My dad always said that currency didn’t grow on trees. It’s funny that she must have said this when I was just a little child because I still picture a currency tree in our mind. Wow, I could definitely use one of those trees right now. Stretching the paycheck is getting harder as well as harder every single year. It’s as though the costs keep rising while our income stays so really flat. Both of us do our really best to keep our household costs in check. My wife as well as I spend at least a few minutes per week discussing bills as well as purchases. Our budget is challenging so, both of us go after costs that seem as though they can get cut. Heating, Ventilation, as well as A/C use is a big one. Both of us used to just bite the bullet as well as write the check for large energy bills during the summer. Both of us thought this was just area of life. Lately, but, both of us have been able to be more proactive regarding Heating, Ventilation, as well as A/C energy savings. It started with the straight-forward fixes. I went around our lake house as well as sealed every crack, hole or gap in the exterior of our home. I then went up as well as sealed the perimeter of the attic. While I was up there, I even threw on some additional layers of insulation where there were thin spots. Next, I tackled the direct sunshine issue. Both of us live where there just isn’t any natural shade. The sunshine is just beating down on us from every angle. Both of us tried to be diligent about pulling the drapes but both of us were always forgetting. So, both of us put up solar plastic cling on our windows. Just these few straight-forward things ended up saving us upwards of 15 percent.