HOME
Super Saver’s spectacular win on a muddy
track at the Kentucky Derby may have been just the
right message for Americans who themselves are still
battling the muck of an up-and-down economy.
Millions are looking for ways to shave dollars and dimes
from their daily expenses. For a lively list of tips, go to
www.aarp.org/savemoney. Here are the first 99:
SAVE GREAT WAYS TO 99
ILLUSTRATIONS B Y MARK MATCHO
1 Use up to 60 percent less
energy by boiling water in a
microwave rather than on an
electric stovetop. When you
do use the stovetop, make
sure pots and pans fully cover
the heating element. A 6-inch
pan on an 8-inch element
translates to an energy waste
of more than 40 percent.
2 Improve freezer
efficiency by keeping the
thing as full as possible—with
bags of ice, for instance. But
keep a 1-inch open space on
each side of the interior for
better air exchange.
3 Lower your thermostat
in the winter. For each degree
that you drop, you cut your
heating bill by 3 percent. To
feel more comfortable at lower temperatures, place pans
of water near heating outlets
or radiators. Water-filled air
retains heat better, and the
added humidity reduces itching and dry skin.
4 Mix your own garden
dirt. Those “enriched” bags of
soil boost flower and vegetable growth—at about $8
a bag. Instead, for each one
part of dirt or topsoil mix in
about two parts of compost—
shredded from leaves and
branches and available for
free at many municipal recycling centers.
5 Save on a flush in an old
toilet by putting a plastic
bottle full of water, weighted
with pebbles, in your tank.
6 Get a rain barrel. Connected to your home’s storm
gutters, it will collect water
for later use on your lawn,
vegetable garden or car.
7Stop that dripping
faucet. Sixty drips a minute
will waste about 6,428 gallons
of water per year, according to
the U.S. Geological Survey.
8 Shower quickly and save.
A 15-minute shower a day
costs about $310 a year, even
with a low-flow shower head.
Cutting the time by a third will
save about $100 annually.
9 Buy torn bags of mulch.
Home centers usually set
these torn bags aside, then
sell the day’s mishaps at a big
discount. Your best chance to
get these deals is at the end
of a weekend shopping day.
Bring duct tape to close them,
and a tarp to keep your car
trunk clean.
10 Rent that extra room
or space in your garage, base-
ment, backyard. Visit spare
foot.com or storeatmy
house.com to list its avail-
ability and your asking price
for free. SpareFoot gets a
transaction fee equal to half
the first month’s paid rent
(a spare bedroom can fetch
$150 a month). The site also
