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You finally found the home of your dreams. The boxes are unloaded out of the truck and now comes the fun part of unpacking everything into its rightful place. Right now, it’s the perfect time to walk through the checklist of things you want to get done, as well as how you can go about doing it while saving a bit of money. Starting on these things as early as possible will allow you to start saving money sooner rather than at a later time. Some of them will be easier to accomplish before you start to hang up your decor or get too settled in.

So, what are a few things that you’ll need to do immediately? Check out these recommendations for a few things to get done as quickly as possible.


Lower the temperature on your hot water heater

Most people don’t use water hotter than 120 degrees. One of the first things you want to do is lower the temperature to help save you money on your water bill. By having it lower than 120, this will still give you a temperature that you want, without hurting you or your family and saving you money in the process. We put ours on the second level because I love an incredibly hot bath, but the water doesn't get hot enough to burn me.



Look at the insulation in your attic

If you have an attic that's unfinished, take a look around in it. Is there any insulation up there between the beams? There should be at least six inches of it everywhere. If there is part of the insulation that needs to be fixed, be sure to check the energy attic insulation that includes specifics on how much you should have depending on where you live. The right amount of insulation allows cool air or heat to stay in, so your electric or gas bill doesn't sky rocket.



Place ceiling fans in the majority of your rooms

Ceiling fans are low energy ways to keep the air moving in your home. Because of the air circulation, you can get away with also keeping your thermostat a degree or two higher in the summer as well as two lower in the winter. One of the most important things to know is that air directly below the fan is blowing down on you in the summer and should be pulled upwards away from you in wintertime. You’re able to reverse the switch on your fan to switch between the modes at the start of each season. We're lucky our new home has fans in most rooms, and it truly makes a difference in the temperature.



Replace air filters

One of the first things you’ll want to do is replace the air filters in your furnace or AC unit. Find out where the filter is in your air handling unit, and mark down the measurements (I take a picture and save it in my phone, so I can always have it handy when we need to buy new filters). Go to the hardware store and pick up a few of them and then replace the old ones with a new one. Save the rest so you always have one ready to go when you need it. If you have an outdated one, it may have a negative impact on your airflow which means it’s using more energy to pump out the air you want circulating around your house.





Have your home inspected by professionals

Before you even signed any papers, you likely had a house inspector who went over some things that need fixing. One of those items might have been to get the roof inspected at some point due to either damage or just old age. If you live in the South, Southeastern Roofing Company is someone you don’t want to miss. This residential roofer in Atlanta has been in the business for over 20 years. Some companies only offer a few types of roofing materials, but this professional company has extensive knowledge to work with all types of materials for commercial and residential roofing. It doesn’t just involve roofing either, as they can also help with siding or gutters as well! Having a newer roof or specific materials may even help lower your insurance!





Change the locks and keys

If you just bought a home, you’ll want to immediately change out the locks and make new (and spare) keys for you and your loved ones. Making keys are pretty simple to do. You can go to your nearest Lowe’s or Home Depot with your key and ask them to make as many spares as you need. They're usually just a couple bucks a copy for a basic key. Give them to neighbors or close family members that you trust so if you need someone to help watch your house when you are gone, they have a spare key to do so.




Having a new home is such an exciting time and moment in your life. While we try to navigate our new normal over the next few months, do what you can to make your home as comfortable, cozy, and inspired as you can. As a new homeowner, take your time to go through your home, plan out what you want to get done first, and know that everything will take time so be patient. Hopefully, you'll be in your new space for years to come, so you've got time!