Huddler's Green Home, found at Yahoo! Green, just posted a blog on how the cheapskates...cough, cough...I mean the frugal human beings can help save the our beautiful planet without a dent in the pocket.
AND thank God! Because if there's one thing I love hearing about being "green," it's how it won't cost you much!
Here are several of the tips:
1.
Do This: Keep up with car maintenance.
Conserve This: Gas
Costs...: Variable ($130 per 15,000 miles of driving with one air filter change, oil changes, and filling tires).
Saves...: Clean air filters can improve your mileage by as much as 7%. Using the wrong grade of oil can reduce your mileage by 1-2%. Properly inflated tires will improve gas mileage by 3%. That means, if you're driving a car that should get 25 MPG, and you're not taking care of it, you're really getting 22.25 mpg and therefore spending an extra $296.63 on gas (at $4/gallon) every 15,000 miles.
Saves In 5 Years: $1,186.52
ROI In 5 years: 228%
2.
Do This: Take extra weight in your car down (i.e., take off roof racks, bike racks, etc., when not in use). This saves 1-2% fuel efficiency per 100 lbs.
Conserve This: Gasoline
Costs...: $0
Saves...: $0.04-$0.07/gallon (or $31.20 per year if you use 10 gallons of gas a week).
Saves In 5 Years: $156
ROI In 5 years: N/A
3.
Do This: Lower your hot water heater thermostat to 120° F.
Conserve This: Energy
Costs...: $0
Saves...: 36 to $61 annually in standby heat losses and more than $400 in demand losses.
Saves In 5 Years: $2,242
ROI In 5 years: N/A
4.
Do This: Wash your clothes in cold water. This saves 80-90% of the energy used in washing.
Conserve This: Energy
Costs...: $0
Saves...: 10 to 20 cents per load which results in about $40 per year.
Saves In 5 Years: $200
ROI In 5 years: N/A
5.
Do This: Wash your clothes in cold water. This saves 80-90% of the energy used in washing.
Conserve This: Energy
Costs...: $0
Saves...: 10 to 20 cents per load which results in about $40 per year.
Saves In 5 Years: $200
ROI In 5 years: N/A
6.
Do This: Fix leaky faucets. One drip can waste 250 gallons of water a month, which translates to 3,000 gallons of wasted water annually.
Conserve This: Water
Costs...: $0 if you do it yourself, $50 if you call someone
Saves...: 8% of your water bill (around $38 per year).
Saves In 5 Years: $200
ROI In 5 years: 380% (if you call someone once in 5 years).
Visit: http://green.yahoo.com/blog/huddlergreenhome/7/frugal-beginners-guide-to... [1] for more of these frugal tips!