Many ways to go green at home can be done very cheaply and easily. Some of them can even save you some money. Little things like lowering your thermostat by 5 degrees will save around 5 to 10 percent of your energy bill. If you’re cold, put on more clothes, or if you’re hot, wear less.

Switch to incandescent light bulbs because they use less energy and last 5 times as long as traditional bulbs. These bulbs are more expensive to buy at first, but you’ll make that money back in 6 months. Only wash full loads of laundry, use concentrated detergents and cold water. A wood drying rack costs around $10 that you can use to cut back on using the dryer. You can also use an outside clothesline to dry clothes.

How to Save Money and Live Green at the Same Time

Even though it takes patience and time, recycle all you can. This isn’t just about saving bottles, cans, and newspapers either. You can donate things like old clothes. Shopping local also helps your community. Use old items for new jobs that need to be done. Old towels can be cut into cleaning rags, for instance. If you’ve got a large empty container, it can be painted and turned into the ideal planter for a garden.

Growing your own food can stretch shopping money more than you realize. Start your own garden. This can be done whether you’ve got 10 acres or a small balcony on an apartment. You can use container gardening for tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and peppers. This can go even further by canning what you don’t use. There are also electric dehydrators or solar dryers that you can use to dehydrate your vegetables.

Something that a lot of people have trouble doing is turning things off. If you’re not using it, turn it off. When you leave a room, turn the light off. Control your electronics with surge protectors. Lots of household electronics like your television, DVD player, VCR, or computers still use electricity even when turned off.

If you use the surge protector’s on/off button, passive electricity is eliminated and this will lower your electric bill. It can save you up to $50 a year just doing that. When you think about it, every little bit helps.