10 Easy, Green, Money saving ideas.
There are certain things that I guess make me weird.. green.. hippie-ish? These few save money and resources so they’re green and money saving.
10. Wear an outfit twice before washing it.
.: Now I know this may sound gross, gnarly, grody. However, hear me out, if you work in an office and you haven’t managed to work up a sweat then your pants, shirt, and tie don’t need to go through the wash. You’ll save water which helps the planet and your wallet. Next you’ll save on detergent, fabric sheets and other cleaning products. Lastly you will save electricity and natural gas. I’m not saying wear you undies twice… That’s just nasty! But when was the last time you worked up a sweat in your day to day at the office?
9. Use mother natures coolant, and turn your air off before you leave.
.: This relates back to the fact that you can wake up pretty early, say six in the morning. This shouldn’t be strange if you’re a working stiff. On most nights/early mornings, it is pretty cool outside at 6:00am. Put several fans in your windows to pull the cool air in and vent the nights gases out. You won’t be living in a tight box of germs because you’re getting some air circulation and you just cooled off your whole house. Then once you are done grabbing all that fresh cool air, close the windows up and the blinds. This should keep the house cool at least until noon. By 5:00, depending on where you live the house won’t be too hot. Programmable thermostats may help, but those aren’t “easy” to install.
8. Re-use packaging in the kitchen.
.: You know those plastic bags that have the super awesome lock tight seal and are super expensive because of that? Well, are you throwing them out after just one use? Here is an idea, just save the bag, wash it out and re-use it. If you’re just storing fruits and veggies or a sandwich in them then just wash and re-use. If, however, you have stored meat in one of those bags, toss it. Cross contamination is not a fun night.
7. Turn lights off and use natural light.
.: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been over to someones house in the middle of the afternoon. The shades were drawn and they had almost every light in the house on. Lights off, blinds open, money in pocket! If you are worried about the sun heating up the house open blinds to windows where the sun will not shine in.
6. Donate all but one TV.
.: I know… I know… it’s like I just swore at you and told you that your first born child is an ugly duckling. However TVs use lots of energy and typically you will have a light on in the room that you are watching TV. So you can save money and energy by powering only one TV and light. Your family will actually be stuck with you and have to be in the same room, or find hobbies and actual ways to entertain themselves. TVs do not belong in bedrooms. You wouldn’t put your bed in the family room would you? So, one TV, closer family, fatter wallet, and Captain Planet won’t attack you.
5. Turn off computers when you are not using them.
.: This one used to not be such a big problem, however with the up and coming generation it is starting to be. Here is a fine example. I had a computer that I kept on all the time. It broke, funny enough the power supply died. It wasn’t really a primary computer as I use my laptop most of the time. So I didn’t fix it for a month or two. My electric bill was about $15.00 cheaper for those 2 months. Sleep mode is fine for machines, although the one I had was never set to sleep. However computers still draw power even when they are “asleep” so just shut it down.
4. In the winter wear a sweatshirt to bed and turn the heat down to 65 to 68.
.: This will actually feel better in the long run and let’s face it… There is no reason to be sleeping in your boxers in the dead of winter. Use a warm blanket and wear a sweatshirt.
3. Move the family room to the basement and keep the air off.
.: This may not be as easy to implement and if you don’t have a basement, then it’s impossible. Also this is kind of an extreme measure. However, basements tend to be way cooler than the upstairs. So if you can just sit down there with the family you will all be cooler, saving money and enjoying some time together. Then if it’s still too humid or hot when you go to sleep kick the air back on. You won’t sleep well without it.
2. Let the grass get a little brown.
.: I know! More blasphemy! However grass is pretty resilient, it doesn’t just “die”. So don’t water your lawn every day. Do it only once or twice per week. Sure it won’t be the prettiest lawn out there, but you won’t have to mow as often, water it as much, you’ll save money, gas for the mower, etc. Lawns are actually REALLY expensive to maintain.
1. Use plastic on your windows, if you are living in an older home.
.: Most hardware stores sell plastic that you can use to line your windows. It goes on the inside frame of the window and should help trap that cool or warm air, depending on the season. If you’re worried about how this may look you can just use it on windows that company won’t see. It’s actually a great trick if you don’t have the cash to get a house worth of new windows. Here is a link to what I am talking about 3M 2141W Indoor 5-Window Insulator Kit
The End
That’s all. 10 easy tips in no particular order. Some you are going to find helpful, some are going to make you scratch your head, some will make you think I’m a hippie. However, if you find one or two helpful then I have succeeded. So try one or two out, see how they work for you.
