Since I recieved my latest & highest electric and gas bill, I've been looking at ways to lower it.

I installed a programmable thermostat. I set them really low, but now I'm in the middle of a nice sinus problem, so I've actually increased my settings. The cold weather can seriously effect my sinuses, which can easily turn into an infection. So I'm keeping the heat up a little higher at night in an attempt to avoid medical expenses and time off work.

I normally leave all the extras in the kitchen unplugged, so only the fridge, dishwasher garbage disposal & kitchen clock radio are plugged in all the time. (I don't use the microwave or toaster that often).

I have no lamps in the living room currently and the ceiling light works off a switch. Currently, I have my tv, dvd player, stereo, and cable box all plugged in. But I"m going to swich the cable box to a direct plug in to the wall & all the others into a surge protector that I can turn off at night. I can't leave the cable box off because it'll reset & be a pain in the butt.

Upstairs in my bedroom, I have a tv, vcr & dvd player. I also have the cable, comcast phone & internet box which needs to be plugged in all the time. So I will leave that plug & my wireless router plug in the wall & put my tv, vcr & dvd player on the surge protector, which I will unplug during the day when I'm not home for 10 hours at a time. Hopefully, it'll help a small bit.

I have nothing plugged in either of the bathrooms. I don't leave my laptop plugged in, unless I am home & the battery needs to be recharged. I leave the lights off unless I'm in the room. I dont leave the outdoor light on when I'm not home because my neighbors provide plenty of light for when I come home.

I wash only full loads of laundry & I rarely use the dryer.

I hand wash my dishes by hand mostly, and only use the dishwasher about once a week when I do a bulk of my cooking.

In an effort to conserve heat, I always keep the doors to my downstairs bathroom & walk in closet shut, since they don't have heating vents. No need to heat those tiny rooms.

I am really trying to look at all the 'automatic' things I do & see if I can do them differently. We'll see how it goes for March's bill.