Michael Petruccelli asks: What are some ideas to help me save for a down payment? (6)

Michael Petruccelli says: Drive Smarter and Save $900. According to U.S. Department of Energy’s website on fuel economy, driving smarter and improving your car’s fuel economy by 10 miles per gallon can save you more than $900 in a year. Cleaning out your car on a weekly basis makes a lot of sense for saving money, too. According to FuelEconomy.gov, a website for the U.S. Department of Energy, toting around 100 extra pounds in your trunk can reduce your car’s efficiency by up to two percent. (FYI, a fully loaded golf bag weighs about 50 pounds.)

Michael Petruccelli asks: What are some ideas to help me save for a down payment? (5)

Michael Petruccelli says:  Give Up Bottled Water and Save $1,400. Do you have a reusable bottle at home? I got one because of its lifetime guarantee. By using one instead of buying individual bottles of water, you’ll save about $1,400 a year.

Michael Petruccelli asks: What are some ideas to help me save for a down payment? (4)

Michael Petruccelli says:  Pack Your Lunch and Save $1,800.  If grownups took a page from their school days and packed a healthy lunch, and snacks too, they would save $1,800 a year. That’s because if you buy lunch out every day (cheaply, I might add), you spend more than $150 each month for that convenience. Sure, it’s nice to have someone else make you lunch, but I like the idea of $1,800 in my bank account at the end of the year better.

Michael Petruccelli asks: What are some ideas to help me save for a down payment? (3)

Michael Petruccelli says:  Watch Your Water Usage at Home and Save $550. Ninety percent of what I spend on my utility bills goes towards warming the water in my water heater. By switching to cold-water washes, plus taking shorter showers, I can save about $150 a year on energy costs. Add to that replacing leaky faucets and upgrading to low-flow showerheads and toilets—that will add another $400 in annual savings. Check to see if your Utility Company has a refund program for changing out your old toilets to new low flow ones. Some cities Utility companies also have “Water Saver Kits”. My city does and it contained a low flow shower head, a bathroom low flow faucet aerator and one for the kitchen faucet. It also had leak detection tablets to put in your toilet tank to see if you have any leaks or a toilet that runs constantly. It also contained a toilet tank bank; a bladder to fill with water to take up space in the tank, it hangs on the inside side of the tank so that you use less water with each flush. The greatest thing about this is the kit was free from my city utility company, and I’m saving water and money.