Ways I Can Save by Living Alone

Tired of posts about moving yet? Well, here's another one!

I am switching from living with a roommate, which I've always done, to living alone for the first time. I know that having a roommate saves a significant amount of money each month. If I knew someone to live with, I would go for it, but I'm sort of past the point in my life where I'm willing to live with a stranger. Thus, my own place.

I've been playing with my budget and obviously I'm going to be spending more each month. It's unavoidable. But, I've also been thinking of ways I can save money by living alone. Here's what I've come up with so far...feel free to tell me how any of you single folks save pennies each month:

-Pay all bills online: since my roommate and I split all the bills right down the middle, we still wrote checks each month for our utilities. Now, I can pay the bills online, using less checks and less stamps.

-Unplug all unused appliances: for the sake of not totally annoying my roommate, I haven't done this before, but I'm going to start. I'll keep my TV, microwave, and any other not necessary appliances unplugged when they're not in use. I know I can buy power strips that do this for me...any tips on if those are worth it?

-Speaking of utilities, my electric and gas bills should definitely be lower. With only one person using these items, I know I'll save in that way.

-Now that I live alone and have my own washer/dryer, I am thinking of trying to use rags instead of paper towels. This is better for the environment and will save money on paper towels.

-I might also try making my own cleaning products. Any suggestions on that?

-Since I have a balcony where I can keep cans and bottles, I might also start saving my recycling again. I stopped because it was too much of a pain to keep in my car, but since I can load them up before I take them in, I'm going to give recycling for cash another shot.

These are definitely small things that won't make up for the extra rent. But, anyone who reads my blogs knows I am a fan of little things adding up to make a difference...so doing these small things will help my budget and make me feel better about living alone.