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Times are tight for lots of folks these days, but, just because you might have a bit less cash is no reason to stop being green. And, while compact fluorescent light bulbs, a more efficient dishwasher, or a home energy monitor all have the potential to save you some bucks, they require an upfront investment before you realize any savings. Follow these six tips -- they don't require much or any cash up front -- to stop waiting and start saving money today; by this time next year, you'll have an extra $1,000 in your wallet for it.
Stop buying cleaners
The average American family spends a whopping $600 per year on a dizzying array of home cleaning supplies, according to David Bach, author of Go Green, Live Rich. Yet, for about $20, you can replace every cleaning product in your house with a safer, non-toxic, biodegradable homemade version using common ingredients like baking soda, club soda, vinegar and salt! Check out Detox Your Home: Assemble a Green Cleaning Kit to find out how.
Annual savings: $580
Hang your laundry out to dry
Your dryer checks in at number two on the list of household energy hogs (right after your fridge), according to the U.S. Department of Energy. Stop using it so much (or stop using it altogether), replace the electric or gas-powered appliance with the warm glowing warming glow of the sun, and take the savings to the bank. Get more planet-friendly laundry tips from our guide on How to Go Green: Laundry.
Annual savings: $70
Eat more veggies (and less meat)
According to the USDA, the weighted average price for all fresh fruit is 71 cents per pound; that averages out to about 18 cents per serving. Almost two-thirds of the fresh fruits, 16 out of 25, cost 25 cents or less per serving -- that's cheap. And veggies are even cheaper: The weighted average price for all fresh vegetables was 64 cents per pound, which averages to 12 cents per serving.
Contrast that with beef, which, in October 2007, was $4.15 per pound, and the average price per pound for pork was $2.93. If you cut out one average-sized meal per person, per week, assuming a serving size of eight ounces, you'll save big bucks over a year.
Annual savings: $100 per person for beef; about $75 per person for pork.
Work one less day at the office each week
Working four ten hour days, or telecommuting one day a week, will help you enjoy a longer weekend (or maybe just a less stressful one, if you work from home instead of commuting) and will save some bucks, too. You'll save 20 percent on whatever you spend for commuting, coffee, lunch, and any other daily expenses you incur by trucking yourself to the office each day. Say you do it on the cheap -- don't drive yourself, pay for parking, or spend more than a few bucks on lunch; even if you spend $2 on the bus or public transit, $2 for a coffee and $6 for lunch, that's $10 per day; add it up, and you can easily save several hundred bucks by working four days a week. Get the nitty-gritty in our guide for How to Go Green: Commuting.
Annual savings: $500, if you save $10 per day for 50 weeks -- we won't count those two weeks of vacation. Telecommuters won't save quite as much.
Bike or walk instead of driving short trips
40 percent of urban travel in the U.S. is two miles per trip (or less), so take the 2 Mile Challenge and leave you car parked at least once a week for such a trip, and the savings will add up. According to AAA, the average cost of driving is 54 center per mile, so each trip will save you a buck or so.
Annual savings: $56 per trip saved each week (104 miles -- 2 miles x 52 weeks -- at 54.1 cents per mile) so the less you drive, the more you save.
Go completely car-free
Ready to really save some money? Go car-free. While cars are the ultimate convenience, and many of us use one most days, it's a convenience we pay hundreds of dollars for each month; according to a 2004 American Automobile Association study, the average American spends $8,410 per year to own a vehicle. While some of that money will likely have to go toward a different transportation option -- riding public transit, or car-sharing -- it's clear that not owning a car can save you big bucks. If you're one out of two Americans who live in cities, not owning a car is a great (and, admittedly, difficult at times) way to save money, and go green, too.
Annual savings: Hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on how often you require a set of wheels.
More on going green and saving money
Save Money —and Your Health—by Going Green
Unemployed College Grads: Stay Green and Save Money With These Tips
Unemployed Boomers: Stay Green and Save Money With These Tips
Unemployed Young Professionals: Stay Green and Save Money With These Tips
TreeHugger Forums: Save Money By Going Green
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