Ever wonder why so many cities and countries are banning plastic bags? All you need to do is look at these images of plastic bags polluting our earth to understand what a problem they are.

My wife and I recycle the plastic bags we get from the grocery store and other places, but the plastic bags are still a problem.

Last weekend I took my first small step in eliminating plastic bags from my life – I purchased reusable shopping bags for my wife and I from our local grocery store. I bought 10 in all, 5 for each of our cars, which should cover us for most shopping trips (The bags hold 2-3 times as much as regular plastic grocery bags).

Benefits of reusable bags

I wish I would have bought these bags a long time ago – they are great! The reusable bags I bought at Kroger (pictured here) are made of a heavy duty, light weight material and are able to hold 2-3 plastic bags worth of groceries. That means I have fewer bags to carry and I don’t have to worry about the milk or other heavy items breaking through the thin plastic.

Another benefit is that the bags have a hard insert in the bottom of the bag that makes them more stable and allows them to stand upright in the trunk of my car. No more sliding around and chasing after groceries when I get home!

The cost is minimal. There are two types at our grocery store – an insulated bag with a zipper top ($3) and a normal bag ($1). Kroger, and many other stores, also give you a $0.03 discount for bringing your own bags because it saves them the cost of providing bags. I’m sure it will take me a long time to recoup the cost of the bags, but I’m not concerned about that. The bags are better for the environment and more functional than plastic bags, and that is enough for me. Now the only thing I need to remember is to bring them into the store with me!

Disposable is the wrong way to think

The older I get, the more I realize that our resources, both on a personal and collective level, are limited. That is why I try to conserve as much as possible - conservation and frugality often go hand in hand. Along with reducing the number of plastic bags I use, I have virtually eliminated using plastic water bottles. A few months ago my wife and I purchased two stainless steel Kleen Kanteen water bottles. Not only do we not take in the harmful chemicals from the plastic water bottles, but we save money and the environment. What can be better than that?

Photo credit: Personal finance tips.

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My wife and I are fortunate to live in a moderate climate and we were able to get by without using air conditioning until this week. I think it’s great that we can wait until mid-June before we need to turn on the AC! Before that we only had to open our windows to cool our house. We are still able to turn off the AC at night and open the windows to cool our house, which is nice, and saves us money. Hopefully we will be able to do that all year, but last summer we had a few nights that were too warm to do that.

Here are a few things I do to save money on air conditioning costs:

Air Conditioning and Fans

Open windows when possible. Up until a couple days ago, my wife and I were able to open our windows to cool our house during the day. It’s a little too warm for that now, but we can still open the windows at night. There will be some nights when it will be too warm to do this, but hopefully there won’t be too many.

Use a programmable thermostat. A programmable thermostat can help you save 10-20% on your energy bill year round. We use a programmable thermostat at home. In the summer we set it at 78 degrees while we are home, and 85 when we leave the house. We set the thermostat to cool the house about 30 minutes before we get home. It works well and saves us a lot of money.

Use an air vent booster. I installed an air vent booster last year and it works wonderfully. You install it over an air vent and it works by pulling more air into the room. This is great for rooms that have low air flow. It can save you money because you don’t have to run the air conditioning or heating system as long to get that particular room as cool or warm as you want. The model I have is the AirFlow Breeze, which costs about $50. I use it year round in a room that has low airflow.

Make sure your vents are clean and uncovered. Dust and dirt can reduce your airflow causing your AC system to work overtime and severely reduce the airflow to your room. Covering them with furniture, drapes, or carpeting will have the same effect. Make sure the air flows freely and you will save a lot of energy and money.

Use ceiling fans and portable fans. Run ceiling fans so they push the air down toward the floor. This circulates the air in your house and will help cool your house more efficiently than running the air conditioner by itself. In the winter, run your fans in the opposite direction to more efficiently circulate the warm air throughout your house. Portable fans will also improve airflow in rooms that don’t get as cool.

