Save Money and Save the World

• Put your laundry on a line, not in the dryer. This will save electricity, and any dryer uses quite a bit, which is good for your pocket book and good for the environment. Even in an apartment you can put clothes on a drying rack or on hangers. A patio is a great place to dry your clothes, just string a line from one end to the other. You don’t need a yard! Americans are definitely playing catch up with the rest of the world here. Some homeowners associations here in the USA actually frown on hanging your laundry out, which is just odd. If yours is one of those home owners associations, call them on it! They really should move with the times, which is calling for a close line! Myself, I have a line both indoors and out, so I can put up my laundry in any weather. Here’s another little benefit to hanging your laundry-your clothes will last longer! Yep, a dryer is actually very hard on most fabrics, even durable cotton.
• A ‘reel’ lawnmower vs. a gas or electric powered mower. A reel mower is an old fashioned push mower with a reel spinning blades. No expensive gas and oil, no maintaining and fixing costs, no pollution, no muss-no fuss. Sharpen the blades for the season and a good reel mower will last for years. Good exercise too, though most are much lighter than the lightest gas mower and are very transportable. Perfect for a small to a medium sized yard. Think about not paying another dime for gas and oil and not putting out one more bit of pollution during the hottest parts of the year.
  

  Image via Wikipedia

• Turn down the thermostat on your water heater by ten degrees. Many electric companies recommend this as a good way to save a bit on your bill. If you have an older model it could be more than a bit. Whether you have gas or an electric water heater, how hot do you really need your shower to be? Save those natural resources and yourself a buck or two.
  

  Image via Wikipedia

• Wash your dishes in the sink, not the dishwasher. Hot water, good detergent and a little bit of time will save on water and electricity. If you have a dual kitchen sink (two side by side sinks), fill one with rinse water and one with wash water. You don’t even have to buy a dish drainer-just use the unused dishwasher!
• Turn the air-conditioning up a few degrees. Instead of keeping your house at seventy degrees, keep it at seventy-five or eighty, whatever you and your family can tolerate. If possible, turn it off at night and open up the house to let the cool night air in.
• Turn the heat down and put on a sweater. Cover your windows with heavy drapes or plastic (preferably the reusable, or at least recyclable kind). Try to seal up those leaky spots around your house, like under the doors. A door ‘snake’ (a sand or seed filled long pillow) or even a rolled up towel will help keep in the heat and keep those bills down and our natural resources, well, natural.

Pick one thing, from this list or another, just one thing to help yourself and the world. It will be a better life for all of us.

Other articles by me:

• http://www.gomestic.com/Gardening/An-Edible-Landscape.789197
• http://www.gomestic.com/Consumer-Information/The-Benefits-of-a-Reel-Lawnmower.715129
• http://www.gomestic.com/Family/Five-Free-and-Fabulous-Things-to-Do-with-Kids-in-the-Spring.647779