Being Green AND being frugal

These really are good tips! I strongly believe in eating local. I really like to support my local farmers (I live in the "garden state" and like to support the farms we still have). Also, I have found great deals at my local farmers market - much better prices than the food store!

Kill the Vampire Appliances!

Chances are you have several appliances in your home that drink up energy ???????? even when they????????re OFF!

These ???????vampire appliances??????? typically have features such as clocks, timers, remote ???????on??????? and ???????off??????? switches and memory units... so they never truly shut down.

It????????s estimated that anywhere from 5% to 25% of the average American????????s electricity bill is spent on the standby power used for these appliances!

What to do? First, if a timer or clock isn????????t necessary, unplug the appliance until you need it.

And for computers in your home that draw a ton of electricity when not in use, hook them up to a Smart Power Strip or another surge protector-like device ???????? it????????ll pay for itself within a few months!

Get Rid of Paper Filters!

Save a few more trees ???????? along with a good bit of the green stuff ???????? by switching to a reusable coffee filter.

Sure, paper filters don????????t cost very much... but when you figure that most of the 100 million + households in America use at least one paper filter every day (or about 36 BILLION a year), that????????s a lot of trees! Not to mention the chemicals used to bleach and process those filters that leech into the environment.

Instead of all that waste, pick up a durable hard-mesh filter for less than $10. It could last you for years and is eco-friendly to boot. (Plus you????????ll have one less thing to buy at the grocery store!)

I have to tell everyone that when I started to unplug things I was not using - I save about $20 off my electric bill. Something as simple as hooking your appliances up to a power strip and then you simply turn it off when not using.

Dispose of Disposables!

Our landfills are getting filled up with disposable products ???????? all created for the sake of ???????convenience.???????

So consider replacing these disposables with their more permanent, old-fashioned counterparts. It may take more effort , but it????????ll pay off in spades for our planet.

One example: ???????permanent??????? sandwich wraps instead of the oh-so-overused plastic wrap and sandwich bags. See wrap-n-mat dot com for one replacement idea.

You can also save a ton of paper by shredding old clothes to dry off countertops instead of using paper towels. Using cloth napkins will make both the environment and your wallet happy.

Also, consider using a permanent safety razor in lieu of the cheap disposable kind ???????? blades for these are inexpensive and easy to store.

Think Before You Print

Do you really need to print that carry-out menu you found on your favorite restaurant????????s web site? Or that article you can easily read online?

Printing every single item that comes across your computer monitor adds up to reams of paper, along with a ton of expensive ink cartridges. That amounts to more fallen trees and even more plastic, both of which spoil our environment.

So read what you can on your computer... and if you absolutely MUST print it out, print in ???????econo-mode??????? instead.

Filter Out the Plastic!

Roughly 1.5 million TONS of plastic is used each year to produce the bottles of water consumed in the U.S. That????????s an insane amount of plastic, considering it can never truly be destroyed. Plus, Americans spend $11 BILLION on bottled water annually.

Instead you can save gallons of dough ???????? along with the harmful effects of all that plastic ???????? by getting a water filter installed on your kitchen faucet.

Most good filters can process out 99.99% of harmful toxins, chlorine and living organisms... and once purchased, can last through several years of healthy drinking water.

Let the Sun Power In

Although a solar energy system can cost a good bit of upfront cash, you just can????????t beat the power of the sun for clean, efficient, inexpensive energy that can save you quite a bit of money in the long run.

And now tax credits are available for qualified solar water heating systems. These credits are available for systems placed in service from January 1, 2006 through December 31, 2008, so there????????s still time to get yours!

It????????s not chump change, either. The tax credit is for 30% of the cost of the system ???????? up to $2,000.

I have had to scale back on all of our spending too. I have adapted the following: I never buy paper towels, I purchased cheap dishclothes and just wash and reuse. I have gone almost 6 months without buying cleaning supplies such as Mr. Clean, I now use vinegar with water, and sometimes baking soda. We now use a small night light in the bathroom instead of leaving the light on all night. This summer my hubby grew tomatoes and we put them up for the winter. I always round up in my check book then with the extra money after a few months I can pay down a bill. When I peel an onion and only use a little instead of tossing the leftover away I dice it and freeze. I have many more but those are a few basics. I have starting thinking the old addage "a penny saved....".