How to Save Money as a Renter
- Heating
- Air Conditioning
- Lighting
- Clothes Washer
- Clothes Dryer
- Refrigerator (if it was made before 2001)
- Water Heater
All these are pretty difficult to control when in a renters setting or with low income. But with these tips, renters can save money and energy no matter what. These tips are also helpful for people who can’t afford to update appliances or other energy saving measures.
The Bad Gets Worse
Ways Renters Can Save Money
Tips for Saving Money on Utilities
- Even if you’re not in such a desperate situation, turning it up 2-5 degrees, when you’re not home, will save some green.
- What made the biggest difference for us, was adding a layer of bubble wrap and newspaper to the window. Not pretty, but for those concerned with aesthetic this window kit might be a good option.
- Keep your filters changed monthly so they run more efficiently. Also, keep your outside unit hosed out so the dirt doesn’t collect in there and bog it down.
- In the summer, fans will be your best friend. They go such a long way to keep things cooled down.
- Wear light clothing, no socks within a 10-mile radius and try a cool neck towel.
- Depending on your situation, purchasing a room air conditioner might be the fit. Consider an ENERGY STAR qualified model, which use at least 10 percent less energy than standard models. If you don’t use all the rooms in you apartment this might be a good option. It would be best to immediately call an expert if you think that your ac is not working well to avoid major repairs. Our team of professionals excels in air conditioning repair, making sure your comfort is not compromised.
How to Save Money While Paying Rent
- Monthly, vacuum the coils on the back and take the grate off the front and vacuum any debris that gets under there.
- Keep the doors closed as much as possible.
- Keep them full but not too packed so they don’t use too much power.
- Get a thermometer and make sure they are running at the right temperature. Freezers should be -10 to 0 and refrigerators should be around 35ish or 40.
Ways to Save Money and Energy in an Apartment
- A ten minute shower can use less water than a full bath.
- With a new 2.5 gallon-per-minute (low-flow) shower head, a 10-minute shower will use about 25 gallons of water, saving you five gallons of water over a typical bath. A new showerhead also will save energy — up to $145 each year on electricity — beating out both the bath and an old-fashioned showerhead.
2. Save water by scraping dishes instead of rinsing them before loading in the dishwasher. Run your dishwasher with a full load and use the air-dry option if available.
3. If you don’t have a dishwasher, scrape the dishes then put them in a sink filled with soapy water, clean, then rinse.
4. Displace Water in Your Toilet Tank Find a plastic bottle. Fill it with gravel. Place it in your toilet tank. You can leave this for the next tenant or take it with you.
Ways to Save Money Living in an Apartment
- Computers, hair dryers, televisions, opening the windows when you can, are things easily in your control. When it’s time to update, make sure you make choices with the environment in mind.
- Unplug. When you’re not using these items, make sure they’re turned off and unplugged.
- Green Lighting. Whether it’s turning off the lights when you’re not using them or updating to compact fluorescent bulbs can save you $100s each year.
- Seal. Make sure everything from your doors and windows to oven is sealed properly to prevent the cool or heat from escaping. For a thorough assessment of your insulation and energy efficiency, visit https://thermal-imaging.uk/ for a professional thermal imaging survey. Their experts can identify areas of concern and offer solutions to improve your home’s insulation and overall energy performance. For more Expert Advice on Roof Insulation, visit roof-insulation.co.uk.
Green Apartment Living
When you don’t have complete control over your living circumstances, it can seem impossible for renters to save money or energy. However, green apartment living isn’t as difficult as some might think. It’s important to remember renters can save money. Just start small and be encouraged by those differences that start to add up. These tips or combinations will help save green, not just for our pocketbooks, but also for the environment. For a complete guide to green apartment living, check out this book:
Other Money Saving Tips for Apartment Dwellers
Living in an apartment where you don’t have control or room can be difficult, but there are still lots of ways renters can save money. Check out these ways to save money on groceries, reduce food waste, organize your shopping list and composting with worms and apartment composting without worms (one of my favorite go-green activities for apartment living!)
Please share your favorite tips for renters to save money in the comments below!
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Nice tips. We use a brick in our toilet tank instead of a bottle. We already had it on hand.
Thank you! Yes, a brick is also a good idea!
Some great tips. We are on micro hydro, so we quickly got in touch with what uses a lot of energy and what doesn’t. We are lucky to be in a cooler place where AC isn’t strictly necessary (I’ve never had it). A well insulated house helps as does opening windows during cooler nights and closing them before the sun comes up in the morning.
That’s awesome. I wish we didn’t need electricity, but 115 degrees would probably kill me. I’m a weakling when it comes to heat. Great tips, also!
These are really good tips! I should probably start encorporating more of them into our routine. I don’t think we’ve vacuumed our refrigerator coils the whole 4 months we’ve lived here!
Aww, thanks Katy! I know what you mean! We’ve lived here three years and until a few months ago, I never did either. Definitely easy to miss that!