50 Ways to Save Money by Not Wasting
Posted by
Clever Dude |
April 30, 2008 .
As much as I hate clutter, I also hate wasting things. Granted, I do my own fair share of wasting water, food and energy, but if I at least keep myself conscious of ways I can cut waste, then I’ll help myself, the environment AND you, my fellow earth creatures.
So here is a big list of ways you and I can cut waste from our lives and help human-kind, and maybe keep a few more dollar bills in our wallets:
In the Bathroom:
- Turn off the water - When you’re shaving (men) or brushing your teeth, turn off the water when you’re not rinsing off the razor or toothbrush. If you want to know how much water you’re using by letting it run, put a container under the faucet for the amount of time you brush or save and see how much it comes out to be. For instance, if I left the water run while shaving, I use at least a gallon. That’s 365 gallons of water per year right down the drain!
- Only flush when needed - I’ve said it before to “If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.” It’s a gross topic, but honestly you’re only wasting more water if you don’t really need to flush.
- Only use the minimum shampoo/conditioner/body wash - Even though I’m almost bald, I still sometimes use a glob of shampoo when all I need is a small dab. The stuff is made to foam up for a reason — to cover more area — so use less of it than you think you need and you’ll be surprised that it’s still effective.
- Use less toothpaste - Really, do you need to fill the whole toothbrush with Colgate? You can get away with half or even a fourth of the toothpaste it takes to cover the brush and still have pearly whites. Again, this stuff foams for a reason.
- Toilet paper doesn’t protect you from germs - Ok, maybe that thin sheet of Charmin might place enough of a barrier between your bottom and the seat to ease your mind, but it really doesn’t protect you from germs. Also, you have much more of a chance of contracting a cold or worse by not washing your hands than from the seat touching your butt. We’ve had to force roommates, renters and relatives to buy or bring their own TP because they’re so OCD about germs that they go through rolls of our paper in a single day or weekend! It’s not like paper grows on trees you know! Oh, wait…
- Keep your bar of soap dry - I keep my bar of soap in a soap dish out of the reach of the water stream or any splashing, and drain out any water I notice in the dish before leaving. I’m amazed at how much longer the soap lasts by keeping it dry than if it’s sitting in a half-inch of water.
- Reuse your towel the next day - Growing up, everyone in the family (5 people) tossed their used towel in the hamper every day (and they still do). Since college, though, I’ve gone from using the towel to dry off just once to at least 5-7 days. Honestly, I can’t see why my family still won’t reuse their towels when they’re complaining about the water and power bills. When you’re washing over 30 towels a week (4 adults, 2 kids), you have to wonder where that water and power is going.
- Don’t use those stupid disposable toilet brushes - That has to be the dumbest, laziest invention ever. Just spend 10 seconds brushing the toilet. Wear a rubber glove if you’re worried about cooties, or just wash your hands like any other normal person would do afterwards.
In the Kitchen
- Use dish towels, not paper towels - If you keep a towel near the sink that’s only to be used for drying hands, then you’ll find your paper towel usage diminish severely. We go through a roll of paper towels every 3 weeks at the fastest, unless we host a party. And if you use the “reuse your towel” tip from the bathroom section above, you’ll reduce your laundry pile even more!
- Use less water when washing dishes - Just like the tip to turn off the water when brushing your teeth or shaving, I advise turning off the water when you’re just scrubbing the dishes. Only use it when you actually need to rinse something off.
- Use less dish soap - Some soaps are more effective than others, but overall, if you just let your dishes soak in water longer with less soap, and throw in some more elbow grease, you’ll get the dishes just as clean (and get a little workout too). That leads me to…
- Reuse containers - Instead of using disposable baggies or styrofoam containers, get some Tupperware (or whatever the “safe plastic” of the moment is). And you can wash out those plastic baggies too!
- Recycle - Obviously this goes for anything in your life, but in our house, most of the recyclables, except for paper, come from the kitchen. In Montgomery County, MD, we’ll soon have single bin recycling where we just dump all paper, plastic, tin, etc. in one big tub and they sort it for us. I can’t see how it’s any easier than that! (oh, this isn’t exactly saving you money directly, but reinvesting those materials helps in the long-run)
- Don’t toss the leftovers - A friend of ours won’t let a single leftover in his fridge for some reason. I personally can’t see why anyone would waste perfectly good food. Even if it’s gone bad, you can…
- Compost your leftovers - Rockville, MD gives away “composting kits” to residents who ask, which makes it even easier to contain your composting pile of yard and kitchen waste. Old food is excellent for your garden or shrubbery!