Use attic vents. Your roof can contribute up to 30% of your house’s heat during the summer, so it is a good idea to have fans in place to ventilate the attic.

Install a whole house fan if appropriate for your climate. A whole house fan can change over the air in your house in a matter of minutes by pulling in the cooler air from the outside and expelling warmer air outside. We live in an area where they are fairly common, although our house doesn’t have one. I am considering installing one because it will save us a lot of money in the long run – and help us sleep more comfortably at night.

Change filters regularly. You want to change the filter in your furnace approximately once a month with heavy use, or when it is dirty. Hold the filter up to the light and if there is little light passing through, you know it is time to change the filter. This will save you money by increasing airflow and allowing your AC unit to run less often and more efficiently.

Service your AC unit annually. Regular maintenance will keep your AC unit running efficiently and help avoid costly repairs, or possibly give you advance notice that something is wrong – allowing you to fix the problem before it becomes a major issue.

Buy an efficient AC unit. When you’re shopping for a new central air conditioning system, pay attention to the SEER number (seasonal energy efficiency ratio). You want a SEER number of 13 or better, or 14 or better in warmer climates. If your current unit is an 8 or lower, consider upgrading. You will probably recuperate your expense in a couple years by drastically reducing your electricity bills.

More ways to save money on air conditioning

Close shades or curtains. Close curtains on south and west facing windows during the day to decrease the solar heat in your house. To let in more light, open the shades that are not facing the sun. If you need to use lights in the daytime, use cfl’s because they are more efficient and produce less heat than incandescent bulbs.

Seal windows, doors, and gaps. Sealing your house prevents leaks and keeps your house more energy efficient. Use caulk or weather stripping, which is available for just a few dollars at any home improvement or hardware store. Also make sure your fireplace damper and dryer vents are tightly closed.

Install good insulation. Insulation will prevent your home from losing cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter and increase the efficiency of your cooling and heating systems. Add insulation around air conditioning ducts when they are located in non-air conditioned spaces like as attics, crawl spaces and garages, and make sure there are no leaks in the duct joints.

Turn off unused lights and appliances. Lights and electronics create a lot of heat. When not in use turn off your lights and any unused electronics and appliances such as your television, radio, computer, kitchen appliances, etc.

Use heat producing appliances sparingly, or at night. Avoid using your oven in the day, and try to use an outdoor grill, microwave, or crockpot instead of the stove. Let your dishes in your dishwasher air dry instead of using heat to dry them, and use your clothes dryer at night.

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The other day I was chatting with my friend David, who writes two blogs – My Two Dollars and The Good Human. Many of you are probably familiar with My Two Dollars, because it is part of the M-Network, along with Cash Money Life and several other great personal finance blogs. If you aren’t familiar with The Good Human, it is a blog about the environment.

The main topics David covers on The Good Human are environmental topics such as sustainability, conservation, being “green,” environmental issues that affect your health, and being socially responsible.

At first, some people may think that the environment and money aren’t related. But I think they have more similarities than many people realize.

Conservation and frugality are very closely linked – they’re both about being frugal and maximizing your resources. One of the main topics I write about on Cash Money Life is doing more with less. I am a frugal person by nature: I like to find ways to save money, energy, time, and other resources. And I think many of these principles can be applied to conservation.

Conservation isn’t just for tree-hugging hippies. Conservation is for everyone. Our world has a finite supply of land, raw materials, and fuel, as recent increases in prices of oil, food, and other raw goods have shown. Part of the reason these prices are increasing is our faltering economy and the falling value of the dollar, but much of it is simple supply and demand. There simply aren’t enough resources to easily satisfy everyone’s needs.

Increasing productivity without increasing consumption is a hobby for me, but it is also borne out of necessity. Resources are not only in short supply for me, but they are in short supply for everyone. I know not everyone can live off the grid, use solar power, or drive vegetable oil fueled cars, but there are little things we can all do every day to lessen our environmental and financial footprint.

