Financial Forum - Money Tree

With the troubles going on in our economy, have you ever wished that you had a money tree? Or, at times, do you feel as if you are treated as nothing more than a money tree?

If the answer is yes, then please read on. If your answer is no, but you have a desire to save money, then please read on.

Here are some simple ways to save some significant green (paraphrased from an issue of BottomLine Personal, 10/01/08).


Limit Portions: according to the USDA, roughly 25% of all edible food bought by Americans goes to waste. There are also packaging and transportation costs. If you use smaller portions and invoke leftovers, you could save between $500 and $1500 per year.

Plant Trees: A few strategically planted trees that provide shade and block cold winds can lower your heating and cooling costs. Once mature, this could be as much as $250 per year.

Reduce Your Lawn: A beautiful lawn requires water, fertilizer, weed killers and pesticides. If you use a lawn care service, you also have service fees. Planting low maintenance ground cover such as pachysandra or creeping thyme can trim your yard care costs by 50% ($100-$500 per year).

Be Thrifty With Clothes: Only a small fraction of all clothing thrown out in America is truly worn out. If you buy half of your clothing from thrift stores, you can expect to save 80% over the cost of new duds. This can represent a savings of as much as $800.

User Fewer Paper Products: Use cloth napkins and towels instead of paper, and real plates/cups versus paper plates/cups, and even after factoring in laundry and dish washing, your could save $100-$200 per year.

Energy Star: As you replace household appliances, look for the Energy Star label. You could save $100 - $400 per year.

Eat Lower in the Food Chain: Did you know it takes seven pounds of grain to gain a pound of weight in a cow? Beef and Poultry account for more than 200 pounds of meat per year. If you eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables, your will be healthier and reduce your grocery bill by 20% (savings of $1200 per year).

Drink Tap Water: Tap water is as safe as bottled water for most of America, and it takes oil to make plastic bottles for your water. If you drink bottled water, you could save $200 - $1000 per year.

Stay Close To Home: With gas at $4 per gallon, if you can eliminate one or two trips per week by consolidating your outings, you can save more than $100 per year if you save 15 miles per week. Do the math for where you live.

Use Your Library: Save trees and plastic by borrowing books/CDs/DVDs from a friend or from the Library, and if you avoid buying one book per month and avoid renting two movies per month, that is a savings of $420 per year.

So what is the bottom line (pun intended) - look at how you spend your money, and if you plan and strategize, then you could get to the point of saving between $2000 and $8000 per year. That is not chump change :o)