As much money as I save by cooking all of my food, I also save on heating and cooling service and repairs by signing up for maintenance contracts.
I started cooking with my parents when I was only four years old. They taught me how to mash potatoes and I was in heaven when I ate them and realized I had helped with the process. I credit them both for instilling a love for cooking in my mind that has carried over into the current day. Although I gave up the idea of cooking professionally when I quit my job as an assistant cook and went to college for IT, I still cook nearly all of my meals throughout the week. It’s a satisfying experience for me, and I even created a standing workstation in the kitchen that I can use to keep working while using the fry pan or soup pot. I don’t have to run back and forth to my home office this way, at least when I’m in the process of cooking, eating, or watching TV from the screen in the living room that I can easily see from the kitchen counter. As much money as I save by cooking all of my food, I also save on heating and cooling service and repairs by signing up for maintenance contracts. You pay an annual rate and it includes four service appointments and filter replacements. My HVAC technician will top-off my refrigerant while running diagnostics on the whole system to make sure there aren’t any problems that need to be fixed. One thing that he always mentions when he arrives is how good the house smells! It’s always from whatever food I have cooking in the kitchen, so I consistently offer some to him when he’s ready to leave if the meal is finished and ready to serve.