The Glimpse Magazine - The Unique, The Different and The Cool

Is BarxBuddy Really The Best Anti-Barking Device? [2020 Review]

Jen Lambert on September 2, 2020

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When you have a dog in your home, they bring their personalities into your home as well. While some dogs may be easy and breezy, the truth is, most dogs have some sort of personality quirk.

This could be something benign, but when it comes down to it, most dogs definitely have an unpleasant habit or two up their furry sleeve. Enter: excessive barking.

Excessive barking can be a real headache, and can be tough to work with, because when your dog is barking, they’re not paying much attention to you. If you have a dog that excessively barks, and you’ve hit a dead end, there’s a new anti-barking device on the market you can try.

Called BarxBuddy anti-barking device, this is an all-around dog training device, that seems to work particularly well when it comes to excessive barking. We wanted to know: is BarxBuddy really the best anti-barking device on the market? Let’s dive into it.

What is BarxBuddy?

BarxBuddy uses ultrasonic technology to get your dog’s attention and interrupt their barking. When you press the button on BarxBuddy, the device emits a high-pitched tone, which is harmless to dogs, and not even audible to humans. This noise simply gets your dog’s attention, and when you have it, you have the perfect training opportunity. This is especially helpful when they’re barking non-stop, because that’s when it’s typically tough to get their attention.

BarxBuddy versus other anti-barking devices

When we’re looking at anti-barking devices, the market is actually not that great. Many of these devices, such as shock and prong collars, are actually not all that humane, and can easily be mishandled by humans. Plus, other options that use sound seem to be less effective and less affordable than BarxBuddy.

Perks of BarxBuddy

There are several pros of using BarxBuddy anti-barking device which makes it a great anti-barking device. Firstly, BarxBuddy allows you to be fully in control of the training, and also train consistently with other members of your household.

So, in contrast, when you use an outside trainer or classes for training, your pup may be confused with who is the leader, and how to utilize that training inside the home. When you’re in charge of the training, you avoid any confusion, and everyone in your house can train consistently using the same methods.

Next, BarxBuddy makes it easy to make every moment a teaching moment. Your dog could misbehave at any moment, and if you have your BarxBuddy nearby, you can consistently train your dog during these times.

For example, whenever your dog starts excessively barking, you can reach for your BarxBuddy and get their attention. You won’t be caught off-guard or be trying to incorporate difficult training techniques.

In general, BarxBuddy anti-barking device is portable, affordable, and effective. It makes it easy for every member of the family to use the same training methods across the board, which is definitely helpful for consistency.

Making Sure Good Parenting Doesn’t Stop with a Pandemic

Article Editor on September 1, 2020

Many children are developing their brain function, body function, and many other psychological factors during the pandemic. No parent has ever had such a catastrophe occur during their own childhood, which is why it can be confusing, frustrating, or scary for many families. How are children going to gain social skills if they aren’t allowed to play with their friends? How will a toddler be safe in public if they won’t wear a mask? What if the parents get sick from coronavirus and who will keep the children safe? The questions are what run through most parents’ heads on a daily basis. Supermoms like Rachel Harow have started listening to their children’s needs more because they are different then they used to be.

As children develop into adolescence a lot of key factors are important for them to obtain or learn. Social skills, self-awareness, and how to take care of themselves are very crucial. Many children give off singles or subtle ways that they need something. Listening to body ques and not just words are why moms are superheroes. If a child is merely showing signs of discomfort, they can pinpoint what tit is without asking. However, it might get harder to know what children want if they are struggling during the pandemic. For example, allergic reactions don’t always have a crazy, unexpected, dramatic effect. For some kids, just itching and being a grumpy mood are signs of a reaction.Many masks are made with fabrics that don’t always allow the best ventilation. That is fine because the kids are safe, however, some children with sensitive skin can have rashes and acne if there mask isn’t changed once a day. Rachel Harow invested in cloth masks so that she can throw into the laundry every night to ensure they are germ-free and clean for the next day. Certain lotions may also help their skin calm and ensure happiness. Masks are still new and by 2021 there are sure to be allergy-friendly masks. Nevertheless, until that moment presents itself, wash masks as much as possible to keep kids safe. Remember to always aks what your child is feeling and be an open listener to their requests.

What Can Your Business Gain From SEO Services?

