Save Money by Going Green

Growing your own food can have huge rewards and huge savings. Not only will your food be much fresher, but your produce won't be exposed to all of the pesticides and pollutants you might find in the grocery store. Produce transport is one of the costliest aspects of fresh fruit and vegetables. You can lessen your impact on the environment and your wallet by growing some of your most often used veggies in your backyard or on your deck (or try a family member's home). If you can't do that, buy local. Supporting local farmers will give you fresher produce and lessen the reliance on produce from far away. This will use less energy during transport, thus your produce will have a better carbon footprint.

Cloth diapers have become slightly more popular over the past few years. While disposable diapers gained prominence in over the past few decades, cloth diapers are beginning to make a resurgence. The outrageous cost combined with the enormous negative environmental impact has made Moms across the world think twice. Disposable diapers take up valuable landfill space, and don't biodegrade easily. Switching to cloth diapers will add up to HUGE savings for Moms. They're also much healthier for babies. Many disposable diapers have chemicals that babies can be very sensitive to. Switch to cloth diapers and this won't be a worry. There are many cloth diaper services that clean them for you as well.

Bottled water is another fad that grew increasingly popular over the past decade. Conserve water by switching to a water filter in your home and you'll save not only on bottled water, but you'll save gas. That bottled water is heavy! It weighs down your car and makes your car burn more gas. Gas is also wasted to get the bottled water to your home, and in most cases, has been proven to be held to lower standards than the water from your tap. Save yourself money every week by switching to filtered water and the savings will fill your wallet quick. One gallon averages at around $1.09, multiply that by 4 gallons a week on the average, then multiply that by 52. That's at least $200 per year!

You don't have to toss it, sell it! You don't even have to donate it if you don't want to, you can make a buck or two by selling your old items on eBay. It's easier than you'd think, if you've never done it.

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By selling your old items rather than tossing them into a gigantic overfilled landfill, you'll be helping out the environment, saving space, and actually reducing the amount of energy the world uses. How so? If someone buys an item used or previously owned by you, that's one item that doesn't have to be made from scratch. That's big!

You can make your car more efficient with a few easy quick fixes. Not only is it putting more money into your wallet by making it run better, but your car will be more enjoyable to ride in. You'll also be helping out the environment, since you'll be getting better gas mileage. Better gas mileage means less emissions into the environment, less gas consumed, and less gas transported. Everyone wins (except the oil companies)!

Water, cold air, and hot air can be depleted from your home quickly if your home isn't efficient. Seal those air leaks in your doors, windows and foundation and you'll see the benefit in your next energy bill. Fix a leaky faucet or shower and you'll also see the benefit over the next few months! Install weatherstripping along your doors and insulate your hot water heater for maximum efficiency.

Some of the richest people in the world got to where they are today by getting rich slowly. Switching to reusable bags is one instance of how you can do just that. Everywhere you shop nowadays, retailers and grocery stores are encouraging you to bring in your own bags. From pressure to go green to their own personal benefit (to perhaps even wanting to help out the environment maybe?), these businesses are offering credits if you bring in your own bags when you shop.

Why?

You'll be saving them money. Every time you use your own bag, that saves them from having to buy the plastic or paper version. Plastic bags are awful for the environment! Wildlife and our waterways are compromised by these highly destructive plastic materials that do not break down. Bring your own bag and you'll receive a credit from most store for cents to 20 cents per bag. Not much, but this adds up over time!

Furniture are just like cars...once you take it out of the showroom, it depreciates instantly! You can benefit from this by buying used. There are thousands of furniture consignment galleries selling antique furniture, which is often more sturdy than the modern day equivelants, and have a lot more charm. There's always freecycle, too, which might have what you are looking for for free! Don't forget to check Craigslist, either.

While it may not make sense to you now, your lungs will thank you later. There are several reasons why adding houseplants to your home is a good idea. Read here why adding these indoor plants will benefit you. You can also grow your own vegetables indoors. Some won't grow, but there are a few that will! There's nothing like fresh grown fruit and vegetables, picked straight from the vine! And since you've grown them, you won't have to worry about pesticide use and the worry of going to get the produce at the store. Your house plants will also double as home decor!

Now more than ever, the government is encouraging everyone to take advantage of the green tax breaks that they are offering! Green your home and your lifestyle by making some green improvements to your home, from installing solar panels to making your home run more energy efficient. It's an incentive you can't pass up! Some people have even made money every month by installing solar panels. Now that's green income!

A huge cost for credit card companies, utility companies, banks, and businesses is the cost of sending you your bill every month. In this day and age, it isn't exactly necessary to spend this extra money and effort when we have perfectly well working instant electronic communications available in the form of email! Sign up for paperless billing and you'll save on many of your accounts, and you won't have to sift through your mailbox as much everday. Plus, you won't have to throw away or recycle as much. That's one thing off your mind.

Going vegetarian can be tough. The trick is find what vegetarian recipes you like and experiment. You'll feel better by switching to meatless recipes, even if only once or twice a week. There's plenty of healthy proteins in veggies like beans and lentil that your body needs, and it's much cheaper than meat. You can also substitute ingredients for a veggie alternative to your favorite dish. For example, say you love chicken parmesan. Eggplant is the perfect replacement! It tastes incredible when baked or sauteed in olive oil, has less calories, and costs much less. You can wind up saving a good chunk on your grocery bill by making small changes like these!