- Donate unwanted food items - Growing up, I can’t count how many cans of peas and corn we gave out to the food drives because we had so many. Sometime you just buy too much of something because it’s on sale, and get tired of it, so think about donating it. You can deduct it on your taxes if you have proper documentation too!
- Run the dishwasher on the lightest setting and
- Prewash your dishes. By rinsing off the heavier gunk on your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, you can use a lighter wash setting to clean the dishes.
- Mark your food items with the purchase date - We use permanent marker to indicate when we bought the item to know how long we’ve had it on the shelves. We don’t have to wonder whether the beans have started to grow roots again.
- Use a mop and/or scrub brush on the floors, not a Swiffer. They charge an arm-and-leg for the refill bottles when you can buy tubs of Pinesol for pennies on the dollar. And you’ll find your floors are cleaner with some elbow grease too.
In the Office
- Reuse your paper - You don’t need to toss a sheet of paper after you wrote one word on it. Use every square inch of that sheet, and then recycle it when your done or…
- Shred your paper and compost it if it has personal information. Just keep any glossy paper, plastic bits or shredded credit cards/CDs out of the pile.
- Shut down your computer/fax/modems/routers/etc. - Even standby mode means it’s using power. Even better…
- Buy a Smart Power Strip that automatically shuts off anything plugged into the marked outlets when it detects a change to lower power frequencies.
In the House
- Use natural light - When it’s daytime, you can probably do most of your chores and even read by using the daylight. No reason to waste electricity and lightbulbs when the sun is doing all the work for you for free!
- Seal your windows, doors, outlets with caulk or insulation to reduce the loss of heat in the winter and cool air in the summer. For power outlets on walls adjoining the outside, there are special, precut insulation pads you just insert behind the outlet cover. I was amazed at how drafty it was in the outlet box!
- Only run the heat or A/C when you REALLY need it! I don’t mean when you’re breaking a slight sweat or get a slight chill. If you’re cold, put on slippers or more clothes. If you’re hot, go to the library and read in THEIR air-conditioning
- Turn off those vampire electronics - Similar to the office tip above, shut off any appliances that have lights on when the unit is off, or show the time. That means the unit is sucking up power, even thought you’re not using it. For example, use a Smart Power Strip on your entertainment center to kill those energy-sucking vampire electronics. The one downside is that many TVs/VCRs/etc. will lose their settings when you unplug them. Why can’t manufacturers build in small flash drives to store your settings longer-term?
- Use light-blocking curtains in the summer - If you want to keep your house cooler in the summer, one big way is to block out the sun during the hottest parts of the day by using light-blocking curtains or blinds. Keep the sun out and the cool air in.
- Get a water heater timer (for electric water heaters only) - We only run our water heater for 3 hours per day, right before, during and after showers. Granted, we only have one heater, but we still limit the times we’re heating water to off-peak usage times. Again, this is about both saving money and not wasting, so don’t bother with the “but it takes longer to heat up water from room temp” arguments because I’ll just say…
- Insulate your water heater so it keeps as much heat in as possible. If you touch your water heater and it’s warm, that means it’s losing heat.
- Replace leaky faucets. You’ll be amazed at how much water you’re losing each year by not replacing your leaky faucets. Stick a cup under it one day and see how much you collect. Now multiply that by 365.
- Use CFL bulbs, not incandescent - My only gripe with CFL bulbs is they seem dimmer until they warm up, but that only lasts a few seconds. Otherwise, I’m very happy with our CFL replacement bulbs. Just don’t try to use them in dimming lights.
- Don’t leave the TV on just to “have noise”. When I go home to visit family, every TV in the house seems to be on all day, even when no one is watching it. But when I turn one off, everyone’s ears perk up and ask why I shut it off. Just silly and wasteful.
- Get rid of your junk through eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, yard sales, Goodwill/Salvation Army, etc. Even if it’s broken, there’s probably someone else who will take it for free for scrap, a weekend project, or to fix and sell.
In the Yard
- If you have room, Compost your yard waste. I used to waste money buying those big paper bags to bag up the cut grass every week, but now I just pile it behind the shed as compost. Same goes for leaves, but even though we don’t have any trees in our yard, we get enough leaves that we still need to bag some.
- Cut the grass less often. I hear some neighbors mowing their grass twice a week. C’mon, it doesn’t grow any faster than our grass! Even better…
- Get a manual push mower - Sure, it’s not very practical for big yards, but millions of townhouse or small plot owners will find that they can cut the grass in less time with a push mower than a power one because it’s easier to maneuver and requires no gas or starting mechanism. Just walk and push!
