Green Living: Budget-Friendly Home Improvements

Living "green" is encouraged by the media, the government and even celebrities, but when you live on a tight budget, it's not always easy. As a single mom who pinches pennies, I try to find little ways to make green improvements to my home and here are a few ways I do just that.

Water
Indoors and out, saving water is great for going green but also for saving green--in your wallet. While it is an investment of time and a little bit of an expense initially, setting up a rain barrel to collect water for the garden is a great way to reduce (dependence upon municipal water and ultimately your water bill) and reuse.

Low flow shower heads are easy to install and are a great way to cut down on water usage. In addition, installing an aerator on your kitchen faucet works on the same principal of saving water, which equals saving money.

Reduce your laundry by wearing clothing longer between washings. I have the rule in my house that if it doesn't smell bad and doesn't have dirt on it, it can be worn again so put it away. This not only reduces water consumption by cutting down on the piles of laundry (and of course the work) but it also reduces wear and tear on clothing.

Electricity
Turn the temperature on your water heater down a few degrees to save on your electric bill. Installing a programmable thermostat is another way to regulate the temperature in my home and reduce my electricity costs.

We've all heard about installing CFL bulbs to save money, but how about motion detector fixtures in rooms like bathrooms or closets? If you have kids, then you know how hard it is to get them to turn lights off--the motion detectors can help with that problem.

Hang it! Your clothing that is. A clothesline outside or even a small retractable clothesline in your bathroom or utility room can help reduce your electricity costs by not running the dryer as much. If you must run your dryer, find out what the peak times are for your electric company. Mine considers peak usage time between about 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. which means the usage rate is slightly higher during those times. I try to run my dryer before 9 a.m. and after 9 p.m. to get the lower off-peak rate.

Recycled Materials
One of my favorite ways to live green and go easy on the budget is to find ways to reuse materials. Whether it is reusing wooden shipping pallets as a fence or to create compost bins or searching out used building materials, this is my favorite way to live green. Anything that reduces waste by keeping items out of the landfills, improves your home in some way and reuses materials that might normally be discard is a green living win in my book.

As a matter of fact, I am getting ready to do some remodeling in my home--on a budget of course--and my plan is to search out as much recycled material as possible to complete the project.

Living lightly on the earth doesn't have to be hard and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg. Start simply with a few of these ideas and you might be surprised at the additional ideas you come up with.