The following is a guest post…

Have you been wondering about your home’s energy efficiency lately? Seen the neighbors upgrade their homes in interesting energy-efficient ways and wonder what you’re missing out on? In order to get a good grasp of your home’s current level of energy efficiency, start with the EPA’s Home Energy Yardstick and move on to hiring a specialized energy auditor if necessary.

Once you have identified your needs, the recommended steps to transforming your house into a more energy-efficient one start with focusing on the house’s shell, e.g. walls, windows, doors, then moving to more efficient systems and appliances or to clean energy generation, e.g. solar.

Sealing and Insulating

Insulation from the cold of winter and the heat of summer can easily reduce energy costs in any home. It’s important not to forget insulation in critical spaces like attics, where extensive heat losses can occur during the winter. Every home is different, so predicting leakages can be sometimes senseless, but leaks are often found in seams between the foundation and wood framing, along baseboards, around electrical boxes, and around fireplaces. Experts can utilize an infrared light or “blower-door test” to identify existing gaps that need to be sealed if your house is already insulated. If you are not the first owner of the home and have little knowledge of the existing insulation, it would be wise to spend a bit extra on an assessment.

A basic upgrade of your home’s shell can save you more than $200 a year on your total energy bills, making for a significant return on your investment in just a few years.

Doors and Windows

Your home’s windows and doors are potential sources for serious air leaks and if you’re interested in replacing them, make sure to choose models with high insulation values. Some bargain shoppers instead just cover the windows with thin plastic sheets from their local hardware store. Though not a long-term fix, it will make-do for this winter before you have time to invest in replacements, which are, in fact, better for those looking for long terms returns on their energy investments.

Heating and Cooling Equipment

If you are looking for even more energy efficiency and have more to invest in the project, the next step is to shop around for heating/cooling systems with EnergyGuide labels or the ENERGY STAR logo. If you can only afford one upgrade at this time, keep in mind that air conditioning is more energy-efficient than heating, mostly because of the insulation failures that let the heat escape. And if you cannot afford a heating system upgrade at this time, be sure to invest in a programmable thermostat to save lots of money while you sleep and while you’re away. The bottom line is, though, if your current technology is more than ten years old, you are not taking advantage of the latest energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, so you should consider an upgrade soon.

Overall Move towards Efficiency

An overall move towards an energy-efficient home has significant financial benefits, as addressed above, further incentivized by the government’s Federal Tax Credits for Consumer Energy Efficiency. So when you file next year, you can expect a ten percent return credit on purchases of windows, doors, heaters, coolers, insulation, etc., making the investment pay off even more.

If all of the aforementioned structural changes are currently outside of your price range, consider taking some smaller lifestyle changes that can really up your overall energy efficiency. Lastly, it’s important to remember that structural changes will also require a few changes in your routine. If you decide on energy-efficient appliances, be sure you use them correctly!

This is a guest post by aspiring freelance writer Jonathan Mehlig for www.TexasElectricityProviders.com. Jonathan usually covers frugal living and personal finance topics and loves hiking in the Rocky Mountains in his free time.

In the personal finance world, there really are only two ways to improve your financial position. You can either reduce your expenses, or you can increase your income. A lot of financial bloggers focus on one or the other, and while I try to find a balance between the two, I think on the whole I lean toward reducing your expenses. But I’ll be the first to admit that you can only reduce expenses up to a point. Certain bills are pretty much fixed, and you can’t just go without eating. When you’ve reached this point, you simply have to look at ways to increase your income.

Sell Your Stuff

If you’re anything like most people, your house or apartment is filled with “stuff”. Maybe you have closets full of clothes that don’t fit right or that you simply don’t like anymore. Maybe you had a hobby (fishing, photography, skiing, etc.) and have a lot of equipment, but you simply lost interest in it. I know after our little boy grew from an infant into a toddler, we sold a number of his baby things. We used the proceeds to buy toddler things, but you get the idea. I had an old bike rack for our car that we didn’t need after we purchased our van. It was just taking up space in our garage until I finally listed it on Craigslist and sold it.

The point is that if you take a look through your home, you’ll most likely find things with value that are just sitting there wasting away in a closet or attic. I realize that selling things isn’t a long-term solution to an income problem (after all, you’ll eventually run out of things to sell). But, if you’re just in need of some fairly quick cash, selling your stuff might just do the trick.

Turn a Hobby Into a Side Business

This is one of those things that I always heard about, but always had a hard time figuring out exactly how to do it. I think a lot of this depends on your personality. But there are certainly a lot of people out there that are very successful with taking something they love to do, and figuring out a way to monetize it. I know several photographers that are now semi-professional that started photography as a simple hobby. They practiced and worked hard at figuring out the best techniques, lighting, etc. and turned their hobby into paying gigs. The same can apply to all kinds of hobbies, from woodworking to sewing to baking.

Develop Your Skillset

One of the most promising methods of increasing your income is becoming a more valuable employee. I know this sounds simple, but generally the employees that are the most effective get paid more. You can do this a number of different ways. Depending on the type of career you have (or are interested in), you could go to school and get a degree, you could ask your manager for additional training, or you could look into apprenticeships from City & Guilds. We live in a very knowledge and skills-based workplace, and developing those skills is one of the best ways to boost your income.  Just putting in the effort to learn a new skill or to get certified in a skill can make a big impression on a supervisor.