Ideal Bite

another big way to cut costs is to not have your fridge next to the stove!! your wasting energy trying to cool food when you heat that stove.

Big ways to save energy on your fridge: 1) properly space it from the wall so the heat disperssion can work on the compressor. 2) Keep the door shut as much as possible; put the most used items in easy to reach places, think about what you want to get before you open it and don't dwell with it open, and shut the fridge off if you keep it open to clean it. 3) buy a energy efficient one (obvious) 4) as with not placing it next to the stove, keep it away form other sources of heat such as in direct sunlight or heating vents.

I refill clean individual to gallon size plastic water bottles with Brita filtered tap water and keep the freezer full with them. Improves efficiency with the added bonus of having large blocks of ice in there in case the power goes out, and can be defrosted for drinking water in an emergency.