Over the years, I’ve added new habits and recipes to my daily routine and managed to reduce my kitchen costs by a whopping 70%. I grow a lot of my own food and preserve fruit and veggies for the winter months. I have reduced my water and energy consumption and I make my own household cleaners. And while you may not have the time to do all of this, just adding a few things can make a big change.
Energy Savings
My house had all incandescent lights when I moved in. I switched these out for LEDS and under-counter LED lighting which reduced my lighting bill to 10.2% of what it used to be.
I switched from an electric to a gas stove. Since we mostly used our electric stove during peak hours, we found that it cost around 16 cents an hour for the electric and 7 cents for gas. If you don’t want to switch to a gas stove, opt for an Energy Star appliance to reduce energy costs.
You can save 13-14% when utilizing blinds and 15-17% with curtains. My kitchen has two big 
windows which I added IKEA curtains to and this helps to reduce heat loss overnight. You can try other curtains online such as from Homescapes.
Move your fridge away from the wall a little so that air can circulate. This will help with cooling and reduce energy consumption. Vacuum the coils at the back once a year to help your fridge stay energy-efficient.
Think about what you need for the dish you are preparing so you only have to open the fridge once and can get all the ingredients. Cool food before storing it in the fridge or freezer.
Your appliances draw energy when they are on standby mode. Your ‘vampire loads’ account for 10-15% of your energy bill. I use IKEA power bars with switches so I can just turn them off when I leave the house or go to bed. It took a while to get into the habit of this, and I have to live without my microwave clock, but it’s totally worth it!
Food Savings
Grow your own herbs in a windowsill or in a window garden. I grow the herbs I use the most which include cilantro, parsley, oregano and leaf lettuce. In the winter, I supplement natural light with an LED grow light.
My small veggie patch saves me about 30% of my grocery bill in the summer when it’s producing fruit and veg. In the autumn, I do a final harvest before the first frost and everything is dried, pickled or canned. Dried herbs help to add flavor and reduce costs while canning couldn’t be easier. See here for a guide to pickling just about everything.
Money Savers
I make all my own cleaners. All you really need is vinegar, baking soda and essential oils and you’re pretty much set. Here is a complete guide to all the cleaning products you will need for every surface of your home. Utilizing natural cleaning products will reduce the amount of harmful chemicals your family is exposed to and improve your indoor air quality. Boss Design Center assists me a lot regarding kitchen designing and other related stuff.
Air fresheners don’t really freshen the air—they just add a bunch of really harmful chemicals to your home and negatively affect your indoor air quality. Make your own air fresheners with natural ingredients, pop them in a spray bottle and freshen your home!