Go green, Save the Earth, Save some money

I don't claim to be an expert in the movement to live greener. I've had an interest for a few years. After all, our children, grandchidren, etc, have to live on this planet after we're gone. My interest really peaked when I realized I could be saving some money AND living greener at the same time. I wanted to share some of my tips on how living greener can save you money.

I know some of these are seemingly obvious. Remember I'm a green newbie. If you have any other tips to share with me and my readers I'd love to hear them.

1. Recycling

We all know recycling reduces waste, reuses items to give them a second life. My town does not have a city wide recycling program. They have a few bins scattered in town where you can take minimal items like newspapers and clear glass. We save all of our aluminum cans. There is a local recycling company not far from my house. You can take your recyclables there and they pay you depending on the weight of all the items you bring. It's not enough to quit your day job over but we average $12 each trip. Hey $12 a pack of steak at walmart. If your town has a city wide recycling program it can cut down on the amount of garbage going out.  In my town you are allowed so many bags per week.  If you have more than the allotted amount they charge you extra.

2.  Organic Gardening

This is still something I'm learning more about. What I do know is, that instead of buying all those fertilizers, pesticides, special soils, etc you can make your own at home AND it's safer for the environment AND your kids and pets.  As I said I'm still new to this but little facts like planting marigolds around your garden will deter rabbits.  Or use a soapy water spritz as a safe pesticide (bugs don't like the soapy taste).  Composte bins are great.  Save your potato peels, rotting veggies, etc and use them in your garden.  Used coffee grounds are good for your acidic soil loving plants like Azaleas. 

3.  Energy Savers

We just recently put insulation in our house.  I could not believe the different in our heating oil bills from the year before.  I didn't really think it was going to make that much difference but it did.  The year before We had to fill up our tanks 3 times (I live in PA and it was a cold winter).  Last year only twice.  We also installed a digital thermastat.  We set it so the temp automatically goes 60 over night but kicks on in the morning around 7 just before we start getting up.  While there is an initial cost for these things the savings are long term.    I had also heard that installing solar panels will eliminate your electric bill and in some area electric companies will even pay you!  My husband and I are trying to gather all the facts on this in our area.  We're considering.  If anyone in PA has these I'd love to talk to you. I worry about how they work in the winter when the snow piles up.  Other smaller steps like changing to energy efficient light bulbs, turning unneeded lights off, washing clothes in cold water, and taking shorter showers, can all add up. Not only energy saving for the earth but also money saving steps for you on your electric and heating bills. 


4. Green living rewards programs like Recycle Bank

I've found a couple programs that reward you for living greener.  The best one I know of is Recycle Bank.  You earn points for green choices such as recycling in your community, sending in old electronics to recycle, signing up for their newsletter for green tips and more.  I recently became a Recycle Bank Insider.  I will have more green tips on my blog and Recycle Bank Reward codes.  You can use your Recycle Bank reward points to cash in for products, gift cards, coupons, sweepstakes, and more. 


Those are just a few tips for now.  Please share some of your tips with me.  I'd love to learn more.

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