Go Green, Save Green
Going green is one of those win-win situations because you can help the environment, while saving tons of money in the process. There are literally no downsides to living an eco-friendly lifestyle because even if you don't care about the planet, you can look at it as a way to improve your budget. On the other hand, if all you care about is Mother Nature, then the sudden increase in your bank account is just a bonus.
Last year, Americans spent more than $15 billion dollars on bottled water! I'm sure I don't have to explain just how ridiculous that is. All you have to do is put a water filter on your kitchen sink and buy a reusable plastic bottle. By making this small adjustment, you could save yourself thousands of dollars a year.
Use an eco friendly water system in your home. It's healthy for you and reduces plastic bottle consumption.
Another suggestion has to do with home utilities; specifically, the toilet. Around 40% of American domestic water consumption is literally flushed away every year. Older bathrooms use an average of 13,000 gallons of fresh water every year. This is unacceptable. There are products and devices that can be bought which can significantly decrease this water usage and reduce your water bill.
Sticking to the bathroom theme, the shower is another area where a lot of squandering occurs. One problem is the amount of water that is wasted while you wait for it to heat up. If you simply use a container to catch the cold water, it can be reused for something like mopping the floors. Another idea is to buy a low-pressure shower head which consumes less water and gets you just as clean.
An additional way to conserve energy is to wash clothes in cold water. Since heating up water for the washing machine uses a lot of energy, you could save on your monthly gas or electric bill. Also, hanging clothes to dry outside is an excellent way to avoid using the dryer since it also utilizes large amounts of heat.
You can cut down on food costs by either shopping at a locally-grown food market, or growing your own garden. Nationwide food transportation costs are almost 17 times more than regional transportation costs, and they cause between 5 and 17 more carbon emissions. By shopping at local markets or planting a garden, you cut down on your grocery bill because markets don???t have to inflate their prices to offset transportation fees.
Did you know that by replacing only 10 standard incandescent light bulbs with energy-saving fluorescents you can save $44 a year and almost $400 in a lifetime? Also, if every American home converted to energy-efficient bulbs we could all save more than $600 million in yearly energy costs. That statistic alone makes me want to redo all of the bulbs in my house. Energy-saving light bulbs also cost basically the same amount as incandescent ones so...why not? 
My next tip is all about transportation. If possible, I strongly recommend switching to afuel-efficient car
such as a hybrid, for example. Hybrid vehicles get more than twice the gas mileage compared to standard vehicles and with gas prices constantly soaring, I'm sure I don???t need to explain what a benefit that is. Driving a hybrid car would also make you feel better about yourself because the emissions typically released due to gasoline exhaust has created a pollution epidemic, not to mention global warming and the greenhouse effect.
If you're unable to purchase a new car, there are still ways for your transportation to go green and increase your savings. Public transportation, especially if you live in a large city, is a very reliable and low-cost alternative to driving everywhere. Also, if everyone turned to public transportation, we would do significantly less harm to the environment because there would be fewer cars on the road.
My final bit of advice is that by making energy-efficient changes to your lifestyle, you could receivetax breaks and incentives.
This is what I mean when I say that going green is a win-win situation. All of these cost-cutting adjustments end up paying for themselves! You can't go wrong.
Be sure to visit Our Changing Times for even more ways to save green during this economic downturn. |
