Today is Earth Day. In that spirit here are a few easy ways to save some money and help the environment at the same time:
Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) - CFL's are a good way to save money and save energy at the same time. I save over $60 a year in electricity by using them myself. Today only you can get a free CFL at Home Depot since they are giving out 1 million of them for Earth Day.
Recycle Aluminum Cans - Many states have a deposit so you can get 5¢ or 10¢ per can. It should list right on the can which states have deposits. If your state has a deposit then redeeming your deposit is the best way to go. But if your state does not have a deposit then you can take your aluminum cans to a metal recycling center and they will pay you for them. I don't mean just a drop off site, but a business that recycles metals. You should be able to find such local metal recyclers in your area with a quick Google search or checking your yellow pages. Aluminum cans are currently fetching around 20-25¢ per pound at recyclers. That works out to something in the ballpark of 1¢ per aluminum can. Of course you should pile up a bunch of them so you make one trip and recycle many pounds worth.
Stop using Bottled Water - I wrote before how you can save over $100 annually if you Use a filter instead of buying bottled water.
Drive Better - Simply changing your driving habits can have a big impact on your fuel efficiency. If you cut your speeding and avoid fast acceleration and braking then you could cut your gas use by as much as 33%. Following this and other gas saving tips will cut your gas use and save you money and waste less gasoline.