How Can I Prepare for Higher Fall & Winter Utility Bills?

Feeling the chill as the days get shorter? Yeah, I get it—those heating bills can hit like a brick! But don’t sweat it; I’ve got the scoop on keeping your home toasty without draining your wallet. Today, we’re diving into some slick energy-saving tips that’ll help you dodge those sky-high utility costs this fall and winter. We’ll chat about how a little foresight and some simple tweaks can keep the warmth in and the cash in your pocket. So, grab a cozy blanket, and let’s get into how to be smart with your energy use while still enjoying a comfy home—and answering the big question: How Can I Prepare for Higher Fall & Winter Utility Bills?

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As the seasons shift and the chill creeps in, there's that little voice in the back of our heads whispering about those terrifying heating bills. You know the ones I mean—the kind that makes you squirm when you open the envelope. We dive into this topic headfirst, exploring how to keep your home warm without sending your budget into a tailspin. The episode is grounded in practical tips and a sprinkle of faith-based wisdom. We're all about balancing comfort with financial savvy, so we dish out some killer energy-saving hacks that you can start implementing today. Think of it as prepping your home for the cold without the cold hard cash going out the window. So grab a cozy blanket and get comfy, because we're about to turn those heating woes upside down!

Takeaways:

• As the cold creeps in, prepare your home now to avoid those scary heating bills.
• Planning ahead is key; energy efficiency can keep your house warm while saving you cash.
• Don't let winter catch you off guard, take steps now to manage your utility costs wisely.
• Simple actions like sealing drafts and adjusting thermostats can make a huge difference in comfort.
• Changing your furnace filter regularly boosts efficiency and keeps your air fresh, so don't skip it!
• Implementing just a couple of energy-saving habits can lead to financial peace this winter.

Links referenced in this episode:

• financiallyconfidentchristian.com

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Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Hey, as the days get shorterand the air turns crisp, does the
thought of those sky highheating bills fill you with dread?
What if you could prepare yourhome for colder weather and keep
your family warm and cozywithout those shock and utility statements?
Well, stick with me todaybecause I've got some great ideas
on exactly how to make thathappen on today's show.

(00:21):
This is Financially ConfidentChristian, your daily dose of gospel
grounded insight and faithdriven tips to help you break the
cycle of financial shame with confidence.
Hey there and welcome back toyour Financially Confident Christian.
I'm Ralph and this is the showthat helps you answer that question,
how can I become a financiallyconfident Christian? And we're in

(00:43):
our series Smart Money forBack to School and beyond. We're
talking about smart ways tosave money, to spend money and really
prepare for the back to schooltime. Now if you missed yesterday's
show, we talked aboutoptimizing your budget by reevaluating
those subscriptions andmemberships. So if you missed that
show, I encourage you to to gocheck it out. You can do that always.
At Financially ConfidentChristian, I gave you some great

(01:05):
tips on how to beat thosebudget drains. Now today we're talking
about another budget dream.We're going to build on that and
talk about another commonseasonal expense. This one my son
brought to my attention ashe's getting his new apartment. He
said, dad, how do I preparefor higher fall and winter utility
bills? With some saving energysaving tips, Some savvy energy saving

(01:27):
tips in fact. So today'squestion is really this. It's how
can I prepare for higher falland winter utility bills? Listen,
I've been there summertimeright now, at least it is where I
am here on the east coast andnanny too far away before it gives
way to cooler temperatures.And all of a sudden you start hearing
that furnace kick on and youdread opening that first bill of

(01:48):
the money it costs areskyrocketing to keep that house warm.
And you face this burden ofthese unavoidable increased heating
expenses. The that you've notreally planned for. And that can
lead to significant budgetstrain. It can lead to anxiety about
staying warm. Hey, a lot ofpeople like to stay warm and feeling
helpless against those risingenergy prices. And this is a big

(02:10):
source of stress for so manypeople and it really forces you some
tough choices between comfortand financial stability. That's the
very conversation I had withmy son yesterday. I said, you're
going to decide whether yougot to put some extra clothes on,
maybe have that throw blanketout or or hike that thermostat up
and watch that bill soar.Because here's the thing, high fall
and winter utility bills arepredictable. Hear me on that. You

(02:33):
can predict this. But if youdon't plan for them, they can be
big time costly. Because theprinciple here today is energy efficiency
is wise stewardship and itensures that you have comfort without
waste. So let's get right intothe word of God. The first biblical
principle I want to talk abouttoday is foresight and prudence.

