Spring is (almost) here

                The ground is still covered in snow, but the sun is shining bright and there isn’t a cloud to be seen in the sky as we hit the mid-point of March here in Upstate New York. It is still cold for T-shirts and the golf course still doesn’t look accessible for quite some time yet there is a good feeling in the air. It is the feeling that spring is just around the corner. Soon enough we fill find ourselves watching the rapid scenic transition from white to brown to green and there will be an oddly satisfying feeling because of it. We’ll notice a storm of college students flock to their campus quads playing Kan-Jam and cornhole to find another excuse not to write their 10-page paper due Monday. We’ll find ourselves cleaning up the yard work left over from another long winter and reading arguments between Yankees and Red Sox fans on social media as baseball is resurrected again. Soon enough will we complain that it is too hot during the day and watch the summer sunsets fade into the night… but this is getting too far ahead.

While in this annual transition period you may have a lot to do and a lot of questions to answer, however here is one that you may want to ask yourself. Are there any ways in which I can save money as the weather gets nicer? Of course, there are! Here are the Dollar Investment Clubs 5 best ways to save money as the weather gets nicer!

• While heating your house during the long winter nights is pretty much unavoidable, you can now start to eliminate that cost as the weather gets warmer and you don’t have to use it. Perhaps use a programmable thermostat in which it regulates based on what the outside temperature is and whether you are home.
• If you’re like most people, then you probably don’t walk anywhere other than from the door to your car during the winter. However, as it warms up and the sidewalks are no longer mini hockey rinks, then it’s definitely a good idea to try walking places that are manageable (plus it’s good exercise!).
• Turn the lights off! Of course during the winter it starts becoming dark like 15 minutes after lunch is over which is a pain. As the weather gets nicer and the days become longer and longer, utilize that sunlight rather than racking up your energy bill.
• Why not try to cook outside on the grill rather than sit down somewhere and spend $50 plus tip at a steak house whose portions are half of what you could get at the supermarket?
• It might make you like you live in the 1600’s but using the warmer weather to help with laundry is a viable option. Use a clothesline outdoors as much as you can, and you’ll save yourself money on your electricity bill.

These are just a few suggestions that the Dollar Investment Club thought to give you. Can you think of any others? Remember that the more ways you find to save, the more your money will work for you in the Dollar Investment Club!