By using a programmable thermostat, you can select the ideal times to heat your home. You can program your thermostat to reduce temperature in the evening while you sleep, slightly warm the home when you get up in the morning, reduce the heating again while everyone is gone at work and school, and again heat the home comfortably in the early evening.

By being selective with your timing, you warm your home only when needed and you do not waste heat. This application of controlling room temperature can also be applied during the hot season if you have an air conditioner.

Also consider the degree of warm you need to be comfortable. By decreasing your thermostat levels during the warming periods by even 1 degree can greatly reduce overall monthly heating bills.

With your efforts in controlling energy waste, also consider additional heat saving strategies:
*enhancing the amount of insulation in the attic and crawl spaces
*applying new weather stripping, caulking, and sealers around windows, vents, and door frames
*research if your region offers green-home upgrade incentives and discount programs
*receive an analysis of your home’s energy efficiency and locate areas of unnecessary heat loss and energy waste

Make your energy savings automatic with a programmable thermostat. New models are readily available and are low-cost. The savings in heating bills will quickly recover the cost of these new control units. With your automated efforts to save heat, you will also be playing a great role in supporting sustainability and green living.

Look for free tours in your area.  Often, many manufacturers and production businesses offer free guided tours of their facilities.  These tours can be great for children as they offer great educational experiences as well as appreciation for how products are made.  Some examples:

*large bakeries, candy and food manufacturing plants (be ready for free samples)

*wineries, breweries, and vineyards

*local food producers like dairies, cheese makers, maple syrup producers, and organic hobby farms

*research facilities like marine biology centers (skip the zoo!)

Go to your local tourism websites.  By googling your local tourism site and other keywords like “things to do in …”, you will find a wealth of budget friendly activities.  Research in advance to find special early bird deals.  Have a calendar ready to write down all the upcoming events and festivals.  Besides the free entertainment, local festivals often generate free samples and participation prizes.

Get involved in charity events.  Consider having your family take part in a charity event like a walk/run fundraiser.  Your whole family will benefit in doing something together while supporting a great cause.  Participation is often free or low-cost. 

Sitting at home on the weekend is a waste.  Bring your family together and enjoy the great variety of affordable activities your area has to offer.  Seek out activities that bring educational qualities and stimulate your children’s perspective of the world.  With a little creative research, you can keep your whole family busy and fulfilled with low-cost entertainment.

First tip for saving money on soap is to always look for coupons online and offline. Second tip is to buy in bulk (preferably a wholesale bulk discount centers like Costco). Aim to purchase bulk refill packages as these offer extra savings.

Final tip is to stretch out the savings and quantity of your liquid soap by adding a portion of water to the dispenser each time you refill. Experiment with the proportions of water and avoid over diluting the hand soap. Try about 10-20% water to volume of the dispenser. Eventually, you will find the right consistency that offers sufficient washing effect. When mixing the water and hand soap, avoid vigorous stirring or shaking to prevent the formation of suds.

Often, the concentration of hand soap is far more than actually needed for ample cleaning. By wetting hands first and then dispensing diluted hand soap onto your hands, you will have plenty of soap and suds to wash your hands.

By diluting your hand soap, you save on the number times you need to purchase liquid soap, and you also reduce the consumption of plastic and fossil fuels used to produce and transport this product to the store. Reducing your consumption of liquid soap also reduces the total amount of chemicals going down the drain each time you wash your hands. For those wishing to go that extra ‘green-mile’, consider buying the new range of biodegradable and non-antibacterial liquid soaps. We do not need all the colorings, perfumes, and other fancy agents to get our hands clean.

Saving money on simple things like hand soap offers the opportunity to save money for more meaningful and rewarding ventures in life. Remember, life is no fun when money is hoarded, but life is way more fun when we can get more out of our savings.

These institutions take your savings and use these funds to issue credit as mortgages, lines of credit and loans. Again, they need you more than you need them. So why are so many people passively paying these monthly fees?

Start shopping around for the best financial institution that can offer little to no fee savings and checking accounts. Find programs that do not lock you into contracts and terms. Banks and institutions now need to become more competitive. It is more common to find high interest savings accounts that do not penalize you for with drawing money.

