Five Ways to be Greener Today that Save Money

Because both my husband and I both work from home, the rise in gas prices has not affected us badly. We still grumble when it's time to fill up the tank, but since we don't have to fill up very often, we're not scrambling to figure out how to afford it. But I know many people are, and they are looking for ways to save in other areas so they have more money left for gas (or food or clothing).

Of course, the best way to save on gas is to drive less, but for some people that is just not possible, yet. So here are five ways to save a little green by being a little greener (wow, I wonder how many people have written a variation on that sentence recently?).

1. Wash your clothes in cold water and hang them dry. When you wash your clothes in warm water, your hot water heater has to work harder. When you dry your clothes in the dryer, again, you use energy. If you wash in cold water and hang them dry, you'll save energy (being green) and your energy bills will be lower (saving green).
   
2. Be your dad. Run around the house saying, "This place is lit up like a Christmas tree!" while turning off all the lights. Okay, that's being my dad. But seriously, if you turn off lights and electronics when not in use (being green) you can use up to 45% less electricity a month (saving green).
   
3. Eat your leftovers. If you have leftover night once a week (where you pull out all the leftovers and have a smorgasbord), you'll have to buy one less dinner's worth of food each week (saving green) and not as many animals and plants will need to be consumed (being green).
   
4. Drink tap water. You've stopped drinking bottled water by now, right? But what about other things that come in bottles. Soda? Juice? Sports Drinks? Iced Teas? Energy drinks? By drinking plain water instead of those other beverages, you won't be adding to the plastic bottle problem (being green), and you won't be spending money on drinks that are probably bad for you anyway (saving green).
   
5. Visit your local library. Cancel your movie rental subscription or stop going to the video rental store, and borrow your DVD's from your local library. Borrow books, too, instead of running out and buying the latest bestsellers. Libraries are free (saving green) and you won't be purchasing books and DVD's that will end up in a donate pile in a year or so (being green).
   

It may take a while to see the savings from some of these suggestions, but some of them will start saving you money today.