One of my favorite ways to do this is to apply the Three R’s – Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. There are dozens of ways I try to apply these principles at home, many of which may or may not apply to your situation. Think about a few ways you can apply the Three R’s to your daily life. Your changes might not have an immediate life-altering impact, but I guarantee you that over the long run your wallet will thank you, the earth will thank you, and your grandchildren will thank you.

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Somewhere along the way I missed the memo about Earth Day, which was yesterday. I thought I would share 12 ways I conserve energy and resources on a daily basis. Not only are these actions good for our environment, they are good for the pocketbook as well.

12 energy and money saving tips

1. Drive a fuel efficient car. My car gets close to 30 mpg, which is well above average. Less gas, less money, fewer emissions. Win, win, win. If buying a new car doesn’t make sense, then consider these tips for saving money on gas.

2. Drive efficiently. Your car’s engine is an important factor in how much fuel you use, but so is the way you drive. You don’t need to be a hypermiler to save money on gas. Accelerate and brake smoothly. Use cruise control. Combine your trips. These small actions will decrease the amount of gas you use as well as your carbon footprint.

3. Use CFL’s. Compact fluorescent light bulbs use 25% of the energy of standard incandescent bulbs and they last much longer.

4. Take showers instead of baths. The average 5 minute shower uses 20 gallons of water. The average bath uses 37 gallons. If you want to conserve even more water, turn off the faucet while lathering. Here are some more fun water facts.

5. Recycle. My wife and I recycle just about everything we can. Every week we fill our recycle bin (sometimes overflowing), and we usually only have one bag of trash. We also recycle all those coupon flyers we receive in the mail…

6. Stop receiving junk mail. You can choose to opt out of credit card offers, and you can also have your name and address removed from advertisers’ mailing lists (junk mail). You save time and clutter on your end, and fewer resources are used.

7. Turn things off. Don’t leave your TV or radio on when you sleep or when you leave the house. If you want to take it a step further, use a power strip for all appliances or electronics other than your clocks.

8. Use a programmable thermostat. My wife and I set our thermostat to function only when we are home so we don’t needlessly heat or cool an empty house.

9. Open windows. When the weather is nice (I love the spring and fall!) my wife and I leave the windows open as long as possible. This not only airs out the house and leaves a clean scent all day, but a nice breeze reduces our need to run the air conditioner – saving us money.

10. Dress appropriately for the season when indoors. If you need to wear long pants and a sweatshirt in the summertime while you are indoors, you are wasting energy. And if you can wear a short sleeve shirt and shorts indoors in the winter time, you are spending too much money on heat.

11. Run your dishwasher on energy saving mode. We run our dishwasher on the “glasses” cycle, which is the shortest cycle. This uses less water and energy. There is also an option to let the dishes dry without heat. It takes energy to create that heat – which uses more resources and money than letting your dishes air dry. I’ll deal with a few spots if I know that I am saving money and helping our earth.

12. Use cold water to wash clothes. Your clothes come out just as clean and you won’t use energy heating water for your water heater.

It all boils down to the 3 R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. The more we conserve now, the less we spend in terms of dollars, and the more resources we leave for our children. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

photo credit: barunpatro.

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My coworker came into work the other day complaining about a $225 heating bill. That is about 3 times as much as my wife and I normally pay! We had a couple straight weeks below freezing, so the high amount wasn’t very surprising. But it still seemed higher than it should be. When I asked him about it, he said it was only about $50 higher than normal.

A few questions later I was able to determine that his house is roughly the same square footage as ours, we have the same gas company, and the reason why his bill is so much higher than ours - he leaves his thermostat set at 75 degrees 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, regardless of whether or not someone is home. I could understand this if he were married and had an infant at home at all hours of the day, but he is single and has two dogs.

This is a brief excerpt of our conversation:

“Why don’t you turn the thermostat down when you go to work,” I asked?

