Happy Earth Day! Save Money Being Green!
It’s Earth Day today, which is a great day to remind us to try and live greener lives. This is good because being green and eco-friendly can actually save you money!
A lot of people think you have to spend a lot of money being green, which may be the case for things like installing solar panels or replacing appliances with energy efficient counterparts, but there are many simple things you can do that save money and are good for the planet.
Ready to do your part? Here are just a few easy tips:
Shop At Thrift Stores & Resale Shops
Shopping at resale shops is a great way to help other people recycle their stuff and get new to you clothes, accessories, books, and more for a steal! Plus, it’s fun to dig around at a Thrift shop and see what interesting things you discover. Make sure to donate your unwanted items as well (and get a receipt for the tax write off!). This cycle keeps perfectly good items out of the landfill and puts them to good use again.
Bring Your Own Water Bottle
Drinking lots of water is good for you. Buying bottled water is not. And most bottled water is just tap water anyway. Cut out the middle man, save the petroleum used to transport and bottle the water and just carry your own reusable water bottle. Get a snazzy stainless steel
Grow Your Own Veggie’s and Herbs
Gardening is a fun active hobby. It can save you money in the long run by reducing the amount of produce and fresh/dried herbs you buy at the grocery store. That in turn helps the planet by reducing the carbon footprint of transporting those foods from the farm to your store. Even if you don’t have a yard to garden in, patio and container gardening are a great option for apartment and city dwellers.
Save Leftovers
Unless there was a cooking fiasco, save your leftovers! Then make sure to eat them! By doing this you make sure no food goes to waste. This can save you time and energy since you won’t have to cook a future meal from scratch. Take the leftovers for lunch the next day: you’ll save money eating in instead of going out to eat.
Pay Bills Online
Almost every bill you have–credit card, electricity, cell phone, cable, even those pesky student loans–can be paid online. This saves you the cost of the stamp, which can really add up over the years. Elect to receive your bills via email and help the planet even more by getting rid of the paper version of your bills.
Use Reusable Cleaning Products
Makes rags or buy reusable cloths for Swiffer sweepers and mops. This saves you money that would be spent on sponges or paper towels.
While You’re At It, Get Rid of the Paper Towels
Even if you’re not ready to take the plunge and get rid of paper towels completely, you can seriously decrease you consumption by using cloth napkins and rags. This saves you money and saves trees.
Make Money Recycling Your Gadgets or Books
I’m going to guess that most 20 somethings have old cell phones, mp3 players, digital cameras, and other electronic gadgets lying around. You know, things you iPhone replaced. Well instead of tossing them out or leaving them to gather dust in a drawer somewhere, you can these items and even get cash for them. And those best sellers you read years ago or your Mom bought you for your birthday even though you hate the genre: sell those too, and give them a second chance. Those textbooks from college that you know you’ll never read again are great candidates for this.
Have any other tips on how to save money and be eco-friendly? Share them in the comments!
Looking for Earth Day freebies or deals? Check out the posts at The Thrifty Mama and Common Sense With Money.
How To Save Money While Working
This post is for the new graduates, entering the working world for the first time, and those of us who’ve been toiling in our day jobs for awhile now.
Working is hard and (depending on your job) sometimes not the most fun the in the world. Most people only work because they need money to live.
Unfortunately, working a regular job usually comes with it’s own set of expenses.
If you’re lucky enough to have a job right now, here are some tips on how to save some of the money you’re working so hard for.
Transportation
If you want to save money on transportation, you’ll probably have to think a little outside the box. Sure, your car is great: it gets you where you need to go and you can blast the radio and rock out during your commute. It just may not be the cheapest way to go to work.
Look for other options. Is there a co-worker or two who lives near you that you can carpool with? Splitting the cost saves you money and is better for the environment.
What about public transportation? If it’s available in your area, even if you have to drive a little bit to get to the station or stop, it can save you big money. Look for frequent rider passes to save you even more.