(02:54):
Planning, planning for things.Let's look at the book of Proverbs,
chapter 22, verse 3. And itstates this. The prudency danger
and take refuge. But thesimple keep going and suffer for
it. Yeah, that's right. If youdon't plan, if you're not pruning
about it, what you're going todo is you're going to suffer for
it. Let's look at the secondbiblical principle and that's avoiding

(03:17):
waste. And we actually talkedabout this one on the last two shows.
I keep on bringing it back,but it's really fits with what we're
talking about. This is Johnchapter 6, verse 12. Again Jesus
instructed them, gather thepieces that are left over, let nothing
be wasted. See that applied towasted food, that applies to wasted
energy. And those wastedsubscription that we talked about

(03:38):
on yesterday's show, itapplies right here again today. And
the third biblical principleis preparing fields. I thought this
one was perfect. This isProverbs chapter 24, verse 27. Because
this is all about preparingahead. It says put your outdoor work
in order and get your fieldsready. After that, build your house.
Now I'm talking about yourhouse is already built. But this

(04:01):
is an act of diligentstewardship to help you save money,
reduce waste and free upresources for other goals so that
you can truly honor Godthrough careful management and financial
peace. So you not be saying,okay Ralph, what can we do? How do
we keep those fall bills down?So the question is how to keep home
warm and cozy without sky highutility bills. And of course I've

(04:24):
got a solution for you. I'mgoing to encourage you to intentionally
implement one or two simple,low cost energy efficient habits
in your home and do it now soyou can actively reduce those high
fall and winter utility billswithout sacrificing comfort. And
in the end, hey, thisproactive efficiency is going to
give you financial peace. Sohere's your one action step for today

(04:46):
with the goal to reduce thosefall and winter energy bills. Hey,
this is the first one, as Iwas Preparing for the show today,
this was the number one thingas I searched, and that is check
and seal those drafts in yourhouse. And this isn't very difficult
to do. You can walk throughyour home and identify maybe one
or two areas where you feelthat drift. Maybe, you know, you've

(05:06):
got this draft around yourwindows, or maybe you're like me,
you're kind of in a little bitolder house. And around those doors,
man, you can feel that, thatcold air just coming through. Here's
one a lot of people don'tthink about, and I actually hadn't
thought about it either. Andthat's around electrical outlets.
You know, sometimes thosedon't have the insulation around
those. So here's the simplesolution. Seal them with inexpensive

(05:28):
weather stripping or cost.This is a low cost, do it yourself
project. So that's the firstthing. Check for those seals and
check for those drifts. Secondthing, that's what I had a conversation
about with my son. Adjust yourthermostat. Hey, even if it's just
slightly, because if you haveair conditioning, you can adjust
the thermostat slightly andyou can save a lot of money. And

(05:50):
now for the fall and winterheating, you can lower that thermostat
1 or 3 degrees Fahrenheit whenyou're home. Doesn't make any sense
to keep it there when you'renot home. And you can even set it
lower when you're sleeping ormaybe when you're away. Hey, put
some blankets on, burn thatfurnace down. Don't keep on burning
through that energy becauselisten, even a few degrees can save
you significantly. I don'tknow how many people don't realize

(06:12):
that. So I said to my son, Isaid, hey, when you move into that
apartment, check thatthermostat and see what you can really
tolerate. And then listen,when you're not there, turn it down
that way you're not paying alot of money to keep that place.
Now, of course, I said turn itdown in this in the wintertime, turn
it up a little bit in thesummertime. Third thing I'm going
to recommend you do. This issomething my wife always takes care

(06:32):
of. She puts it right on thecalendar. And that's check and change
your furnace filter. A lot ofpeople don't think about this one.
So first thing is locate thatfurnace filter. Maybe you've got
one or two vents or maybeyou've got two or three spots. Well,
go and check those things.Check them for dust, check them for
dirt, and hey, replace them ifthey're dirty. My wife just replaces
ours every single month. It'slike clockwork. And here's the thing.

