Green Financial Tips

Conserve Energy

Simple tasks such as turning off lights when you leave the room and installing a programmable thermostat can reduce your utility bills and overall energy consumption. in turn lowering your monthly expenses making it easier for you to save toward your debt settlement negotation. When it comes time to buy new appliances, you may consider Energy Star models, which use 10-50% less energy and water than standard models, according to the Energy Star web site. You can visit this site at www.energystar.gov for more tips on conserving energy.

Drive Greener

Most green articles urge consumers to purchase a hybrid car. As you strive to settle your debts, buying a new vehicle may not be an option. However, there are other ways that you can "green" your car and save money on transportation costs. For example, you will burn less fuel if you roll down your windows in the summer instead of using air conditioning. Performing routine maintenance on your car may also reduce gas consumption and prevent costly car repairs. According to Treehugger.com, if every driver's tires were properly inflated, approximately 2 billion gallons of gas would be saved each year. You may also consider relying on your vehicle less by walking short distances or carpooling. Sites such as www.erideshare.com allow you to search for fellow carpoolers that want to travel in the same direction as you.

Green Technology

Some people may associate living green with abandoning all personal possessions and modern technologies to live on a commune. In actuality, some technological advancements can actually help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. Consider the options below. Keep in mind that the following tips are meant to help you get the most use out of items that you may already own; we are not encouraging you to purchase brand new equipment.


Go paperless! You can pay bills online, use electronic scheduling software, and send free electronic cards. Before you print, ask yourself if you really need to have a paper copy. Take advantage of organizing important documents using email programs or document folders in your computer system software. You will use less paper and will not have to purchase expensive ink cartridges as often.

MP3 players come in all price ranges and allow users to download single songs instead of buying expensive individual CDs. You may consider transferring your CD library to MP3 format and resell your CDs on sites such as www.ebay.com and www.craigslist.org. Resell stores such as CD Warehouse may also give you cash for your CDs. Visit www.cdwarehouse.com for a location near you.

Remember to properly dispose of your electronic equipment, also known as e-waste. If you can not use it, sell or donate the item. You can also visit www.earth911.org for a recycling or donation center in your area.