Going Green & Saving Money – All in a Day’s Work

Each day, from start to finish, I’m always thinking about ways I can save money and be green. (I know, I have too much time on my hands.) But think about a typical day and the little things you can do that could go far in the long-run.

• Make your own coffee.
  Don’t stop at Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts on your way into work. Make coffee at home and take it with you in a travel mug. We buy Dunkin Donuts ground coffee (when it's on sale or when we have a coupon) and make it at home. Save money, travel time (and gas), and there’s no disposable cup to throw out.

• Pack a lunch.
  I've found that buying lunch every day to be a HUGE expense. At $5-$7 per day, 5 days a week -- that's $1,300-$1,800 annually! Now I keep a stash of non-perishable food in a drawer at work, such as cereal, oatmeal and granola bars.

• Avoid the dry cleaners
  It kills me to have my clothes dry cleaned, since it’s approximately $5 per item. UGH! So now I make sure to only take those items that say “Dry Clean Only” to the cleaners, and I try to get at least three wearings. The other clothes, I wash in cold on gentle, tumble dry low and immediately take out of the dryer and iron. I’ve found it gets the job done…even though I absolutely hate ironing, which is why I originally dry cleaned so many of my clothes! Being lazy is expensive!

Not only will these tips help the environment, they’ll keep more green in your wallet!