7. Do a toy swap. Instead of buying your kids every new toy that comes along, consider trading videos, toys or sports equipment with another family a few times a year. You'll get a bunch of new stuff to play with and it won't cost you a dime. Simply trading two video games (at $30 each) would save you $60.
8. Rethink insurance. Increase the deductible on your home insurance from $250 to $500 and slash your annual rate by about 10 per cent. Upping the deductible to $1,000 results in another 10 per cent savings. A 20 per cent cut on an $800 policy ensures you have $160 in your wallet.
9. Be green and lean. It costs about $250 to keep all those incandescent bulbs shining bright in your home every year. Switching to energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps can shave $150 from that annual expense. They may cost more, but they last up to 10 times longer.
10. Empower your shower. Low-flow shower heads cut the amount of hot water you use in half. With two 5-minute showers a day, you'll save $100 a year.
11. A cheaper way to chill. Next summer, instead of cranking up the air conditioner, cool off under a ceiling fan. Fans cost about $1.50 to operate each month, while air conditioners cost up to $40 a month. In three months, you'll have a cool $115.
12. Pick up your pizza from a neighbourhood place. If you order pizza each Friday, pick it up yourself and save on the delivery charge ($2.50) and tip ($2.50). (Prices often include the delivery cost. Ask them to give you the cost for a pickup.) That's $20 a month, or $240 a year more dough.
13. Keep the heat in. If you combine all the cracks and leaks in a typical home, you'll end up with a 2.4- by-three-metre hole in the wall. Plug them up and pocket some cash. Caulking and weather-stripping can reduce your heating bill by up to 25 per cent, or $500 on $2,000 in annual heating costs.
14. Launder with care. Use cold water in the wash -- it works just as well and causes less shrinking and fading. If you run your dryer for 30 minutes, 20 times a month, it'll cost you $23 in energy alone. Instead, install a clothesline or set up a few drying racks. Switching two loads a week to cold water saves you $36 a year; add in the $276 for the dryer and you'll clean up with $312.
15. Slip on a sweater and slippers. Simply lowering your thermostat to 20 C (68 F) in winter can save on heating costs. Better yet, install a programmable thermostat and set it to turn the heat down automatically at night or when you leave home, and to turn it up before you wake or return. You'll save about 10 per cent on your heating costs -- or $200 on annual heating costs of $2,000.
16. Cook at home. Eating out gobbles up money faster than the taxman. Brown-bag it to work and cook at home. Three lunches (at $7 each) and one family meal out a week ($50) comes to $284 a month, or $3,408 a year. Cut that back to one lunch a week and one family dinner a month and you'll pocket $2,472 a year.
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