So, it seemed the best place to start was with my heating costs. The two main suggestions were to turn down my thermostat, put on an extra sweater and turn of the heat off at night. Next was turning down the water heater, but in an apartment I didn't have any control over this, so I decided to just shave my legs in the sink and take shorter showers. I couldn't very well afford to replace appliances that weren't even mine to begin with, so I figured I'd just have to get the florescent bulbs and tough the rest of it out.
I relaxed and waited for my next batch of utility bills, figuring my painfully short showers and extra sweaters would pay of big. Ha! I saved three dollars compared to my last bill. (I was at a stage where I recorded every little dime I spent, somehow magically thinking my bookkeeping skills would reduce my spending - but that's another article.) Unfortunately, all the extra t-shirts, leggings and sweaters I had worn during the month cost me an extra five dollars in laundry. I actually spent more money! I couldn't believe it. I was sure there was a mistake - after all my shivering in the dark; I had to have saved something. I got on the phone to the utilities providers immediately. I then waited on hold for two hours. Eventually I did figure out what went wrong.
What I didn't know was that due to the fluctuating rates in my area, utility bills can vary as much as twenty dollars in a month even if my consumption rates don't. So I had to get a detailed explanation of how to read and understand the bill itself. That was more complex than I imagined, but once I figured out how, I saw that I had actually saved more than three dollars. If I wanted to get an accurate idea of savings, I'd have to record the savings each month and add them up at the end of the year.
