Worried about spiraling costs and an ever-shrinking family budget, two local residents recently collaborated on ideas to conserve their resources.

Mount Vernon residents Linda Brown, 46, and Carol Watilo, 50, put their heads together and came up with a dozen ways to save a lot — and a little — cash on ordinary fixed-cost expenses.

“There are oodles of conservation ideas on the Internet, but this is the list that works for us,” said Brown, a substitute teacher for elementary schools in Mount Vernon.

Brown and Watilo, youth services librarian at Mount Vernon City Library, peruse assorted books, search online and ask questions of everyone they can in their quest for money-saving ideas. Watilo said she and her husband, Eric, have been practicing conservation techniques for many years. She hopes some of these suggestions will help others:

1. Wet hands or toothbrush, then turn off the water while washing hands or brushing teeth. Turn on water briefly to rinse.

2. Install an aerator showerhead in the bathroom and on the kitchen faucet. (They are free from Puget Sound Energy.)

3. Shower every other day if possible.

4. Save water by letting grass go dormant.

5. Open blinds or curtains for light instead of flipping a light switch. Use fluorescent bulbs where feasible.

6. Turn out lights when leaving a room.

7. Turn off the computer or put in low power mode when not in use. Turn off the external modem and monitor at night.

8. Set the thermostat at 66 degrees and wear a sweater at home. Turn down the thermostat at least 5 degrees when you are gone all day.

9. Install highly efficient appliances when old ones need replacing.

10. Wash and dry only full loads of laundry.

11. Use dishwasher on light load instead of the normal setting. After the dry cycle starts, press cancel but keep the door closed.

12. Close the refrigerator door between trips to put food away or take it out.

Every month for a year, Brown and her 11-year-old daughter, Briann, put their ideas to use, consuming fewer resources and saving cash, too. Brown said “by doing what the list says” they have trimmed at least $70 a month from their utility bills compared to a similar time period last year. She recommends that readers try the ideas to see what works best for them.

For instance, her Puget Sound Energy bill dropped $30 a month on the budget plan. The savings on her Cascade Natural Gas bill was the most dramatic — from $106 per month on the budget plan to $68 a month.

Brown found the most difficult utility to save on was her Public Utility District bill for two months of water usage. Still, it has dropped by between $4 and $5 a month.

“Water is a pretty fixed requirement,” she said. “You can save only so much.”

Watilo and Brown came up with other conservation suggestions that we are saving for another column. Brown said she is curious to learn what others are doing to cut back, and we are, too.

Readers are welcome to submit their most useful money or resource saving tips — and anecdotes — to . We will include some of the best suggestions in this space once or twice a month, depending on the response.