SAVINGS TIPS


*Details.

A small savings idea can add up to big savings. Just a few changes in the way you save can help you get more for your money.

Home

  • Cut your energy costs by installing ceiling fans. For example, a 1,500-square-foot house that uses two ceiling fans and a raised thermostat setting could save you between $70 and $200 over a six-month cooling season. Savings are calculated based on a $.08 per kilowatt hour.
     
  • Save by planting your own garden. Enjoy homegrown goodness from your own vegetable garden. Gardeners who spend an average of $50 on seeds and fertilizer can reap up to $1,250 worth of produce annually.
     
  • Electronic appliances, like computers, TVs and DVD players, draw electricity even when you're not using them. To reduce your monthly electric bill, you can unplug all of them after each use, or use a smart power strip to do it for you. An energy-saving power strip costs more initially—about $30 to $45—but will pay for itself within a few months of use.

  • Comparing checking account features, telephone and cable bills and eliminating services you don't use will save money. When you bundle your Internet, cable and phone bills, you'll pay just one bill and save between $30 and $60 per month. Or, save as much as $165 per year with a credit union checking account rather than a bank's. Check out the benefits of a Tower Regular Checking Account.

  • Turn your thermostat down if you’re going to be away from home for several hours. For every degree you lower your setting, you can save 3 to 5 percent on each monthly heating bill—adding up to $15 or more per month. An easy and convenient way to lower the temperature automatically is to install a programmable thermostat. Most cost less than $100 and will pay for itself in less than a year.

  • Mow your own lawn. It costs about $100 a month for weekly mowing services. Purchasing your own equipment and supplies costs about $500. After five months or so, you’d have that initial investment paid off, and you could start saving $100 a month—or $1,200 a year. A nice amount to have in a Tower Club account savings for lawn and garden improvements.

  • An easy way to save on energy costs is by replacing your home’s traditional incandescent light bulbs with new compact fluorescents. These new bulbs use 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer. Compact fluorescent bulbs cost more initially—about $5 each—but you’ll save big on your electricity bills month-after-month, year-after-year.

  • Depending on the size of your family and the amount of washable laundry you take to a dry cleaners each week, you could spend anywhere from $15 to $40. Washing, drying and folding the laundry yourself at a Laundromat or at home could cost you only about $260 a year.

  • Replace your old shower heads and save about 15,000 gallons of water per year. Plus, save over $150 on electric heated water or $60 for gas heat. The money you save can be deposited into your Tower “New Appliance” Club account.

  • Wrap your water heater with an insulating jacket and save $18 to $30 each month on your heating bill. Deposit the money you save to your Tower Holiday Club account and you’ll be able to buy your loved ones gifts they can enjoy all year long.

Lifestyles

  • College textbooks are a costly but necessary expense. On average, students spend $900 a semester for textbooks. One way students can save is to purchase electronic versions. For example, a hard copy of a science textbook costs $113.34. An electronic version of the same book costs $56.67—a savings of 50 percent.
     
  • Health clubs can be expensive and personal trainers very expensive. You can exercise for free by walking, jogging or swimming in your neighborhood and save anywhere from $360 to $1,440 a year. Put your savings in a Tower Club account for future vacations.
     

Entertainment

  • Men spend an average of $160 on Valentine's Day. Women spend on average about half that amount. Why not save some dough and make homemade gifts or treats for your sweetheart? Save even more—create your own e-cards online and send them for free!

  • Entertaining the family during the summer can be costly. A trip to a popular theme park for a family of four costs about $50 per adult and $35 per child—a total of $170. If you visit the park once a month during the summer, you’ll spend a total of $510. For a low-cost alternative, take advantage of what Mother Nature has to offer. Visit a local park and hike, have a picnic, fish, and kayak or camp under the stars. You may discover something new and your savings will grow, too.

  • Love seeing the latest movie on the big screen? Catch a matinee and save. A regular adult ticket for an evening flick is roughly $10. If you and a friend see a movie every week, that's $1,040 a year. Matinee tickets cost about $7.50 each, or $780 a year—a savings of $260 for seeing the same movie at a different time. Add your savings to a Tower "Rainy Day" Club account to chase away the clouds.

Food/Dining

  • If you’re in the habit of going to the closest drive-thru for lunch each work day, you’re probably paying an average of $30-$45 a week. With a little planning and organizing, you can bring your own lunch to work and save over a $100 a month—your savings will be on the right track. Open a Tower Holiday Club account for each month’s savings and have money set aside for holiday entertaining.

  • Rather than going out for lunch five days a week, pack a brown bag. Packing and bringing your lunch to work every day can save you about $2,340 a year. Add your weekly savings to a Tower Club account, and your savings will pack a wallop in no time.

  • Eating is expensive. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average American family of four spends $8,513 a year on groceries—that's $709 a month. Add about $40 more to your eating expenses each time you take your family out to dinner. Why not eat out less and put the money you save by cooking at home into a Tower "Kitchen Renovation" Club account?

Travel/Auto

  • An automobile roof rack allows you to have more cargo space, but it
    can decrease your fuel economy. If you have a roof rack on your vehicle, remove it whenever you're not using it and you could save 15 to 30 gallons of gas per year—a savings of up to $72.
     
  • Save on last minute travel. Is vacation time here but you haven't made plans? Do a little research before booking and you can save big. For example, round-trip airfare between St. Louis and San Francisco at a major airline's Web site on two day's notice was $788. But a site such as Lastminute.com offered the same ticket, plus a hotel package, for $427—a savings of $361.
     
  • Save on gas by slowing down. The faster you drive, the more gas you use. So lighten up on the accelerator and don't make fast starts or sudden stops. Each 5 mph you drive under 60 mph will save you $.26 per gallon on gas.
     
  • Purchase your flight and hotel accommodations together as a package and save big. Travelers who do this using Expedia.com, for example, save an average of $220 per trip. Deposit the money you save in your Tower “Summer Vacation” Club account for next year.

  • A more fuel-efficient car can cut gas costs dramatically. Driving 1,200 miles a month in a car that averages 18 miles per gallon costs $233 (at $3.50 per gallon). Switching to one that averages 25 miles per gallon only costs $168 every month—a monthly savings of $65. That’s $780 put aside in savings per year for your Tower “Next Car” Club account.

  • Gas station prices can vary as much as 20 percent within only a few blocks of each other. Visit a Web site like gasbuddy.com to find the best deal in your neighborhood or along your commute route. A 20-cent difference on 60 gallons of gas per month adds up to $12 per month or $144 per year.

  • Keeping your tires at the proper inflation could save you between $100 and $200 a year on gas, depending on how much you drive and how under inflated your tires may be. Deposit the money you save into your Tower “Emergency Savings” Club account.

  • Getting your car washed costs about $5 at a gas station drive-through, or as much as $15 to $50 if you choose a thorough hand-wash, vacuum and detail package. When you do the job yourself, it only costs you about 30 minutes of time in your driveway.