Depending on how far you live from your workplace, maybe walking or biking is an option. Even if you only do it when the weather is favorable, or just once or twice a week, those savings add up. Plus it’s good exercise.
walking, biking, car pooling, public transportation, work from home if you can.
Talk to your boss about working from home. This is obviously dependent on what kind of job you have, but if possible telecommuting can be a big money and time saver.
Food & Drink
Let’s get straight to it: bring your lunch to work. You will save so much more money than running out to a restaurant or buying junk from the vending machine. Plus, it’s most likely healthier. This doesn’t have to be a daunting task. Bring leftovers, a sandwich, whatever strikes your fancy. Make it the night before so you’re not scrambling to put something together in the morning.
Get a water bottle, whether it’s one of those fancy stainless steal ones or just something you have collecting dust in a cupboard at home. Fill it with water, juice, tea, coffee, whatever you want. Just bring it from home.
If you insist on having snacks or sodas throughout the day that you’d usually be buying from the vending machine, think ahead. Buy those same snacks and drinks in bulk from the grocery store, and store a few in your desk or the break room at work. It’ll be cheaper than paying $1+ each from the vending machine.
Tax Deductions
Some job-related expenses may be deductible from your income tax. If you itemize your deductions, some job search expenses are deductible, like job placement services, travel, etc.
Once you have a job, some expense that you have (which aren’t reimbursed by your employer) can be deducted. This includes things like travel, entertainment, Union dues, work uniforms, and work-related education. To deduct these things, make sure you keep thorough records and receipts for every expense!
These deductions will help you save money on your taxes so you’ll owe the IRS less and possibly get a tax refund.
These are just my suggestions on how to save money while working. What do you do to save money week to week?
How I Finally Cured My Eczema the Natural Way
Developing Eczema was like going through nine months of absolute torture, a cycle that I thought was never going to end and would plague me for the rest of my life.
When I was 21, I was finishing my senior year of college and working part time at a pet store. Though my life was going very well, I was extremely stressed out and going non-stop between school, work, friends, and my boyfriend. I loved my job and enjoyed spending time with the animals and customers, but along with that came a lot of work, including cleaning cages and aquariums.
In November, I developed an itchy bump on the ring finger of my left hand. I thought maybe it was just some sort of bug bite, so I didn’t think much of it. A few weeks passed and instead of going away, it developed into a few more itchy bumps. A little concerned and annoyed by the constant irritation, I went to the health center at school.
The doctor who saw me asked some questions, proclaimed it was eczema (atopic dermatitis) and wrote me a prescription for steroids, then sent me on my way. I was shocked, I’d never had any skin problems. Although my sister had eczema as a baby, I never expected to have the condition myself and I didn’t know people could develop it as adults.
I started using the steroid cream, but the eczema only increased exponentially with red swelling and blisters. I knew this was a reaction to the steroids, so I made an appointment with a dermatologist. She prescribed me oral steroids, more steroid creams, allergy medications, and eventually even an anti-fungal cream. None of these seemed to be the cure or itch relief I was looking for.
At the worst point, my entire left hand was covered in oozing blisters, plus I had bumps and itching on my right hand and both of my feet. It was not only extremely embarrassing (customers often stared and were afraid to be near me, even when I explained it to them and assured them it was not contagious), but painful and frankly really gross. This just increased the stress in my life. The itching was unbearable at night, which kept me from sleeping. It seemed like absolute torture.
I had to quit my job after about a month and a half, which was a devastating blow, but the constant exposure to water and harsh chemicals was too much, even if I wore gloves constantly at work. I continued with the steroid treatments, and though things seemed to improve, the eczema would not entirely heal on my left hand.
Graduation neared and I lost health insurance coverage under my parents. I could not afford the prescriptions (which I’d already spent over $100 on) or the doctors visits. Things weren’t getting better and I felt hopeless.
