Top Ideas to go Green and save some Money

Posted on Apr 20 2015 - 2:14pm by Editor

How much do you pay for transportation to and from work? Do you go to Starbucks everyday for your coffee? Are you the forgetful type, leaving cell phone chargers plugged in and the lights on even when you’re not home? How much for the fancy gym membership?

Smart Lighting

You shouldn’t be wasting your hard earned money on high utility bills, transportation, fitness and coffee. Don’t just blindly pay your electric bill or pay for overpriced coffee. With all the green initiatives happening all around us, now is the time to take a stand, not only for your wallet, but for the Earth.

Ride a Bike

Instead of taking your car or the bus going to work, ride a bike. It’s the best way to get around the city: you won’t get stuck in traffic, you’re helping reduce emissions and you’re giving yourself some much needed exercise. If you can’t afford to buy one yet, there are a lot of bike sharing programs in most major cities such as New York, Paris and Barcelona. If you live in one of the condos in downtown Montreal (for more info, here!), you’re in luck – the city of Montreal pioneered the bike sharing system in North America and is considered one of the most innovative systems of transportation in the world.

Make your own Coffee using a Coffee Press

Also called a French press, this amazing coffee maker doesn’t need any power to work. Just add coffee to the press, pour boiling water, stir it a little and wait for a few minutes. Put the press back on and push down. By “pressing” the ground coffee, you’re getting all the extra goodness trapped in the coffee grounds. The taste is amazing, especially if you use high quality coffee. If you drink coffee at work, buy a thermos and take an extra cup with you.

Build your own Gym

Gym memberships can be expensive, especially the swankier ones downtown. The problem is, once you get a membership, you’re stuck with it for a year – even if you never use it! Save money of gym memberships by having your own home gym. You don’t need to buy any expensive gear or machines. You have two options: the first is to invest in suspension cables like Rip60 or TRX. You can hang these on your door or even a tree branch. You’d be using your bodyweight and gravity with suspension trainers, and can be hard, especially for beginners. The second option is to buy a used set of dumbbells and an adjustable bench on Craigslist. Dumbbells can give you a full body workout similar to barbell or machine work. You’ll also need a pull-up bar you can hang on your door, like the Iron Gym. Stop throwing money away on gym memberships!

Use a Power Strip

Leaving appliances and chargers plugged in all the time suck juice whether you like it or not. The average US household spends $100 a year powering gadgets that are plugged in and on standby mode. Get yourself a power strip and plug everything in. With the flick of a switch, you can power off appliances and gadgets that are not in use.

Smart Lighting

Leaving the lights on can negatively impact your electric bill. Invest in smart LED technology that can pick up the slack when you’re being a scatterbrain. These smart lights will automatically shut off when no one is in the room and even adjust their brightness depending on the time of day.

Go Green. Save Greenbacks

Going green can definitely save you money while helping you save the planet. There are a lot of other options out there like the residential windmill or even the solar powered keyboard that can really make a world of difference. Even something like investing in updated thermally-efficient doors and windows from Atlanta roofers will make a huge difference in the long run. Now is the time to invest in appliances and gadgets that can save you money, not the other way around.