Sustainable savings

Visit Your Local Library
Instead of buying small mountains of books, CDs, DVDs and magazines that you barely use, get them from your library. Over time, you'll save a nice pile of cash.
Cut your food bill up to 30%
In the UK a third of all food bought is wasted and it is likely to be somewhat similar in New Zealand. By planning meals better, judicious buying and freezing, and making use of leftovers you will significantly cut your food bill and reduce your ecological footprint. Eating less meat will help too!
Use rechargeable batteries
Investing in rechargeable batteries can save you quite a bit of money over time. In general, the less you rely on single-use, disposable items, the less money you'll burn.
Eliminate draughts and air leaks
One of the easiest ways to save money around the house is to seal off draughts. Draughts can reduce your energy bill from between 5% and 30%. With today's heating costs, that amounts to real money.
Get into CFLs
Using CFLS can save up to 80% of your lighting costs. That's huge! Also the newest designs include different color, dimmable bulbs, bug lights, candelabra and flicker styles and more.
Try Green Cleaning
Not only is green cleaning a refreshing alternative to toxic cleaning products, but it saves you money. Instead of buying an endless array of chemicals from the store, get spotless floors, countertops, porcelain and more the old-fashioned way, with vinegar, baking soda, borax and elbow grease.
Stop idling
Every moment you spend idling your car's engine is a needless waste of petrol as well wear and tear on your vehicle. Idling for more than 10 seconds wastes more petrol than is needed for startup. In the US, Americans idle away 10.9 billion litres of petrol a year, worth around $NZ17.55 billion. Accelerating too hard also uses more petrol, cars are designed to be most fuel efficient at 2,500 RPM or less.
Start a vegie garden
Gardening can save you money, as well as provide the freshest, organic, local produce.
Op-Shop!
No, not the band. Go op-shopping and save money! This could easily halve your clothes budget and it helps the environment.
Tune-up
Tuning-up your car will make you engine run more efficiently, saving petrol. Just getting a clean air filter can improve mileage by as much as 10% and therefore you 15+ cents a litre? Nearly one in four cars need an air filter replacement. Bad wheel alignment and uninflated tyres force your engine to work harder (in addition to wearing out your tyres quicker) and this can reduce fuel economy by as much as 10% as well.