Home
>
Outdoors
>
How to Save Money AND help the planet

How to Save Money AND help the planet

Don't all of us love to have the money to do the fun things that bring us joy? Not that all fun things require money, mind you, on the contrary! But have you ever wanted to read that awesome-looking new book, eat at that new green restaurant in town or throw a party for friends and family...only to be short a little cash?

Here are few tips:

1. Give your hot water tank a blanket.

There's this neat thing called Reflectix, have you heard of it? Wow. It's basically insulation for your hot water tank...in the form of shiny aluminum foil, but slightly thicker. And just as easy to manipulate. Just roll out the amount needed, wrap your hot water tank, and secure it with a special shiny tape, almost like gift wrapping your tank.

Net result? You'll save a bunch off your heating bills! And by saving energy to heat your water, you help the planet enormously! (Reflectix can also be used to insulate heating ducts.) Buy it in rolls of all different sizes at your local hardware store and go nuts!! Very cool stuff.

2. Grow your hair long OR...shave it all off.

Okay, call me crazy, but what is it with the hair thing? Cutting it off, letting it grow, trying this style, that style...I don't know about you, but I'm a real no-nonsense kind of gal. And a while back, I decided to let my hair grow and go as long as I could without a cut. (About six months.) It was quite liberating! And by conservative estimates, I saved probably close to $100 dollars in those six months! ($30 dollar haircut every two months, plus tip.) Of course, I had a style that didn't grow out, so I looked fine (or at least no one TOLD me I didn't.)

How does this help the planet, you ask? Well, as with all the money saving tips in this issue, the more money you save, the less you have to work for it. The less you have to work for it, the less you have to commute, use your car/gasoline, eat out for lunch/dinner...etc. etc. Get what I mean?

Whether man or woman, let me ask you this. What if you were to decide to let your hair grow and forego haircuts for a period of time? Or, go the other route like my husband Mike and shave it all off, that way you can do it yourself, every time! I don't think Mike's spent a cent on cutting his hair for nearly five years, and of course, he looks fab as always...

Radical? Maybe. But it does save money AND helps the planet. Think about it and maybe it's for you...even if it's just for a few months.

3. Sit on your toilet paper roll.

Giggle. Yes, you can help the planet and save money...by squishing your toilet paper roll before you put it on its holder. How's that? Well, simple really. By flattening your roll, (sitting on it, stepping on it, whatever) you make it harder to take too much toilet paper at once. You know how sometimes you give it too much of a yank, and there you have it, toilet paper all over? No use trying to roll it back up, right? Well, that's wasted paper and money.

By flattening it first, the roll moves slower, and you can take just the right amount. A great money and planet saving tip for ANYONE to try, from die hard environmentalists to newbies, especially if you make a point of buying the toilet paper with recycled paper content in it!

Go on, this is one you can try right now! Go squish your toilet paper rolls, then come back and finish reading. Yay!

4.Speak up.

I'll finish off with a REALLY easy one okay? It promises to save you money AND help the planet...and it's fun too. A true-blue Joy to the Planet tip. And that is...speak up! Meaning...when in doubt, have a conversation. You really want to do something great for the planet? Well, you heard me right. Start talking. Pick any of the ten items on this list and talk about...how cool, how easy, how hard, how crazy...each is.

It's simple really. By having a conversation instead of going to the movies, to the mall, or out for food, you inevitably, inexorably, save money, and probably enjoy yourself more too! Who doesn't like a hearty chest-pounding yack-fest with a friend? At the same time, just talking about how to help the planet is a really low-tech, sure fire way to get people thinking more about these things, and that is a great thing.

Andrea J. Lee is an award-winning author, speaker, entrepreneur and coach.
She is a rabid advocate for the planet who coaches online business owners in
the environmental niche market to be financially successful. For more tips
on how you can help the planet and enjoy life at the same time, visit
www.joytotheplanet.com.

Chicago charter limousine Crystal Lake .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

New malware "FrigidStealer" targets Mac computers. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from infostealer malware.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how lab-grown muscles power a biohybrid hand for scalable prosthetics and research.

Reports of task scams have significantly risen in the past four years, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some red flags.

iPhones have a hidden folder that eats up storage without you knowing it. Kurt the CyberGuy offers some tricks to free up storage on your device.

A recent ransomeware attack targeted Zacks, an American investment firm, and a cybercriminal claimed to have stolen records for millions of customers.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Researchers unveiled a new soft prosthetic hand that combines the natural coordination patterns of our fingers with the decoding of motoneuron activity in the spinal column.

Accidentally deleting a text message on your iPhone or iPad is not a problem if you still need the message. Apple has a built-in way to recover it.

Just two months into 2025 there have been numerous Mac malware threats targeting Apple laptops, ranging from infostealers to malicious software.

A self-driving electric bus powered by artificial intelligence has an electric powertrain for zero-emission operation and an automated drive system.

SpaceX is slated to launch its Starship for the eighth time from Boca Chica, Texas, Friday, though plans could be thwarted if the FAA fails to give the green light.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy offers tips on how you can protect your devices against infostealer malware, which was used to infect 4.3 million machines last year.

Motional is developing autonomous vehicles capable of handling a wide range of real-world scenarios. Its high-speed robotaxi testing reached speeds of 75 mph.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores whether there is artificial intelligence bias involved with the iPhone's voice-to-text conversion in the message app.

Apple's iPhone voice-to-text periodically flashes "Trump" when a user speaks the word "racist." Fox News Digital reached out to Apple about the flaw but did not hear back.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson presents five secret shortcuts: Adjust sound/vibration, share YouTube moments, fix tabs and tweak brightness.

VR transforms senior care: Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says immersive tech helps older adults explore and connect via virtual experiences.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says DNA tests pose privacy risks like shared genetic information, inaccuracies and hard data deletion.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this enormous airship revolutionizes cargo transport by flying to remote areas.

Understanding the language of the internet can help you protect your personal information from bad actors. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains.

Woven City is Toyota's experimental city that is a fully functional environment for people to live, work and play while doing research.

The line between spam and scams is thin. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson details his tips for identifying and avoiding phone scams, robocalls and unwanted solicitations.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents

Kurt the CyberGuy takes you through the steps to easily set your preferred web browser whether you're using a Mac, Windows PC, iPhone or Android.

How to Save Money AND help the planet

Outdoors