Entry bubble Brace Yourself for Home Heating Oil Prices

By: Joanne | September 09, 2008 | Category: Home and Family

turning down the thermostat to conserve energyLast week we filled the home heating oil tank in preparation for the cold weather. We got 435 gallons at $3.60 a gallon. Payment due upon delivery – swoon. What’s up with that?

There are a lot of factors that determine the price of home heating oil. Even when the price of crude oil is stable, it’s typical for home heating oil prices to rise in the winter months when you need it the most. It’s that old supply and demand thing from Economics 101.

We don’t have the furnace cranked on yet, but already we’re thinking of things we can do to save a few bucks and increase the energy efficiency of our home this winter. We’ve got some old, old windows in our old, old house and I think that the cost of fuel this winter is going to be enough to push us into replacing them with modern, energy efficient windows. I’ll actually clean the radiators, which, um…hasn’t been done in a while. We’ll have the furnace cleaned and the filters replaced so it’s running in tip top shape and we’re definitely going to be keeping the temperature a few degrees cooler this year. We’ll just have to break out the sweaters and fuzzy slippers and curl up with the warm kitties. I read in Consumer Reports that by turning your thermostat down between 5 and 10 degrees at night can reduce your heating costs by 20 percent. That’s pretty impressive. If you’re away from the house during the day it’s also a good idea to turn the heat down while you’re gone. If you have trouble remembering to turn your thermostat down, some people find that programmable thermostats are helpful.

The cost of heating the house this year will definitely be a burden, but we’ll make it. If you’re worried that you’re not going to be able to afford to heat your home, you should contact your state coordinator for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (also known as LIHEAP).

| View Comments [16] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: assistance   energy   heat   joanne   liheap   oil   winter  

 

Entry bubble Government Grants

By: Joanne | April 01, 2008 | Category: Money

Hey! Did you hear that the government gives away billions of dollars so people can pay off their credit card bills, quit their jobs and go on vacation?  April fool!

woman standing in a shower of money

Are we really that gullible? Sure we’d all like it to be true—who doesn’t want some easy money? But before you shell out some of your hard earned money to learn how to get a government grant, or even worse, get caught up in a scam, I want you to know that the government does give lots of money away, but most government grants go to state and local governments or nonprofit organizations that in turn use the money to administer community programs.

If you or someone you know is in need, the government has loads of assistance programs that might help - they’re just not often referred to as “grants.” There are programs to help with heating bills or starting a business or health insurance for children and much more. If you’re an organization seeking a grant you should check out grants.gov, your official source where you can find and apply for a grant from the federal government.

| View Comments [5] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: assistance   benefits   financial   grant   joanne   money