# Flipped the Switch - What have you done to save money?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flipped-the-switch-what-have-you-done-to-save-money/504133>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [July 24, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flipped-the-switch-what-have-you-done-to-save-money/504133 "2009-07-24T16:18:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flipped-the-switch-what-have-you-done-to-save-money/504133/41 "2009-07-27T17:38:19Z")

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I work from home 3 days a week: saves gasoline and money and wear and tear on the car, and work-appropriate clothing.

I take lunches at least 1 of the 2 days I do go to the office. A sammich ain’t free, but it’s cheaper than buying prepared stuff.

We cut down on eating meals at restaurants.

I pay 95% of our bills online, which saves postage (OK, that’s not a huge amount but…)

We do use CF lights where appropriate (they aren’t useful everywhere). We’re experimenting with LED lights in 1-2 places.

We’re keeping on top of all the household bills which isn’t _directly_ saving money (as we don’t really carry credit card balances and have avoided late fees pretty much all along), but is giving us enough better control over the cash flow and better visibility on where the money goes, that we’re whittling down the handful of debts we do have (car loan should be paid off 6 months early, for example).

We refinanced the mortgage, freeing up several hundred a month to apply to other needs.

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**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\
**Post date:** [July 27, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flipped-the-switch-what-have-you-done-to-save-money/504133/42 "2009-07-27T18:03:23Z")

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> [@ZipperJJ](#):
>
> …  
> I think the **garage door** thing is so that you don’t spend electricity opening and closing the garage door for multiple trips in a day. If you live in the sort of place where it’s best to keep the garage door closed, then you need to keep the cars outside until you’re done for the night.

It may also be (at least in the summer) because opening the garage door lets in superheated outside air closer to that part of the house, warming it up - whereas keeping it closed means that part of the house doesn’t get hot outside air up against it. Dunno whether the savings is worth it, however.

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