More Green Saving Tips
Posted by Gail | Filed under Saving
Every step you take to save – money or the environment – is a step in the right direction. And they don’t have to be giant steps. Just a shuffle in the right direction gets you on the Green Road to Success.
Doing well personally, while doing good environmentally is a little like having your cake and eating it, dontcha think? So here are some more ideas you can share with your workmates, friends and family for ways to become a Green Queen while you save some serious bucks too. Hey, why not challenge a friend or co-worker to see how much you can actually save by implementing one or more of these strategies. May the best man win!
1. Are you still using disposable batteries? Do you know what those things do to the environment when you throw them out? Learn all about rechargables, the best ones to buy and how to save money at greenbatteries.com.
2. When was the last time you checked the seal on your home? Did you know that you could be overspending by up to $350 dollars a year just because your home is leaking? Hold a candle near windows, doors, electrical outlets, range hoods, plumbing and ceiling fixtures. If the smoke blows, you’ve got a draft that may need caulking, sealant, weather stripping, or insulation.
3. How much air are you riding on? One of the easiest ways to save money is to put some air in your tires. Pumping up your tires can improve your mileage by 3 percent. That’s like getting a reduction of 3¢ a litre on a buck-a-litre fill-up. Hey, when was the last time you saw $1/litre gas?
4. Don’t know where to shop for the best ethical deals and save money? Try signing up with ethicaldeal.com out of Vancouver, B.C. It’s like a Green Groupon which sends you daily deals from local green companies.
April 26, 2012 at 8:01 am
When my husband and I moved in to our first (one bedroom, basement) apartment, we were shocked to get a winter hydro bill for over $400. After endless battles with our landlord, because there was ZERO WAY I was paying that bill, we finally had the building inspected and discovered that the seal was long gone and we had basically been heating outside. Now it’s something I really pay attention to.
Side note to all renters: don’t just pay your hydro bill if it seems absurd. In telling this story, I discovered that some people just pay their bills (great) but don’t stop to question the amounts (what?!). If you landlord has failed to maintain the building, you should not be paying for that. Investigate, and don’t be afraid to demand an inspection… on their dime.
April 26, 2012 at 8:13 am
@ Jessica:
Great tip! When I moved into my first apartment years ago, the landlord actually told us that Hydro Quebec (we lived in Montreal) allows you to request the annual hydro costs for the past 12 months of any dwelling (home or apartment) you are considering moving into. I never took advantage of it, but I just looked it up and it’s true!
http://www.hydroquebec.com/residential/estimation-couts-electricite.html
Not sure if other energy providers have this, but it’s a great way to know what you’re getting into before you even sign the mortgage/lease.
April 26, 2012 at 9:04 am
I have a standard list of food/household items – I’m pretty settled on the brands and foods I use regularly.
Just about every product has a cycle – though all different ones – of when it goes on sale. Keeping my list at hand I go through the store flyers each week and make my shopping list of the items that are on sale that week. I know by now how many of each item I need to buy to get me through to the next sale cycle. When I first started this it cost a bit more to stock the pantry, but once you get in the cycle, you are always eating/using products at their lowest possible price, and that adds up …
April 26, 2012 at 9:14 am
Rechargeable batteries are great, but you still need to buy a battery charger to go with them. But almost everyone has a computer! There’s a company called USBCell that sells batteries of all shapes and sizes that can be recharged by plugging them into the USB port of your computer.
April 26, 2012 at 10:08 am
We have a very old home that is poorly insulated and still has two original doors. We installed all new weatherstripping around the front door (we do plan to replace the door at some point but this is a good placeholder) and saw our gas bill go down substantially. While the weatherstripping wasn’t the entire reason for the realized savings it certainly helped!!
April 26, 2012 at 10:40 am
I live on an acreage so of I have to drive into town I try to make a list of all I need to do so my trip becomes more worth the gas in. I put a cost to my trips so I know the value of each trip
April 26, 2012 at 10:45 am
I just moved into a rented house and asked BC Hydro for an average and they wouldn’t give it to me. I recall in past years they would have but this isn’t their policy now. Probably because of the new “smart” meters that are proving to gouge consumers left, right and centre. One of the biggest green solutions I do is forgoing the chemical cleaners I used to use. Vinegar, water, baking soda for pretty much everything. Baking soda cleans the white enamel of a stove better than anything without scratching. I haven’t use dryer sheets in years and actually rarely get static build up. Recently I’ve stumbled upon recipes to make your own laundry soap that works out to about 5 cents a load too. There are quite a few recipes out there if you google it. Haven’t tried it yet as I am working through the current stash of laundry detergent.
April 26, 2012 at 10:45 am
With two dogs and a cat who are always needing to go out the back door at different times, I hang two curtains in the back hallway every winter to act as draft baffles and it works really well.
The glass door in the front room gets the same treatment – makes it feel much cozier and stops any drafts.
Then in the spring the curtains come down and the sunlight streams in!
I recommend getting an energy audit. It cost me $150 and showed where there could be improvement. It also gives an assessment of whether the improvements would be sensible financially by showing how long it would take to recoup the cost. It is often the simpler, less expensive repairs that provide the biggest improvement.
April 26, 2012 at 11:58 am
One way I save on my power bill is to unplug things when they are not in use. Electronics like the tv in the basement, toaster, microwave and lamps are only used for a very short time each day, but if they are plugged in they are still using current. I go around the house before be and unplug about 7 things, and my bill has dropped by about $40 a month. I also make my own laundry soap, which saves a bundle, and is better for sensitive skin.
April 26, 2012 at 12:04 pm
I read an article two weeks ago on how to drive more efficiently. My car has a fuel consumption guage, and I went from 9.2 l per 100 km down to 8. That’s the equivalent of 1 L per 100 km, and my car gets about 500 km on a tank. That’s the equivalent of $6.75 per fill up!
WOW!
April 27, 2012 at 4:20 pm
@Jessica:
Thank you.
April 28, 2012 at 3:27 pm
For cleaning, I mostly use vinegar, baking soda, and plain soap. I also cut up our old cotton tshirts to use, instead of paper towels. Nothing gets your windows shiny and streak free like vinegar and newspaper!
For clothes shopping, before I buy something new, I look and see if I can buy it used from a thrift store, or someone on line. This can save a lot of money, and it also saves the environment too by not supporting overseas textile production. “Used” clothing is a misnomer though, as I quite often find brand new clothing in the thrift store, often with the tags still on, and quite often they are of a higher brand name than I could afford new.