My dad always said that cash didn’t grow on trees. It’s funny that he must have said this when I was just a little child because I still picture a cash tree in my mind. Wow, I could very use 1 of those trees right now. Stretching the paycheck is getting harder and harder every single year. It’s as though the costs keep rising while our income stays so very flat. Both of us do our very best to keep our household costs in check. My partner and I spend at least a few seconds per week discussing bills and purchases. Our budget is challenging so, both of us go after costs that seem as though they can get cut. Heating, Ventilation plus A/C use is a large 1. Both of us used to just bite the bullet and write the check for large energy bills during the summer. Both of us thought this was just section of life. Lately, but, both of us have been able to be more proactive regarding Heating, Ventilation plus A/C energy savings. It started with the easy fixes. I went around our new home and sealed every crack, hole or gap in the exterior of our home. I then went up and 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 sun issue. Both of us live where there just isn’t any natural shade. The sun 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 simple things ended up saving us upwards of 15 percent.