All year long you may be looking for ways to pay off your debts or at least looking how to save some extra money for a rainy day. The summer however, poses a great opportunity for specific savings methods that present themselves and can help you pay off debt.
While it can be difficult to find the time to implement some strategies – there are summertime saving strategies that don’t have to take up too much of your time – and that may conveniently fit in with your lifestyle during this time of year. Here are some ways of saving that you can try over the next few months and that can help you pay down your debts.
1) Lower Household Energy Costs
Save on Air Conditioning
There are a variety of ways you can lower your energy costs during the summertime and save some money. First of all, if you have air conditioning and the temperature outside isn’t too hot, you can turn the a/c down and sometimes even off and cool down the house instead by using fans and opening up your windows. You can also be sure to close your curtains to keep the heat out and the rooms cooler.
Another area associated with summertime costs, can sometimes occur at the beginning of the summer when you go to turn on you then find that you a/c isn’t actually working. In this instance, you may find yourself facing high repair costs. If you know you’ll need the use of your a/c at least some of the time, just to be on the safe side, you should check it prior to the summer and replace the filters in the early summer to make sure it will function properly all summer long.
Unplug Appliances
Additionally, you can also go around your home and unplug any unused appliances. There may be some that you will find are still plugged in, yet you are not actually using during the summer months. It is also a good idea to go around and unplug the appliances you only use once a day, for example – and that do not require charging.
Lower the Heat Setting on your Dryer & Dry Clothes Outside
Lastly, a final thought for this category is lower the heat setting on your dryer, and instead partially dry clothing either in the dryer or in the sun. You can also switch this around and dry the clothes on the line outside and then bring them in to soften them up and complete the dryer process inside, using your appliance.
2) Reduce Vehicle Costs
Lower your Car Maintenance & Fuel Expenses
During the warmer weather this summer, you may find you are able to leave the car at home and walk, ride, jog – or whatever alternative method of transportation you prefer. As a result you may just find you can save on some vehicle expenses. If you are putting less mileage on your car, then you may also save on the amount of maintenance and servicing your car may need during that time. Also, if you are driving your car less, you are also not having to fill up on fuel as regularly as well. With weekly and daily travel by car, you can expect to certainly be paying a lot of money per month for gas. By reducing these costs over the course of the summer, this can free up quite a bit of extra money that you can use to pay off your debts.
3) Lower your Entertainment & Activities Expenses
With beautiful warm and sunny weather also a part of the typical summer months, this is also a good opportunity to spend more time outside and less time indoors, for example watching TV and spending time on the computer. If you have kids, you can plan some outdoor, backyard fun that can keep them as well as yourself entertained for less – and can help reduce your cable and internet costs. Reducing your cable at least for the summer can help you save a few extra dollars here and there.
With that being said, you’ll need to find some ways to keep the entertainment flowing, yet the costs down. Looking for free or inexpensive events in your town or neighbouring areas that may offer music performances, or festivals can help in this instance. Subsequently, in order to also keep your shopping costs down, you can shop garage sales and second hand stores for clothing and other items you may want or need.
4) Earn Some Extra Money
Sell Items
You can also try and make a little additional income this summer to add to your debt payments. You can sort through your items and have a garage sale of your own. If this is not an option for you, you could look to join others at their home for a combined garage sale event. Selling items on kijiji or eBay could also be a good method of earning some extra money. There may be certain summer items that may be in popular demand during these months and this could end up be lucrative for you.
Summer Jobs
If you also have some free time, there are various summer type jobs that you can take on to earn a bit extra. Lawn-mowing, dog-walking, baby-sitting, life-guarding, refereeing, giving music lessons, and tutoring are all options that may be in demand during the summer. Furthermore, these type of jobs may also be a great fit with your summer schedule without taking up too much time from other activities and work responsibilities.
If you have been worrying for the passed few months about how to pay off your debts, the summer may be a great time to take action. There are so many methods of saving extra money here and there, that may on the whole add up to quite a decent amount of money for you. These are only a few ideas that may encourage your own summertime savings strategy – with a little creatively and dedication – I’m sure you can come up with some other methods for yourself and apply it to paying off your debts while the sun shines and the temperature rises.