- Don’t install a pool - One of the biggest energy, water and time wasters in our household is the in-ground pool from the last owners. You’ll easily spend hundreds or thousands per year in maintenance and electricity to run the pool, plus chemicals, toys and replacement parts. Last year, we spent $400 on a new pump and this year we’ll be spending $500 on a new vacuum. Just avoid buying a pool if you can (but don’t tell prospective buyers that when it’s time for us to sell).
- Plant a tree for shade - It might take a few years to begin getting some real shade from any sapling, but not only is planting a native tree good for the environment, but it’s often nice for the landscaping when it’s time to sell!
In the Car
There are tons of fuel saving tips to be mentioned, but I’ll just speak on a few of the easier or more manageable ones:
- Drive slower - We’ve all heard the numbers that 55mph on the highway is your optimal speed, but what about local roads? You still want to
- Drive a constant speed to get more consistent gas usage
- Don’t jack-rabbit starts, which means don’t gun it when the light turns green. This is one of the biggest wastes of fuel out there. Just throttle through a nice, smooth, consistent acceleration
- Use cruise-control on the highway - If you can’t force yourself to abide by the speed limit, then let your vehicle keep you under control.
- Keep your tires properly inflated - Look on the side of your driver door or where the door meets the car for the proper pressure for your tires. If it says 30psi per tire, that means when the tire is “cold”. I tend to stick another 2-4psi in the tire above the factory level, but your tire allowances may differ.
- Drive less - plan your errands so that you can accomplish them all in a single trip, with the least amount of driving between each location. Even better,
- Use public transportation, a bike or just walk - I know not all towns support these modes of transportation well (my hometown doesn’t), but if you have the opportunity to walk a half-mile to Blockbuster for a movie, just do it. You need the exercise anyway, tubby.
- If you need one, Buy a used car. Sure, manufacturers will keep churning out shiny, new cars, but that doesn’t mean you need to overlook a perfectly good 1986 Chrysler Lebaron. You’ll save some serious cash, get more features than you could new, and utilize what’s already available (thus reducing your contribution to waste).
- Drive during less congested times - If you can get to your destination with fewer cars in the way, then you’ll save time and money. Try to go out for that bank or post office run at 11am or 2pm, not during lunch hour.
- Ditch the extra weight - How much junk’s in yo trunk? I just hauled around a 40lb bag of soil for 3 weeks without realizing it. That’s like hauling around a 4-5 year old everywhere I go! Now go clean our your car!
Now I’d like to hear what money-saving tips YOU practice around the house, in the car, at the workplace or anywhere else, but make sure to keep them related to NOT WASTING either.
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I microwave sponges so I can keep using them in the kitchen without getting too grossed out about what’s growing inside.
These are some awesome tips! I like the idea to use dish towels instead of paper towels. We also recently switched to cloth napkins to avoid purchasing paper napkins and adding to our trash collection.
Really good article. I think there are a lot of ideas that can really help just about anyone save money and be less wasteful.
An excellent article! I didn’t like reusing my towel, but then my husband pointed out how much money I could save by doing it, and somehow it convinced me.
I’ve never understood why people don’t reuse their bath towels. You just got out of the shower, for cryin’ out loud. You’re CLEAN!!
Good tips here.
I’m guilty of the paper towel wasting. I’ll try putting a towel to dry my hands in the kitchen.
I get 25 mph with my 1997 Dodge Intrepid but I bet I can do better by checking my tire pressure. I’ll go check it now. Thanks.
These are decent tips, but with some simple alterations you can save even more money.
Rather than “Flush when needed”, just set a schedule. Flush twice a week, for example. The brown stuff is covered by a layer of water; it’s not like it’s going to kill you having it in the bowl.
“Use less toothpaste”.. Don’t use any toothpaste. Toothbrushes have bristles for a reason. Those will do a fine job removing unwanted matter from your teeth.
Limit yourself to one piece of toilet paper per use. If you fold it in half, you can get multiple wipes out of one piece.
And let’s be honest. Since the whole family is clean after a shower, just share one towel amongst everyone. Are you really going to get germs from your family that you don’t already have? Wash it once a week. You can remember this easily if you just remember to wash your towel every time you change your underwear.
What a comprehensive list! Thanks for compiling it.
Hey dude, what’s going on.
Ok: @Anonymous, I’m sorry, some of that stuff is just gross and plain out germy. No toothpaste? I don’t know you about you, I get out of the shower I like to dry everywhere. Clean or not, only one person’s genitals should be on a towel at a time. And I’m not even going to touch on that brown stuff comment.
