For many people, the imperatives of paying your heating and electrical bill can be a serious difficulty during the winter. If you add to this the fact that the economy is in a terrible position (and appears to be getting worse), homeowners in America may find themselves in worse budgeting trouble before it gets better. In fact, for many Americans the fast-approaching winter months will put a very difficult pressure on paying home utility bills which, combined with the increased price of oil and the general economic difficulties, the American homeowner could be in serious distress before this winter is over.That is the proverbial ‘bad news.’ Economic times are tough, utilities need to be paid, and the winter is coming. But this does not mean that the smart and attentive homeowner does not have options to help them condense their budget and get their finances back in check. Two such options that homeowners have are to reduce the cost of their heating bill and to cut back the use of their electronics bill.To begin with, the heating bill is an essential part of your home utilities. While you definitely will want to look for ways to cut down on the cost of your heating bill, you should not sacrifice the well being and quality of life that your heating unit provides. As a homeowner, you should look for other avenues through which to cut-costs besides jeopardizing you and your family’s quality of life. So, since you do not want to get rid of your heating unit all together, how can you make the bets use of it? You might take the example of American businesses as your model. Businesses succeed when they maximize their profit, that is to say, when they make the best use of what they have.The first part of this maximization, or efficiency, is cutting waste. Before you can invest in other products (like a new heating unit or a new pair of socks) you first need to cut down on the resources that you are not putting to get use. To reduce temperature waste in your home, make sure that you closely monitor your thermostat — keep it at as low a temperature as you can comfortably live with. If you ever notice yourself feeling hot during these summer months, you should definitely drop the dial down.While you can do a lot to reduce your utilities bill through warming efficiency, you may find the most opportunities to save money cutting back on your electronics use. Television, computers, lighting, and stereos are all electricity sucking objects, and should be limited when possible. You should especially be on the look out for objects like computers and VCRS which continue to use electricity and cost you money even when they are not in use. If these objects are plugged into an outlet and turned on, they will be costing you money.These are two of the best ways to cut back on your utilities bill. It is advisable that you pursue cost-cutting measures through efficient use of heating and reduction in electronics use, but if you must have a priority, you should focus on reducing your electronics use as the heating bill is much more of a necessity.