(06:54):
It's easy, it's inexpensive,and it truly does boost the efficiency
and air quality of yourfurnace. I remember one time my wife
and I had just met and I hadthis townhouse and. And she moved
in, and this is the way hermind works. She says, Ralph, do you
check your, your, your, your.Your heating system to make sure
it's clear? I'm like, what areyou talking about? Well, she says,

(07:16):
Ralph, there's a vent inthere. There's a filter that you
need to change. Well, let mejust be honest with you. I walked
over to that. I pulled thatthing out, man, with the dust and
the stuff on there, you couldhave created a blanket. Yeah, there's
a mental thing, but it's soeasy to do. It's inexpensive, and
it will really boost yourefficiency. And here's another pro
tip. It'll keep your furnacefrom running away from you with cost

(07:38):
and with repairs. Now, anotherthing you can do and a lot of. I
remember when I was a kid, mygrandparents used to do this. Some
of my aunts and uncles woulddo this is they would go around and
make sure all the windows wereclosed. And then they did something
even bigger than that. Theywould put this plastic window film.
I remember them having a heatgun. As I can recall, a lot of them
just use a hairdryer and theyput this film on the windows and

(07:59):
kind of seal those windows in.Now, a lot of people also put heavy
curtains. Curtains are kind ofa big thing. My wife and I talked
about this yesterday. Not alot of people have curtains anymore.
But those, those big heavycurtains can help keep those drafts
out, because that's the wholething. Keep the drafts out and maybe
add some insulation becausethis is really going to help you
fight that struggle and stressof those high fall winter utility

(08:22):
bills. It's going to help yougain control over your major household
expenses, save you money,reduce waste, and free up resources
you can do with other things.And aligns your comfort with wise
stewardship, bringing youpeace of mind and hey, saving you
money along the way. Why aboutwe pray together today, Father God,
we just thank you for thewarmth of our homes and the resources

(08:44):
of the energy you provide. AndLord, we confess that often we use
energy carelessly or, or. Orfeel helpless against those rising
bills. Lord, and we just askthat you would grant us wisdom and
diligence in managing ourenergy consumption. Lord, help us
to implement simple, effectivehabits that save money and reduce
waste and guide us to be wisestewards of our homes, Lord, and

(09:06):
the resources within them. Andwe just ask that our efforts would
bring us comfort without thoseexcessive costs and financial peace.
And we ask this in Jesus name.Amen. Listen, this is a pro tip.
Proactive energy efficiency isa powerful way to keep your home
cozy. Yes, you can keep itcozy and also keep your budget happy

(09:28):
this fall and winter. So takesome steps I outlined today. Just
implement one or two of thoseenergy saving habits because you
are moving towards truefreedom. And listen, true comfort.
And if this episode resonatedwith you, I'm going to ask you to
share it with someone whomight need to hear it. You can find
resources for this showfinanciallyconfidentchristian.com so

(09:48):
send a text, send an email.Just said, hey, you're thinking about
energy efficiency for yourhome. Hey, Ralph's got some great
tips. Now tomorrow we're goingto continue to get organized for
the fall season. We're goingto be talking about another crucial
thing and it's how to getorganized for year end tax planning
as believe it or not, Believeit or not, it's only a few months
off. I'm going to talk aboutsome simple steps that you can take

(10:10):
now to reduce that year endstress later. So you don't want to
miss it. So make sure you joinme now. Let's all go out there today
and be financially confidentChristians. You can do this. I have
confidence in you. Haveconfidence in yourself. Stay financially
savvy. God bless you and youhave a great day today.