So I made choice. I quit the steroid ointments and started reading about natural treatments and home remedies for eczema. I decided to start treating the problem inside and out. I bought supplements like Fish Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Flax Seed, and Borage to take orally each day. These include Gamma-linolenic Acid (GLA), which are essential fatty acids that are recommended for skin health.
To treat the itchiness and help heal my inflamed skin, I bought Vitamin E oil
After I went off the steroids, my skin flared up horribly. My hand was red and inflamed, basically going through a withdrawal from the steroid creams, which it was addicted to. Once I started using the natural products, my skin started to heal. It took two or three months, but eventually and miraculously I was eczema free.
The Vitamin E Oil cost me about $5 and the Bag Balm was about $7. In total I spent about $12 on topical treatments. I am still using the original bottle and tin I bought, and it’s been a year and a half. The amount of money I saved with this treatment compared to the failed steroids treatment I used for a few months is easily $100. This treatment worked for me and keeps my eczema at bay. What I thought would be a life time of torture is easily maintained and prevented.
Whenever I sense a relapse coming on, whether it be a red bump or itchiness, I immediately start in with the Vitamin E oil and Bag Balm. That usually prevents or ends the outbreak quickly. No doctors, no prescriptions, no sleepless itchy nights. I couldn’t ask for a better treatment.
Every person’s body and skin is different. This may not work for everyone, but it worked for me, so I am sharing it hoping that it will help someone else. I am not a medical professional. As always, you should consult with your doctor about any type of treatment you’re using and stop immediately if you have any adverse reactions.
Reducing Air Conditioning Use to Save Money
Since the move, I’m back in an apartment with air conditioning, which is great. Previously I was devising all kinds of ways to keep cool without air conditioning. Though I’m glad to have ac again, it’s addicting and costly. Ours is supposedly energy efficient, but we haven’t gotten our first electricity bill yet to determine exactly how efficient.
Luckily, it’s been a pretty mild summer here Chicago. Before yesterday I didn’t turn the a/c on for 4 days. I had it on for a couple hours yesterday afternoon and evening, and now it’s off again and hopefully will stay off for the next day or two.
Sometimes I wish I could leave it off completely, but I have a pet chinchilla, and they are very temperature sensitive, so I have to keep it below 74 degrees Fahrenheit at all times. It takes a little work to keep the apartment cool and reduce the amount of air conditioning I use, but it’s totally worthwhile because it saves money and energy, which is good for me and the environment.
Here’s what I do:
Buy a thermometer
Weather reports aren’t necessarily the most reliable stats on the block. I can search for the temperature for Chicago, but am really getting the temperature at Midway Airport, which is about 10-15 miles away, and when you’re dealing with Lake Michigan, that can make the temperature a couple degrees off.
For some people this may not matter, but for me it’s essential (and convenient) to know what the actual outside temperature is where I live. I bought a great indoor/outdoor thermometer with a remote sensor
With just a glance I can compare the indoor and outdoor temperatures and automatically know when it’s cool enough to shut off the air conditioning and open the windows.
Turn off the AC at Night
Even if it’s too warm during the day, most nights I can turn off the AC and open the windows to let mother nature cool down the apartment. We use fans to circulate air through the apartment, though some nights it gets cool enough to just have open windows. If we really need to suck air in or out, we do have an inexpensive Holmes Twin Window Fan
In the morning I leave the windows open until it starts warming up (I also check the forecast for the day just to see if it may be cool enough to go sans ac altogether). I shut all the windows (and sometimes the door to where the pets are, to keep the cool air in there) and don’t turn on the air conditioning until the inside temperature gets too close to 74. (This works right now because I am home during the day. If my schedule changes, then we fortunately have a programmable thermostat I can set, but I don’t think it’s quite as efficient as I am). I always go off of the temperature in the animal room. If they’re at 72 and the living room is 76, then I just don’t bother with the ac.
Run the Heat Making Stuff at Night
When my air conditioning is off and the windows are open that’s the time that I turn on the lights, run the dishwasher, run the washer/dryer, and use the oven. During the day I try not to do too much cooking (sandwiches, salads, and fruit make great, healthy lunches), but open a window to counteract any heat that may come from the oven. Believe me, this does make a difference, even if it’s a subtle one.
