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Little things you can do to save money and our planet

October 15, 2007 by Pinyo.

Well today is Blog Action Day and a lot of bloggers are blogging about our environment today. Being a personal finance blogger, I am going to make this one related to money…again. A lot of people think that being Green is expensive — e.g., you have to buy Energy Star compliance products, fancy hybrid car, expensive solar panels, etc. The truth is, you can be frugal and green.

Here are 40 green money saving tips:

Buy only what you need
Buy products with less packaging (larger size usually mean more product and less packaging)
Buy products with packaging that can be reused or recycled
Buy used products
Use each product until it is completely worn out
Avoid disposable products
Register for DMA’s Mail Preference Service to stop junk mails
Use electronic statements and go paperless
Turn off lights and appliances when not in use
Set refrigerators to 40 degrees (F), and freezers to 0 degrees (F)
Take advantage of natural light
Unplug chargers, and certain appliances
Adjust your thermostat higher on your AC, and lower on your heater
Let sun light in during the winter months, and keep it out with drapes in the summer
Keep doors and windows shut when the heater or AC is running
Lower your water heater to 120 degrees (F)
Wash with cold water whenever possible
Wash and dry full loads to maximize efficiency (both clothes and dishes)
Clean lint filter before each use
Use less detergent
Avoid clothes that require dry cleaning
Take showers instead of baths
Take short showers
Use less toilet paper
If you have to buy a car, buy a gas efficient one
Drive less — walk or use public transportation
Do not accelerate to red light, stop sign, or traffic jam ahead
Drive at the speed limit and accelerate slowly to save gas
Perform regular maintenance on your car
Plan your route
Use lowest octane required for your car
Cook or order just enough food
Eat out less
Cancel unread magazine and newspaper subscriptions
Borrow books instead of buy
Recycle wastes
Donate old clothes and items to charity instead of trashing them (tax deductible)
Avoid foods that take a lot of time to prepare (save on your gas and/or electricity bills)
Use ceiling fan instead of air conditioner
Use rechargeable batteries

Lastly, I want to leave you with a quote from Your Money or Your Life by Dominguez and Robin:

“Everything we eat, wear, drive, buy and throw away comes from the earth. Many of these products are fabricated from non-renewable resources. Once we throw them away, those pieces of the earth will not be available to support meaningful life for perhaps thousand of millennia. It’s a one-way trip from the earth to the factory to the store to our house to the dump.”

If you have other green money saving tips, please leave a comment.

From the M-Network:

Blog Action Day - Being Frugal and the Environment @ Being Frugal
10 Mutual Funds For A Greener Future @ Gather Little By Little
10 Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint (and 9 of them will save you money!) @ I’ve Paid For This Twice Already…
Blog Action Day - One Day To Discuss The Environment @ My Two Dollars
Save money. Save your health. Save the planet. Walk @ Plonkee Money
Blog Action Day @ Single Guy Money

From the Blogosphere:

Make Money and Save the Environment @ How I Will Be Rich

This article was featured in:

The Carnival of the Green # 100! hosted by The Good Human. For more information please visit the Carnival of the Green.

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10 Comments

SAHMmy Says, 15. October 2007, 8:04

Great tips! We do follow most of these suggestions…not sure if I can get on board with #24 though
Mrs. Micah, 15. October 2007, 9:39

Like, many, I’m reading Your Money or Your Life right now. That’s a good quote and a good section of the book.

We do a lot of these. I normally use a drying rack, but if I have not quite full loads of whites and colors and have to machine-dry them for some reason (did this a lot at college before the rack) I combine them in the dryer. That way, you don’t risk the colors bleeding, but you still save some money and energy.
hank, 15. October 2007, 11:32

I agree with SHAMmy 24 sounds like a good idea, but the paper I don’t use, between my cat, my 2 year old, and my 3 year old, they find other uses for it. Maybe it needs to be locked up! good post.
Pinyo, 15. October 2007, 13:15

@SAHMmy - welcome to Moolanomy. #24 is very personal. I know someone who only use 1 sheet regardless of the situation…yuck.

@Mrs Micah - Enjoy the book! I still have a few chapters to go, but I have to wait for it to become available again (library book).

@hank - Wow, big family. I am sure you go through them quick.
Robert V, 29. October 2007, 15:20

Save on letters by saying “cloths” instead of “clothes”.

Save money, save the environment AND help spread germs and disease. This is great stuff.
Pinyo, 29. October 2007, 15:42

@Robert - thank you for pointing out the “cloths” mistake. At least I was consistent.

Sorry, I don’t get your second comment.
Guilherme ZÃƒÂ¼hlke O'Connor, 30. October 2007, 4:10

Nice list, all sensible, fesible and economic.

Regarding the 4th item, buying used things is something is a must do.

I my Blog Action Day post I have written about how you can even get fully functional used things for free.
tpom, 30. October 2007, 5:49

Good post! It’s the little things, done repeatedly over time, that make the difference. We need to stay green and growing. Me, I’m working on helping people save money on healthcare in the US… while working on #24
Pinyo, 30. October 2007, 20:25

@Guilherme and tpom - thank you and welcome to Moolanomy!

Guilherme, thanks for sharing your post. I think FreeCycle is great too.

tpom, a lot of people seems to love #24.
Make Friends, Earn Money, 18. May 2008, 3:46

I actually make the point now of removing any excessive packaging when I’m buying the products and placing it in a bag which I then deposit at the checkout. I figure that the more people do this the move the supermarkets will get the idea that they use excessive packaging. I don’t rant and rave at store staff, I just make a silent protest.