Research credit unions as they can often offer accounts with little to no fees. Just keep in mind that having all of your funds in credit unions could pose challenges for acquiring mortgages down the road, especially if you are an investor (discuss this with your mortgage broker).

Choose banks that can provide online banking services with no extra fees including online bill payments and transfers. When moving to a new bank, barter with them. Make them work for your money. Ask them what they can offer on top of the account profile presented. Go for the absolute basic account plan as often as possible and avoid being influenced to using an account with unnecessary features (and an unnecessary fee)-these extra features are set up for those who often have undisciplined money management skills.

Be smart and avoid the monthly drain from banks. Shop around for banks as you would for any other bargain.

Here are some simple tips and guidelines for shopping online:

*Go through to the ‘checkout’ before purchasing and see if the vendor has a ‘coupon code’ option. If so, then enter keywords for this product or vendor (like “online coupons fancypants.com”) in search engines. If no online coupons can be found, contact the vendor and ask for a promotional code.

*If you are purchasing a service or subscription, ask for a free trial before buying. Avoid free trials that require credit card submissions. If you do submit your credit card, confirm with the vendor when the first payment will be applied. Enter this date on your calendar to remind you to cancel. Most vendors with subscription models make large portion of their money from people who do not use the service and who forget to cancel the payments.

*Watch out for the shipping fees. Make sure the savings you get online are not eaten up by the shipping fees. If you are purchasing products from another country, also be careful about calculating possible duty fees. Also avoid being up-sold with the idea of buying more to save on shipping costs. Don’t buy something you don’t need. If the vendor offers free shipping when a certain amount is purchased, see if friends are interested in buying products to help you reach this free shipping threshold.

*Take a little time for research. Spend time finding comparable products on other sites and see what vendors can offer to gain your purchase. Also do research on reviews of this product before buying to avoid “duds and lemons”.

*Read the ‘terms of use’ and all other policies to insure you can cancel/return the purchase and get a refund, if needed. The ‘terms of use’ can be a long-winded page, but take the time to read what contract you are agreeing to.

Become a savvy online shopper and use your savings strategies to the fullest. Enjoy getting the most out of your money.

Many electronic products still consume energy even when the power button is turned off. This energy consumption is most commonly recognized with clocks on appliances and stand by lighting features. But even some devices like plugged-in laptop power adapters unknowingly drain money from your pocket.

Some studies suggest that up to 22 percent of energy consumption from appliances is due to stand by waste with this contributing up to 10% of total household electricity costs. Take note of your recent electricity bills and image cutting off 10% from these bills. For many households, this would be a tremendous savings that can be allocated to paying down debt or funding other purposeful ventures.

From an environmentally conscious perspective, some studies suggested that the waste from stand by power sources in large countries like the USA reach into the billions of watts and cost households billions of dollars annually. By eliminating stand by power waste, countries can reduce a substantial portion of pollution produced by energy plants. Less burden would be placed on the taxpayer to fund future energy projects and we would all benefit from less pollutants saturating our air, water and soil.

What are the most common sources of stand by power waste?

*VCRs, DVD players and many audio/sound systems

*microwave ovens and other kitchen appliances

*computers, printers, digital monitors, and other office equipment

*televisions

*air conditioners and other devices with remote controls

*power bars, transformers, and battery charges

*electronics with stand by lights or clocks

Easy tips to reduce leaking electricity waste:

*unplug electrical devices when not in use – turning the power button ‘off’ may still allow the device to drain energy

*avoid leaving recharging devices in the charge mode for extended periods-unplug the chargers once the devices are charged with sufficient energy

*completely shut down electronics like computers, printers, and cell phones at the end of the day

*use switchable power bars or surge protectors with multiple sockets-you can leave multiple devices plugged in, but turn off the power source with one flick of a switch

*consider replacing battery powered devices like phones and razors with basic cord versions-charging cordless devices can be inefficient

*explore the option of timers that can be used to switch off standby power devices-many ‘smart’ devices are on the market making it easier to manage your energy conservation efforts

*avoid electronics with excessive and unnecessary amounts of decorative stand by lighting

We do not need to all be sitting in the dark, huddled around a candle to move towards green sustainable practices. Often the simple and obvious solutions get overlooked and ignored. Flush out all the wasteful energy devices at work and at home. Find the most efficient method of cutting this stand by waste and put this into practice. See the immediate benefits on future bills and take some pride in the benefits you generate for the environment.