Close the West Facing Blinds in the Evening
We’ve got a lot of windows in our new place, and it’s wonderful because there’s so much natural light that we don’t need to turn on any of our lights until about 8PM. That alone is saving us on electricity costs. The majority of our windows are north facing, but our living room has huge bay windows facing due West and once the sun starts to set, our living room becomes an oven.
Luckily there are some trees and other buildings near us that block out some of those sun rays, but usually there’s about a half an hour or so when we just close all the east facing blinds until the rays dissipate. It helps keep our living room cooler, and save on air conditioning costs.
These are the basic ways I’m cutting our a/c costs. I’d love to hear what you do.
Money Saving Tip: Creative Uses for Clothespins
During and after my recent move, there’s been a lot of item shuffling, donating, recycling, etc. It’s really given me a good chance to look at all of the things I have and figure out whether or not I need them, and also gave me a nice opportunity to find creative new uses for things I already have.
I have a ton of clothespins. I originally bought them because I needed a few to hang some items that can’t go in the drier. They were 50 for a buck at the dollar store, so I have a ton leftover that I’m not using for anything.
While I was unpacking, I realized we didn’t have as many chip clips as we used to and thought about adding it to our shopping list. Then it dawned on me: why should I got spent $3-5 on a couple of chip clips when I have a ton of clothespins readily available?
That wasn’t the only idea I thought of. I remember my mother previously used clothespins to attach skirts and other similar items to traditional hangers when there weren’t enough pants hangers available. Again I can save money by using items I already have, instead of going out and buying pants hangers.
I’m not the first to be creative with my clothespins, there are tons of other ideas and fun art projects as well. I’d love to hear what you use them for.
Check out further tips at Readersdigest.com and Thrifty Fun.
Money Saving Link: 4 Swiffer Hacks
I’ve been doing a lot of cleaning the past few days between the old place and the new place. Of course, I’ve been taking advantage of opportunities to save money while I clean. I use my reusable Swiffer cloths and rags instead of paper towels, which saves me a ton of money.
I just saw a post this week on Squwakfox, about four Swiffer “hacks.” Basically it’s tips to save money while using Swiffer products. The best tip is to use microfiber cloths or towels instead of the disposable cloths. Check the link for pictures of how they did it and the other four tips.
Money Saving Tip: Utilize the Public Library
Today I’d like to talk about something that I think too few people properly utilize: the public libraries.
Libraries are amazing. You just sign up for a free library card and instantly gain access to limitless resources.
If you don’t frequent a library currently, I recommend finding the public libraries in your area and check out what they have to offer.
Here are a few of the best things you can get through your library, for free:
Books
Well this is a given. You think libraries and the first thing you think of are endless shelves of books.
If you’re an avid reader, like I am, you can save hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars each year by borrowing books from the library. I still have a pretty big collection of books at home, but if I want to try a new author or learn a new subject I borrow the book from the library and save money.
Movies
Most libraries I’ve been to have an extensive collection of DVD, VHS, and even Blu-ray. So ditch your Blockbuster or Netflix membership and just borrow films from the library.
A lot of times there’s a waiting list, so sign up for you library’s website where you should be able to put in requests online and receive notification when they’re ready to be picked up
Magazines
Most libraries have subscriptions to the magazines you normally read. You may not be able to check out the newest issues (depending on branch policy), but you can at least go and read them there.
Save yourself the subscription fees, especially if you just toss the magazines after reading them.
Music
Want to try some new music? Your library also should have a nice collection of compact discs also available for borrowing.
Downloadable Material
A nice feature that the Chicago Public Library has is a downloadable media catalog. It contains audiobooks, ebooks, video, and music, which you can download to your computer. The files are compatible with iPods and other portable media devices as well. There are limits on how long you can “check out” the material for though.
