Smart Spending

The average American spends roughly

$1,500 per year

on coffee.

The average American spends roughly

$3,253 per year

on food and drink when eating out.

Americans spend an average of

$101 per day

on housing, food and transportation.

About

76% of Americans

admit to living paycheck to paycheck.

On average, only

4.7% of income

goes into savings.

Annually, Americans spend

$9,049 on transport

between vehicles, gas, maintenance
insurance, and public transportation.




 

Smart Spending - Quick Tips

Quick money-smart tips!

Life can get expensive! Whether it's through Pangea apartments, offering exclusive discounts, or providing helpful hints, we love to help our residents save their hard earned cash. Here are some quick tips to save money!

Create a Budget

It's important to have a clear understanding of what you're earning and spending each month.

 

Check out the bottom of this page for some of our favorite budgeting and money-smart apps

Sip at Home

A 6oz cup of coffee made at home (17 cents a cup per day) adds up to $1.19 a week and $62.05 a year.

 

Start brewing your own coffee at home here!

Cut out take-out

Making a habit of regularly eating at home can save you up to 50% of what it costs to dine out.

 

Learn more on how to prep your meals at home like a pro

Find free WiFi

Going over your phone's data limit can easily cost you $180 a year. Download WiFi Finder, an app that locates nearby locations where WiFi is free. It works worldwide.

Check out this site and download the wiman app to help find free WiFi spots worldwide

Stop paying fees

The average late fee at Pangea is $28. If you get in the habit of paying late fees every month, that's $336 you're losing on fees over the year. Check out your RENTCafe resident portal to set up convenient automatic rent payments online to avoid late fees!

More information about our late fees on our resident portal

Are utilities in your name?

Vacant recovery fees are $20 per month per utility. Want to avoid this and save up to $480 per year? Simply contact People's Gas, Nicor, or ComEd to transfer service to your name.

Get to know your utility plan: Gas and Electric

Energy Usage

Be conscious of your energy usage

Utilities add up! What's the best way to save on utilities?

Turn it Down

Turning down the heat in the winter and the air conditioner in the summer is one of the fastest ways to see a significant savings on your electricity bill.

Turn it Off

Keeping lights and ceiling fans turned off when not in use is one of the best habits you can develop. According to Florida Power & Light, just one ceiling fan running constantly will add an extra $7 a month to your electricity bill.

Unplug it

Get in the habit of not just turning off the lamp, but unplugging it. Even items that are turned off can pull electricity when they are plugged in. An easy way to do this is plug things into a power strip and unplug it when you are not using them.

Let us know about leaks

Hidden water leaks can result in abnormally high water bills, and none of us want to pay for something we're not even using.

Wash clothes in cold water

Did you know that 90% of the energy your washer uses goes to heat the water? Yeah, it's pretty surprising! Since most American families do 400 loads of laundry per year, switching to cold water can really add up the savings.

Use your window shades

Use your window shades. Close blinds on the sunny side in the summer to keep out the hot sun, and open them in the winter to bring in the warm rays.

   

NEED EXTRA HELP BUDGETING?

Try some of our favorite apps

Try an online course or an app, we love: Mint and Fudget.