But seriously Dude, you shocked me with that towel thing. I didn’t know people used to do that. I thought a towel rack was simply a place you hung a towel out to dry. Wow. I don’t think I even own 5 bath towels.
damp dish sponges and hand towels can grow germs overnight, so I have several, and rotate through each. That way they can thoroughly dry out before being used again, with the idea that drying out process kills germs.
Did you know that rather than just saving money, in some cases you can *make* money by being resourceful?
It’s easy to find double- or triple-coupons on toilet paper. Add a manufacturers rebate to that, and you can wind up with a bulk of TP *and* cash in hand!
And the savings doesn’t stop there. After you have a “movement”, you can even make money off that. There are places on the internet where people will *pay you* for pictures of your movements. You may have to look around, but a frugal consumer really can turn this “waste” into cash! The same is true of that dirty underwear you might normally just throw out. “One woman’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
Regarding toothbrushing, make sure you squeeze the last bit out of the tube. I start rolling the tube from the end when it gets hard to squeeze more toothpaste out. A nearly empty tube generally has another week’s worth of use using this technique.
But lesser known is that your toothbrush can also double as a toilet scrubbing brush. Just keep some bleach around to sterilize it when you’re done.
I see a lot of people just “throwing out” tissues after only one or two uses! Once the mucus dries, these can generally be reused several more times. Germs don’t live long outside the human body, so just store the used tissues in a dry place, and they’re ready for reuse in an hour or so!
Have you ever noticed how when you rub a balloon on a cat’s back, the balloon picks up static charge? Now you’re thinking! You can save money on dryer sheets by tossing your cat in with the wet clothes. Your cat will enjoy it, and will remove the static cling from your clothes.
Finally, depending on where you live you may be overlooking an easy way to make money. In many locales there are many folks looking to rent rooms for 30 minutes - an hour. You can turn your spare guest bedroom into a business that brings in several hundred dollars per night by catering to this group of clientele.
Hope this helps!
These are great ideas, I am going to link to them! Thanks!
@Frugal Fellow: I’m dumbfounded that I didn’t think of your ideas! But who would want a picture of my turd, unless it looks like a celebrity or a state?
One thing you forgot to mention for the kitchen/bathroom and something I’ve found to be a great money saver is foaming soap dispensers. Just go to your local store and buy some (usually overpriced) foaming hand soap.
Once it runs out refill with your favorite liquid dish/antibacterial hand soap using about a 20:1 ratio of water and soap. We have been doing this since these first came out and have cut our dish soap use by 90%.
One last note: Make sure you get a good quality name brand dispenser (Dial etc.) as many of the generic ones don’t work very well once refilled.
Cheers
Put a zip tie on the top of hand cleaners and soap pumps. It prevents people from getting a full pump of soap and really saves a lot, especially with a lot of kids. I use one on each of our soap dispensers and they last twice as long. Have fun. Bill
@Saver: We’ve been reusing our soap dispenser (you’re right about the quality brands though), and we refill with the huge tub we bought at Sam’s Club. It literally takes years to go through it all with just 2 of us in the house.
Same goes with Purell. We bought a jug of store-brand at Sam’s for a fraction of the price of the smaller Purell containers. I use Purell instead of washing my hands most of the time, unless I think I need a good scrubbing for some reason.
Frugal Fellow — you’re so funny! I do, however, reuse old toothbrushes for things like scrubbing grout and such. They make good “eyebrow fluffers” too (when you get too much liner/color in them). Being a cat person, I actually chuckled about using the cat to decrease static, but wouldn’t you then have to use the dog to wipe all the cat hair off your dry clothes? I’ve also been using the “yellow is mellow” routine for about six months now, and my water bill has gone down by about 40%. At work I suggested reusing the pay envelopes each week, and about half the people in my office are doing so. At least we’re trying! Clever Dude — keep up the good work. Sometimes the common sense things don’t click till someone else points them out!
I have noticed that my 4 acre lot was taking a lot of gas to mow. So I moved 8 of my Long Horns on to moo mow for me.
Works great, bonus free fertilizer!
Well, we have two towels per person–one clean, and one being used. Each gets used for a week before going in the laundry. Growing up in a family of eight kids, and parents who grew up in the Depression, there was no such thing as use it once and it’s dirty.
I also stopped buying paper napkins. I have enough cloth napkins, and feel stoooopid for not using them sooner.
A “chick” tip–when you wash off your makeup, use a washcloth to soap *and* rinse. This way, you don’t keep the water running while you rinse your face.
Rock on, Clever Dude!
for the LADIES!! Just be eco-conscious when you choose your feminine products. Do you really need that plastic applicator? What about the maxi pads? A women using such products will create more waste through their reproductive years than an infant wearing diapers. Do the math! 5-6 maxi/tampon changes per day X 5 day cycle x 12 months x 40 years = 13,200 diposable products. YIKES!