Check with your local library to see if they have similar downloadable media available.
As a kid, I remember my mom taking me to various different libraries (we moved a lot), but no matter where I am I always get that same feeling of excitement when I enter a library. There are endless possibilities of books, movies, and more to enjoy, and it’s free!
Money Saving Tip: Use Less Paper Towels
This is something new we’ve been trying in my home lately. The boyfriend and I are constantly looking for ways to cut down waste and costs. Paper towels are crazy expensive here and they really aren’t a necessity, at all.
Between my boyfriend using a new paper towel as a “napkin” for every meal, and me going through a roll every two or three weeks to clean out my pets’ cages, that’s a lot of consumption already. Add in kitchen spills, household cleaning, and other daily uses, those paper towels go fast!
Sure there are cheaper and “greener” paper towels out there, but the goal is to really reduce costs and consumption. So we’ve begun dramatically reducing our paper towel consumption, and here’s how.
Cloth Napkins
Two people using 3 paper towels a day (one for each meal) use about 42 sheets in a week. That’s 2,184 sheets in a year. If we buy the single roll generic Walgreens paper towls at $1.89 per roll, we’d need to buy almost 14 rolls, costing us over $26 a year. If we wanted to go name brand and buy Bounty at $2.39 a roll, that’s about $34.
So we are saving that $26 by using cloth napkins. We were fortunate to get some cloth napkins from a family member, so there was no out of pocket cost for us. Target sells a 12 pack of white cotton napkins for $9.99. If you’re crafty with a sewing machine, you can make your own and save even more money.
Since they’re small, we can easily toss them in with any load of laundry, so were not really spending extra money to wash them either.
Rags
Got old t-shirts you’re ready to toss out? How about a faded and stained bathrobe? Flannel PJs with holes in all the wrong places? Don’t throw them away! Instead, cut them up and use them for rags.
Rags are amazing. You can use them for everything and anything. We use them for general cleaning, as well as soaking up those accidental spills.
Don’t have anything around you’re willing to cut up for rags? Find a local thrift store and search the racks for cheap items to cut up. Spending a quarter or 50 cents on a bathrobe that yields 20 rags is a great investment. Look for 100% cotton fabrics and flannel, they seem to work the best.
My end goal is to stop buying paper towels completely and rely only on reusable products. I haven’t quite reached that point yet, but we’re well on our way to saving money and helping the environment!
See Also:
Money Saving Tip: Reusable Swiffer Cloths
Product Review: DiGiorno Flatbread Melts
A few months ago, Kraft was running a promotion with free coupons for their new DiGiorno Flatbread Melts. It seems interesting, and I’m always up for trying something new–especially for free–so I signed up.
The coupon came in the mail a couple days ago, so when I went to my local Jewel on Friday and grabbed a box (though it took awhile to locate in the frozen food aisle).
When I finally found it, I was surprised to see the price tag. I would have paid $3.45 without the free coupon. A lot of money for a frozen “sandwich.” In my opinion, that’s pretty pricey, so it must be terribly good.
I selected the Italian-Style Meatball & Four Cheese. It seemed “authentic.”
Yesterday I decided to give it a try because I was too lazy to cook something substantial. So I took it out of the box and was actually shocked at how small it was.
I don’t know why I expected more, but it seemed so tiny and insignificant compared to the size of the box. The amount of filling seemed to be lacking as well. Maybe it expands while it cooks? I hope so.
I put the flat bread on it’s cardboard tray–which was broken at one corner–and followed the cooking direction. Three minutes and forty-five seconds later, my microwave presented me with…
Well…it just looked a little pathetic. Basically a lop-sided, melted mess. Once I folded it up, it looked a lot better, though not as enticing as that lovely picture on the box.
Looking at the picture on the box and the actual product in my hand, I’m a little confused as to how they think those are the same thing. There is not that much filling on the flat bread, well unless you squeeze the flat bread after it’s folded so the small amount of sauce and cheese and meat available oozes out the sides…then it will look the same.
