Can You Intentionally Lower One Utility Bill This Month?

Hey, did you ever look at that utility bill or maybe that water bill and just sigh, feeling like it's just totally out of your control? What if I told you that focusing on just one utility and making a couple of tiny changes could actually make a huge difference? Let's explore that today. Hey there, and welcome back to Your Daily Ask Ralph.

I'm so glad to be here with you on this Saturday as we continue our practical journey in the joy of living below your means, and we're still working to break that cycle of financial shame and do it with confidence. Now, yesterday we talked all about shopping our own houses first, and today we're gonna be talking about stewarding resources like electricity and water. Let's talk about those utility bills, the electricity bill, the.

The water bill maybe for you natural gas or heating, if you're like me, they sometimes feel like those fixed expenses you just have to pay them no matter how high they get. And maybe you're starting to feel powerless against those rising rates or those seasonal spikes, like those air conditioning costs in the summer, or heating in the winter.

You might be thinking that trying to reduce consumption is way too complicated and it's gonna require these expensive upgrades, or that that

small changes won't make a dent anyway. And that feeling of helplessness regarding utility costs, that passive acceptance of high bills without trying to actively manage consumption well, that's the single challenge we're focusing in on today. Because it can feel like the money just evaporating into thin air. But here's the thing, while we don't always control the rates for utilities, we often have more control over our consumption than we realize.

Listen, I can still remember my mom telling my sister and I turn off those lights and see God called humanity to be stewards of his creation. That's right from Genesis chapter one, verse 20, I'm encourage you to go read that today. And those include resources like energy and water. And using them wisely and avoiding waste isn't just good for our wallets. Yes, it's good for that, but it's also good stewardship and small, consistent changes on our daily habits do add up over time on these bills.

Just like with coffee or lunch money. And I've done a couple shows on that. We just need to be intentional. So now you're saying, okay, Ralph, you got me hooked. What can we do? how can we move from feeling powerless to taking active steps

in managing our utility costs? How can we be better stewards of these resources? Well, you know, I've got an answer for you, and the single manageable solution is, Just pick one utility bill and then intentionally implement maybe two or three action items to lower your consumption in that area for the next month. Instead of trying to overhaul everything at once, which can seem overwhelming, can seem like you're not gonna get anywhere, I just want you to focus your efforts and target one utility.

Maybe you choose electricity, maybe for you, you choose that water bill, or maybe it's that gas heating and cooling bill. Whichever you think has the most potential for savings or maybe for you feels the easiest to tackle first. And then, okay, you might be saying, Ralph, how do I do that? Well, I want you to identify some simple actions, you know, brainstorm some easy habit changes for that specific utility. And I'm gonna talk about those in a few minutes.

I. And then I just want you to focus for a month. I want you to commit to consistently practicing these few actions for just 30 days, and then you can see what happens and you're gonna see a dramatic change and see, here's the benefit of this approach. This approach makes it feel achievable and helps build awareness around specific consumption habits. And so what's the solution? The solution's pretty simple. It's targeted action, and that's focus on lowering just one utility.

Okay, here's your action step for today. Let's make a plan to lower one bill this month. So first I want you to do, like I talked about, choose that target, pick one utility bill, and I want you to focus on lowering at the next 30 days. So like for example, maybe you pick your electricity bill. I'm gonna focus on reducing that electricity bill. I. Next thing you're gonna do is you're gonna come up with two or three action items that will help you reduce that bill.

You could think of simple, free actions that you can start taking today for that specific utility. For example, like we talked about electricity, like my mom said, turn off those lights when you're leaving the room. Maybe you unplug those phone chargers or appliances when not in use. And I found a term I never heard of this before. It's called phantom power. You can turn those things off and maybe save some money. Maybe you can adjust thermostat by a degree or two, or use fans more.

Use your AC less. And here's a great idea, you could hang clothes to dry outside instead of using the dryer sometimes. Now maybe for you, you pick water bill. So maybe what you could do is take some shorter showers, use a, use a timer. Yes, you could use a timer for your shower. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth and I'm guilty of this myself. I don't know how many times I've just left that water running.

And if you're doing washing clothes only run when there's full loads in the washing machine. And again, here's another water saver. You know, water your lawn less frequently or do it more efficiently maybe in the evening hours. Now maybe your idea is to tackle that gas or heating bill. One of the biggest things you can do is adjust that thermostat. You might find that you can live with it being just a couple degrees. Higher or lower might save you a lot of money.

You can start wearing layers instead of cranking up the heat.

Now, I'm not expecting you to go around your house with a big heavy parka on in the middle of the winter. But you can make little adjustments. Hey, here's a great idea. You can check for drafts around your windows, your doors. I doesn't look big, but the stuff is just coming in and going out. You're losing heat and just write down two or three action items. That you're gonna commit to. Alright, so that was the first step. The second step, and here's where the commitment comes in.

I want you to commit to that for 30 days. I want you to intentionally practice these specific actions every day for the next month. Hey, listen. And if you're a family, you gotta get your family involved 'cause everybody's gotta pitch in. And here's an optional a bonus tip. That's one of the things I'm gonna encourage you to do. Find your last bill for that utility so you can see where your starting point is, and then you can start to compare, Hey, are we getting anywhere?

Now you might be saying, Ralph, okay, I get it, but why this focused approach? I'm gonna tell you why. Because it directly combats that feeling of being overwhelmed and it powerless about those utility costs. It makes the goal manageable and specific. You're picking just one and you've got some action items for it. Another great thing about this, it builds awareness of how daily habits impact your consumption. Empowering you to take control and save money month after month.

And here's another big takeaway. It helps you practice good stewardship and better use of your resources. Hey, let's pray together. Father God, thank you for the resources like electricity and water and all the other, the creature comforts that you give us that make our lives so much easier.

Lord, forgive us for the times that we take them for granted or use them wastefully. Lord, as my friend listening chooses one utility to focus on this month. Lord, grant them the awareness of their habits and the discipline to consistently implement those small changes we talked about. Help their household work together in this effort as a team effort.

And may this act of intentional stewardship, not only save them money, but Lord, help them to cultivate a deeper respect for your creation and your provision. And we thank you for your guidance in Jesus name. Amen. Alright, well pick that utility. Choose your actions and get started today because here's the truth.

Small, consistent steps can make a real big difference on those bills, and you're becoming a wiser steward as you go. And be sure to join me here next time for our weekly recap and question and answer session. We're gonna take a deeper dive into packing lunches and cutting subscriptions. We're gonna talk again about that 24 hour rule. We're gonna talk about some of those free fun things, shop in your house. And last but not least, like we talked about today, lowering those utility bills.

Plus I'm gonna answer some great listener questions related to these topics that came in this week. it's gonna be a little longer and more in depth, so grab a cup of coffee or maybe one that you brew at home, of course, and join me tomorrow. And if this episode gave you a practical way to save on utilities, do me a favor and share it with somebody who could benefit from it. You can find resources and links in the show notes@askralph.com.

So until our recap episode tomorrow, I'm gonna encourage you to conserve wisely and keep seeking him first. And let's keep working to be financially confident Christian. So stay financially savvy. God bless you and have a great day today.