Hundreds of ways to save money!!
In these times we need to find ways to make ends meet.
Here is a list of hundreds of ways to save money.
Grocery
Re-use plastic shopping bags (or paper bags) as trash bags
Use a water filter, bottled water is for suckers
Use coupons
Buy generic
Do not buy things from vending machines
Buy in bulk
Don’t buy pre-packaged foods
Make your lunch, brown bag it, fast food is for rich people
Cook for multiple days
Serve smaller meal portions
Grocery shop with a list
Make your own coffee at home
Take note of unit prices on items
Don’t grocery shop at convenience stores
Plan a few meatless meals per week
Walk off the beaten path at stores, you will find deals
Grow your own vegetables
Home
No cable, if anything get satillite
Wash dishes by hand
Don’t use disposible plates or silverware
Use candles, or just turn off the lights when not needed
install solar tubes, they bring in free sunlight
Turn off or unplug unused appliances
Use Compact Fluorescent bulbs
Use natural light
Open the windows, do you really need the air running 24-7?
Insulate your water heater
Turn down the heat
Use the cold setting on your washer
Check for drafts in your openings
Use a programmable thermostat
Low-Flow toilets
Fix leaky faucets
Run full loads of clothes
Run full loads of dishes
Don’t water your lawn, Mother Nature takes care of that
Collect rain runoff with a cistern
Bundle services
Cancel your home phone if you have a cell
Buy appliances from scratch and dent retailers
Throw away (or recycle) retail catalogs
Buy refurbished computers
Limit magazine subscriptions to ones you actually read
Shut vents in unused rooms
Pass on extended warranties
Buy energy efficient appliances
Use drapes over windows
Caulk and weatherstrip
Insulate your walls and ceilings
Wash your clothes less often
Keep your refrigerator full
Shorten your showers
Turn the water off when brushing your teeth
Use craigslist
Use cloth napkins
Research how to fix things yourself
Plant a tree in your yard
Change your furnace filters
Buy generic ink cartridges or buy a refill kit
Sell old unused items
Have a garage sale
Check out yard sales
Stop by the Salvation Army
Finance
Use paypal for purchases
Keep extra money in high yield savings instead of checking
Automatic savings plan
Pay bills online
Reduce interest rates
Pick up pennies
Open a money market account for your savings for higher interest rate
Don’t use debit cards or atm cards that charge you fees
Don’t pay late fees, ever!
Send in manufacturers rebates
Take advantage of a work sponsored 401K plan
Use rebate or cash back credit cards
Pay off your credit card balance, every month!
Pay attention to your credit report
Make a personal budget
Make a larger down payment when taking out a loan
Don’t take out home equity loans
Don’t take out interest only loans
try going a couple days without spending money
Avoid going into stores
Make sure your work W-4 is up to date
Transportation
Take the bus or walk
Buy a used car
Buy a sipper not guzzler
Call your car insurance company to find ways to cut your premium
Drive safely and don’t get tickets
Be a defensive driver
Don’t overpay for gas, shop around
Combine errands into a single trip
Car pool
Don’t lease vehicles you can’t afford to buy
Properly inflate your car tires
Try and live close to work
Buy new tires from warehouse clubs
Don’t drive with a lead foot
Don’t rabbit start after a red light
Don’t carry things in your car you don’t need
Travel
Shop around for the best travel deals
Use a bargaining site to get hotels
Travel out of the busy season
Vacation closer to home
Try camping
Join a frequent flyer program
Purchase tickets in advance
Do you need the car rental insurance?
Personal
Get organized
Make lists…and stick to them
Use the library
Order free samples online
don’t smoke, or if you have to roll your own
Don’t drink alcohol, or at least cut back
Use community centers, you already pay for them in taxes
Play outside, its free
Do your homework, there is plenty of information out there for everything
Use generic prescription drugs when possible
Shop around online before heading out to the store
Use craigslist
less stuff = less maintenance
Posted in Sustainable and tagged easy, efficiency, free, frugal, green, guide, lifestyle, money, penny pincher, review, save, Sustainable by Studio Render with 28 comments.
“Green” Architecture
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Sustainable “Green” architecture, is a general term that describes environmentally-conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world. In the broad context, sustainable architecture seeks to minimize the negative environmental impact of buildings by enhancing efficiency and moderation in the use of materials, energy, and development space. – Wikipedia.org
Historically speaking, building took into account many factors that the technology of today has let us overlook; Factors such as building orientation, natural light, using local materials and designing to minimize expensive excess, to name a few. Architects can specify tile that comes from Italy, steel that must be expensively procured, shipped and attached, and designing HVAC to overcome bad design so that everyone is comfortable. The question is why we have gone away from responsible designing and building techniques; because we are used to taking technology and what we are able to get for granted. Just because you can get something, does that mean you should? Architects like Frank Lloyd Wright were known for using site materials for construction and being “Organic Architecture”. That doesn’t mean they are sustainable structures, but many are very good examples of what could be done easily in today’s society to maintain environmental sensitivity. Not all sustainable buildings have to use expensive solar panels or windmills to be considered “green”.
Interesting Religious “Green” websites:
http://www.nccecojustice.org/grbuilding.htm
http://www.greenerbuildings.com
http://www.churchsolutionsmag.com/articles/3b1Feat1.html
http://store.churchlawtodaystore.com/creachdo.html
http://www.rca.org
Posted in Sustainable and tagged architecture, development, Discussion, economic, efficiency, environment, environmentally, green, history, natural light, orientation, Sustainable, techniques, technology by Studio Render with 24 comments.
SIPs?
As architects we have great control over what products and processes are used in the construction of our environment. It is our responsibility to keep up to date with the latest innovations of the building industry and be receptive to change. It shouldn’t take a disaster like the Chicago fires to realize that a process may not be the best way of doing things. One of these “newer” innovations are structurally insulated panels or “SIPs” which is a more environmentally sound process than that of the stick & batt construction.
What is a SIP? According to the Structural Insulated Panel Association, “SIPs are high-performance building panels for floors, walls and roofs in residential and commercial buildings. Each panel is typically made using expanded polystyrene (EPS), or polyisocyanurate rigid foam insulation sandwiched between two structural skins of oriented strand board (OSB), but other surfaces are also available to meet your needs. The result is a building system that is very strong, predictable, energy efficient, and cost effective.” Some advantages of the products used in this process are that EPS will not shrink, decompose, or disintegrate; in addition the R-value will not decrease with age. The result is a solid insulator that is dependable and sustainable over the life of the structure. The process creates a very air tight construction that will not rot, is highly resistant to mildew and allows much less air infiltration than stick & batt structures. The foam core of the system allows for less air leaks, less noise and results in lower energy bills. This is due in part to the fact that unlike fiberglass insulation, the rigid core does not allow air to easily flow through it.
Posted in Sustainable and tagged building material, Discussion, economic, efficiency, environment, environmentally, green, insulation, SIPs, Sustainable, technology, wall system by Studio Render with 12 comments.
