You all know the feeling. You’re sitting at the front desk of an apartment’s office talking to a consultant about leasing in the fall. You and your roommate are super excited about the decision to FINALLY get up and go check out apartments and absolutely nothing can damper your spirits… or so you thought. The consultant is running by you the list of hidden fees and costs that you’ll have to pay on top of your ever-so-hefty rent. There’s cable, internet AND electricity?! What?! This horrible turn of events can definitely put a halt to your previous cheery mood, but fear not! There are many sure-fire ways to keep you from spending too much on your electricity bill, allowing you to spend the money on more important things (like shopping).
Now, a small disclaimer my fellow Collegiettes! This guide is for SERIOUSLY broke girls… as in, you have no money to spend on anything but food and even then you shop at the dollar store. So don’t be alarmed at the severity of these suggestions because ya never know! They might come in handy one day.
1. Swap your air conditioning for the fan in your room
If you’re among the “privileged” girls who are lucky enough to have fans in their rooms, you might really want to consider having this on, like, all the time. I’m sure as many of you have experienced early in the fall semester and late in the spring (and summer too obviously), Tallahassee can get horribly hot. But don’t you dare touch that air girl! Air conditioning is one of the highest expenses that goes on your electricity bill at the end of them month and usually runs you about HALF of the total costs in your bill. This is why mankind invented fans. Use ‘em!
2. Replace your heater with a candle!
Now, we all know how great a heater can be in the winter. It keeps your frostbitten noses and toes all warm and snuggly and feelin’ great. However, heaters aren’t all they’re cracked up to be! Heaters guzzle up a huge chunk of your electricity and force you to pay almost triple what you would have if you didn’t have it on. Want a quick, easy fix? Candles, of course! Candles are great because they serve a dual purpose. They heat your hands up AND leave you smelling fantastic. You won’t even have to buy perfume anymore! Say goodbye to $50 Victoria Secret bottles smaller than the size of your thumb!
Okay that might be a little too extreme. If you’re not as crazy as I am, Target and Wal-Mart sell mini heaters for only 10 bucks! You simply plug it into the wall and then BAM: serious heating action.
3. Ditch your dryer for some hangers
Dryers are just annoying on all levels. They make a lot of noise, you gotta leave your clothes in there for almost an hour, they don’t even come out that dry, and then you gotta deal with that annoying little shock that the clothes emit when taking them out. Even after all of that, you have to iron them, fold them, and put them away in your drawers… ain’t nobody got time for that! Oh, and not to mention they waste ridiculous amounts of energy and cause you to pay a lot more on your electricity bill. This is why hangers are the perfect alternative! You know you have a ton of empty closet space just sitting around the apartment, just stick the wet clothes in there! The clothes will only take a day to dry and it will save you the time of ironing and folding because they’re already hung up in your closet! Talk about killing two birds with one stone.
4. Who needs a dishwasher?
This is a serious question. Who needs one?! They’re not even that great. They waste not only water and electricity, but they’re also wasting your time! How many times have you pulled your precious china out of the dishwasher and they STILL have some spots on them? Regardless of how good your dishwasher supposedly “cleans,” or how strong your soap actually “scrubs,” you always end up washing the plate in the sink anyway. So stop throwing away your money like it’s going out of style and stop wasting your time because you don’t need to! Use your dishwasher for more valuable things, like laying out your wet clothes to dry.
I realize these suggestions are a little extreme, Collegiettes, but if you stick through them, not only will you be saving the money in your pocket, but you’ll also be saving the environment. And then you can fill the gap in that slightly empty resume with the claim that you are an environmentalist. Hired for sure!