Believe it or not, fall presents one of the best times to save some serious cash on travel, energy costs and more. Here are seven incredibly easy money saving tips to get you started:

Say no to Pumpkin Spice Lattes

When the leaves fall and the weather cools, there’s something very enticing about popping into your local café to sip on some seasonal drinks. But those seasonal cappuccinos and lattes can put you out several hundred – even thousands of dollars – each year. Instead purchase your favorite tea or flavored coffee grinds at your nearby supermarket or make your own flavored lattes – no espresso machine required. Your waistline and your bank account will be thankful.

Use the 72 hour rule

Unlike the five second rule, the 72 hour rule asks you to wait three days before making any sizable purchases. Experts have found that by staving off impulse buys for a few days, you’re substantially less likely to make any ill-conceived purchases – even if it was that really sweet drone on Amazon.

Forget about the summer travel season

If you have an unfulfilled wanderlust, fall could be an ideal time to travel. With the summer vacation season winding down, many hotels and airlines start offering deals and discounts in hopes they’ll continue a steady stream of customers during the off season. Want to save even more on travel costs? Check out this blog post about some of the most unheard of travel saving secrets. But shhh!!!!

Go sans heating and air conditioning

The best thing about fall is the temp outside gives you the best environment for saving on energy costs. Opening your window to cool down or adding more layers at night, can save a lot of dough. If that’s not doable, the Department of Energy suggests turning down your thermostat 10-15 degrees while you sleep or are away, saving you nearly 20 percent on energy costs. The longer you leave your thermostat on a low temp, the more you’ll save.

Wash cold

Studies have found this can save hundreds of dollars a year in energy costs. In fact, a large majority of your energy costs go to heating up water, so why not cut back when you can. Opt to wash your clothes in cold water. Fabric/clothes will last longer, colors won’t fade as quickly and your utilities bill will look a little leaner.

Challenge yourself to skip a week of grocery shopping

 According to the National Resources Defense Council, consumers toss about 25 percent of the groceries they buy. By skipping a week here and there, it won’t only save you a sizable amount of money, it’ll force you to be more creative with the items you have in your pantry. You can even plug in ingredients you have, using sites such as Supercook, to find recipes.

Unplug energy vampires

 Computers, cell phone chargers, DVD players, etc. suck up a lot of energy even when turned off. According to the Department of Energy, unplugging these devices can shave up to 10 percent off your electricity bill. An easy solution: plug “not-often-used” items into a power strip that you can turn on and off using a master switch.

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