Manager on September 1, 2020

It is fair to say, that a lot of new business has now moved online, and now that potential customers are now using their smart phones, home PCs, and laptops, to find the product or service that they require, it means that your business has to make the jump, from a brick and mortar store, to an online one as well. If you’re doing any kind of business online, then you need to be using search engine optimisation, and with the right search engine optimisation strategy in place, your website should be able to move to the top of search engine results. This means that your business should feature in the top three companies, when customers search online. Customers automatically assume that you are the best, and that you operate a reputable business. The likelihood of them clicking on your website, increases exponentially, and through this, your customer base will grow, and your profits will follow.

In order to get the attention of new potential customers, you need a marketing strategy that is going to provide the best content, and to get this, you need an SEO strategy from Move Ahead Media. They will provide you with the key ingredients for success that will allow you to reach your target market, increase your website rankings, and position your business in such a way, that it generates more leads, receives more calls, and revenue increases dramatically. The benefits of SEO services are too numerous, but we will try to mention just a few of them here today.

Domination of competitors – Due to a saturated marketplace, it has become even more difficult to distance yourself from your competitors, and make your business stand out from the rest. With the right search engine optimisation strategy, and the right company to provide you with that service, this should be enough to move you ahead from your closest competitors. They might realise what you’re doing, and try to create an SEO strategy for themselves, but by then, it will be too late, as you will be well ahead of them, and pulling further into the distance.

Fantastic return on investment – With the right SEO strategy in place, you will find that this method outperforms any other activities that are at your disposal. Search engine optimisation allows you to position your company as an authority figure, and it should increase your branding effort as well. Your service provider will add to your website, and this will allow you to enjoy new visitors, more traffic, and better leads and enquiries. You will find that your business will be perceived as a higher ranked website, and from that, comes customer trust. Even your local government understands the benefits of search engine optimisation.

You will receive unprecedented online exposure, and by taking advantage of the growth of the World Wide Web, that is growing every year, and shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. You should be able to experience a lot more visitors to your website, and this will convert into a lot more queries. From that, should come customer orders, and increases in the overall profits.

How Social Media Can Help Your Boating Business

Manager on August 28, 2020

As Australians, we enjoy the great outdoors, and when we have any free time at all, you will find many of us outside, taking part in many different activities. The ocean is one particular place that we like to spend a lot of time on, and this involves surfing, kayaking, and boating. Surfing and kayaking is an affordable hobby that everyone can take part in, but when it comes to boats, then we are moving into a pastime that can cost a significant amount of money. However, investing in a boat is very worthwhile, and a very popular business venture, is to be the provider of boats, and the various accessories that come with them. If you have realised the potential, and have opened up your own boating business, then you understand the popularity of this pastime, and the great deal of competition that is out there.

Due to the high number of competitors out there that you have, who also supply boats andessential Honda outboard parts, you need to be able to find a way to make your business stand out from the rest, and this is where social media comes to the forefront. There are so many benefits of growing your brand, and marketing your business to new potential customers, and we will have a look at just some of those benefits here.

Increased brand awareness – If you were to look around you right now, you would see that the vast majority of people have a smart phone in their hand, and they are looking at it right now. Most people are using social media platforms to search for what they want, and many customers do their shopping via online methods. This is the perfect opportunity for you to advertise your brand and the products that you have to offer, because over 60% of people who use their smart phones, say that they find new products and services on social media platforms.

Increased website traffic – If your business is constantly posting on social media, then this is the perfect way to drive traffic towards your business website. If you take the time to produce interesting and useful content, using your blog or website, then readers will share it with their friends, and after a time, you may even build up a following which amounts to a significant number of people. A successful business, nowadays, is all about increasing your visibility, and getting the attention of your current customers, and also potential customers.

Increased sales – It doesn’t matter what you’re selling, whether it’s a product or service, because social media can help you to sell more if it. Using your social media accounts, you can reach out to potential new customers. As the number of people using social media continues to grow year on year, this provides you with the perfect opportunity to meet your social marketing, and overall sales goals.

To ignore the benefits of social media for your business would be a grave mistake indeed. If you haven’t already embraced this excellent new way to improve on your brand, and to increase awareness of the product and service that you have, then you really need to consider starting to do it sooner, rather than later.

Higher Ed and Coronavirus: What SCAD Provides Students During a Worldwide Pandemic

Article Editor on August 27, 2020

As universities across the nation reopen in Fall 2020 for virtual online instruction, students and parents are curious as to how their SCAD tuition dollars will continue to be spent in a meaningful way. Many institutions are looking to add and strengthen existing resources in order to deliver the education expected by their faculty and staff. For some universities, changes are slow to come, while others were well down the road to incorporating online learning long before it was a necessity.

The Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) has been offering online degrees and remote instruction for over 12 years. The Savannah-based institution is the first art and design university to receive the Instructional Technology Council’s Award for Outstanding Distance Education Program, and the rank of “Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Teaching and Learning” from the Online Learning Consortium.

SCAD, led by visionary leader Paula Wallace, saw the benefits of online instruction long before the COVID-19 global pandemic made these changes necessary across the nation. In a recent communication to her community she wrote, “There’s good news for students beginning at SCAD this fall. The unforgettable intellectual, creative, and social engagement that defines #SCADlife is alive and well online and awaiting first-year Bees this September.”

Wallace and other SCAD leaders have been hard at work over the summer to use SCAD tuition resources to broaden the already award-winning online offerings. Beginning with the implementation of Guests and Gusto, a virtual series of conversations and digital content with the creators and innovators remaking culture. Leaders from Karla Martínez de Salas to SCAD alum Christopher John Rogers to Carrie Mae Weems have hosted conversations with students regarding their careers, work, and expectations for the post-Covid world.

SCAD Guests and Gusto conversations have given students direct access to creative professionals in a way universities have only dreamed about in the past. Students, professors, and professional creators are able to collaborate, ideate, and learn from the current moment in a vibrant atmosphere geared toward career development.

The university has also implemented virtual SCADfit workout classes and online “Bee Well” group sessions to help students engage in casual conversation with other Bees about their lives, what they’re working on, and how they’re keeping organized in the new normal. “It’s long documented that learning thrives when students are not only intellectually engaged, but physically and emotionally healthy and happy,” Wallace wrote. “Actions, not words, evince an organization’s priorities, and I know that Bee Well’s virtual transition clearly communicated to our students that we care about their welfare and are committed to creating healthy environments in which they can learn.”

Lastly, professors at SCAD are leading SCADextra workshops focused on helping students launch their businesses in a post COVID world. SCAD enthusiastically supports entrepreneurship in all forms, and these workshops are geared at increasing the viability and longevity of their students’ dreams.

All of these programs have been put in place to ensure SCAD students are receiving the education, connectivity, and experience SCAD has become famous for. Parents and students can rest assured that Paula Wallace and her team are putting tuition dollars into meaningful programs that will enhance employment opportunities.

Telling Stories Through Business Profiles

Jen Lambert on August 26, 2020

How much stock do we really put on business profiles? At a time when LinkedIn profiles have become mandatory for job seekers and professionals who wish to advance their careers, it is more important than ever to consider what we are communicating through our professional bios.

Even though LinkedIn profiles have evolved from resume templates to more narrative experiences, we are still serving up the same old stream of achievements, work history, interests, and missions. To a great extent, this is a formula that works for hiring managers and recruiters whose career nutrition consists of the basic four groups: Personal Information, Current Job, Prior Job, and Education. Headhunters and HR managers are lean machines who only need those four groups to survive in their respective fields; we should not assume that everyone else, including potential business partners, will have similar appetites.

You have probably heard marketing specialists talk about corporate storytelling. In some circles, this is known as friendly branding, but the idea is the same: When you tell an interesting story, you are bound to get interesting results.

Writing a Story About Your Professional Life

Few of us look at a resume or professional bio in order to guess where someone is going; we usually rely on storytellers for that purpose. Think about those feel-good stories about rookie athletes you never heard about, but whose hard work with their team appears to be leading them somewhere. You want to project a similar sentiment with your professional bio; there should be an indication that your hard work is leading you in a certain direction.

With the above in mind, take a look at this professional profile of an angel investor listed on Crunchbase. Notice how it is written in narrative format, which is a style that resonates among modern readers, and also notice how his achievements seem to be leading him towards making future investments in the biotechnology and health sciences sectors. When we read this bio, we get a sense that this angel investor is looking to raise capital for a tech startup that can improve lives, and this can be considered to be a happy ending.

Learning About Your Audience

We often fall into the trap of writing biographies that we enjoy reading. This is very common because we are naturally idealistic; in other words, we want our LinkedIn bios to connect us with the kind of companies and individuals we think will lead to greater success.

The reality of making business connections these days is that this is an exercise in positioning ourselves. Who do we really want to reach? Who would be more interested in reading about the happy ending of our careers? This is something we need to think about in order to narrow our audience.

