How Daylight Saving Time Saves You Money

You may be feeling a bit sluggish from losing an hour of sleep over the weekend thanks to daylight saving time, but don’t let it drag you down. Instead, get energized by realizing just how much money you can save with the extra hour of sun in the evening.

Here are 6 ways that daylight saving time can save you big bucks.

Use less energy.
Since you and your kids can spend more time outside instead of in front of the TV playing video games or watching movies, you’ll use less electricity and lower your monthly bill. Not to mention, you will use fewer lights at night and you can finally turn down the heat by letting the extra daylight warm your home in the evening to further reduce your energy use.

Drive less.
Longer days mean you can enjoy walking or bike riding to and from school or work, or to run errands in the evening. By driving less, you’ll cut your fuel costs and also put fewer miles on your vehicle. Since your car will just be sitting in your driveway idly, you can make some extra money by renting it through sites like GetAround.com. The site connects you with consumers looking to rent a car by the hour and says you can make up to $800 per month.

Workout outside for free.
There’s nothing like going for a run, bike ride or even playing tennis outside in the fresh air to improve your health instead of slogging over the elliptical inside a gym. Short winter days, however, make it nearly impossible to exercise outside after work. Now that you have more time in the evening to do just that, you can cancel your gym membership or request to freeze it to save big bucks. If you need more of a challenge during your outdoor workout, head over to a park where you can use a bench for incline push ups and box jumps or the monkey bars for pull ups.

Eat out in your backyard.
You can forget happy hour for your next after-work gathering. Instead, fire up your grill and invite friends or coworkers over for burgers and beers. Your backyard is the perfect setting to kick back and relax while catching up on the latest office gossip. Ask friends to bring over their favorite drinks so you don’t pay for all the hosting costs. Not only will you save on dining out, but you won’t have to hire a babysitter if you have kids, either.

Go on a picnic date.
If you’re getting bored of the typical dinner and a movie date, plan something more romantic like a picnic at the park or beach to watch the sunset. You don’t need a fancy restaurant or pricey food to impress someone! Pack a nice bottle of wine or champagne along with a few snacks like cheese, crackers and fruit, and spend the evening in a beautiful setting with that someone special.

Wash your own car.
If you’re the type of person who likes to keep your wheels squeaky clean, you’re probably spending a lot on car washes. Now that you have the extra hour of daylight, you can wash your car yourself after work instead of paying someone else to do it. Considering prices for a full service car wash range anywhere from $15 to $30, you will save a nice chunk. Stock up on car wash essentials from big box stores like Walmart where you’ll find them for less.