Thinking Green Can Add Green to Your Wallet

Have you ever stopped to think about how making decisions to be more green or earth-friendly can save you money? For years the Farmers’ Almanac has been sharing many thrifty tips, which if you re-read them in today’s world, have an earth-friendly benefit as well. Here are a few:

• Buy soft drinks in screw-top bottles if too much flat soda is wasted in opened cans.

• It’s wasteful and costly to throw away breakfast cereal because it’s no longer crispy. Spread in a pan and heat 5 minutes in a moderate oven.

• Only a drop in the bucket? A faucet that leaks one drop per second means a loss of 700 gallons of water a year. Check and repair immediately.

• Heating water is a big energy consumer. Reduce the shower flow from 3.5 gallons per minute to 2.5 and a hot water savings of 30% is possible.

• Make a low cost drain cleaner of 1/4 cup cream of tartar, 1 cup salt and 1 cup baking soda. Pour 1/4 cup in the drain and add a cup of water. When the bubbling stops, flush with hot water. Store the extra in a jar with a label listing the ingredients.

• To make glass tabletops sparkle, rub gently with lemon juice or vinegar, then dry with paper towels and polish with newspapers.

• Toilets should not be used as waste buckets. Every bug or strand of hair flushed can use as much as seven gallons of water.

• Keep light bulbs free of dust. They’ll shine brighter.

• To save time and money, shop in a store you are familiar with. Always take a minute to compile your grocery list in the order in which the items are displayed in the store. This eliminates a great deal of impulse buying, since you won’t be walking down every aisle, scanning shelves for things you need.

• Try refreshing potato chips and crackers by putting them on a plate and microwaving them for 30 to 45 seconds. Let stand one minute to crisp.

• Place aluminum foil behind each of your radiators. It will reflect heat back into the room instead of allowing the wall to absorb it.

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