Getting Green Ideas to Save Money
Be Green and Save
Let’s face it, saving money can sometimes be a chore, it can take a lot of effort and some serious willpower. However, if you make some small adjustments to your general lifestyle and some small alterations around the home, you can save some money by being green. Here are some tips to get you started:
Can you live without a car?It’s said that the average annual cost of owning a car is around $8,000, which includes the cost of insurance, payments, fuel and any maintenance costs. If you can live without a car then you can instantly save a lot of money and it’s a great benefit to the environment. If you must have a car for general use then you could consider buying a car that is more fuel-efficient than your current vehicle, it will help to save you money in fuel and maintenance costs.
Be clever around the home.
Try to be clever and frugal when dealing with things around the home. I read a stat that recently said around 25% of
electricity, heating and hot water is wasted in an average home. Try adjusting your boiler temperature to save some money, and only put the heating on if you think you really need it.
Also make sure your home is energy efficient, make sure your windows and any cracks around the home are properly sealed to keep heat within your home. It has been said that by conducting some simple energy audits around the home can save you 10% on heating costs.
Consider some lifestyle changes.
There are many small lifestyle changes that can make a huge difference. Do you drive to your workplace? Have you considered cycling instead? You can save your weekly fuel costs and help the environment at the same time. Also, do you purchase your meals in work every day? Consider taking a packed lunch with you to save some extra cash.
Keeping on the subject of food, according to a book called “The Cheapskate Next Door“, a typical US family spends around $4,000 on meals outside of the home a year and you can save 75% of this simply by eating more at home by buying fresh produce. Eating at home can also be healthier than eating out as you know exactly what ingredients you’ve used.
Switch to energy efficient lighting – If you haven’t already…
We use our lights so much when we’re at home that they can account for up to 15% of our home energy bills. To save some money and do your bit for the environment switch out the old style light bulb for those that carry the energy efficient label, they can save you a huge 75% on your annual lighting bill.
Remember that when trying to save money you should make your savings work for you. As I’m based in the UK, I use a cash-ISA savings account (
read more here) for my savings as the interest you earn is tax free, see what equivalent accounts you have wherever you’re based and reap the rewards.