All Our Tips for Saving Money at Home in the Upcoming Season

Saving Water Around the House

• Saving Water in the Bathroom:

After finishing baths at 40°C, we now choose showers. Limit water usage with a "shower stopper," showerheads, aerators, and other special shower fixtures. Another important tip on not wasting water is to avoid letting it run while brushing your teeth.

For even greater effect, collect water from the dehumidifier's condensation tank—it can be used as demineralized water for your iron.

• Saving Water in the Toilet:

Toilets are the biggest water consumers in a home. Install a dual-flush system: a smaller volume may be sufficient.

An alternative is the Canadian trick, which costs nothing (they really care about ecology): place a water-filled bottle in the toilet tank so every flush saves some amount of water.

• Saving Water in the Garden:

Don't overwater your garden during summer. Dig small wells or better yet, install a rainwater collection tank. Reliable technique: use filtered water from washing fruits and vegetables to irrigate your plants.

Saving Energy in Every Room

You're facing skyrocketing EDF-GDF bills that affect both your credit card and the climate. Why? Because you haven't yet tried simple home energy-saving opportunities. Energy saving is not a hardship as we think—no need to wear 1000 sweaters or keep heating below 18°C. Here are our solutions for saving energy at home:

• Choose Low-Energy Devices:

Turn off lights when leaving a room. Remove halogen bulbs and switch to energy-saving lightbulbs. Consider eco-buttons and avoid leaving appliances on standby mode.

Don't leave them in standby. Even devices like computers, phones and printers consume energy when turned off. Choose the simplest screensaver for your computer and set it to activate quickly. Press eco-buttons on devices and run them at night (no need to wake up at 3 a.m. for EDF's cheap energy hours from 10 PM to 6 AM).

Use the dryer as little as possible (okay for sheets—still acceptable…). Use a microwave instead of an oven for small dishes (and it works faster too). Check that your refrigerator closes well, as it accounts for 12% of total energy consumption (if not—replace gaskets), never put hot food inside and defrost regularly. Don't give in to the temptation of air conditioning.

• Insulate Windows and Maintain Radiators to Keep Heat:

Clean radiators of dust and avoid covering them with curtains. Properly insulate windows and doors to prevent cold outside air from entering. Install a programmable room thermostat and lower your boiler temperature: reducing it by 1°C is like wearing another sweater, but also means a 7% reduction in bills.

Saving Money While Shopping

Water, electricity and decor—everywhere? We must admit that buying furniture from major design giants can sometimes be cost-effective but not always eco-friendly. A trendy console for 400 euros is certainly very "cool," but I'd like to know if it will still be worth it years down the road. The frugal motto is "buy less, but better and longer-lasting." You should think about recycling, and the best way to recycle is by buying existing items: vintage!

• Garage Sales: Follow the vintage trend and explore garage sales, flea markets and other venues to find missing elements for your interior. So spend weekends visiting these events or locate nearby ones.
• Think About Emmaüs and LeBonCoin, you'll give a second life to items you will find useful. But be careful—buy only what you need and avoid excesses.