Here are some simple steps to follow to decrease your personal debt and your carbon footprint at the same time!
Image Source: hubpages.com1: If a couple of people work at the same office and drive in to work each day, why not car pool? If there are a couple of you this could potentially cut your fuel bill by a third and save general ware and tear on your car. In an age of escalating petrol prices this should not be under-estimated as a means of saving money, especially if you do live a reasonable distance from the office.
2: Using energy saving light bulbs can save some cash and benefit the environment enormously, especially if enough people get involved. Energy efficient light bulbs have a life span that is estimated at being around 10,000 hours; this is ten times longer than traditional bulbs! These more efficient bulbs also use about 80% less electricity which is important in terms of reducing carbon emissions.
3: Why does everything we use have to be new? Going to your local charity shop or even buying on ebay can help reduce your outgoings substantially. For example, buying new oak furniture involves cutting down a tree and a substantial cost. If you identify a second hand piece of oak furniture you are not buying anything that has a further detrimental effect on the environment and will save a lot of money in the process.
4: If you aren't using something don't leave it running or on standby. The classic example is the person who leaves the TV on standby thinking that it isn't really doing anything or consuming power. Why leave your heater on whilst you are out shopping? If you aren't benefiting from what you are using the answer is to turn it off.
5: Do you need paper statements for all your bills? Many companies will offer a small saving of a couple of pounds for those who choose the paperless option as it helps save them money. Not using all that paper will help save a lot of trees. You can usually make simply changes to your options by logging on to a companies web site.
6: Try not to have too many hot baths and showers that last for an eternity. Almost 50% of the water used is as a direct result of daily showers. Reducing the time you spend under the shower will make a difference. For example, why leave the shower running whilst you are fetching your clothes?
7: Are your walls, roof and flooring properly insulated? If heat is escaping from your house it will cost you a small fortune. It is well worthwhile contacting your local council to see if there are any grants in place to help make your home more efficient and environmentally friendly.
8: Many stores are starting to charge customers for the provision of carrier bags. The key thing to do is to take old bags out with you when you go shopping. Certain super markets will also avoid you loyalty card points for using recycled bags rather than depleting their own supply. It is more of an environmental measure, but will still save you a few pounds a month.
9: Do you really need such a big car with a high consumption engine? With escalating petrol costs switching to a smaller car could be a life saver. Some cars will only do 15 miles to the gallon whilst others will do 45 miles. It doesn't take a genius to work out that this could cut your fuel bill to a third of it's current cost.
10: Why not invest in a water filter instead of buying bottled water? This has an initial outlay but will save you a lot of money in the longer term. It also means that the environment benefits because huge HGV trucks aren't needed to cart the water about. Fewer bottles will also be wastefully used without ever been recycled.
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5 comments:
The 4th tip reminds me of a study done in Great Britain - if everyone living in England would totally turn of their TV's and VCR's when not using them they would save on electricity more than $60 billion a year.
If I remember correctly there were even people who wanted to ban the stand-by mode... :)
Nice handy tips, I follow many of them and though I do not know how much money I save but I do earn a lot of smiles for myself from me when I read posts like this.
These are just basic tips. What you really need is a spending tracker type of application to get to the maths of your personal finances in the first place.
These are standard and simple tips, and I say thank you for posting them. It can be repeated a zillion times and hopefully each time one more person will learn something new and start reducing consumption and saving money . Good job and thanks for the info!
For me one of the greatest ideas to save money as a teen was keep it out of the reach. A debit card helped a lot because at that time few shops accepted them as payment. Another way to keep the cash is to go out without it. Sounds silly, but really works. If I don't have money with me, I can't spend it.
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