Go Green Without Going Broke

It seems everywhere that we turn there is some commercial or company promoting "Go Green". The thing is though is that most of these "Green" products are more costly than the traditional chemical laden products. For someone who is on a budget this makes going green tough. As someone who is on a budget I am more likely to grab that $1.00 cleaning product that is loaded with chemicals than I am that $3.00 chemical free, environmentally friendly cleaning product. However, we all want to do our part to help protect the environment. So what can we budget conscious people do to still help the environment? The following are ways that you can do your part to protect the environment without hurting your pocketbook.

Waste Not Want Not

Take the time to look at ways that you can cut back on wasting water, electricity and gas. When washing dishes wait until you have washed several dishes before turning the water back on to rinse your dishes. By not leaving your rinse water running while you are washing you can cut back on the amount of water that you use. The same goes with brushing your teeth. Use a cup and get the rinse water and then turn off the tap. That way you are not wasting water while brushing your teeth.

Electricity is another area that you can look at when cutting back on wasting. We have all heard to turn off the lights when not in a room. The thing is though is that most people do not realize that they do not do this as much as they should. How many people have left the light on over their stove even though they have long since finished using the stove? In addition unplug your microwave when not in use. The clock on your microwave continually uses electricity.

To save on gas turn your thermometer down to around 70 degrees or a slight bit lower. I have seen many families that in the summer time set their air conditioner to around 68-70 degrees but in the winter time set their heat to as high as 79-85 degrees. To me this makes no sense. If you are comfortable at 68 degree in the summer why can you not be comfortable at 68 degrees in the winter time?

Not only can you help reduce the waste of our natural resources by utilizing the above methods but you will also help save yourself some money.

Electronic/word of mouth

Those cute invitations look great but they also are not environmentally friendly. So to do your part and protect our trees consider sending e-card invitations to all your family and friends the next time you are having a party or hosting an event. For those who you wish to invite who do not have a computer or email account, you can rely on word of mouth. What you can do is send an electronic invite to those that you know have an email account and regular access to a computer. Then call those who have a phone number that you know and invite them over the phone. For those who have neither or that you do not know, you can ask a mutual friend or family member to pass the invite on to them. This saves trees and is environmentally friendly.

There are probably countless other ways that those on a budget are doing their part without breaking their pocketbook on high priced "Green" products. Share your "Green" but money conscious ways in the comment section so that we can all learn more ways to go green.