Identifying the needs of our targeted audiences is crucial when writing our bios. We need to understand what they may be looking for and how we can be of help. An angel investor needs to think about the founders of companies who are truly in need of capital to develop their business plans, not just founders who could use some extra cash to negotiate a successful business exit.

Things to Do Before Reopening Your Business

Jen Lambert on August 26, 2020

The closure orders over the last months were extremely painful for a lot of business owners. Most of these companies got zero profit due to the lack of economic activity. Therefore, a lot of them couldn’t wait to open back up and keep the ball rolling. However, the pandemic is still wreaking havoc all over the world. If you wish to reopen after hearing the relaxed policies from the government, these are the things you need to do to prepare.

Get a copy of the guidelines

The government will release a guideline containing details about how businesses can stay safe while operating under this pandemic. If there is no confirmation that the category where your business falls can reopen, you should suspend all your plans. You also need to check with the national and local governments since there might be different policies. Clarify these discrepancies and determine which of them would get enforced in your area.

Survey your employees

Not all your employees might feel comfortable getting back to work again. Considering that there are still transmissions going on around the world, many people fear leaving their homes. It helps if you can survey your employees first to ask them about their willingness to get back to normal operations. Don’t force those who don’t want to work again since health is their priority.

Deep clean the area

Hire a company that will conduct deep cleaning services in the area where you’re going to operate. If you’re selling products in a brick and mortar store, the entire place needs thorough cleaning. You have to disinfect every corner and ensure that no one gets sick from visiting the store. You also need to create a guideline that will guarantee the cleanliness of the store throughout the day.

Check if it’s worth opening

Some businesses decided against reopening even if the government already allowed them to do so because they don’t see the value of doing it. If they continue operations, they will end up with more expenses over profits. If you think that you want to earn a lot if you reopen now due to the lack of customers, you might have to suspend your plans.

Keep the spirits high

Working from home over the last several months changed many people’s lives. Others even lost their jobs and are no longer making income right now. If you’re going to employ these people, you should understand that most of them aren’t in the mood to work. Give them enough time to adjust. You should also conduct fun activities that will keep the spirits up again. For instance, you can host a team-building activity so that everyone gets used to working with one another. You can also host a funfair hire in your area so that everyone will have fun even only for a day. As long as you receive permission from the government to conduct these activities, there’s nothing to worry about.

Hopefully, things will move forward as planned. You want to salvage your business, and reopening is the next best step.

Jack Plotkin, Former Goldman Sachs Banker, on Cryptocurrency Investing

Article Editor on August 24, 2020

With all the media focus on the stock market and its remarkable upward trajectory, it is easy to miss the reemergence or cryptocurrencies. Even during its 2017 peak, many established investors dismissed Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as nothing more than a speculative bubble. The euphoria indeed subsided in 2018, with Bitcoin’s price dropping six-fold. However, cryptocurrencies have been surging again recently and Jack Plotkin explains why.

Jack Plotkin has more than a decade of experience as a Goldman Sachs investment banker and financial strategist and has been following the markets for twice as long. He is considered an authority on financial markets. “The crypto inflows are not surprising,” says Jack Plotkin. “Stocks have come untethered from gravity while bonds are offering extremely low yields. In this unpredictable environment, investors are hungry for alternative asset classes.”

“Unlike traditional currencies, crypto does not have a physical form,” explains Jack Plotkin. “You can’t pull Bitcoin bills out of an ATM. It is also not issued by a government but rather created by an algorithm. That makes it something of a hedge against inflation because a government can’t just decide to print a billion more Bitcoins and dilute all existing owners.”

What is cryptocurrency?

The concept of cryptocurrency was first conceived by American cryptographer David Chaum in 1983 and the first implementation was DigiCash in 1995. Bitcoin did not come until more than 15 years later in 2009. What made Bitcoin so powerful is that it was based on a system known as blockchain that makes counterfeiting largely impossible. Blockchain assures the validity of each unit of cryptocurrency by using encryption that is based on each preceding block, which makes it impossible to insert a fake unit of cryptocurrency as it would invalidate the algorithm.

“Crypto has introduced some groundbreaking concepts into the mainstream,” notes Jack Plotkin. “Blockchains, digital wallets, crypto mining. Many people have heard of Bitcoin, Ethereum, Libra, but there are actually more than 5,000 different cryptocurrencies out in the market right now.”

