

You can also use excess bubblewrap as a draft excluder. Just bundle it up and tape it to the bottom of your door to fill the gap, and you'll find that the room retains much more heat.

The cost of energy varies from city to city and company to company, but in general, energy consumption costs go up and down throughout the day, and typically cost the most during the day when energy is in high demand.

It's unfortunate that energy is so much more expensive during the hours that we rely on it the most, but it's definitely worth finding out when your energy peaks in order to figure out how to save money on your heating bills. That way, you can save money by building a strategy for energy consumption. Wait until the cost of electricity is lower to charge your car, phone, and tablet, run the dishwasher, update your computer, and do other tasks that require little attention but lots of energy.

Wear layers and cuddle with hot water bottles in the winter.

This is the simplest, most basic piece of advice out there to stop you and your savings account from freezing over the winter: Wear layers!

We often feel entitled to wear (or not wear) whatever we want in the comfort of our own home, but that is a very expensive mindset.

There is nothing wrong with wearing a scarf inside, and there is no reason to keep the room temperature above 55-60 degrees if you have cozy clothes and hot water bottles lying around your home.

If you're going to turn your heat up high, do it when energy costs less. During the day, turn your heat down (or off) and open your curtains to allow the sun to send natural heat through your windows. When the sun moves away from your window, close your curtains again to prevent the warm air from escaping.

If you still feel rather chilly, cuddle with your hot water bottles and you'll feel warmer in no time.

Trust me on this: I work from home, so I don't have the privilege of stealing office heat. This tip has saved me over $300 in just two years, and I can still work comfortably throughout the day. If it works for me, wearing layers and using hot water bottles could be one of the easiest ways to save you money now.

Everyone knows that you should turn down your phone's brightness when the battery is dying, but have you ever considered reducing the brightness of all of your screens at home to save money on your energy bill?

If you reduce the brightness of your TV and computer monitors to 70 percent, that monitor will be using up to 20 percent less energy than it would at 100 percent. Consider this too, 70 percent is still pretty bright!

Get into the habit of keeping the monitors in your household at the lowest comfortable brightness, and you'll notice a big difference very soon.

Don't overstuff your fridge.

Leaving room in your fridge for air to circulate will save you money on bills and grocery shopping.

When your fridge is packed with food and there isn't enough space for air to circulate, your refrigerator will need to work harder to stay cold, and it will ramp up your energy bill as a result.

Furthermore, as the temperature of your fridge increases, the perishable food you keep inside of it will go bad sooner, which means you'll have to spend more money at the grocery store as a result.

If you've ever been in a car accident, you know full well that auto insurance can be outrageously priced, but also that car insurance a necessary evil.

The average driver pays around $1,500 on auto insurance every year. If you're a young or inexperienced driver though, or if you've been in an accident in the past, you probably pay more than most people do. Luckily, there's a way for you to alleviate that cost, and it's very simple.

If you have friends with excellent driving records, you could save a considerable chunk of money every year on auto insurance by including them in your plan. By splitting the cost of insurance, your friend might also benefit from sharing the insurance plan if they aren't already.

Call your auto insurance provider.

I know, calling insurance companies is always an awful experience. You will probably have to dedicate an entire day to listening to terrible hold music and talking to a representative who has no idea what they're talking about; but believe me, there could literally be a pot of gold waiting for you on the other side of the negotiation lifehacks that will save you money if you play your cards right.

Before you call them, get quotes from other insurance companies to see if you can find insurance policies that are cheaper than the one you're paying for. Once you get a reasonable quote, call your current auto insurance provider and tell them about it. If they think you'll leave their company for a cheaper insurance policy, they will probably give you a discount to encourage you to stay with them. It is well worth the time you spend waiting on hold.

You might be spending around $100 each year on powering electronics that aren't even turned on.

That's right; all of the lamps, TVs, speakers, microwaves, and other appliances that are turned off but still plugged into your electrical sockets are consuming your energy and taking away from your savings account.

Some homes have on-off switches next to electrical sockets to prevent the unnecessary flow of power, but if you don't have these switches, making a habit of unplugging your unused devices and appliances each time you power them off could save you thousands over the next several years.

We use so many electronics that it's difficult to keep track of which ones are plugged and unplugged. To make remembering easier, consider keeping an accessible power strip in each room so you can plug and unplug your devices more seamlessly.

Dry your clothes outside.

If you dry your clothes with an electric clothes dryer, you could be spending around $200 on drying your laundry each year. Meanwhile, you are surrounded by oxygen that would be more than happy to dry your clothes free of charge, all year round.

Air drying your clothes won't just help you save money, it reduces your carbon footprint and it's also better for your clothes. Don't waste any more money, hang your clothes up outside and give your leftover dryer sheets a new job.

Even if it's raining or you live in an apartment with no outdoor area, you can still ditch your dryer and hang your clothes up to dry. You'll just have to make a small initial investment in order to save money in the long run.

When it's raining outside, you can still dry your clothes indoors. One foldable drying rack can hold a load of laundry. Sure, you'll have to splash out approximately $20 if you don't already have a drying rack, but it's a small amount in the long run.

Attach a retractable clothesline to your wall if space is limited.

I attached a retractable clothesline to my wall because I live in a shoebox within a big apartment building and didn't have space for a foldable drying rack. It cost me $15 which, again, is a small amount compared to the $200 I was paying to dry my clothes every year.

Making a one-time investment of $15 could just be one of the lifehacks that will save you money on bills in the long run, so don't be afraid to get creative!