I recommend friendly alternatives like OB - once you flush, the waste will get filtered at a treatment plant and become compost. A way better alternative to land fills. And I don’t even want to get started with the toilet paper most women waste to dispose of the used item!!!
Very good list!
Here’s a tip I learned, that will save some gas: We have a detachable Thule roof rack on the car, for transporting gear such as kayaks. I used to leave on the car roof (it locks) but I discovered that it creates extra ‘wind drag’ and can decrease gas mileage. So now we take it off unless we are actually carrying gear on the roof.
This is great stuff!
I learned a lot - especially for the car. Feels great to know more about conserving… both for the planet and my wallet.
What a great list! I agree that the kitchen (and pantry) is a place to really save money. In terms of avoiding wasted food (a topic I blog on), here are a few more ideas:
1. Plan out your meals before shopping and make a detailed shopping list.
2. Stick to that list. Avoid impulse buys that often don’t get used.
3. Serve small portions. You can always get seconds. This means less plate waste scraped into the trash or compost and more leftovers to eat.
4. Don’t just throw something out just because it’s gone past its “sell-by” or even “use-by” date. Those are conservative estimates often imposed to avoid lawsuits. When in doubt, trust your nose, eyes, etc.
Thanks for the tips, I am always looking for ways to save the planet, and my hard-earned dollars at the same time!
I live with a Teenager, and unless we are very sporty and active, we trade off shower days: one person showers while the other makes breakfast, and the next day, vice-versa. We each also have two towels apiece, which get washed once a week.
She’s vegetarian, and I only eat meat or fish when I go out (every couple of weeks), so our grocery bill is low, our waistlines are trim, and all our scraps are compostable! The dinner plates are gathering dust, as we generally use the smaller salad plates for our meals.
I shop with grocery list that gets printed on the back of scrap printer paper every week.
Most of the bills are on paperless billing & auto-pay: no envelopes, no checks, no stamps. And every time I get a catalogue in the mail, I head straight to http://www.catalogchoice.com to be removed from the mailing list, even for the ones I like. ESPECIALLY for the ones I like!
I use the Diva cup instead of other feminine hygiene products, and I can’t recommend it enough: a one-time expense that produces zero waste each month. It doesn’t get more frugal or eco-friendly than that!
Put things out in smaller containers. Anything from shampoo, liquid hand soap, cookies even. People will take or use less of anything if they see a small amount. If you put out a huge bottle or container of something they think subconsciously that they can use more. Kind of the same principle of eating off a smaller plate if you are on a diet. It sorta tricks the mind.
Also for the shower you can buy a little mesh bag that holds your soap and hangs. It keeps it dry, holds soap slivers too and the netting on the bag is great for scrubbing up a good lather and it only costs a dollar.
I found reading your article interesting and very stimulating to my brain. Thanks for writing it.
I also am enjoying this mandarin orange jello snack pak. Go Alltell and then tell em again.
Love, love, love these tips. I agree about paper towel waste, but do remember to be careful with leaving dish rags/cloths out in the sink for periods of time. Here’s a very handy and sanitary tip for your dishcloths: At night, put the stopper in the sink, add a bit of warm water and a capful of bleach. Place the rag in there to soak over night. The next morning, you’ll find the germs are gone and your rag is ready to use again, plus you’ll have a clean sink to boot.
Love the info about the toothpaste. The dentist even tells us it is more beneficial to use *less* toothpaste than to fill up the whole area. We squeeze and squeeze the toothpaste tubes to death at our house, in order to get every last bit out. But, even then, there’s still usually a good 5-10 brushings left in there. Solution: Just get some scissors and cut off the end of the tube. Stick your toothbrush in and you’ll find a few more brushings-worth in there. Same can be said for lipstick. A simple lipstick brush or a Q-tip will allow you to get many more applications long after the lipstick runs down.
This is a pretty awesome list.
I consider myself really frugal, but “We’ve had to force roommates, renters and relatives to buy or bring their own TP” crosses the line to cheap. I can’t imagine telling my friends and relatives to bring their own TP when they visit… though it might be a good way to get them to never visit me again. I’d much rather buy a few rolls of stupid TP than be rude to my family.
@damsel, it’s only my mother-in-law (she began bringing her own when she heard us ask each other where all the TP went) and the other was the roommate who took 3 showers per day and used 2 rolls of TP per day. I could understand more with a woman why you would go through so much TP, but not with a guy. So when we rented from us a second time, we stipulated in the contract that he had to provide “his own disposables”, and we bumped up the rent slightly to account for all the showers.
