Green Girl Lifestyle Tips that Save You Money

Did you see the documentary “No Impact Man”? It screened on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday. “No Impact Man” follows a year in the life of a New York City family that strives to have a zero-waste lifestyle for a year. The radical eco-friendly experiment was presented by Colin Beavan to his wife Michelle Conlin.

So what does a zero-waste, green lifestyle entail? In the film the couple aims to reduce their environmental footprint to zero, so they give up planes, trains and automobiles and take up biking instead. They also only eat food that is locally grown, with no meat or fowl, of course. They also give up electricity, disposable diapers, Starbucks coffee and most surprisingly, toilet paper.

No toilet paper! Luuuuckily, we don’t have to be that extreme to make a difference. Yesterday I talked about cooking from my parents’ garden. That’s an easy way to start. Check it out. Put More Green in Your Pocket with Tips for a Green Lifestyle… Thanks Mark Harris. -aa

Let’s Get It Started!

Many people live by the rule that if it isn’t broke then you shouldn’t try to fix it. Sadly, they live their lives much in the same way, following the same routines and using the same products as taught to them by their parents or grandparents.

However, these old habits you could be gradually breaking the bank, as well as Mother Earth! By changing how you live now and adopting habits that are more eco-friendly, you’re saving money for the future and contributing to save Mother Earth for generations to come.

Easy Green Lifestyle Ways to Conserve Energy.

By conserving energy in your home, you are taking one large step towards green living. Conserving energy is not complicated, and can even save you money. Here are some ways that you can start saving money by going green in your home.

Thermostats with scheduled timers – It doesn’t make sense to keep your house at 72 degrees all day if nobody is home to enjoy it. Timers allow you to lower the temperature during the hours when people aren’t home or are sleeping.

Low-flow showerhead – These innovative shower heads have all the benefits of saving water without sacrificing the water pressure. They come in multiple styles that often boast a variety of spray settings.

Reusable grocery bags – Even if you buy reusable bags from the supermarket, they pay for themselves when you consider how much plastic you aren’t putting into the landfill by using the other bags. Some stores, like certain supermarkets in the Outer Banks, North Carolina in the United States, only offer the option of paper bags to those who don’t bring their own reusable ones when shopping.

CFL bulbs – Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs, or CFLs, are the most energy-efficient alternative to traditional, incandescent bulbs. CFLs loses very little energy to heat and although they cost a little more than traditional bulbs, they pay for themselves with what you save on your power bill.

Solar generator – Using a solar power generator can be a real boon, and not in regards to savings you’ll see on your family’s electric bill. If you live in an area where wintry weather or summer storms knock out power, it’s nice to have some kind of a backup until utility trucks can restore services.

Trying to live life green isn’t a complicated or daunting as it may sound, and definitely not as expensive as you may have feared it would be. In all reality, you will probably save money by going green and conserving plenty of energy – even if the changes seem costly at first.

You didn’t develop your current lifestyle overnight, so it’s okay if you transition into a green lifestyle one step at a time.

Compost Whenever Possible.

English journalist Anne Scott-James gave the advice, “However small your garden, you must provide for two of the serious gardener’s necessities, a tool shed and a compost heap.” Composting is such a wonderful alternative to chucking things such as banana peels in the trash, and throwing away leftovers that turned into something akin to science experiments in the back of your fridge.

Not only is this wasteful, but you’re really missing out on a wonderful, and money saving, opportunity! Composting is really one of the ultimate fertilizers that come at absolutely no price to you, only your leftovers and biodegradable trash. You can supplement your soil with nutrients and vitamins that will make it wonderful for growing new plants, and also aid in ridding your soil of pollutes.

Composting is fantastic for multiple gardening reasons as well as being wonderful for the air that we breathe. Composting helps to avert pollution by not making methane or leachate formulation. Not to mention, you also are saving plenty of green – money, that is. Composting is producing your own fertilizer with things that you would’ve wastefully sent to the landfill otherwise.

The Benefits of Rain Barrels. Rain Barrels? Really?

Whether your family relies on well water or has to suffer the payment of a monthly water bill, a rain barrel is an ideal method for conserving water – which in turn conserves money! Rain barrels are an easy to use a large amount of water in order to keep your grass green and your garden looking pristine.

With a rain barrel, all the rain that lands in your gutters trickles down into the barrel where it is stored. The barrel has an attachment that allows you to hook up your hose, and then you can commence with your watering just as if your hose were connected to an outside spigot. Granted, rain is needed in order for it to work, so this may not be so effective for those of you living in desert-like conditions!

Rain Barrels – Safer than Tap Water?!

As you water your plants from the faucet, there isn’t the slightest doubt in your mind that you are giving your plants a refreshing drink that they were in dire need of. You wouldn’t believe that you could in fact actually be harming your plants with the fluorides and other nutrients added to tap water these days.

Meanwhile, the water from your rain barrel is just that, rain. Rain is what refreshes things naturally, and storing it to use for later things like watering your plants only makes sense! Water from your rain barrel is probably not okay for drinking. However, it is safe for things like washing your car or giving your dog a bath.

Passing Green to Future Generations.

Just because your age old monotonous lifestyle is working fine for you, doesn’t mean that a change couldn’t work better or even improve your life in many ways! Living life green lifestyle will make the change seem all the more worthwhile, especially when you become a role model for younger generations who might adopt the same habits during their own adult lives.

—-

Internet marketer Mark Harris is also a successful freelance writer. When he’s not writing, Mark is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking and exploring the beaches around his home in Western Canada.

—