April 22, 2019 It’s April, and that means it’s time to celebrate the two most significant periods of the year: tax season and Earth Day. It may be too late to change your paycheck withholdings to score a bigger 2018 tax return, but it’s never too late to save money and lower your carbon footprint. Take a fresh approach to penny-pinching by employing environmentally-friendly changes in and around the house. Installing pricy rooftop solar panels and buying a shiny new Tesla will get you bang for your buck, but they’re also unreasonable purchases. So we’ll start small. Here are six easy money saving tips to incorporate into your everyday life, that also happen to be beneficial to the environment: Tap Into The Tap Potential annual savings: $700-plus (for a family of four) We have a plastic water bottle problem. As of 2017, it was reported that at least one million plastic bottles were purchased per minute, and a staggering 91 percent were not being recycled. Considering it takes almost 400 years for a plastic bottle to decompose, this problem is getting exponentially worse. Jarring figures to say the least, but there’s a simple solution: acquire a reusable water bottle and fill it with filtered water. We did some math to further prove this point. At $0.00412 for a gallon of tap water, over the course of a year, you’d pay roughly $48 (add another $20 for filters). Compare that same consumption rate with bottled water and you’d pay $234. Multiply by members in your household, and the decision to drink filtered faucet water is an easy one. Driving Isn’t The Only Option Potential annual savings: up to $6,000 or more Unless you live in a sprawling metropolis like New York City or Chicago, driving a personal vehicle is almost unavoidable. But just as inevitable as driving is, so are the costs associated with keeping that car running. Americans driving 15,000 miles per year rack up an average of $8,469 in maintenance, insurance, gas, monthly payments, and registration fees. Now factor in environmental costs, which range from fossil fuel consumption and the endless issues associated with said consumption, to diminished air quality. You may want to consider your options. Start with public transit, which will run you $2-$4 per trip depending on the city. Multiplied by two trips a day for an entire year, and the total is still well under $2,000. It may not be the most time-efficient or convenient option, but letting someone else fight traffic while you nap will do wonders for your mental health. Also consider biking when possible. Even if it’s not to work, a bike ride to Home Depot on Sunday morning is a surefire mood booster, and burns a few calories, too. Replace Beef With Beans Possible annual savings: $3,000 (for a family of four) Did you know that one of the most effective things you can do to help our planet is shockingly simple: cut back on meat. Check out what the EPA, United Nations, Oxford University, as well several other reputable organizations and scientific studies have found. Truth is, raising animals for food is an incredibly resource intensive and a pollution emitting process. The majority of U.S. water and crop supplies goes to animal agriculture, and the international livestock industry produces more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s trains, planes, automobiles and ships combined. Unfortunately, those aren’t the only environmental issues. While going sans meat can be the best option, reserving meat-filled meals for the weekends or even switching out red meat (beef, pork, lamb) for chicken or freshwater fish (not farmed) can all reduce your carbon emissions and minimize negative environmental implications. Even the Environmental Working Group (EWG) estimates that eating one less steak or burger a week has the same effect as taking your car off the road for three months. The Journal of Hunger & Environmental Nutrition also discovered that when you swap meat for more fruits and veggies, you can save up to $750 a year. Lite Lighting Potential annual savings: up to $150 This one is easy and shouldn’t take much convincing. A typical 60W light bulb will cost about $4.80 per year to operate, based on an average usage of two hours per day. That bulb will last roughly a year and a half at that rate. Now compare those numbers for a 12W LED bulb: $1.00 to operate, and will last close to 35 years. There are on average 45 bulbs per household, totaling close to $150 in savings per year. Energy.gov also maintains that these bulbs are 75 percent more energy efficient. Continue to swap out a couple bulbs per week, and over time you’ll save money and consume less power. Star Power Potential annual savings: $100-$1,200+ According to Energy Star, the average U.S. household spends $2,200 per year on energy – half of which goes to heating and cooling. Luckily every energy emitting appliance or feature (windows, washers, dryers, fridges, furnaces, etc.) can be swapped out for a more energy-efficient product to cut those costs considerably. Plus, going green can score you cash back. Energy Star is a government-backed program that certifies energy efficient products and offers select rebates based on your location, paid out by service providers. Check out this rebate finder to see what is offered in your area. If you live in Phoenix, a new smart thermostat can conserve AC usage and score a $150 rebate from Salt River Project. If you can’t afford to buy energy efficient products, you can still save an estimated $700 or more a year by doing simple things: fixing leaky faucets, using sleep mode on your computer, unplugging unused electronics, sealing air leaks, ‘weatherstripping’ windows, planting shade trees, turning down your thermostat, and so on. You’ll find that saving energy will cost you less in the long run, pose less of a burden on the power grid, and qualify you for some neat one-time rebates. It’s a beautiful cycle that keeps on giving. Cash For Trash Potential earnings: TBD If you’re looking to make some dough, you may be able to do just that while helping mother nature. Many don’t realize that by throwing out that old computer there’s serious environmental repercussions of e-waste that stem from a bevy of toxic substances in our electronics. The U.S. contributes to approximately 25 percent of the world’s e-waste, equating to 11.7 million tons annually. So Instead of laying that old iPhone to waste, opt to make some money off of it. There are sites out there such as GadgetSail, Decluttr, uSell and Gazelle who will pay cash for unwanted devices. It’s as simple as describing the item, accepting their offer and printing out the provided shipping label. Don’t forget about Amazon and eBay.com, where your trash is always some else’s treasure. Also, keep in mind that if your electronics aren’t sellable, most electronic retailers offer free recycling services. For instance, Best Buy has a recycling kiosk for old electronics, wires, cords, cables, and even toner cartridges. Other options include Recycle Nation, Earth911 and Greener Gadgets. Related Posts 7 Ways to Save on Household Costs Seven Ways to Save Big This Fall Season 4 Fun Ways to Teach Kids How to Save (and Spend) Money