“Because I feel bad if my dogs get cold,” was his reply.

My thought was – “I feel bad paying $200 per month!” Of course, I didn’t say that out loud!

Use a programmable thermostat to save money

I gave him some information about how he could save at least 20% on his monthly utility bill by installing and correctly using a programmable thermostat, which costs about $32. If used correctly, the programmable thermostat would pay for itself in the first month! I also pointed my friend toward these free tips to saving money on heating and these inexpensive ways to save money on heating.

The US Department of Energy estimates you can save10% on your heating bill by rolling back your thermostat 10-15% for just 8 hours! Since he is gone 10 hours a day for work and sleeping 6-8 hours of the day, he really only needs to keep his house warm enough for his standards a few hours per day. Reducing his average temperature by 10% for a total of 16 hours per day could save him 20% on his heating bill! As for the dogs, I think they will be fine in a cooler environment.

What temperature should you set? I recommended he set the thermostat to automatically come on to 70 when he comes home from work, go down to 65 when he goes to sleep, warm the house before he awakens, and go back down to the low 60’s when he leaves for work. Your thermostat will automatically regulates your home’s temperature and you never think about it again – or at least until the seasons change.

These recommendations are sensible, and not too drastic of a change for most people to deal with. Again, I think his dogs will be fine. My wife and I actually keep our temperatures a little cooler during the winter, at 68 when we are home, and 55 when we are away. But, it is easier to make transitional changes instead of drastic changes, so I recommended the middle ground for my friend. In the summer we usually set the thermostat at 76-78 when we are at home.

What is too hot or too cool for a thermostat setting? In my opinion, if you can walk around your house in shorts and a t-shirt in the winter, you probably have your heater set too high. Conversely, in the summer, if you need to wear pants and a sweatshirt to stay warm enough to be comfortable, you probably have your AC turned set too low. In both cases, you are probably wasting a lot of money.

What temperature do you set your thermostat?

~$~

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I accidentally left my Chrsitmas lights on last night. It was still dark out when I awoke, and I could see the glow through the window. I went outside to turn them off right away, and since we only have a medium size tree wrapped in lights, I don’t think it used enough energy to make a noticeable difference in our utility bill.

But one thing I did notice was that several other houses on our block still had their lights on. When I thought about it, I realized those same lights were on every morning for the past couple weeks. They have a larger light display than we do, and I am sure they will have a noticeable change in their electric bill next month.

That got me thinking… Why do people leave the lights on throughout the night? It doesn’t make sense to me to leave them on after a certain point because almost everyone is asleep and there will not be anyone around to enjoy them. I think leaving the lights on all night needlessly uses a large amount of electricity and costs people a lot of money. I don’t think the electric companies mind, but is it the responsible thing to do?

I normally turn our lights off right before bed. Do you leave your Christmas lights on at night? If so, why?

Photo credit: dissolute.

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I don’t know about you, but I have one room in my house that just doesn’t get warm in the winter and it will not get cool in the summer. The room is situated directly above our garage so I think that may play a role.

The room is our computer/guest room, so we spend a lot of time in there, and if we have guests we want them to be comfortable… most of the time!

Until recently, my wife and I have employed fans in the summer and a space heater in the winter to stay comfortable. However, we no longer need to lug those portable units because we installed an air vent booster last week, and it works great!

What is it? An air vent booster is a powered fan that fits in your vent register and helps pull additional conditioned air from the ducts into your room.

The model I have is the AirFlow Breeze, which is produced by AirFlow Technology. I recently wrote a few articles about saving money on utilities including 7 Free Ways to Save on Heating Costs, and 10 Inexpensive Ways to Reduce Heating Costs. These articles lead to an e-mail exchange with a representative who was kind enough to send me an AirFlow Breeze to review. Blogging does have perks sometimes!