Cryptocurrencies have met with a great deal of skepticism since Bitcoin’s debut in 2009. They have been described as “pyramid schemes”, derided for the use in black markets, and characterized as an economic bubble. Several of the world’s most respected investors and economists, including Warren Buffett, George Soros, Alan Greenspan, Paul Krugman, Joseph Stiglitz, and Robert Shiller have publicly spoken against the risks of cryptocurrencies.

“With the Federal Reserve printing money like it’s going out of style to buoy the economy, investors have to be legitimately concerned about the specter of inflation,” says Jack Plotkin. “When I was at Goldman Sachs, we closely followed the Fed’s actions in the aftermath of the dot com bust and during the subprime mortgage crisis. But their quantitative easing program back then was far less than the current pump being applied to the monetary supply and the markets.”

Historically, when governments have printed more money, they caused the money to become less valuable. The direct impact was an increase in prices, meaning each unit of currency had less purchasing power. In economic terms, this is referred to as inflation. Usually, inflation in the United States is slow and grows at around 2% per year. However, when the government floods the market with an oversupply of dollars, inflation can increase at a much faster pace, as occurred in the 1970s.

“How do you protect your hard-earned dollars against inflation?” asks Jack Plotkin. “You invest in things that maintain their value, like gold. Given that Bitcoin cannot be artificially inflated, some investors are thinking of it as a sort of digital gold.”

Getting started

Jack Plotkin points out that there are several ways of gaining exposure to cryptocurrency. “There are a lot of exchanges where you can buy crypto directly and many digital wallet services that let you store and spend that crypto outside the exchange,” he says. “You can also invest in crypto mining companies or buy exchange-traded funds that invest in crypto. However, this is not a risk-free investment. Because cryptos are not backed by a government authority or supported by underlying asset values, they are only as valuable as the market deems them to be. Compared to major currencies, they are still very new. This makes them highly volatile. For these reasons, cryptocurrencies should only be considered in the context of a diversified portfolio.”

Because cryptocurrencies only exist in digital form, investors are also exposed to risk related to computing reliability and security. Since the emergence of Bitcoin, large sums of cryptocurrency have been lost due to storage failures, hacking attacks, and misplacement of digital keys.

Despite its risks, the prevalence and usage of cryptocurrencies have grown over time. Beyond offering a value store, cryptocurrencies also make it easy to transfer funds without requiring the use of traditional banking institutions. “As long as there is demand for crypto, there is going to be an investment market,” Jack Plotkin says. “With regard to whether that market is appropriate for any given investor, it comes down to their sophistication and risk tolerance. My final advice? Tread carefully. Ease into this market, stick to well-known names like Bitcoin, and carefully calibrate the extent of your commitment.”

Does registering a non-profit have tax benefits?

Full Editorial on August 23, 2020

A non-profit organisation does have the chance to be exempt from federal income tax, as outlined by the IRS, according to specific guidelines.

According to the US government website, a non-profit acts in the service of the public or the community and does not make a profit. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) categorises the accepted non-profits into the following five categories: charitable or religious organizations, social welfare organizations, labor and agricultural organizations, business leagues, and veterans organizations. Each of these categories have varying tax benefits and requirements, and you should review these as you decide on the best choice for your non-profit organization.

What are the steps to starting a non-profit?

1. Decide on a business name

This is the first and most essential step. The name has to abide by state guidelines and need to be in accordance with numerous laws that apply when choosing a name for a non-profit in each state.

2. Decide on a registered agent

It is necessary to choose a registered agent from your state. This is an individual or business entity which can receive formal legal documents on the behalf of the business. This person needs to be a resident of the state where your non-profit is being formed, or a corporation which is allowed to conduct business in your state.

3. Select a Board of Directors

The directors of the non-profit come together in order to form a board of directors who are counted upon to supervise the operations of the non-profit. The organization of the non-profit is obligated to include, at a minimum, three board members who are not related to each other.

4. Implement Bylaws and a Conflict of Interest Policy

In order to be entitled to apply for tax-exempt status, the non-profit has to have two documents:

· Bylaws – the rules charting the operating procedures of the non-profit, and the

· Conflict of interest policy – a compilation of rules assembled so that any decisions made by the board of directors of the officers are made to benefit the non-profit itself and not individual members.

5. File your incorporation paperwork

It is necessary to file formal documentation, or articles of incorporation, as well as paying a small state filing fee. In order for your non-profit to be eligible for tax-exemption, there are two aspects that need to be expressly stated:

· Purpose: The document must state under which classification the non-profit falls under (Charitable, Religious, Scientific, Educational, Literary, Fostering national/international amateur sports competition, Preventing cruelty to animals/children, Testing for public safety)

· Dissolution: It must be made clear what the assets of the organization will be utilized for and what would occur should the organization be dissolved.

