Here are 3 great tips for saving money around the house:

Keeping a pitcher of water in the fridge can save you money!

You should always have a pitcher of water available in the fridge for whenever someone needs a glass of water. There are several reasons for this:

1st, it is healthy and each person should drink 8 glasses of water a day.

2nd, you will save on using disposable plastic water bottles, since you can reuse your own stainless water bottle instead, or simply use a glass.

3rd, anyone drinking water won’t have to leave the tap running for 5 or so seconds until the water runs cooler.

5th, you won’t use as many ice cubes for each glass of water, since it will already be cold!

Avoid opening the oven door to save money!

Did you know that most of the energy used by an oven is during the preheating time and after the oven door has been opened? And on hot days, the longer the oven door is open, the hotter your kitchen gets, since that hot air is escaping into your kitchen.

Whenever you are baking in the oven, try and only open the oven door for the shortest period possible. This means have the baking dish sitting on the stove top so you can immediately place it in the oven, rather than opening the oven door, walking across the kitchen to another counter, walking back with the dish, and then closing the oven door.

When you only open the oven door for the shortest period of time possible, you will save money on your electricity bill, as well as save money on your air conditioning because it won’t have to work as hard to get the house temperature down because of the oven being used.

Borrow movies and CDs from the library!

Why not take family time and visit your local library, which is a budget mom’s haven? Not only are you exposing you and your children to an educational place, but also many libraries rent items beyond the usual books that most people think of when considering an excursion to library.

Many public libraries carry everything from CDs to DVD movies, often including some new releases. And generally the kid’s DVD and CD section is quite large and you can find everything from the new Disney movie to some DVD collections of your kid’s favorite television shows.

For adults you can change things out by borrowing a book on tape or CD instead of the usual paperback novel. Books on tape can be time savers because you can listen while you do other tasks such as household chores or even while you drive the car pool.

Do check to see what your public library’s reserve policy is. If you are waiting for a specific title to become available, some libraries will hold it for you for several days so you can pick up your convenience. The service is no charge, and it helps you plan what you want to see when. Many of these services are available online.