There are so many people out there who think going green has to be expensive. While there are products out there that do cost a lot of money. There are also many cheap things that can be done to save energy, as well as money. And who doesn't want to save money? Especially in these economic times. We as Americans are always looking for the quickest way to do things. But when it comes to going green, unless you make quite a bit of money, taking your time is much more cost effective. Start off slowly, doing one thing at a time. Doing the little things first can show you that going green is beneficial. Not only for the Earth, but for your wallet. Before I get into the cheaper things you can do, I will cover some other basics.

While it would be nice to have a self-sufficient house. Most of us can not afford to do so. If you are thinking about adding Solar panels, don't do it all at once. Add a panel here, then add a panel there. It will spread the cost out over a longer period of time. Don't look for the quick fix. Same with most other projects that have a higher cost. I will add, that now is the time to do the bigger projects if you can afford to do so. There are so many tax incentives as well as incentives given by your local water and light companies. Not to mention city, county, and state incentives. Also, there are ways that you can draw out the finance payments so you can actually see a positive cash flow back into your home or business. Work with your financier to make this a reality. Take your time, do your research, and it will pay off in the end.

Now onto the things you can do, that will not burn a hole in your wallet. All savings listed below are very conservative estimates.

1) Carpool - This is not something you have to do everyday. But when you know someone who is going the same place that you are, have them pick you up. Tell them that the next time you will drive. You can save on gas, as well as not be putting all those extra green house gases into the air.

2) Plant a Tree - This is a very easy thing that you can do. You can get a lot of trees for under $80 dollars, depending on what kind of tree you get. Where you plant the tree can make a big difference as well. If it is a shade tree, plant it so that it may shade your air conditioner. This will cool the air around the a/c unit, helping to make the unit run more efficient. If you can not plant it there, plant it in front of a window. But do so on the Southern side of the house. This is where the sun is during the hottest time of the day. This will help shade that side of the house. Which will help reduce the demand on your a/c unit in another way. Also, by planting a tree, you will be helping to turn CO2 into more oxygen.

3) Get Rid of Junk Mail - This is a lot easier than a lot of you may think. This will cut down on the amount of paper wasted everyday, as most of us just throw it out anyway. Less paper means more trees. Go to the website: www.privacycouncil.org/end-junk-mail/ It will take you no more than 2-3 minutes to fill out what it needs to know. You will then start to see a reduction of junk mail over the next few months. This is a free service, what gets better than that.

4) Use Both Sides of the Paper When Printing - This one is pretty self explanatory and will not cost you any money out of pocket. You will save so much more paper by doing this. Which will save more trees and it will let you buy paper less often. Also, next time you buy paper for the printer, buy paper that has been recycled. Recycle any old papers that you do not need anymore, but make sure you shred anything that might have important information on it.

5) Change Your Light-bulbs - I am sure, by now, you have heard of doing this. It is such an easy one to do though, I had to add it on here. Change your light bulbs out with Compact Fluorescent Light-bulbs (CFL's). This will reduce the lighting portion of your electric bill by more than 45%. Not only that, but CFL's last longer. Meaning less maintenance involved, as you will not have to buy and change them as often. If you don't have the money to do it now, wait until your regular bulbs go out and replace them one by one. As stated above, you do not have to do it all at once. Also, they're now starting to offer LED lights that are even better than CFL's. They use less than a third of the energy of CFL's and even last longer.

6) Change Your Shower Head - Switch to a low-flow shower head. The mis-conception is that you will lose water pressure. Not true at all! This can save you up to 18,000 gallons of water per year or more, depending on how many people live in the home. The cheapest ones start off around twenty dollars.

7) Purchase a Programmable Thermostat - By doing this you can save up to $120 a year on your heating/cooling bill or more. It may not sound like much, but it all adds up. They are available at your local hardware store or online. You can get a good one for under $40.

8) Make Sure It Is Full Before You Start It - When doing laundry and the dishes make sure it is full before you start it. You will save on water and energy costs. If it is full every time, you will run the dishwasher up to 2 times less a week. Sometimes you may have to wait an extra day to start it, so be it. If you absolutely have to do a small load of laundry in the washer, make sure you adjust the water setting. Also, you can buy laundry detergent made for cold water washing, so you can wash your clothes in warm or cold water. Which will save on water heating. This tip also does not cost any extra money, except maybe another dollar or two for the detergent.

9) Put a Brick in Your Toilet Tank - I know, most of you may think I am crazy. But, a one pound brick displaces one gallon of water. That is one less gallon you will use every time you flush your toilet. This only is good if you have an older toilet. I would only do this as a hold-over until you can get a more efficeint toilet or you rent where you live. Now, if you do have the money to upgrade, look into a dual-flush toilet. These are toilets that have two different flushes based on what you do (If you know what I mean). The higher end ones shouldn't be more than $600 dollars, with some under $280. But putting the brick in your tank can save you up to $100 a year in water and waste-water costs. Flushing the toilet uses around 30% of the water that you pay for. You can also look into a greywater recycling system. This system takes water that you have used to shower or water from sinks and recycles it to use to flush your toilets.

Most of these things can be done whether you rent or own your home. You can also take some of these things with you if you were to move. Also talk to your landlord to see if he would knock the $40 off of the rent if you were to buy the new thermostat. Tell him that you want to save some money on your electric bill and you will leave it behind when you move. This works, as I have done it many times, with many different things. By doing these few things, you can possibly save over $500 a year. And who wouldn't want that money in their pocket. Remember, take your time and do your research. Once you see the difference in the money that you can save, you will be happy that you did so. Also, to anyone who owns a business that wants to make it more energy efficient or is planning on building an energy efficient home, I work for a company called Eco-Smart Inc. We are a distributor of Eco-friendly products and systems. You can check out the website at www.ecosmartinc.com or you can e-mail me directly at rlanktree@eco-smart.com for more info. Although we do not install or build, we can work in conjunction with your architect or contractor to design and supply Eco-friendly systems. Anything including solar water heating systems, solar panel arrays, greywater recycling systems, sustainable woods, flooring, lighting, insulation, etc. Please check out the website for more information on all the products that we distribute. Hope this helps and please leave your comments. Thanks, and together we can save money, as well as the Earth.