Does it work? Yes it does. But, don’t confuse it with a heater or an air conditioner . All it is designed to do is provide a “boost” to the amount of air coming through the ducts into the room it is installed in. The air comes from your ducts and will help make that room a similar temperature to the rest of your house. They are great if you have a problem room like mine!

Does the extra draw on the air source affect the rest of the house? Not that I noticed. The only thing I noticed was that our computer/guest room is more comfortable to be in and we enjoy our room more now.

Does it constantly run? No. It has a built in thermostat that switches the fan on when either the heater or AC comes on. It is very easy to set – just follow the directions in the manual.

Does it save money? Yes. If you have a room that just does not get hot or cold unless you crank up the heat or AC for the rest of the house, or use a space heater or fan, this could save you a substantial amount of money over the course of a year because you will use less energy to condition your room. The fan uses a 12 volt DC power adapter, which costs pennies to run.

Is it hard to install? No! It only took 5 hours 15 minutes including the time to remove the old vent cover with a screwdriver (not a drill). You don’t need any special tools other than the screwdriver. There is a 12 volt power adapter with a 6 foot cord that plugs into the unit.

Is it loud? Let me put it this way: you can hear it in the other room, but it isn’t loud enough to bother me when I am in the room and it is running. I think it is one of those things that might take some people some time to get used to, but once you get used to it, you don’t really notice it anymore.

Do you recommend it? I recommend it to people who have a “problem room” that is difficult to cool or warm. I believe people who purchase one will be more comfortable in their room and enjoy it more. After all, the whole point of having a house is to enjoy living in it, right?

~$~

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Today is Blog Action Day, a day in which over 15,000 blogs will be discussing one very important topic – the environment. I am proud to join these other blogs to help bring attention to environmental awareness.

I chose to write about green energy because it fascinates me. The fact that we have technology that harnesses earth’s forces to give us sustainable sources of power is an encouraging sign that eventually, we will not be so reliant on petroleum – and its high costs and environmental side effects. Here are a few sustainable energy sources that will one day lessen our need for oil, coal, and other fossil fuels.

Alternative green energy sources that can be used to power or heat homes:

Solar Panels - Solar panels harness power from the most abundant power source on earth – solar energy. Solar cells convert light energy into electrical energy by converting photons into electrons (end of science talk). Solar panels have been used for years in remote locations and in outer space, and are now becoming more popular for residential and commercial uses.

Unfortunately, a solar panel system large enough to power a residential size home costs between $15,000-30,000. The federal government offers tax deductions to people and businesses who install a solar power system and many individual states have also followed suit. However, in most cases, solar panels are still far too expensive to be used as a mainstream source of electric power. The encouraging news is that prices continue to drop and solar panel technology continues to improve.

Home users of solar panels generally tie their house into the power grid so they can access power when solar energy is not providing enough power for their home. Another benefit to this is that excess power can be sold back to the power company. Depending on how much energy your house uses versus how much it produces, it is possible to recoup your investment fairly quickly and eventually make a profit by selling electricity to the power company.

Wind Turbines - Wind turbines capture wind energy to spin turbine blades and drive a shaft to produce electricity. This, and similar technology, has been around for many years, and is used in many applications. In fact, wind turbines work much like the alternator in your car, or the generators in a hydroelectric dam.

While wind power has been used by humans for over 3,000 years, recent advances in wind turbine technology have made wind turbines a viable source for generating electric power. Giant wind farms convert wind energy into electric energy that is then sold to homes and businesses.

It is even possible to buy a wind turbine large enough to power a residential home. The cost however, runs around $15,000 installed. The best part is, like solar panels, there are often tax deductions available. Though it will take several years to recoup the expenditure of a wind turbine, more people are installing them as a means of powering their home, farm, or business.

Wind turbines have the same capability to produce excess energy and for some people can be used to make money. However, it generally takes several years before the initial expense is recouped.

