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When it comes to frugal living and saving money around the house, your hot water heater is one appliance you want to ensure is always working properly. A damaged or inefficient hot water heater can literally wipe out all other household efforts to save power, as this appliance is one of the biggest energy consumers you own. The great thing about today’s tip is that it will not only help you to save power, but also to save water. By doing quick, routine checks of the valves on your hot water tank, you can avoid costly leaks and malfunctions. If any of the valves on your tank are leaking or are not working as they should, it’s best to replace or repair them immediately; failure to do

If you’re like most families, busy summer schedules make it just that much more important to have easy, inexpensive meal ideas on hand. There are tons of frugal recipes for bean dips on the net and these tasty, nutritious dips can be used in a multitude of different ways. Change up your veggie and dip tray with a Mexican-inspired pinto bean dip, or spread a thick layer of a yummy black bean dip on grilled veggie sandwiches for protein and flavour. Use bean dips on grilled flatbreads, crackers or pita for snacks, enjoy with tortilla chips for a salsa or guacamole alternative. With virtually any type of bean (great for frugal living and totally nutritious), a few flavour ingredients (think garlic, fresh or dried herbs, lime

There are loads of commercial cleaners on the market that claim to cut through grease instantly and most of them do a great job of it. The thing about these cleaners is that they are often full of chemicals and aren’t always exactly cheap. So for those of us who aren’t crazy about dousing our kitchen in chemicals or continuously having to buy these products, are we destined to have permanent, dried-on, greasy messes in our kitchens or to spend way too much of our precious time scrubbing? Most certainly not. A great, more frugal living friendly alternative cleaner is baking soda. Simply sprinkle some baking soda onto a damp sponge and use this non-abrasive, natural cleaner to easily and quickly remove dried-on grease.

With the summer temperatures being on the up and up in these parts, frugal living drivers have got to remember that, just like our bodies, our cars need the right amount of fluids when it’s hot. Taking the time to check all fluid levels—engine coolant, radiator fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid—and making sure they’re where they should be could save you from a number of costly auto repairs. For frugal living, 9 times out of 10 the best way to save money is through prevention. Check under the hood today! *Photo from Flickr, courtesy of schwartz.mark

Dry skin isn’t just something that we get in the winter time. Swimming in chlorinated pools or salt water and being exposed to the sun can all leave our skin dry and in much need of some hydration. One of the easiest and most frugal living friendly natural remedies to relieve parched skin is to take an oatmeal bath. Oatmeal has natural fats that help lubricate and soften skin and will leave a protective film on the skin to help prevent dryness in the future. For best results, use finer flake oatmeal or simply whiz some large flake oats in the blender and add to a cool bath. *Photo from Flickr, courtesy of Katie Tegtmeyer

In our efforts to help you save power in the biggest ways possible, one aspect of your household that seems to get constant attention is the hot water heater. That’s because, to put it simply, the hot water heater is an energy hog and doing whatever you can to make it a little more frugal living friendly in how it operates will undoubtedly save you money. Today’s tip is all about removing the sediment (or mineral deposits like calcium) that get left behind in the hot water heater’s storage tank. These deposits can form a layer along the heating element which makes the transfer of heat to the water less efficient and costs you more money. Then, the sediment can also cause your tank to overheat and,

If you love souvlaki, I hope you’ve been treating your family to homemade meals with fresh pitas stuffed with souvlaki, Greek salad and tasty tzatziki. I love tzatziki and find that it goes so well with a variety of things, Greek or not. The only thing about this yummy spread is that a small container will set you back about $4 in these parts, so it isn’t very frugal living friendly, to say the least. The good news is that tzatziki can be frugal living friendly and whipped up in a pinch using a few simple ingredients: plain yogurt, cucumber and minced garlic. That’s it. Just combine the ingredients and chill. For best results, grate your cucumber and then set it in a strainer so that you

Salmonella, E. coli and the like aren’t something you want to mess around with, but just because you don’t want dangerous bacteria lurking in your kitchen doesn’t mean you have to spend money on chemical-laden commercial cleaners. There are more frugal living friendly and, get this, effective ways to kill this bacteria. Fill one spray bottle with white vinegar and another with hydrogen peroxide. To clean your surface, simply spray one solution first and then the other. For whatever reason, this one-after-the-other process has actually been proven to be more effective than commercial kitchen cleaners at killing yucky bacteria. Give it a shot and save your money. *Photo from Flickr, courtesy of Samuel M. Livingston

Many drivers know that large trucks produce a draft when driving on the highway—you’ve probably felt it. One way to get the best gas mileage going is to make sure you stay about 10 car lengths from the back of a truck. Tailgating a transport isn’t only dangerous but it will also keep you out of the draft and put you in a better position to optimize your car’s fuel efficiency. Just one way to make your commute to work a little more frugal living friendly. *Photo from Flickr, courtesy of didbygraham

If you don’t already have some in your pantry, it’s time you purchased some of this frugal living friendly tea that can be used in a large number of different natural remedies. In weeks previous, we mentioned how red raspberry leaf tea is beneficial for women, especially during menstruation, pregnancy and birth. There are, however, a number of lesser-known uses for this tea in thrifty natural remedies: To help heal a wound, wet red raspberry leaves and apply to the affected area as a poultice. The leaves will not only help reduce inflammation, but they will also help tighten the area, helping to close over the wound. The tea is rich in absorbable calcium, making it a great tea to drink if you suffer from muscle

If you’re finding the heat unbearable and have been forced to use your air conditioning, be sure to make your use of this potentially costly appliance as efficient as possible. While many people know that by bumping up the temperature by one or two degrees they can save a lot of money in the long-term, they may not realize that the placement of their appliances could affect their ability to save power and their money. If you place an appliance such as a TV next to or near your thermostat, the heat from the appliance can skew the thermostat’s reading of the temperature in your house and cause it to run the air conditioner excessively. This is a waste of money and not conducive to your