Save Your Money, Save the Environment - It's Easy!

Whether you're worried about saving the environment, saving money, or both, there are some things you can do to help even if you're stuck living paycheck to paycheck.

Not only do the following tips save you money, but they can also help save the environment.

1. Replace five light bulbs in your home with energy-efficient bulbs. Average savings will come back to you is approximately $60 a year. There is a higher upfront cost to the new energy efficient bulbs, but spread out over the average lifespan of 5 years, and you'll be saving in the end. They use a lot less power, which cuts down on energy that needs to be produced.

2. Do your laundry in cold water; it will save you roughly $63 a year. Hot water is one of the biggest energy expenditures. Use cold water to wash your laundry and it will save energy and your checkbook.

3. Save $100 per year by installing a programmable thermostat. Why heat or cool your house when you're not home? Think of the energy savings if you can keep your house either cooler in the winter, or warmer in the summer when you're at work. You can easily set the times for the thermostat to kick on whenever you're home, and go off when you're leaving.

4. Cut down on the daily newspapers and save over $100 per year. A lot of newspapers are now online, sometimes for a small fee, but often free. Cut the paper version down and either read your online version or watch the news on the television. If you can't go cold turkey from the print version, see if you have a friend or neighbor you can share the paper with.

5. Stop buying pre-packaged foods and you can save roughly $312 a year! Not only are they bad for you and full of preservatives, but also that extra packaging will cost you. Spend a few minutes in the kitchen wrapping up crackers, cheese or sandwich meats and you can save a bundle. Most of the packaging that comes with the products is not biodegradable which will stay in our landfills for a very long time.

6. Don't buy bottled water; it will save you over $300 a year. Run to the Dollar Store and pick up a water bottle and fill it at home. It's free, or next to free. If you're worried about the quality of your water, water kits can be purchased and the water test can be run to make sure you're drinking quality water. The typical cost will run anywhere from $200-300 to test.

Saving energy is important, saving money is important. You can kill two birds with one stone by implementing these tips!