I don’t see a single problem with that. I do agree asking any overnight guests to bring their own disposables is cheap and wrong, but it wasn’t when a guy’s living with us for a month. TP isn’t cheap!
I do almost everything listed already. Another tip is that you do not have to actually wash your hair. When traveling around the world I met numerous people (mainly women) who had beautiful hair and did not wash it. I quit washing mine about 6 weeks ago because my scalp was getting really dry, yet my hair so oily. I remembered the people I had met travelling and tried it. Much better since I stopped. I do wet it and scrub it when showering. It was greasy for about a month and now looks amazing! You basically let you own hair oils do the work. I but vinegar in my hair a couple of times in the beginning to get the build up off. It’s funny because people say how do you get your hair clean, or are completely grossed out. I wonder when in the past we started judging how clean we are by the amount of chemicals we use on ourselves. If you think you have to use shampoos their are some great homemade recipes online. Great savings.
Great ideas!
I’ll add: instead of buying several expensive home cleaners use a spray bottle w/ vinegar & water (1:3 ratio) to clean and naturally disinfect. Works great on all surfaces and in all rooms (the vinegar smell disappears when it dries). Works great when mopping floors also!
Use cleaning rags instead of paper towels to clean.
Use half as much laundry soap in your wash.
Wash everything on cold on a shorter cycle (how dirty are your clothes really? Unless you’ve been playing in the mud - a short cycle will do)
NEVER use the heat dry on the diswashher! Run it and open the door at night to let the dishes air dry.
Experiment w/ your dryer - our clothes dry perfectly on a half a cycle at low heat.
Cloth diaper your baby.
If you buy frozen canned juice, instead of using 3 canfuls of water, use 4.
Collect all “leftover” water from drink cups at the end of the night and use it in your garden.
Use white vinegar in your washing machine rinse cycle instead of downy (or dryer sheets in the dryer) - it softens and disinfects.
If you do use dryer sheets, save them when you’re done - they make great static cloths when dusting.
You have lots of ideas I have heard of already. It is great you are sharing with others who don’t. Little thing add up I dropped our light bill in half in 12 months by unplugging, turning off, and using the electric stove so often. A small toater oven uses much less energy then a bigger oven.
Love your site and this post especially. Many of the suggestions you’ve made have been incorporated into a list specifically designed to help people GO GREEN, SAVE MONEY. Cheers and keep on keepin’ on.
Don’t “Use natural light” and “Use light-blocking curtains in the summer” cancel each other out?
@Perry: No, they don’t. You don’t block the light in the winter as you want to use it to warm up your house. In the summer, you can use light in rooms on cooler sides of the house and block the hot sunlight on the other sides. I probably should have been more clear there.
Did you know we are one of the only countries in the world that stores hot water? If you need to replace your water heater check out an on demand system for your house. Hotwatersource.com is a great site that tell you how they work. Huge energy and cost savings. Also energy star appliances are great. They cost more up front (your utilities company may give you a credit depending on where you live) but worth it. Front loading washers save so much water and wash twice as much. The dryer is huge which allows for clothes to dry quicker. Also, hang clothes on a line (even if in your laundry room) and then fluff for a few minutes in the dryer to get the wrinkles out. If you have a small laundry room, there are a lot of clever rack systems that expand off the wall or ones you can set up on the floor. Dryer balls work great and you can get them at places like Gaiam.com. Another tip is to keep a bucket by the shower and collect the water while you are waiting for it to heat up. Depending on how quickly your bath or shower heats this could be a lot of water. Use the water to water garden, plants, pets, ect.
As a contractor if you are looking to remodel or build a house, look for books and green contractors. Just by house you place you house on the lot can save you on energy cost. Our house was built making it passive solar. The house faces south and the sun heats it through the windows. If you are in a warm climate you would consider doing the opposite. Also make sure natural light will light the whole house during the day. If you are remodeling our want to save on electricity you can add solar tubes to bathrooms and halls to let in natural light. They are not to costly. Also places like Habitat for Humanity sell used construction items (light fixtures, doors windows, ect.) you can get great stuff there at a great price and they get the money for more houses!
You can find rainwater collection systems to put on your downspouts online or easily make your own. Great for gardens, plant, pets, car washing etc.
I love, love, love the dryer balls! Even towels will dry thoroughly on a half cycle on low heat. They sell them at Linens n Things and Bed Bath & Beyond, and with those 20% off coupons we always get they were only $8.00 for a two-pack.
How do you rinse your hair with vinegar without getting it in your eyes? I would love to try that but I fear pain.
Love this post! I am linking to it in my post for tomorrow! Thanks for your help. I am a new subscriber!!
