TOP 10 ways to live greener without spending a lot of green

Living greener is a huge buzzword..one that generates tons of revenue for companies who can market themselves in this category. Do we really need to spend $150 for a piece of plastic that was manufactured with oil in order to start a compost in the backyard? I don't think so Tim. The three main ideas in living green are reuse, reduce, and recycle. That sounds nothing like buy this, spend more on that, and stress out. Here are my top ten ways to save the planet...and your wallet.

I'll start with my favorite: use sites like craigslist.org and www.freecycle.org. You can keep items from entering a landfill and save the money you would have spent on something new. Don't forget your local garage sale too, convince your friends you are saving the planet when you shop this way (and your pocket book too.) That's me collecting free mulch for my garden from a landscaper who posted on craigslist.

Use light blocking shades or curtains on your windows. This really keeps the sun from heating up your house. I haven't turned on the air conditioning yet..and its June in Texas. You don't need to make any special trips to get these shades. They can be found wherever curtains are sold...including those websites listed above!


Don't bag the grass when you mow. Read up on it folks..leaving the grass shavings on your lawn actually helps to fertilize it and it conserves the water too. Contrary to my neighbor's belief it does not cause that unsightly thatch on your lawn. If you already have thatch, use a power rake to remove it before you stop bagging your clippings. It takes less time to mow when you don't bag. So not only do you save money from not buying bags, you are saving time too.


Dad told me to put a brick in my toilet. This raises the water level and causes your toilet to use less water when you flush. Do this if your toilet is older and doesn't need to be replaced. You can also go to your local hardware supply store and spend around $5 for a not-as-heavy device that will serve the same purpose . Now if you want to make your guests blink when they use your facilities you can spend about $80 to add this cute little water saver. Toilet Lid Sink

Another way to conserve water is to turn off the water when you brush your teeth. If you are not already doing this, you can save over a thousand gallons of water every year.

Stop buying garbage bags. You don't need to buy a reusable grocery sack, just reuse the sacks you get when you shop. These smaller sacks will make you more conscious of how much garbage you are using and will get the garbage out of your house more quickly.

Go paperless. Taking advantage of direct deposit of your paycheck saves on paper and the gas it takes to get to the bank. When you bank online, your bank can pay your bills electronically. Most banks will do this free of charge. You can often receive your bills online and file them electronically. click here to see how much of an impact you can make. I'm saving money because I haven't bought postage stamps or checks in years. When a bill cannot be paid electronically, the bank prints a check and mails it on my behalf. What a deal!

Recycle..everything. You know you can get cash for paper and aluminum cans..what about those old cell phones? My cells break before the two year contract is up and I found a way to make a few extra bucks when I was done with them. Find out more here:

Recycle your cellphone for cash

Buy your groceries in bulk. This means less trips to the store, but also less packaging. In most cases its less expensive to buy larger quantities and divide it up yourself at home. This can be done anywhere in the store, from meat to cheese, popcorn, even crackers.

Change your oil less often...watch out you need to have special stuff for this..but I got two of these great filters spending less than $10 more than I did with my old filters.