Take a couple hours in the next week to sit down and review all your fixed bills regardless if you are in fixed contracts or not. Then find 1 to 2 competitors for those current service providers and call them. Talk to them directly and tell these competitors that you are currently with another provider. Ask them what deals they would be willing to offer in order to acquire your business. Also ask them to place you on their contact list to receive future notices of deals and invitations.

With this information in hand, contact your current service provider and tell them that you are interested in switching to a new provider (and state the better deal that the other providers are willing to provide). Mention that you are willing to continue using their services if they provide a comparable or better deal.

Very likely, your service provider will fashion up a discount to retain your business. What if you are in a contract and they state that you w ill need to pay a closing fee? Doesn’t matter. Bargain with them and pretend that you don’t care about paying the closing fee and wish to leave to access better savings elsewhere. They will still likely offer you a discount on your services or upgrade you for free to a better package.

Here is my personal experience with this strategy:
*I have 2 major cable companies in my region. Every 6-8 months, the competing cable company mails me an invitation to switch with a great deal (first month free and then $10/month for 6 months-no contract or minimum obligations). IN the last 2 years, I have not paid more than $10/month for cable as I just continue to bounce from one provider and back to the other.

*I also contacted my internet service (that is combined with my phone line) and told them that I was not happy with the quality of service and that I was thinking of switching to another company. They asked what the other company was offering. I had this information in hand anticipating this question. They immediately upgraded my internet to a faster service and reduced the monthly fees by over $20 for a full year with no contract or commitments.

*Just with these 2 simple strategies, I now save over $40 per month leaving me close to $500 per year in my pocket!

By doing a little research and having some patience with customer services, you can generate some major savings with your cable, internet, and phone services. Be bold and enjoy the hunt for bargains. Important note: be respectful and cordial to the customer services and you will likely get more favorable responses. Finally, they need you more than you need them, so make them work for your money!

Plastic bags are a major source of pollution and environmental harm. Plastic bags fill our garbage dumps and act s deadly agents for wildlife. On a recent trip across the Pacific Ocean, I was disheartened to see the middle of ocean littered with plastic bags and other garbage.

Our obsession with using plastic bags also contributes greatly to the consumption of oil, thus increasing our dependency on foreign oil and inflating costs of fuel and consumer goods.

Here are some tips for reducing the usage of plastic bags:
*When going grocery shopping, bring old plastic bags, cloth bags or cardboard boxes with you and use these to carry home your groceries.
*Place a plastic bag in every purse, bag, knap snack, and coat so that when you are out and unexpectedly go into a store, you immediately have your own bag to use.
*Ask your grocer if they provide refunds on using your own bags. Many stores now give you $.03-.05 for every bag you reuse. With a big grocery trip reusing 10 bags, this could produce $.50 in savings. If you do this every week, you can save around $25 a year-a nice chunk of money for doing something good for the environment.
*Utilize recycling, composting, and garburators to reduce household waste and use of plastic garbage bags that hold this waste.
*Find retailers that offer collection services and recycle plastic bags.
*Look for more biodegradable alternatives for carrying and storing items (ie. paper bags made from post consumer paper products).

Get in the habit of carrying spare bags with you wherever you go. See where retailers offer incentives to reusing bags and add to your savings strategies. Enjoy the overall benefits of being green, saving money, and supporting the bigger picture of global and economic sustainability.

The basic principle of “pay yourself first” is often difficult to achieve for many people in all income ranges. But by methodically putting a small portion of funds aside each and every month compounds over time to generate a pot of financial support that, with a wise investment strategy, will yield passive income and security.

