Are you feeling stressed by the high cost of household goods? Families are forced to reduce their spending during difficult times to the essentials. But even the most basic necessities can take a significant chunk out of your financial budget. To trim your bottom line, you don’t have to sacrifice essentials. It is about saving money. This will help you stretch your dollars when shopping for your must haves. money saving tipsThis is:

Switch to LED lightbulbs. A single incandescent lightbulb’s lifetime costs between five and ten times its original purchase price. LEDs can last 10 times longer than a typical bulb. Although they are more expensive than other bulbs, their cost is easily recouped in time and battery savings.

A water filter is a smart investment. You don’t like tap water but you don’t want to spend a lot of money on bottled water. A water filter that is high quality can reduce the cost of water-drinking by a significant amount. A Brita filter will cost you around $20 but it is necessary to refill the filter when it runs dry. Filters can help you save up to $2,500 per year for a family of four that drinks two gallons of water daily.

Install a programmable temperature thermostat. This useful device can be a great addition to your long-term savings strategy. The device costs $30-$130 and can be used to regulate the temperature of your home at specific times of day. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that you can reduce your energy consumption by 10% each year by setting your thermostat to 10-15 degrees for eight hours.

HP Ink. Make sure to get the best quality ink when you stock up on office supplies. Recent research has shown that HP ink cartridges can print up to twice as many pages than refilled cartridges. The study found that HP ink cartridges were free from failures, however, the overall failure rate for refilled cartridges was 72 per cent.www.buyerslab.com/news/viewarticle.asp?article=74815. HP is one of the many companies that offer online options.www.shopping.hp.com/suppliesYou can purchase new cartridges by clicking here ( Ink cartridge recycling programs such as HP Planet Partners are also available.www.hp.com/recycleHelp reduce the environmental impact of cartridges by diverting them from landfills.

Avoid going to the grocery store. Amazon.com can help you save money on groceries and movies as well. It offers a program called “Subscribe & Save,”You can sign up here to receive grocery staples automatically every one, two or three months. Amazon ships Splenda for $6 to your home, saving you time and gas.