Recently, I asked Frugally Green Readers what the best ways to improve the world while pocketing some coin for themselves along the way are. As an incentive to answer, I gave away a few prizes.

Turns out, you guys are really smart (of course I already knew that)!

I got lots of interesting replies from a number of excited people.  I don’t want those ideas to be forgotten, so I’ve decided to highlight some of them in a post.

The following are five comments that I selected from that post to highlight here as well as a little commentary from because, well, I like to hear myself talk.

Take a second to think about each one and see how it could apply to your life.  Maybe these ideas could provide a little guidance while you’re setting your goals for next year.

Comment #1 comes from Wendy, who said:

Best way to save while saving planet: Don’t spend money on useless crap that you don’t really need or will even want in a month. Save the money and keep stuff out of the landfill.

Best way to make money while saving planet: Do something you truly love and find a way to get paid for it. A planet of fulfilled souls makes for a better world.

Way to tell it like it is, Wendy!  We can all stand to get real once in awhile about the things we need.  I try to do a little benefit analysis every time I consider buying anything, but I still end up with junk I never really wanted now and again.

I’m right on board with you about doing what you love, too.  Fulfilled souls certainly beat wandering zombies.

Comment #2 comes from KC, who said:

Best way to save while saving planet: Get rid of all incandescent lamps at home. Replace them with efficient CFL or LED lamps. They draw way less power saving you money and result in less emissions at the power plant. They can pay for themselves within a few months depending on your usage.

If you’re concerned about mercury in CFLs, use caution while handling them so they don’t break and recycle them at the end of their life. Home Depot has an excellent CFL recycling program.

Incandescent lamps generate a lot of heat that your AC needs to remove from your home during summers. This causes extra burden on your AC and also costs you money.

No need to go out and replace every light in the house.  Just pick them up one at a time if you want until you’ve totally converted.  The biggest complaint I hear about CFLs is in regard to the quality of light they emit.  People prefer incandescent bulbs to read under.  “They’re superior,” they say.

You know what else is a superior product no one uses anymore?  Asbestos. Same story, different application.

Comment #3 comes from Jason, who said:

The best way to save money while improving the world is to be realistic in your choice of automobile. How much passenger/cargo space do you really need? Are most of your trips made with only the driver in the car, etc.?

Once you have determined what you really require, buy a used, well maintained vehicle that fills those requirements. Make maintenance a priority and do as much of it yourself as you can to keep the vehicle in top condition.

IMO, it is wealthier for the planet to continue to use existing resources as opposed to consuming more in the name of new.

Spot on, Jason. I’m almost a perfect example of who you’re talking about.  I bought a little, old truck right before college to get around in.  I never really even considered what I “needed” in terms of transportation besides something cheap.

98% of my trips are by myself with no cargo yet, six years later, I still haven’t done anything about it. Next year will contain some serious head scratching over how to improve this. Ideally, I’d like to go carless.  No promises…

Comment #4 comes from Susie (aka my mom), who said:

Composting can save you some money on your garbage bill and your garden will thank you next year. It is easy to do and doesn’t have to take up a lot of space.

A blog is always better with family involvement. That’s why I make sure to call out my mom every time she shows up here no matter how badly she wants to remain anonymous.

You’re right, Mom.  Composting is awesome.  However, sometimes compost tumblers aren’t.

Comment #5 comes from Rosemary, who said:

The best way to save money while saving the planet is to live close to where you work! Since I really wanted to live in Boston/Cambridge, I chose to work 3 miles away instead of 20+ miles away! In the summer I bike or take public transportation to work, and in winter time I drive when it’s too cold or snowing.

We also live within walking distance from our main grocery store.

The rent in the city is not that different from being in the suburbs, so from that aspect it’s not too bad either!

This kind of advice is extremely useful, but takes some careful planning to complete.  Finding a good home and a good job can be two of the most difficult things a person does in life.  Getting them next door to each other is even tougher.

Nonetheless, many do it and live very happy lives because of it.  Honestly, how happy can you be if you spend half your working life in a car?

Well, there you have it, folks.  Five suggestions from the brightest minds at Frugally Green on ways that you can reduce your footprint and your bottom line simultaneously.  I hope you take a little time to consider implementing or optimizing some of them in your own life.

Have any feedback on these tips? Any others you’d like to add?

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Connect with me on Twitter: @tylertervooren

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Alright friends, put on your thinking caps.  If you’ve had the itch to boss someone around lately, I am about to present you with an opportunity.  I’ve made a lot of changes in my life over the last 6 months, and I am ecstatic that I have been able to share them with you.  If you haven’t been around too long, check out the archives and make sure you read my last update on how things are going.

Awhile back, I asked you to help me make a decision on a new computer.  You guys were awesome and gave me a ton of feedback.  That really felt good and I want to try it again. By the way, I’m planning an update post very soon to let you know how that whole mess played out.

I’ve been thinking lately about what my next big environmental goal should be.  It’s come time to add a new aspiration to the list.  I started piecing together a few ideas, but then I thought, “Hey, I bet my readers wouldn’t mind having a bit of a say in what goes on around here.” That’s when I decided that it’s your turn to tell me what to do.

Why do I want your input?

