10 Ways Going Green Can Save You Money

It seems like the price of everything keeps increasing at an alarming rate; therefore, you need to look for ways to save money. But that’s not the only thing you can save because while you can economize and budget at home, you can also help the environment by going green. In fact, not only can you save money by going green, but it can also help to improve your quality of life by reducing the clutter that gets in your way and helping you focus on the things that really matter. Here are 10 ways that you can help save the environment by going green; thus, saving you money.

Go with paperless statements

Most banks and major retailers will give you the option of paperless statements. This can save you from having unwanted clutter in your kitchen, and it can save on printing cost and stamps. Some companies even offer a discount if you sign up for paperless statements. Not only that, but sending fewer statements means that fewer items have to be trucked and air freighted around the country, thus potentially saving vast amounts of CO2 from being pumped into the atmosphere. With the internet so readily accessible at home and via smartphones, the reasons for having paper statements are diminishing quickly.

Plant a vegetable garden

Growing your own food can really help with the savings. You can grow things such as tomatoes, potatoes, squash, fruit or green beans in back yard with ease and they cost a lot less than what you would buy them for at the store. While it may save you money in the long term, it also reduces the number of miles your food has had to travel from producer to table. Those tomatoes may have been flown in from Spain, so growing them yourself really does help to reduce your own household carbon footprint. And of course there’s the added benefit of knowing exactly what has gone into them.

Buy a fuel efficient vehicle

Owning a car can be expensive, as you have the cost of insurance, fuel, car payments, registration and maintenance. Therefore, you need to choose a car that gets good gas mileage as possible, especially if you use it to commute to work and run errands. There are dependable models that cost less than $10,000 and are very fuel efficient. And don’t overlook diesel vehicles in hybrids when looking for a fuel efficient vehicle. But don’t run out and trade in your old beater for a new model on a whim. A new car may be more fuel efficient than your current model, but it may also mean taking on a new car payment and it also incurs an environmental cost as the car will have used a lot of resources to construct.

Conserve water

Water is one of our most precious resources, so it should be conserved. For too long we’ve taken it for granted that we can simply turn on the tap and enjoy and endless supply of water, or, worse, buy bottled water from far flung corners of the world just to look cool. We should ask ourselves what those less fortunate would think of us before indulging in such selfish activity. Here are some tips to conserve water at home.

• Avoid bottled water as it will cost you a considerable amount of money over time and drink tap water instead. It not only saves you money, but it is also good for the environment.
• Recycle your old bottles and fill them up with the water you need to take some with you as you leave your home. Better yet, invest in a metal water bottle that can be used for years to come, and help you to consume less plastic.
• Unless you have a solar powered hot water system, take shorter showers at a cooler temperature. It’ll use less energy and save you money. You’ll probably also be brighter in the morning after a cooler shower!
• Make sure your dishwasher is completely full when you turn it on to avoid waste.
• Store surface runoff water from your roof to water your garden, wash your car, etc.

Purchase power strips

Your electronics are normally left on when you leave the house; thus, increasing your electric bill. And the more gadgets you buy, the worse i t gets. However, if you put your television, computer, printer and other electronics into one power strip, you can turn them off when you leave, going green and saving you money. Don’t leave your phone or iPod charger plugged into the wall when they are not being used. Even your cordless phones will use up excess electricity if left in their docking stations for too long. Be mindful of leaving things plugged into the socket while they aren’t being used – it’ll cost you, and the environment.

Don’t leave computers and entertainment centers on overnight

Following on from the previous point, you should turn your computers and entertainment centers off before you go to bed. At the very least, they should be in standby mode when they aren’t being used, but even that uses up considerable amounts of energy.

Go with cloth napkins

If you go with cloth napkins, you could not only save trees that are used to make them, but you could also save your family money. Cloth napkins or rags would be just as effective as paper towels. If you have kids, you may also want to consider going old-school and using cloth diapers instead of Pampers. There is a trade off in convenience and having to use much more water because of the increased amount of washing needed, but they mean you’ll throw out much less garbage.

Carpool

Most people use almost 8 gallons of gas each week while going to and from work; therefore, you could pay more than $1000 each year on gas alone just to go to work. If you find someone at your workplace that lives close to you, you could carpool and save a huge amount of money. You also will put fewer miles on your vehicle, which can decrease your cost in maintenance bills and increase the life of your car. Add to that the reduced amount of CO2 being produced and it’s a clear winner.

Cook at home

The cost of eating out can really add up, so by cooking at home, you can save money and help the environment. If you cook your own food, you can use healthier ingredients; therefore, you have more control over what you consume. Hopefully you’ll also be using as much home grown or local seasonal produce to further economise and conserve.

Buy second hand items

With the internet widely used today, you can easily buy things that are used. Sites like eBay, Amazon, Craigslist and Gumtree are a great way to go green and save money. You could also shop at flea markets, garage sales, second hand clothes stores or second hand book shops. By purchasing second hand items, you’ll help save the energy cost that it would cost to manufacture and ship a new product.

Contributed by Finance Choices, a UK based comparison and reviews website for financial products. Check out their blog for more posts like this.