Photo by Neubie

This is a guest post from Andrew Chilton of Retire at 40. Be sure to visit his blog to see how he plans to retire at 40. To do this, he has recently started to take control of his finances by spending less and saving more. He has also noticed that a number of things he's changed has also helped him become more environmentally aware. Here's a few thoughts from him on the matter.

Did you ever imagine that saving money can also help save the environment? If
not, you should try it now because my recent experience with spending less and saving more

proved it to me and should work for you too.

Did you ever get the feeling that the 'green' movement knew that the reverse of
this was also true - that saving the environment also helps you save money -
though I suspect this is considered a side benefit more than anything
else. Nowadays I think that one implies the other whichever way you look at it.

Here's some background info on me. Recently I changed my spending habits such
that I would be spending less and becoming a little more frugal in all areas of
my life. In doing all this, I realized that not only am I spending less but I'm also helping
the environment too.

5 Areas of your life that are affected by cost and also have an affect on the environment.
Taking your own reusable shopping bags to the supermarket
costs less money, they don't go into landfill and sometimes the supermarket
even rewards you for doing it (let's face it, it's also saving them money
too). These bags are usually made from more environmentally friendly materials
too; mine are cotton and the best thing about them is that they are washable.

Reusable batteries might cost more in the short term but they
soon pay for themselves. This also means less waste to deal with (but remember
not to dispose of any batteries in the landfill - seek advice from your local
council for the best way to discard them).

Now let's look at the eternally shining Energy Saving Light
Bulbs. These have come down in price quite dramatically over the past
5 years and with a lifespan of 10,000 hours instead of a measly 1,000 hours,
all at about 1/6th of the regular energy usage, you are onto a sure fire winner
with these things.

Let's now consider the type of food we buy (but for the purposes of this
conversation, I'm not going to delve into organic foods since that is a whole
new topic itself).

I used to buy certain foods which came with lots of plastic, biscuits with
individual wrappers and lots of takeaway coffees. I have never been really bad
with any of these things but bad enough for me to notice and do something about
it. Nowadays, I buy more fruit and vegetables, none of which come in individual
wrappers and I never use those little plastic bags in the shop either. I
rarely, if ever, buy biscuits anymore (though I have been known to make
some). I have also completely quit buying takeaway coffees. All of these
actions are now saving me money and a few little things like that all add up to
help the environment too.

Furthermore, putting fruit and vegetable waste into a compost heap puts nutrients
back into your garden rather than the landfill. It can also help when growing
your own fruit and vegetables - so there's another saving there. Growing your
own also means less waste being used in packaging, less going into rubbish bags
(which I have pay the council to put into the landfill) as well as spending
less in the shops. In just a few sentences, that adds up to a number of
different savings right off the bat. (Did I also mention the fact that you'll
feel much better when eating more healthily, have more energy and your
digestive system will thank you for it too!)

Also remember to look for a local market which sells local fruit and veg. That
way you're not buying apples that have come from thousands of miles away but
instead those which have travelled from just down the road. Think globally,
act locally as they say.

Finally, we have to look at cars/automobiles. There are a number of costs to
mention here like initial price, depreciation, repair and maintenance,
insurance, tax, petrol and maybe breakdown recovery. Of course, some people say
they just can't live without a car, or even two, but let's look at it from a
money and environmental angle rather than a practical angle for now.

Moneywise, you might have to buy a bike, pay for public transport, taxis or walk
more than you used to and the costs of some of these may well add up. Still,
you'd probably be surprised to hear that it's pretty likely that it'll be
cheaper than the amount of money you're spending on your car (especially if you
bought new with horrendous depreciation). All of these solutions are better for
the environment and in lots of cases are also better for you. Just be sure to
keep track of your car spending so that you can make an informed decision as to
whether getting rid of your car helps you financially. It is certain that would
help the environment more and your fitness might also go up too.

Admittedly some of the points made in this article have been brief and I have
only touched on a few issues. There are many other factors to consider with
regard to manufacturing cost and materials used for each item but as always you
should look to more appropriate sources for further information. I just
find it fascinating reading about both personal finance and going green at the
same time and how the two actually go hand in hand rather than being a
balancing act.

You should try some of these things too and please leave any saving
and/or green tips so we can all care for the environment as well as our own
pockets.

