Saving Money by Going Green - 3 Tips That Can Save Hundreds

Saving Money by Going Green – 3 Tips That Can Save Hundreds

Posted on Dec 31, 2011 in Sustainable Living & Sustainable Lifestyle by Matthew Speer 1 Comment

Living a sustainable lifestyle will not only help save the planet, it can help you with saving money on common household items and activities. The premise behind this is to utilize fewer resources to accomplish the same task or achieve a similar outcome. Often, these green tips are overlooked, forgotten or people are just unaware that alternatives exist. We have done the homework for you and compiled 3 going green tips you can use today that will save you money as well. Each of these tips is designed to lower resource consumption, reduce landfill waste, reduce environmental pollution and conserve energy.

Going Green Tips to Save Some Green

Use your local library. That’s right; it has been sitting around the corner since you moved in, just waiting to help you save money. Some experts state that an average American can spend up to $118 per year on books, newspapers and magazines. The library offers a variety of options from the obvious book borrowing to free music downloads, up to date magazines and even DVD and Blu-Ray discs from recent movie releases. Just canceling Netflix or not using on-demand rentals will save you some cash each month. Many libraries offer online subscriptions to paid content services and I even took advantage of free software from my local branch.

Stop eating out. If you need to save money this tip is for you. An average American household spends around $4,000 each year on dining out. This does not mean just dinner, you have to consider breakfast, lunch, snacks and of course dinner. When going to restaurants, we are often are not concerned with where the produce originated, organic vs. non-organic or even whether it is healthy. Consider taking lunch to the office each day, it will help you maintain a healthy diet and potentially cut carbon emissions by stopping your trips to the local fast food joint. Cooking at home will enable you to consider the ingredients, focusing on the quality of the food, its origins and the impact it will have on the environment, your wallet and waistline.

Save $1,000 by carpooling. If an average commuter travels around 16 miles per day to work, traveling in an average car, getting 23 mpg, they are spending about $1,300 per year just in gas. If you carpool with one person you are looking at $650 in savings for each person. You will also take a car off the road, meaning a lowered carbon footprint for each of you while reducing wear and tear on your vehicle. Discuss this reduced mileage with your insurance company as it could also reduce your rate. Online resources such as eRideShare and Divide the Ride can help you get matched with carpooling partners.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of money saving tips that help you go green. Each tip is designed in such a way that you can implement easily and make the most out of your hard earned cash. We would love to hear your ideas and solutions you have found to help go green while saving some green, please share them by commenting below.