Solar water heaters - Solar water heaters use solar power to heat water which is then pumped to a heat exchanger, where it gives off its heat. The heat in the heat exchanger is then used to raise the temperature of air going into your heating system, or to raise the temperature of the water in your hot water heater. This results in less energy used to heat your house or water for daily use.

These systems are usually fairly simple in design and cost between $5,000-7,000 to install. Again, federal and local incentives may substantially lower the total installation cost. Total savings depend on where your house is located and how much sun it gets, but are usually around $250 per year. It may take a long time to repay the cost of installation, but the cost may just be worth it if you plan on living in your home for a long time.

Heat exchangers - Similar to solar water heaters, which incorporate a heat exchanger, these systems often involve pumping water or air through a series of underground pipes. The earth several feet underground maintains a steady temperature year round – usually around 55-65 degrees F.

In the summer the water or air is pumped underground where it cools down, and is then pumped through a heat exchanger before going in to the air conditioning system. This can substantially lessen air conditioning costs. In the winter, the same thing happens, but this time the air is warmed by the underground temperatures before it passes through the heating system. Again, is is much easier and cheaper to heat warm air than cold air.

These systems are easiest to install when a house is being built because they can be laid under the foundation. However, if your house does not already have this type of system installed, it can be done – but the installation company will have to dig up your yard and it will take a lot more work. These systems cost several thousand dollars to install, and savings depend on location and amount of use. Like these other systems, local and federal tax incentives may be available.

The Future of Energy – These forms of energy have two major factors in common – once they have been installed, the cost of upkeep is minimal and the energy to power them is free. Once the initial investment has been earned back through savings or by selling excess power that has been generated, the remaining savings are free and can even make you a profit!

As these technologies become more common, they will both improve and become more affordable. I don’t think it is unrealistic to think that in the near future most new homes will come with the option of adding solar panels or heat exchangers at a reasonable cost. And I hope many people take advantage of these technologies.

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Tired of rising gas prices? How does filling your car’s fuel tank with tap water and a pound of salt sound to you? It sounds ludicrous right now, but one day it might be reality.

Pennsylvania cancer researcher John Kanzius discovered a process to burn salt water using a radio frequency generator. According to some scientists, his discovery could potentially be the most important discovery in the field of water science in more than 100 years.

Kanzius accidentally discovered the process for burning saltwater when he tried to desalinate water using a radio frequency generator in his lab. The radio frequencies weaken the bond between the elements that comprise salt water, releasing flammable hydrogen. The hydrogen will burn as long as the exposure to radio frequencies continues to release more hydrogen from the water. The process sounds simple, but I am sure there is a lot more to it than that!

Researchers are not sure if this will be a feasible fuel source for cars or other large machines. But, one thing is certain. If this process is refined to the point of practical use, our world will not hurt for resources – salt water is the most abundant resource on earth! Kanzius is currently trying to get research funding from the Department of Energy and the Department of Defense.

Can you imagine just pulling over to the side of the road and pumping salt water into your car every time you need a fill up? Or better yet, waiting until you get home and using the hose in your front yard? This discovery could revolutionize the way humans utilize combustion engines and other forms of power.

This is a very interesting and exciting discovery.

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Today’s recent CNN Money article, Gasoline: How Low Will it Go?,  states gas prices may fall more than $.50 a gallon through July, 4th. After that, prices will depend on hurricane season and unforeseen incidents such as war, natural disasters, etc.

If you would have asked people a month ago how they would feel if they read the headline “Gasoline: How Low Will it Go?”, most of them would have laughed at you. But that is today’s headline, and if I’m laughing, it’s only because I like the sound of it.

Gas prices in my area peaked a couple weeks ago at just over $3.50 per gallon. Yesterday I filled my tank at $2.88.  It’s very encouraging to see gas prices drop, and another $.50 decrease in the price per gallon will be greatly welcomed.

These lower gas prices are even better when you take advantage of other ways to save money on gas, including using gas credit cards like my Chase Freedom rewards card.

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