I share alot here at SingleGuyMoney. I've found that it is so much easier to share all of my financial details anonymously instead of telling a friend or family member about my debts or how much money I earn. Since I share so much of financial details here, I thought I'd share a little about my childhood and how it influences my financial decisions today.

I grew up in a small town. By small, I mean one traffic light small. I never knew my father. He was killed in a car accident before I was even born. He did not have any type of insurance so the financial burden fell heavily on my mother. My mother did not finish high school and was working at a minimum wage job. Growing up, I remember not having alot. We were poor - very poor. I would get hand-me-down clothes from my cousins. I remember my mother receiving food stamps and walking in shoes with holes in them just so she could provide food for us. We lived in a rented house and the where the bathroom barely worked. The tub didn't work so we took baths in the sink. The toilet did not work so we had to flush it by filling up a pail and pouring it in the toilet. I guess since we paid very little rent, the landlord didn't really bother to fix anything.

My mother did save enough money to buy us a home. Granted, it had wheels and was already ten years old but it was our home. I remember every time we had a storm, we had to leave and go down the street to the neighbors house because mobile homes aren't a real safe place to be during a storm. Growing up, I was embarrassed to have my friends come over because of where I lived. I didn't want them to talk about me or not like me because I did not have what they had.

I vividly remember one night I had a dream that I woke up one day and I had my own computer. When I woke up the next morning, I cried so hard and for so long because the dream seemed so real. Of course, computers were not nearly as affordable as they are now.

As soon as I was old enough to work, I started working at a fast food restaurant so I help my mother pay the bills. I remember my mother crying when I offered her money to get our electricity turned back on. As much as she did not want to take the money, she did because she did not have any other choice. I was determined I did not want to live like this and I was determined to better my life.

I put myself through college by working and taking out student loans. In my sophomore and junior year, I worked two jobs to make ends meet. This was my first experience with credit cards and I started to pile on the debt trying to make up for "things" I did not have when I was growing up and trying to look like I had as much money as my peers.

Fast forward to the present. I still have debt but I am slowly working to pay it off. I know that I don't have to be like or live like my neighbors and my friends. If people are judging me by what I have then they aren't really friends. My self worth is not based on what I have or the balance in my bank account.

I know most of you look at my savings balance and wonder why I keep so much cash when I have higher rate debt. I know that I am losing money. I know it makes no financial sense but it provides me with a little piece of mind. Growing up like I grew up, I'm so scared of being broke. Psychologically, it makes me feel better to keep a large stash of cash in the bank. You have to do what helps you to sleep well at night.

If you made it this far in the story; thanks for reading. I hope I didn't bore you too much. I just wanted to share a little more about me.

Image Credit: Editor B

Today, October 15th is Blog Action Day and I am delighted to be one of the hundreds of thousands of bloggers posting about the environment. I must admit, I am not as environmentally conscious as I should be but I am making changes.

Here are some of the things I am doing to help the environment:

• Reducing the amount of paper I am using. I use old envelopes as notepads and reuse paper whenever I can.
• I use a washcloth instead of paper towels when possible.
• I am requesting online statements when for my various financial accounts and credit cards. Not only is this good for the environment, it is also good for my financial security as I do not risk someone stealing my credit card bill from the mailbox.
• Limiting my water use. I no longer wash my car every week. I am taking shorter showers especially since my area is in a severe drought. The lake that we get our water from is down 13 feet below full. As a result, the county water authority has issued a total outdoor water ban.
• I run the dishwasher only when it is completely full. For the smaller loads, I will handwash them. This too is a money saver as you save electricity, gas and water use.

Here is a great website listing 100 ways to save the environment. You can visit the "Sustainable Environment for Quality of Life" here. Are you doing what you can to help the environment??

Posts from my fellow M-Network Members:

Blog Action Day - Being Frugal and the Environment from Being Frugal

10 Mutual Funds for a Greener Future from Gather Little by Little

10 Ways to Reduce your Carbon Footprint (9 will save you money) from Paid Twice

Little things you can do to save money and our planet from Moolanomy

Blog Action Day - One Day To Discuss the Environment from MyTwoDollars

save money, save your health. save the planet. walk. from Plonkee Money