Save The Environment and Save Money

Image via Wikipedia
As we often point out on this blog, "going green" doesn't have to be expensive - in fact, it can actually save you money. With the cost of gas these days, rapid climate change (noticed the INSANE weather the past month or two??), and increasing pollution problems in most major cities, there's no better time than now to start conserving energy, reducing our carbon footprint, recycling and reusing what we use. But did you consider that what's better for the environment is also better for us? Not only does your health benefit, but so does your wallet.

Here are a few ways you can help the environment while also saving money:

1. Keep your car maintained and follow a tune-up schedule. If your car is leaking fluid it will cost you to continuously replace the fluid. If your car is emitting obnoxious fumes or smoke, something may be going wrong with your car and it's a good idea to fix it while the problem is small. Neither scenarios are good for the environment or your pocketbook.

2. Keep your car tires inflated to the recommended pressure and this will save you on gas and get you the least rolling resistance. Some of your precious gas goes to overcome rolling resistance. Replace your tires when it's time and get the best ones available for lower rolling resistance.

Image via Wikipedia3. If you eat out a lot, consider making more meals at home. Preparing food at home can take the same amount of time that it takes to drive to a restaurant and wait for your meal to arrive at the table. The benefits to cooking at home are in using fresh organic ingredients which are good for your body, plus it's cheaper to eat at home and you don't waste gas driving to a restaurant. (See our Cooking From Scratch blog for some great cooking tips, ideas, and recipes!)

4. When you need to run an errand, make sure you take care of several errands while you're out. Plan your route out ahead of time to use the least amount of gas possible. Did you know driving to your errands in a clockwise direction saves time and gas because you're making right hand turns? Sitting at a light waiting to make a left turn uses more gas and causes your car to spew more emissions into the air. (Nifty tip, huh?)

5. Get a programmable thermostat in your home. The price of a new programmable thermostat is not terribly expensive and you can save a lot of money on your energy bill because you can program it to a lower heating temperature at night when you're asleep and during the day when you're not at home.

Image by amy_b via Flickr 6. Plan your meals to get the maximum usage from the groceries you buy. Think about how much food you throw away each month because you didn't eat it and it spoiled. Leftovers can be given new life by turning them into soups or stews, putting them on a pizza crust, or tossing them with pasta or lettuce. Before you buy perishable food, plan how you will use all the food, even the leftovers. (And for even better benefits to your health and the environment, why not check out a local farmer's market or CSA, and support the local community? Or even better, grow your own sustainable garden!)

7. Take shorter showers. Every minute you shave off showering saves gallons of water. Put a gallon bucket in your shower to catch the water while you're waiting for it to warm up. Use this water to water your potted plants or your garden. Turn off the shower while you're sudsing up and shaving and turn it back on when it's time to rinse off. If you tend to linger mindlessly in the shower, you might want to consider setting a timer to remind yourself to finish up.

Taking care of the environment can also mean saving money. Try these ideas and any others you come up with and enjoy your results. (And feel free to post a comment below, with your own tips!)