Sometimes there is an implication that being greener costs more money. While this may be true for some specialty items, I am discovering that, in the long run, being greener costs less!

I am on a budget and am always looking for good quality and value. As a fairly new home owner, I was overwhelmed with the costs of a running small urban household. My hydro bill amazed me. Why was this bill so high?

After taking a good look at the situation I discovered that simple household chores such as doing laundry (something that I am an expert in with two very busy young boys!) can be really expensive at certain times. I do laundry every day, but I am now only doing one load in the evening or on weekends. The cost difference is huge. Yes I have to do a little more planning, but the savings are worth it.

On another green note, I have stopped using any type of fabric softner or dryer sheets. I am also careful about my use of hot water - warm and cold works well too! I have also changed my attitude towards using my dryer as I find most of my clothes are in better shape if I lay them flat to dry. This was something I witnessed over 15 years ago when I was in Finland: the Finns (even in their cold winter) air dry alot of items!

I now also only put my dishwasher on at night before I go to bed and I make certain that it is totally full before I run it.

Turning the heat down at night not only makes for a better sleep but really cuts down on energy consumption as well as cost. There is also something wonderful about that burst of cozy warm air in the morning when you turn the heat up!

These are just a few simple things that I am doing.

Let me know what you are doing! I would love some more suggestions … simply click on the Comments link below.

Tanya

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