Tips that can assist you in developing or enhancing your savings strategy:

*generate a basic budget prior to shopping for grocers-be conservative and realistic based on your experience with previous trips and assume that you are paying close the regular price on grocer items
*with this budget recorded, strartegize by collecting coupons and taking note of promotions, sales, and discount offers
*with your strategy in place, get out there and shop keeping focus on your list and budget-buy what you need and no what you want- big difference
*when you finish shopping, compare your final purchase amount to your budgeted amount. As a savvy shopper, you probably generated a small, but important chunk of savings. Take this amount saved (even if it is just a few dollars) and immediately put this away in a savings/investment fund. Since this is money that you would have normally spent, you will not miss these funds when setting them aside.

The sooner you can get the funds into your nest egg account the better. Other bills and temptations can quickly surface over the month eating up those savings. You can also set up automatic debits from your bank account that occur just after your income deposits. If you receive income pay on scheduled dates, have a small portion immediately withdrawn into a high interest savings account program.

This should be applied to both your retirement savings plan and emergency savings. Every one should work first towards having at least 3 months (but preferably more) of ‘livable’ savings stored and building interest in an account that is separate from every day spending, but is still accessible in emergency situations.

Once this emergency fund is established and growing with interest, work towards shedding bad debt (credit cards, personal lines of credit, student loans etc). As this bad debt diminishes, one can then shift attention towards retirement funds and taking advantage of tax benefits with retirement savings contributions. Again, making regular, small contributions to all these strategies is easier than trying to make sporatic, large payments.

Setting a monthly budget for all expenses can be a valuable tool to keeping spending realistic and for setting a consistent, viable path towards financial security. Utilize your savings ingenuity and devert this onging small stream of retained funds into a growing pot of wealth. Keep your savings accounts separate from regular monthly spending accounts to avoid temptations of tapping into stored funds. Time is on your side – take full advantage of it. Bask in the pride of watching your strategic efforts pay off as more and more passive income develops through interest earnings.

*purchase ripe discounted bananas – bananas contain the highest nutrients when fully ripe (slight appearance of brown spots is the ideal time to eat bananas). I buy over-ripe bananas in bulk gaining huge savings. I immediately peel and cut them up into large chunks. You can them lay them out on a baking sheet and freeze (only takes a couple hours). Once frozen, they can be stored in a freezer bag.

I then use these frozen bananas as base for daily fruit smoothies. The frozen texture creates a super thick, healthy drink. Quick note: avoid initially letting the bananas sit open too long in the freezer as they will go from frozen hard to soft and mushy on the baking tray. Eventually, the bananas will turn brown and soft in the freezer bag, but don’t frit, this ugly mush is great for muffins, loafs, and pancakes.

*look for those bags of slightly bruised apples and pears – again, more great savings by buying discounted apples and pears. Simply peel and cut out the bruised area. Great for pies and baking or making homemade apple/pear sauce. Homemade applesauce is one of the easiest treats to prepare – cut up your apples, throw them in a saucepan with a little water and slowly cook them on medium heat. In a short time, the apples soften and can be pureed. I make apple/pear sauce in large batches and then freeze into small portions.

Other simple tips:
*use ripe strawberries and other berries for making salad dressings and vinaigrettes
*use ripe fruits and vegetables for making chutneys, salsa, and stews
*use ripe fruits for making rich sauces for desserts or savory meat dishes
*explore making hearty soups with ripe vegetables

Get to know the owner/manager of these independent produce vendors. Find out when they gather their ripe produce for placing on special. You can even ask them to contact you when bulk discount bags of produce are available.

Some cautions when buying over-ripe product:
*avoid produce that is severely over-ripe – you may end up having to throw away a great portion resulting in less than expected savings
*avoid certain vegetables that have green discoloration like potatoes and carrots
*avoid produce that has signs of mold or breakage of the peel/skin
*do not use over-ripe fruit for jams as the fruit loses pectin

Keep in mind that the longer most produce sits, the less nutritional value it has. But as mentioned, some produce like bananas and pomegranates have more dietary value when properly ripened. Be creative with recipes and enjoy saving money as you savor healthy meals.