first. sometimes doing things that are more basic, say, looking at your home s insulation or how well your windows are caulked. it s not as much fun as buying a new refrigerator. definitely not. you might consider how do you know what s going to pay more or not? have a home energy audit. it can cost $400. they the tell you watts going to be worth it for you to do or not. i went on one in minnesota where i m from. one of the power company there s will do it for $25. they g give you a break. it s worth looking at the discount. finally, if you don t have the cash to splurge on new appliances, et cetera, or pay for on energy audit, what can you do around the house that is not expensive? there s a lot of little things you can do. some things, putting more energy efficient light bulbs, replacing the ones that suck all the energy out. you can turn your thermostat down or put it on energy efficiency when you re not home. that saves a lot. a lot of people keep an extra refrigerator