Saving money can come easy with smart thinking and creative measures. Having small saving strategies in several places adds up quick to large sums of retained cash. One tip for adding another small saving tip to your wealth management plan is stretching out your liquid hand soap.

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.

Create extra cash in your pocket by simply shedding wasteful energy costs. Many electronic devices and applications are designed to generate energy waste through “stand by” features. These stand by features produce unnecessary energy consumption called vampire power, phantom load, or leaking electricity.

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.