Saving Money by Going Green: 19 Tips That Can Save Hundreds

We did the math, so you can save the cash. These tips aren't only good for the Earth, they will actually save you real money — $20 at least, thousands at most. By Dan Shapley

Stop Eating Out

Cost Savings: Hundreds, if not thousands

Perhaps the most famous money-saving tip of all is to brown-bag your lunch, rather than eat out. And for good reason. The typical U.S. family spend $4,000 on meals outside the home — whether for breakfast, lunch or dinner, according to a statistic quoted in The Cheapskate Next Door ($10 at amazon.com) by our own Jeff Yeager, the Green Cheapskate. Yeager estimates that a family that commits to eating at home can save $3,000 and eat just as well.

Cooking at home is also a great first step — maybe the best — toward going green. By making your own food, you'll pay attention to the ingredients you use, how they were grown and how nutritious and wholesome they are. It's like a gateway drug: Soon you'll be considering whether your food is organic, how locally itw was grown, whether it's in season and the conditions of workers on the farms where it was grown.... The kind of things you rarely think about when salivating over a four-star menu, let alone swinging through the drive-through for a McMuffin.

Here are some tips to help get you started:
> Green Your Pantry: 10 Do's and Don'ts
> 10 Quick, Healthy Breakfast Ideas
> Healthy Vitamin-Packed Superfoods
> Dozens of Healthy Recipes