15 ways to save money by being green

1. Pimp your ride. Empty the car’s boot and make a habit of only filling the tank halfway. This reduces the weight your engine has to haul around and saves petrol. Remove roof racks when not in use to cut drag, and keep tyres at the correct pressure.

2. Tap dripping? That’s up to 10 litres per day. Fix it and shave $8 from the yearly bill.

3. Turn chargers off at the wall. Even when not connected to laptops or phones these still drain electricity. Save power, save money, save carbon: win.

4. Ditto for other appliances. The TV’s ‘standby’ mode is short for ‘standby for a big power bill’. Idling appliances cost Kiwis $100 million a year.

5. Be neighbourly. Before you buy your next power tool, check what the neighbour has. If they own a drill, but need a jigsaw could you buy that and agree to share both?

6. Parents: don’t buy baby wipes. Instead, cut Chux cloths in half and moisten with water. You can put used wipes in a bucket with a lid until there’s enough for a laundry load. It keeps chemicals off baby’s bum and saves dollars – easy!

7. Speaking of the laundry... Wash in cold water, and try to line dry to cut your power bill – and carbon footprint.

8. Plant supermarket herbs. Cut a cross into a bag of compost, add water and insert that tired pot of parsley, basil or coriander to give it a second chance at life (and save you money next shopping trip).

9. Plant a fruit tree. A young plum tree costs about $40, but will shower you in fruit for years.

10. Buy in season. Avoid US asparagus and oranges from Spain to save about a million food miles.

11. Start composting. Household rubbish collection is increasingly going user-pays, so cut your waste output by turning green waste into soil.

12. Washing the car? Use a bucket, not the hose. And use a broom on the path instead of hosing.

13. Go vego once a week. Meat isn’t just expensive; it has a huge ecological footprint compared to vegetables.

14. Avoid pre-packed veges. A tray of mushrooms goes for about $6 for 350gm. The same product loose is half the price – with no Styrofoam tray to throw away. 

15. Save water. Installing a showerhead that restricts flow to 9 litres per minute can save $250 annually (if your water is metered).