Four Budget-Friendly GreenLiving Ideas

Live Green With Less Financial Worry

Want to live a green life but are concerned about the financial impact?  This is a common concern, especially around the holidays!  However, there are plenty of ways to live a green lifestyle and stay on a budget.  Several ideas include:

1) Clean green: Many people don't realize that their home can look immaculately clean by using natural products that already sit in a pantry shelf rather than buying cleaners in a store.  Not only are cleaners expensive, but they often are damaging to the air and water.  Here are some great natural products:

• White Wine Vinegar: vinegar is excellent for cleaning stains, especially on fabrics!
• Baking soda: baking soda is great at removing dirt and stains.  Did you know it is also good to mix baking soda with toothpaste to get a sparkling, white smile?
• Lemon and orange peels: instead of throwing fruit peels away, they are excellent to scrub dirt and grime from pots and pans.

Grady's GreenLiving Tips recently ran a series on a "green clean": view the posts here.

2) Unplug extra appliances: A previous GreenLiving blog discussed energy vampires , which is an occurrence where energy is drained from leaving plugs in outlets, even when the appliance is not in use.  One of the easiest ways to live a green life and save money on the electric bill is to remove plugs from outlets prior to leaving the house.  Chargers, coffeemakers, lamps: many appliances do not need to be plugged in when leaving the home.



3) Make use of natural light: During this time of year, apartments and houses are probably switching over to heat.  By opening the curtains or blinds during the day, natural light will heat the house instead of the thermostat.  That being said, remember to close windows in the home.  Cold air seeping into the home will definitely drop the temperature and cause the heat to run more often.

4) Don't waste resources: Before going out to eat, check the refrigerator.  If there are leftovers or just-bought groceries: eat at home instead!  So much food goes to waste when it is left unattended and becomes expired.  Over time, this will save you a lot of money!

Grady Management, Inc. was founded in 1965 and continues to provide full service residential, commercial and consulting real estate firm in the greater Washington and Baltimore metropolitan area. Learn more about Grady Management on our website or Facebook page.