Greening your lifestyle can be costly, especially if you don’t know where to shop or what to buy. But there are really great green deals out there. Some green products are cheaper in the long run while some are cheaper up front.

Top 5 Green Savings Tips

Buying wholesale.
Finding green products whole sale is now easier than ever with I-tryit.com. You can purchase the latest and greatest green and organic products at about half the cost. They have everything from all-purpose cleaner to zebra-stripped organic cotton ones-ies. You join the site for free, promise to come back and write a review of the things you purchased, and shop, shop, shop. www.i-tryit.com Eco-fabulous.

Create your own Co-op.
I’ve “co-op-ed” sacks of flour, rice, dry beans, herbs, and other long lasting staples with my friends or co-workers. It’s really simple. Buy a few 25lb sacks and split them 5 ways. Contact an organic foods distributor, ask at your local health market, or even your favorite café manager. You can save dollars per pound, even when compared to traditionally grown food. Image, whole wheat organic pastry flour at less than 70 cents a pound… yum!

Web Coupons.
Organic food company websites are full of deals. Click around before you go shopping. Some companies have products or deals only available on the website. If you can wait 3 days for those almonds, you could save a bundle.

Bulk Up.
Honey, liquid soap, peanut butter, dog biscuits, and more are available in bulk bins at many co-ops and natural markets. Sometimes you even get a discount for bringing your own container. Bulk bins save money and packaging. Good for your pocket and your planet.

Re-Use It.
We throw a lot of cash in the trash. Coffee filters, paper towels, razors, picnic ware, and more all get trashed when we’re through. Stop buying the disposables and buy one or two of the nice reusable version. It may not seem like a lot, but in the long run, the savings add up. When I stopped buying paper towels, it didn’t seem like much of a difference. Sure, the first three days I grabbed at the empty holder out of habit. Now, I use a cloth and keep a rag-bag. I’m saving about $20/month on paper towels alone. I also spill less, wipe dog paws off on the porch more, and have a pretty striped set of cloth napkins.

I recently discovered the joys of vinegar. It’s one of the cheapest and most versatile cleaners around. And, it has quite a history.

According to our research, vinegar has been around for more than 10,000 years. The French dubbed it “vin aigre” (sour wine) because it was discovered when a cask of wine went past its time.

The ancients were quick to find the remarkable versatility of vinegar. Around 5,000 BC, the Babylonians used it as a preservative and as a condiment, and began flavoring it with herbs and spices.

Roman legionnaires allegedly used it as a beverage. The Greeks also made pickled vegetables or meats using vinegar. There are even some biblical references that show how it was used for healing the sick.

But what is so appealing about this sour wine is that it can be used as an environmentally friendly cleaner. Here are just a few uses:

Brass polish:
Brass, copper and pewter will shine if cleaned with the following mixture. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of white distilled vinegar and stir in flour until it becomes a paste. Apply paste to the metals and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Rinse with clean warm water and polish until dry.

Toilet bowl cleaner:
Stubborn stains can be removed from the toilet by spraying them with white distilled vinegar and brushing vigorously. The bowl may be deodorized by adding 3 cups of white distilled vinegar. Allow it to remain for a half hour, then flush.

Kill weeds:
Spray white distilled vinegar full strength on tops of weeds. Reapply on any new growth until plants have starved. (Note: vinegar solution only works on emerging young plants, not mature leaves).

So next time you are at the grocery store, you may want to pick up a bottle. You’ll probably find many more uses for it than any sweet wine.

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