Heating Bills
Xcel Energy, who supply the Twin Cities with heating gas, has an online Home Energy Analyzer which gives tips for reducing heating costs for your home.About.com's guide to Financial Planning has some great tips to lower your heating bills.
About.com's guide to Frugal Living offers a list of ways to turn the thermostat down but still keep warm.
About.com's guide to Apartment Living offers zero-cost tips for renters to reduce heating bills.
Here's a list of resources for low income families to get help paying your heating bills.
Electricity Bills
About.com's guide to frugal living has tips and tricks to reduce electricity usage and your electricty bill.
Cooling and Air Conditioning
It doesn't get too hot here - temperatures over 100 are rare - but it's often too hot for comfort all day and all night in the summer, making air conditioning costs can be a sizable bill in the summer months. I live in an apartment without a/c, and my summer strategy is to open the windows, wear shorts, and drink plenty of icy drinks. If you have air conditioning, here's some ways to save money operating it, and some more ways to help you stay cool in the Minnesota summer. Cooling Your Home Naturally
Cheap and Low Cost Ways To Cool Your Home
Keeping Your Body Cool in the Heat
Telephone and Television
The two local providers, Qwest (who partner with DirecTV for television service) and cable TV and telephone providers Comcast, are battling for customers and have been known to cut deals to customers who are preparing to leave one for the other. For example, Comcast reduced my monthly bill by almost $20 to undercut a deal offered by Qwest. Qwest, in turn, offered half-price basic services for three months. Tell one what the other has offered, and see what they'll counter with.
Internet
Qwest or Comcast provide internet services to much of the Twin Cities, and will often reduce rates to win your custom, or steal it from the other provider. Calling each provider to check on the current best rates may get you a reduction in your monthly bill.Internet users in Minneapolis have one more choice for internet service. USI Wireless, the municipal wireless internet network, now covers almost all of the City of Minneapolis and base rates are lower than Qwest or Comcast. Plus, all USI customers can use the service anywhere in Minneapolis. After a troubled start, the service now works reliably in many locations, but it doesn't work everywhere - some homes just don't get a strong enough signal.
Trash and Recyling
Reducing the amount of garbage saves money by avoiding the extra charges for bags that don't fit into the garbage container. If you can reduce your waste enough, you may be able to downsize to the next container down, with a lower monthly bill.Start a compost bin, buy products with less packaging, stop junk mail coming to your home, repair items instead of replacing them, avoid disposable products wherever possible.
Where to start? If you have a baby, here's where to buy cloth diapers in the Twin Cities. Do It Green Minnesota has a directory of resources for shopping for environmentally friendlier products in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Recycling can save money. Minneapolis offers a credit for customers who recycle.