6. Get an EIN

The Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Federal Tax Identification Number, is the number by which the IRS recognizes a business entity. it is required for three reasons:

· In order to open a business bank account in the name of the company.

· For Federal and State tax reasons.

· In order to hire employees for the company.

An EIN can be acquired from the IRS and at no cost. You can get it online or by mail.

7. Apply for tax-exempt (501c3) status

A non-profit organization has the potential to be tax exempt. The IRS provides the requirements for this to occur, and even provides a pdf download of the document, as well as the necessary steps to applying for tax-exempt status. However, there are four primary requirements:

· Three directors who are not related to one another.

· Filing the Articles of Incorporation.

· Establishing the bylaws and conflict of interest policy.

· Obtain an EIN number.

Once these requirements have been met, the non-profit can apply for tax exempt status by filing Form-1023. This can be done online, and once your application has been approved, the organization is officially exempt from federal taxes under section 501c3.

Learn more on the TRUiC website where detailed information will be offered and links to the necessary documents provided.

Appliance Maintenance Tips

Helper on August 19, 2020

Homeowners often don’t think about their appliances until something goes wrong, and they are no longer able to use them. Repairs usually end up costing you more money. Avoiding appliance problems is not always possible, but there are ways to help prolong the situation as much as possible. This is why performing regular maintenance on your appliances is vital.

Benefits of Maintaining Your Appliances

Think of regular maintenance as the best way to protect your investment. Good maintenance habits will not only decrease the risk of negative surprises and safety hazards, but they will also:

Prolong the Life of Your Appliance

The better you maintain your appliances, the longer they will last. Maintenance involves cleaning appliances regularly, inside and out.

Lower Your Utility Bill

Maintenance will prevent any filters or pumps from messing up. When these get clogged, the devices have to work twice as hard and end up using draining much more electricity. While you’re at it, track your usage so you can identify ways to reduce your bill. It’s always a good idea to browse through the many energy companies in Dallas, as choosing the right deal can save you several hundreds of dollars from your annual bill.

Maintenance Tips

Believe it or not, some straightforward tips can make a big difference in how your appliances perform and the length of their lifecycle.

Place Your Fridge Away From the Wall

Your fridge runs more efficiently when it has airflow behind it.

Clean the Fridge and Prevent Ice Buildup in the Freezer

Doing this every once in a while will keep your fridge running more efficiently. Moreover, it will also work better if you fill your freezer.

Clean Your Kitchen Appliances With Lemon and Vinegar

Just by microwaving it for a few minutes, you will loosen the stains that you can easily wipe afterward and keep your microwave running optimally. As for the oven, it’s best to make a paste with baking soda and leave it overnight to work its magic. You can use the same ingredients to clean your kitchen elements, kitchen sink, etc. You don’t have to worry about any toxic cleaning agents.

Change the AC Filter Once a Year

A clogged AC will not only run less efficiently but also consume twice as much electricity. However, most importantly, you do not want to inhale the polluted air.

Other Ways to Practice Energy Efficiency

Eliminate Leaks

Check your faucets and caulk leaky windows. If you live in an older building, you likely have single-paned windows that are much less effective in insulating your home from exterior temperatures than their double-pane counterparts. If replacing your windows is not an option, at least get dark and thick drapes, which will help a bit.

Insulate the Water Heater

If you cannot afford to insulate the entire place, you can at least get a water heater jacket and install it yourself. It will reduce the time and energy it needs to heat the water.

Wash Your Laundry in Eco-Mode

Don’t worry; your laundry will be just as clean in cold water as eco-mode goes up to 30 degrees Celsius max. Today’s detergents do all the work.

Consider Replacing Your Old Appliances

Energy Star certified appliances have been created to help consumers save money on operating costs by reducing energy use, yet without sacrificing performance. For example, an ENERGY STAR certified clothes washer could cut your energy costs by about a third and your water costs by more than half. So, it is a no-brainer as these investments practically pay for themselves.

Takeaway

The more love you show to your device, the longer it will last and the better it will perform. Just like changing the oil is essential to maintain your car’s engine, appliances need to be maintained to function optimally. It’s always better to prevent than cure. Bad habits will cost you, and good habits can save you thousands of dollars.