Cath - In response to getting vinegar in your eyes, it has not been a problem with me. I use a smaller bottle of vinegar and just dump it on my head tilting it back. You can immediately feel it going to work stripping the build up. It is amazing. I had to do it once a week in the beginning but now my hair is more balanced. Also your head does not smell as bad as you think it might after the rinse.
Jan B - I know plenty of people who wash their hair less than every day, but I have never heard of someone not washing it at all!
My attempts to go more than a day without washing have always been greasy disastrous messes. No my head does not smell… but its not a viable option since I need to look presentable for work. I have gone as long as a week before.
Hair types are as varied as there are snowflakes in the sky…. have you encountered any others who never quite normalize?
FYI Hair type Thin, fine and straight as an arrow.
@CleverDude - I liked the combination of list points that led into the next as sentences. I think I’ll subscribe to you for a while.
another laundry drying tip. When the clothes are in the last rince I leave the cover up, When it stops, I fluff up the clothes to lossen then away from the sides, and respin them. They dry quicker when you put them in the dryer if you need to use it.
Hello all–I am interested in how much white vinegar do u put in your front loading Washer. I dont want to use too much or maybe will leave smell and too little is useless?? Thanks
Excellent tips all, but I just have to point out that soaps, shampoos and even toothpaste are not made to “foam up” to cover more area. They are made that way to allow consumers to believe that more is actually happening that really is.
The extra foaming action is merely meant for psychological reasons.
Add to the gas saving tips;
-Clean air filter and/or K&N. The K&N can be cleaned and re-used.
-Change your fuel filter as recommended.
-Have your breaks checked every 2 oil changes, just a slight hang up with a caliper will destroy your gas mileage.
-Coast to lights, there’s no need to race to a red.
You can also take military style showers to save water. Get wet and shut off the water, lather up and do what you need to do, then rinse. It’s a little rough to get used to, but you will take quicker showers, and save a bunch. It’s a much greater impact on the environment than your pocket, but every bit counts.
One tip for dish washing that I expected to see, but didn’t is that you should use both sinks. One sink with soapy water and the other with rinse water. And a lot of water isn’t necessary either.
Showers: (this is useful in the summer-it helps to keep you cool at night so you use less air conditioning too) We don our bathing suits and head into the back yard in the evening with a bar of soap and wash cloth each and the shampoo. We use the garden hose(yes it’s cold but feels fantastic during the hot summer) We shut it off when latering with the soap. Plus we spray each other off which can be funny-the kids love it. This will also keep you very cool in the evenings and you will be suprised at how clean you will feel because unlike the shower you won’t sweat after you are done. It is no different than playing in the hose during the day in my opinion except that you kill 2 birds with 1 stone, or hose in this case.
Save more on water
In the shower Wet your sponge under the faucet enough to get it wet add soap.Wash up Shut water off soap up and then rinse off
Do the same doing dishes .Catch the water in a milk jug until the water gets hot,soap up dishes, rinse of, air dry, I don’t know why they install water heater at one end of the house when you need the water at the other end.
Just another tip about the Swiffers: you can still use it without having to buy the expensive cloths! Just use a wetted dish rag and press it in the same way you would a swiffer cloth and you’re good to go for mopping floors. The dish rag can be washed and reused- saving you a ton of money on cloths and helping the environment too. Another cool trick I learned is cleaning the shower and tub with the Swiffer- it takes a little getting used to, but once you master the motions it’s really easy and less stressful on your back to clean the shower this way.
I also never ever buy garbage bags. I recycle my plastic grocery bags and just use them for the kitchen and bathroom garbages. with only 2 people in my house they are big enough and this way it gets taken out often enough so the garbage doesn’t get too foul before filling up.
You can also reuse takeout containers from restauraunts for lunches instead of buying special Tupperware or Gladware. They can be used several times over before they need to be tossed - just don’t put them in the dishwasher!! ( and no, they cannot be used forever as the plastics do break down over time and they are not designed to last as long as tupperware, for instance).
If you drive to work: CARPOOL!!! Make money off your co-workers by driving them to and from work, this equals less traffic on the road, more gas in your tank, easier time finding parking, and you have someone to talk to during your commute (and if you live in a big city like I do, you get to take the rarely used High Occupancy Vehicle lane and get places faster).
Put your handsoap bottle/soapdish beside the hot water handle of your fauset, makes people reach for the cold more often and saves on hot water bill.
The fuel saving tips are good. But i think we also need to do more to try to find ways to get the price of gas down. If ti keeps going the way it is, we may find ourselves unable to drive to work and anywhere’s else because it will become a luxury that not many of us will be able to afford.
