Being green is not only good for the planet but your wallet as well. That’s the premise behind Shift Your Habit: Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet by Elizabeth Rogers. She describes green changes that will decrease your carbon footprint and lists the dollar amount each one will potentially save you.
Like many people, Rogers thought it was expensive to go green. Then she realized she was wrong and decided to write a guide to help people identify how to save money by being eco-friendly. She writes:
In my own experience, I’ve noticed that becoming greener has made my life richer and healthier, and, paradoxically, less expensive. This was a revelation. Like most people, I thought going green would put a serious strain on my finances. But I found, in reality, there’s no need to compromise ecological principles in order to save cash. And, perhaps surprisingly, you don’t need to give up comfort, convenience, or style in order to tread more lightly on the earth.
The biggest money-savings are for people who own their own homes. Changes like lowering the thermostat setting on your water heater from 140 degrees F to 120 degrees F can save up to $70 per year for an electric water heater, and up to $40 or more per year for a gas water heater. As an apartment dweller, my utility bill is included in my rent so I won’t see any savings for changing to energy-efficient ways. Everyone can save up to $200 per year if they replace standard household cleaning products with home remedies.
Shift Your Habit is more like a guide that can easily be skimmed to find specific information rather than a long drawn sermon that preaches about the benefits of green living. The book is laid out in an easy-to-read format as each chapter has a theme, tables, and charts for quick access and understanding. One cool chart is titled Vintage Baby and lists price comparisons on new and used “must-have” baby furniture.
One of my favorite features in the book is titled Swift Shifts. These are stories about families and individuals who have made changes in their daily lives and have noticed a difference in their checkbook. The testimonials are written in the first person and really help drive home the fact that anyone can afford to be an environmentalist.
The book is packed with practical tips that long-time environmentalist may know, but I had a couple “aha” moments when I asked myself why I hadn’t thought of the change before. If you have an aquarium, instead of pouring the old water down the drain, it can be used to feed your plants because it contains high levels of nitrogen and other nutrients that help plants grow. This adds up to a $15 per year savings on fertilizer costs.
If you would like to win my review copy of Shift Your Habit: Easy Ways to Save Money, Simplify Your Life, and Save the Planet, leave a comment by Friday, July 16 at 9 a.m. explaining your reason for going green. If you can’t wait, purchase it on Amazon for $10.08.
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price. 
I also thought it would be more expensive to go green, so reading this book would really help me along. I already compost, have changed all my lightbulbs to CFLs and have a programmable thermostat, but I am sure there are many other things I can do, and I think this book would be a great help in getting there.
I have lived a green life now for much of my adult life. First I started with not eating meat in high school and then gradually expanded that into other areas of life. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 30 choosing to take public transportation or walk everywhere. When I had kids, I started looking at more green cleaning products and reusable items. We grow our own veggies, recycle all of our old mags and books at our local library, and love freecycling our clothing and toys. I guess to me green living is simply living. I wouldn’t choose having it any other way. And I would love to read this book to see what other ways there are to be even a little more green
I have lived a green life now for much of my adult life. First I started with not eating meat in high school and then gradually expanded that into other areas of life. I didn’t get my driver’s license until I was 30 choosing to take public transportation or walk everywhere. When I had kids, I started looking at more green cleaning products and reusable items. We grow our own veggies, recycle all of our old mags and books at our local library, and love freecycling our clothing and toys. I guess to me green living is simply living. I wouldn’t choose having it any other way. And I would love to read this book to see what other ways there are to be even a little more green
Going greener for me is about reducing waste and pollution and about being healthier. I’ve been vegetarian for over 30 years and have run many close errands by walking for quite a while. I began going greener a few years ago when I noticed the frequency of articles on green living. I changed what I could such as using canvas bags, reusing plastic produce bags, recycling, stopping junk mail, changing soaps and detergent, using cold water for laundry, drying outside when possible and finding new uses for old clothes. There’s more I’d like to do, but am limited by apartment living and being jobless. It feels great doing my part!
Living green is a cousin to living frugally. I read once that the overlap is about 90%. So I would love to save the planet while I save my money. I have done some obvious things but I am always wondering what I could do that would help even more. This book would be a great help.
I always love the one about the water heater… the dial on mine just says low, med & High… boy that’s a lot of help… We’ve always used low-flow water in our showers, programmable themostats, compost… yup we’re part of the 60’s hippie generation…
Being frugal is about using resources wisely which is exactly what being green is all about. Frugality is not about being cheap, it is about weighing cost against benefit, and this is what we need to do to maintain our planet as well. When I was small, my grandmother bought vegetables locally in her own reusable bag; she wasn’t ahead of the times, she was behind them since she never got into the habit of shopping at the fancy supermarket that had opened near her home. Funny how what she did then is trendy now.
If “you don’t need to give up comfort, convenience, or style in order to tread more lightly on the earth”, I would love to read this book!
What an awesome giveaway.
I am going green b/c I realize how important it is for us to leave the earth in good “health” for future generations…like my kids!
I’ve been getting greener and greener for many years. Some costs are prohibitive.
Fiberglass-framed insulated windows, native plantings in the yard, new ac, and solar water heater have recently been added. I’ve been composting for years, and I can recycle most products in my town. Electric panels would be great to cut electric bills, but it’s still too expensive. The book sounds like a great addition to help broaden my knowledge and also share my information and the book with others! It’s so important for the future generations!
I would love opportunity to learn more about going green. I would love to have the opportunity to expand on my knowledge of being greener along with being frugal.
The concept of ‘giving back’ is what motivates to try to conserve nature’s resources. I think of it as ‘courtesy’ for the bounty that Natures gives us. While I still have far to go, I’m learning to be more mindful of what I do, and to consider whether there’s a better, greener, way to do it. For example, this year my husband and I gave up paper towels and started using cloth towels instead. Initially, it seemed an inconvenience; now, as we’ve learned to keep cloth towels in convenient places throughout the house, it’s become second nature.
We just replaced a leaky water heater with a new GE heat pump water heater. It heats water quickly, saves energy, dehumidifies and air conditions the room it’s in (laundry room) and provides distilled water that I can use in several ways around the house. Now I’m anxious for my 40+ year old oven to finally give out so I can purchase an energy efficient one!
Because I have these big expenses coming up, I look for ways to save every day. I’m a member of an organic food co-op, I compost everything for my garden, I use baking soda and vinegar for most cleaning, and we turn off the heat and air on nice days. My husband and I both work from home – huge savings! I think the best thing to have to help you save money is like-minded friends. I don’t feel any pressure to buy the latest thing.
I really need to read this book and then pass it along to my daughter. I’ve been doing things to save money AND benefit the planet my entire married life (i.e. hanging clothes on a line instead of using the dryer saves me the cost of the gas AND doesn’t use up that few cubic feet of the natural resource.) But, I’m sure there are many ways of benefitting my wallet AND the planet that I haven’t thought of. (I’m still learning!) My daughter is about to getr married and start a family and is very ecologically conscious and frugal. But, I’m sure there’s much more for her to learn, too.