Each monthly bill that you receive may not seem like much on their own, but combined, your bills can seem completely overwhelming. When it comes time to pay your electric bill, cable/internet bill, phone bill and rent/mortgage bill (just to name a few), you may feel a little bit like this guy:

Take control of your expenses and avoid these 7 things that make your monthly bills more expensive:

Keeping Your Electronics Plugged In

Even if you turn the lights off and switch off your electronics when they’re not in use, you’re still paying for electricity. When your computer, lamps, printer, fans, etc. are plugged in, they are still pointlessly sucking up energy. Decrease your energy bill and make things easier for yourself by using power strips where you can. Then you can unplug one plug from the wall when saving energy on electronics/appliances that aren’t being used.

Making Your AC/Heater Work Harder Than It Has To

There are several things that will make your AC work harder than it should and therefore will increase your energy bill. If your unit is poorly maintained and the filter is dirty, it won’t work as efficiently. When it’s in use, be sure to clean filters once a month to keep your air clean and costs down.

You’re also making your AC do needless work when you force it to cool rooms that aren’t being used. So just make sure you keep doors closed to save on cooling (and heating) costs when certain rooms aren’t in use.

You’ll also want to check for air leaks to ensure that air isn’t being sucked under door cracks, for example.

Washing Loads That Aren’t Full

When it comes to your dishwasher and washing machine, you’re wasting water and energy by washing several small loads. Try to make it a rule to only run the dishwasher when it’s full and only run the washer once you can fill it with clothes. If you must wash a small amount of clothing, be sure to set the washer to the correct load size to save on energy as much as you can.

Making Minimum Payments

You may be paying less month to month if you pay the monthly minimum on your cards, but you’ll be paying much more over the course of a longer period of time. From Kiplinger:

If you have a balance of $5,000 with an APR of 14%, and you only pay the minimum of $100, it will take 22 years to pay off the debt in full, according to a Federal Reserve credit card calculator. You’ll also hand over $6,110 in interest. Boost your monthly payment to $150, however, and you’ll be debt-free in four years and pay $1,369 in interest.

Not Insulating Your Pipes

You can lose a lot of heat (and money) when heated water travels through uninsulated pipes. If any water pipes in your home run in the open air or underground, you’ll want to insulate them to save on your energy bill. You can also insulate cold water pipes to prevent dripping and wasting water:

Neglecting to Review Your Insurance Policies

Settling for paying the same insurance rates year after year (or even rolling with price increases) could cost you a lot of unnecessary money. Review your health, dental, auto, home and life insurance policies from time to time. You save a lot monthly by taking advantage of lower rates when you can.

Paying for Too Much Entertainment

There are a lot of ways to watch TV and movies in the day and age. If you’re paying for cable, internet, Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Video, you’re most likely paying too much for entertainment. You’re getting access to a lot of TV shows/movies with services like Amazon Video and Netflix, so make sure you’re only paying for one of them if you choose to go this way. Since you’ll need a strong internet connection to enjoy TV and movies this way, maybe you can save by reducing your cable needs or cutting out cable altogether. If you can rent your favorite series and new and old movies from the library, you might not need to pay for these kinds of services at all and just stick with basic cable.

Either way, it’s worth evaluating how much entertainment you need and how many sources you can cut out or cut down on.

Find more ideas over at 13 Things That Make Your Monthly Bills More Expensive.

Sources: The Simple Dollar, AccountNow, The Nest