My apologies in advance if these have already been mentioned, but didn’t see them in the 1st 20 or so entries…
Hang Dry Clothes: Big-time savings in summer as weather permits.
Get a battery-powered lawnmower! Ignore what even the manufacturers say that they’re suitable for up to just 1/3 of an acre. I have 1.5 acres and have no problem rotating doing first the front lawn, then the back on alternate days or alternate weekends. I can mow for 40 minutes on 1 charge.
I also have a battery-powered week whacker for trimming. Granted, you’re still using electricity to recharge, but to me this is vastly preferable to having to deal with smelly, noisy, flammable gasoline.
Solar birdbath and other garden fountains: mine works great.
Towel washing: i agree with the orginal writer. You’re clean when you step out of the shower, so why the need to obssessively wash towels all the time?
High gas prices benefit is that we look harder at alternatives faster. The gas prices will never be low again and we have to look techs that make sense. Don’t have big government subsidize one technology neither. Let all possibilities come into the markets and consumers can decide what they want.
No way using a toothbrush fort teeth and toilet even if bleached . A toothbrush isn’t that expensive…can get 3 or 4 at the dollar store for $1.00 for all. Use common sense.
Plastic lunchbags for carrying loose crackers, grapes etc can be washed and reused mega times.
Purchasing paper goods, canned goods on sale with coupons if possible is the best way to keep a pantry well stocked. We have enough toilet paper to last about 2 years but won’t stop me from getting more if the price is right. Same for laundry detergent.
Nothing is purchased unless it’s on sale except an emergency item. Sale items are bought in quantity.
Grapes can be purchased in bulk and frozen. Frozen grapes are delicious.
Produce items such as peppers and onions and berries can be frozen for use later.
Meal cooking for the week is using less gas or electric. We do 3 meats and/or chicken at once in the oven. Some will be frozen if not being used that week.
Hi
You have good ideas but do you know that first thing you (US people) should do - change your BIG engines for smaller ones !! In the EU people are thinking much more ekological than you - AMERICAN IDIOTS! (no offense ofcoz’ - I just like green day
cheers
Great ideas. I kind of “stumbled upon” not using so many paper towels and napkins. I was trying to pinch some pennies and have been using the dish towel, which has been there the whole time, for more than just drying dishes. Although I still prefer paper towels, I can see how that’s saving a little money and a lot of waste.
resturants use paper plates to save on water so, we tried it for a month. We did save on our light bill. WE use less water, and dish soap. What used to be over $100 dollars . It dropped thirty five dollars . We have to go where the saving are .I get 125 plates for $3.50 at the dollar store. They last a month. Sometimes we use one one if we are having sandwiches, I plan one pan meals or use the crock pot .
So nice to find F.F.Fs (Fellow Frugal Fellows!) like myself. An idea about paper waste: my 2nd grader brings home tons of papers everyday. While we do keep a small portion to remember throughout the years, the rest, I generally cut in half and use as grocery lists, etc. I just keep them in a drawer and am never at a loss for paper when I need it.
If you do want noise in the house, you could get a windup radio and put that on rather than the tv. Pretty much free energy there.
I can add a great one. If you think hauling around 40 lbs of soil is a lot, try hauling around a FULL tank of gas! My truck has a 20 gallon tank. I have always been in the habit of filling it up when half full. Now I wait until it is almost empty then only fill it up only half way.
Since a gallon of gas weighs 8.33 pounds, that’s 83 pounds that I don’t haul for no good reason!
Now on long runs yes I fill up all the way of course. But in the city there are always gas stations.
Good tips. My only question (or at least something to consider) is if the cost of having to clean your toilet more often outweighs the water savings for not flushing every time. Also consider potential sickness from having all those bacteria constantly hanging around the bathroom. Just a thought…
I think no.1 goes for women too (re: shaving armpits, legs, etc.)
If it’s yellow, let it mellow - I like that! Can’t get myself to doing it but I will give it a try.
I’m good with towels.
And, Lord, do I have junk!
I think I’m gonna print all your tips out ‘cos they’re pretty handy.
Thanks and take care…
Eat on a theme for the week using what’s on sale. You will save on ingredients. One dish can parlay to the next and left overs work for something else. When I do this I have much less waste.
order only water if you eat out.
keep water in the car and snacks that are easily stored, your less likely to stop and drive through for something.
Always brew your coffee to take on the road with you.
Use a vacuum sealer and mason jars to store and freeze food
Thank you so much for this list…There is things in there I didn’t think about and the car ….well the 10 ton of garbage i have in there now needs to go!
Thank you!