Being Green for Free!

We are bombarded with different ideas for living a green lifestyle everyday. But, some of the ideas for being green are costly. If you are living on a budget, like I am, you can't afford new EnergyStar appliances or to put solar panels on your house. I have compiled a list of 10 things you can do to live a green lifestyle for free and actually save you money.

1-Peak electrical energy demand hours are between 5am-9am and 4pm-7pm. Avoiding using large appliances (dishwasher, electrical oven, and dryer) during these hours will save on energy use. I try to do my laundry between 10am-2pm and I will run my dishwasher at 9pm.

2-When you are washing fruits or vegetables in a strainer put a bowl under the strainer to catch the extra water. Then use the bowl of water to water your indoor or outdoor plants. This will help to conserve water.

3-Stop using plastic bags. I wouldn't go to the store without my shopping list, but I will sometimes forget to bring my reusable grocery sacks because I know the store will offer me a plastic sack to carry my groceries. If we make it a priority to not use them we will be helping the environment. If you do get plastic bags, make sure that you are reusing them to take your lunch to work in or as a trashcan liner in the bathroom.

4-Have a garage sale, sell items online or donate to charity. Reusing items is a great way to be green. Instead of your old couch ending up in a landfill, why not try to sell it to a family that would use it or donate it to someone in need. When you shop at garage sales or thrift stores you are reusing items as well. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

5-Turn off the lights. It is such an easy concept, but so many of use forget to turn off lights when they are not in use. We also need to turn off T.V.'s, computers and appliances that we are not using.

6-Recycle! If you clip coupon you might accumulate 2-5 newspapers each week. These need to be recycled. Check out your city's website to see what items they accept at your local recycling center. You might be surprised of the things you throw in the trash that could be recycled. Some city's will charge a fee to pick up your recycling at your home, but most city's have a place that you can drop off your recycling for free.

7-Shop at antique stores and flea markets. I love antiques and they are thrifty and green items to buy since they are being sold used. Most of the items I have bought in my house have come from antique stores or garage sales. Anytime you purchase something used you are helping to reuse and conserve the environment.

8-Call your local electrical company and ask if they have any energy efficient programs you could benefit from. In my area my electric company offered new programmable thermostats that allowed us to preset the temperature to change through out the day. The thermostat was installed in my home for free. Since, I have been using the new thermostat my electrical bill has dropped by 38.00 a month!

9-Carpool or drive as little as possible. You can do your part by trying to use your car less. Car pool to work with someone or walk or ride your bike to your destination.

10-Be conscious of your choices and how they will effect the environment. Commit to doing your part to living a more green lifestyle.