The box touts a “Fresh baked Taste in Minutes!” Mostly it reminded me of eating a meatball Hot Pocket. The flavor seemed identical, though it has been years since I’ve dared to eat a nasty Hot Pocket, so my memory is not so fresh. But that’s the first thing I thought of when I took a bite.
I continued eating and got past that first impression. The sauce has a nice flavor–like a generic tomato based spaghetti sauce, and the flatbread isn’t too bad (probably would be better if it wasn’t frozen five minutes earlier). Definitely not the most flavorful thing I’ve eaten. I think they skimped on the “Italian Style Seasonings.”
The back of the box claims it’s “Toasty on the outside, soft and tender on the inside!” The person who wrote that copy, has not tried this product. It was soft everywhere. I’m not sure what they expected to be “tender.” Nothing felt “tender” to me.
It’s really only enough food for a snack and not enough for a meal. So for the price, the quantity and quality of food is absolutely paltry and it just tastes like a Hot Pocket. So if you’re too lazy to make yourself a quality meal, just buy a box of Hot Pockets, it’s probably cheaper and you at least get two of them.
Thrifty Moving: Saving on Packing Supplies
I’ve already tackled the challenge of finding moving boxes for free. So now that you have the boxes, the next step is to pack up your stuff. Easier said than done.
One of the trickiest parts of packing is making sure you pack your items in a way that they will not break during their journey. Often the solution is to buy costly packaging materials.
Instead of spending more money, you can save money and possibly pack all of your stuff using items you already have or can easily get for free.
Here are some of the item’s I’ve used:
1. Newspapers
Newspapers are available in abundance everywhere, and usually you can get them for free (free newspapers or checking recycling bins). They’re great for wrapping dishes and other breakables, and also can be crumpled up to provide cushioning and fill in empty spaces.
The only downside is the ink will come off on your hands and on your stuff. Though it washes away pretty easily, the last thing you want to do when you unpacking is wash all your stuff before you put it away.
2. Grocery Bags
Paper or plastic will do. They’re great for wrapping fragile items, especially the paper bags. Either one can be crumpled up for cushioning.
When I’m packing things that could possible leak–toiletries like shampoo bottles or food items that are not sealed–I will usually wrap them in plastic bags just as a precaution.
3.Towels, Clothing, & Other Linens
Have a lot of random towels? What about clothes? Sheets? You’ll have to pack them as well, so you might as well get some extra use out of them. I use them to wrap anything: dishes, glasses, ceramic figures, lamps, vases, whatever.
I also roll them up to cushion items in boxes and fill awkward empty spaces to keep items from shifting.
4. Tissue Paper
You can easily go out and buy tissue paper for this purpose, but this is another item you make have around for free. It may come from gift bags or shopping trips and is usually tossed out, but keep it if you can! Again, this is perfect for wrapping fragile items in. In my last move I had an entire set of glasses wrapped in the pink tissue paper I got the last time I splurged at Victoria’s Secret.
5. Bubble Wrap & Other Mailing Supplies
If you buy a lot of things online, like we do, then you probably get a ton of bubble wrap, padded envelopes, and other packing supplies along with your order. Don’t throw them away! You can recycle them by using them again when you’re packing up before your move.
Don’t toss up those padded envelopes either! You can put appropriate sized items inside and also cut them open to wrap items in.
6. Yarn
I’m a knitter, so I have tons of yarn around, sometimes leftovers or balls I found at thrift stores or got for free that I haven’t used yet. I’m not going to throw them away obviously, and it’s stupid just to have a box of yarn when it can easily be utilized. Mostly I use it to cushion items and fill in empty spaces.
Most of all, be creative. If you’re moving soon, keep your eyes open when tossing stuff out and think, “Can I use this as a part of my move?” Using free resources around you can save you money.
Have any other suggestions or nifty ideas to save money while moving? Let me know.
See Also:
Finding Free Moving Boxes
Service Review: Public Storage