I’ve spent plenty of time telling you what to do, now I want to turn the tables a little bit.  I want Frugally Green to feel like your website just as much as it feels like mine.  This is our site!  We’re in this together!  When I started thinking of ways to make that happen, this was a natural fit.

By giving you the opportunity to share your input, I’m hoping to achieve a win-win situation for all of us. By actively asking what meaningful change is to you and making an effort to implement it, I’m aiming to make you feel like you have more ownership of what goes on around here.  I’m constantly looking for more ways to listen to what you have to say and give you what you want.

I love hearing from readers that say I’ve helped them in one way or another, and by opening this up to you, I’m hoping that you’ll feel like you have a real, direct impact on my life.

And what about me?  Well, this should help me out tremendously, as well.  Sometimes I tend to be a stubborn guy.  I have a habit of becoming married to routine and get caught up doing the same thing over and over again without consideration for a change of pace.  What better way to expand my horizon and find new avenues to change than by gathering ideas from you?  I want to become more adaptable to new situations in my life and foster greater connections with you, my readers.

The rules (that you’re free to break)

That said, I only have two guidelines for the types of suggestions I’d like to receive:

• Your suggestion should be truly meaningful to you. You should have a real interest in learning about what you suggest because whatever lifestyle change I decide to make, I will be writing about it.

• Your suggestion should be scalable.  What I mean by this is that I would like to find something that can be implemented relatively quickly with few barriers to entry.  It should be something that the average person could start doing right away and continue to grow into a larger, more advanced lifestyle change over time .  Don’t worry too much about this, though.  If you have an awesome idea that would be a great fit for me and this community, I will find a way to make it work.  Like I said, Frugally Green is a two-way street.

That’s it, really.  I think this will be a great way for me to find something new and exciting to try and an opportunity for you to make me your personal guinea pig.  If there’s something you’ve considered trying but aren’t sure how it will turn out, throw it out there.  Let me take the risk out of the equation for you.  What’s the worst that could happen?  You’ll get a few a good laughs as I crash and burn?  The upside is potentially unlimited for both of us.

So think big and let me have it! Throw your thoughts and ideas out there.  Ask your friends.  Tell your neighbors.  What sort of lifestyle change do you want to see me chronicle on Frugally Green?

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I need your help. My dear old computer, age 6, has begun acting up.  Truth be told, it started acting up about a year ago and I have been quietly coaxing it back into good behavior with encouraging phrases like “You can do it!” and “Don’t give up now!” as well as a lot of fiddling around with it’s innards.  In fact, I’m writing this post on it now, but will probably have to restart several times in order to finish.  It’s frustrating!

All this anguish has really ignited the “I want a new one” fire inside me.  I almost bought a brand new iMac at work the other day, getting all the way to the order confirmation page before slapping myself across the face and remembering that I should probably put some thought and planning into such a decision before getting all trigger-happy.  Buying a new computer can be a real financial burden and drain on the environment.  Maybe I just need to follow some of my own advice?

That’s when I remembered that I no longer have to make decisions like this on my own.  Since starting Frugally Green, I have gotten some really thought provoking feedback from the amazing people that have found their way here. So today, I pose my question to you, friends: What do you think is the best frugally green solution to my dilemma?

Here’s what I’ve considered already:

Repair my existing PC

Right off the bat, this seems like the least expensive and most environmentally friendly option.  I’ve exhausted my own repair knowledge, so I’d have to take it to a professional and likely be without a machine for awhile (though I could use my work laptop if I had to).  I’m hesitant to go this route, though, because a lot of the software I run is quite sluggish on this computer.  I’m afraid that if I repair it, I’ll just end up needing to buy a new one anyway before long.

Buy a cheap new PC

This is another option – just bite the bullet and pick up something new that I know won’t give me any trouble and, if it does, I’ll be all over that warranty. My old machine will be dropped off at Free Geek, allowing me all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings when they Frankenstein it into something useful again that someone less fortunate can get some value out of.  It will also better ensure that very few, if any, bits and pieces end up in a land fill.

In this case, I’d probably make the new machine a fairly barebones system and add hardware to it as I saw necessary.  This would require little cash up front and allow me to add things that I think are important as I go. To be honest, though, I’ve recently had my eye on some Apple products, which leads me to my third option:

Buy a new (or gently used) iMac

This would bestow upon me the ultimate consumerist happiness.  I’m no drooling Mac fanatic, but I did use them throughout college and enjoyed the operating system as well as a lot of the software (except iTunes! I hate iTunes!).  I don’t think I’ve mentioned it here before, but in my spare time, I’m a home recording enthusiast.  The software I use and am very happy with is Mac only.  This wasn’t a problem before as my roommate had a Mac that I used for recording, but now he’s moving out.

I feel like buying one of these would allow me the most versatile use, but would also be the most expensive option. I’m keeping an open mind because I know that sometimes you have to spend upfront to save down the road and used Macs seem to hold their value better than PCs.  At the same time, I’m afraid I’m being influenced by aesthetics. Apple makes pretty computers and I don’t want to spend extra money just to look at something attractive (I get my fill of that from Jessie for a much better bargain).  A computer is a tool to me, not an accessory.

So I’d like your help!  I’ve thought this through myself, but I want to know how you would approach the situation. What criteria would you use to make sure you got the most for your money, everything you wanted, and were being environmentally conscious about a major electronic purchase?  I really value your opinion and want to know what you think.

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