55 posts tagged “sustainable living”
A proposed lighting ordinance could help bring a rare “dark sky” designation to the upscale community. The measure would restrict the types of outdoor lights and the duration those lights could be left on.
The International Dark-Sky Association has named only two towns in the nation — Flagstaff, Ariz., and Borrego Springs, Calif. — “dark sky cities” for their efforts to reduce what the organization considers unnecessary outdoor lighting. Barrington Hills, IL — with a population of just under 4,000 — would like to be the first town east of the Mississippi River to be named a dark sky city.
Under debate is an ordinance that would limit the lumen output of lights in commercial and residential space; it also would curtail where those lights can be located. For example, no lights could be placed in tree branches or shrubs. And continuously operating most lights would be prohibited.
Once again, no mention of government street lights or taxpayer funded stadiums with excessive water usage or municipalites fining for people who have no garbage, or on and on and on...
Travel
- Ready to start seeing the world? It's smaller than you think, when you go via the COUCHSURFING Project. Use this site to find people who are willing to host you on their couches!
- YAPTA sends you price drop alerts on flights and hotels. If the price of your airline ticket drops below what you paid, Yapta will alert you when you're eligible for a refund from the airline!
Movies/Music/Entertainment
- Find the cheapest prices for hard-to-get sports, concert and theater tickets at TICKETPREDATOR.COM. The site compares prices on tickets from hundreds of ticket brokers in the U.S. and Canada.
- Get free movie rentals from Redbox using their CODES.
- Want to re-live those classic rock concerts from the 60’s and 70’s for free? Then go to WOLFGANG”S VAULT where you’ll find streaming audio from over 50 artists.
- RADIOLOVERS offers hundreds of vintage radio shows all for free.
- Learn how to get all the free music you ever wanted at MYMUSIC.
- Trade your used books, music, DVD's, & video games for like items at SWAPTREE.COM. Simply set up an account and find other users willing to receive - and all for the price of postage.
Credit/Credit Cards
- SIMPLEDOLLAR hasa step-by-step guide to getting your credit card interest lowered.
- Clark Howard has the ultimate guide to credit at everything you need to know about your credit.
- Hassled by debt collectors? Know your rights by reading the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
- How long will it take to pay off that credit card? Find out with this CALCULATOR.
Housing/Renting
- Are you renting? This neat tool lets you see if you are paying too much. It is called RENTOMETER and is so simple to use!
- Want to cut back on your household expenses? THISOLDHOUSE.COM has a list of 50 DIY tips for your house, each of which can save you between $50 and $500 apiece.
- If you need help avoiding foreclosure, head to DOUGHROLLER.NET. The website has links to government and other websites with information on how to keep your home.
- Need to cut the cost of moving into a new residence? FREECARDBOARDBOXES.COM .
- Should I rent or buy? Find out with a detailed analysis at REALTOR.COM.
Solar
- Power virtually all your electronic devices with SOLAR POWER CHARGERS.
- Does solar power make sense for you? Find out with this quote at SUNGEVITY.
- Get all you accounts in one place with powerful budgeting tools using MINT.COM.
- CHECKINGFINDER is a website where you can search by zip code for high-interest checking account offers.
- MONEYAISLE forces banks to bid on the highest interest rate.
Autos
- Search for new and used autos at ALLAUTOSITES. The site lets you pick search parameters including make, model, price and location. I have also found great information about vehicles at WIKICARS and NADA.
- Tired of paying a mechanic for every minor tune-up or repair to your automobile? VEHICLEFIXER.COM offers video guides to let you fix your automobile yourself and stretch your dollar.
- FRUGALMECHANIC.COM lets you comparison shop for auto parts from more than 50 different retailers.
- GETHUMAN has the direct customer service numbers for more than a hundred businesses, ranging from Avis to Time Warner Cable.
- VOIP-NEWS.COM has a list of 50 tips to get a real voice at any corporation in 10 seconds or less.
- Also check out NO PHONE TREES and DIAL A HUMAN.
Education/College
- Intellectually curious but can't afford tuition? ACADEMICEARTH.ORG has free lectures from some of America's most learned professors online.
- Check out my free education post and 4 Sites That Teach You How to Do Anything.
Shopping
- TINY MASSIVE
is an online search engine that combs the Web to find you the best deals on
just about any product you can think of. Simply tweet a search query to
@TinyMassive. It will then reply to your tweet with the number of results
matching your query. If you follow the link in the TinyMassive tweet, you'll be
brought to the results page.
When is the best time to buy …? Learn the day at the cheapest day to buy certain items. - FREE
SHIPPING offers coupons & coupon codes to over 800 Stores!
Tired of buying toys only to see your kids get bored with them? Try RENTAL TOYS for a low monthly membership fee. - SAVVYCIRCLE alerts members when the price drops on a "wish listed" item. The site supports most major retailers, so after adding products to your shopping list, the site "watches" the price and sends an email when the price drops.
- Discount women's, men's, and kid's shoes, plus clothing, handbags, & accessories can be found at 6PM.COM.
- WOOT is an online store that offers one product each day at substantial savings.
- DAILY STEALS and NEWATNOON are WOOT clones.
- Head on over to FROOGLES for bargains, free stuff, deals, closeouts, clearance, and overstocks.
- Find expert and user reviews on just about any product at PRICERUNNER.COM. The website is a shopper's delight that aggregates info on everything, from laptops to espresso makers, to help you make an informed shopping decision.
- SHORTCUTS coupons attach electronically to your participating grocery store loyalty card, so they are always with you when you shop!
Cell Phones
- Free comparison-shopping with your cell phone when you're in a store! How cool is that?
- Hunt for coupons on your cell phone with CELLFIRE.COM. The site lets you scour for discounts at your favorite stores and download them to your mobile phone.
- Send free text message using FREEETEXTSEND.
Giving to Charity
- GOODSEARCH.COM is a search engine that donates half its revenues to the charities its users designate. Yahoo powers it, so results are pretty good. Just 500 people searching 4 times a day can raise about $7,300 in a year!
- THEHUNGERSITE is another great way to give to charity just by clicking.
- Look for money a relative left you or perhaps an account you simply forgot about at MISSINGMONEY & UNCLAIMED
- Got stuff? Rent it out and make a little extra cash at CROWDRENT.
- If you have gift cards collecting dust, turn them into money at GIFTCARDRESCUE.COM. The website is a shopper's delight that lets you sell or exchange unused cards.
- Get cash for old or unwanted gadgets at GAZELLE.COM. The site pays for any tech item, no matter how old, and provides free shipping.
Saving Extra Money
- The FREECYCLE Network is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Their goal is to reduce waste by connecting individuals who are throwing away goods with others who are seeking them. They use Yahoo groups as their conduit so you must have a Yahoo user ID.
- Research, compare and lower your monthly bills with LOWERMYBILLS.COM. The website, gives you the inside scoop on finding the cheapest rates on home loans, credit cards and auto and health insurance.
- BIRTHDAYFREEBIES is the premiere place for finding birthday freebies, birthday offers, birthday specials, birthday deals and even birthday party venues from local and national businesses.
- Don’t like my money saving tips? Try the 50 ways to trim your budget.
- Want to save tens of thousands of dollars? Read how you can save $20,000 In 1 Year.
- 88 ways to save money, and counting... I love the way this expands like the old windows explorer.
- Giveaways are real popular in a bad economy. How do you find them? Go to the big list of giveaways.
- Get you hands on all that CONTRABAND TSA has been collecting at airports, and be sure to visit the PROPERTYROOM for incredible savings from this police auction online.
Miscellaneous
- Get all the information you need on federal recalls at RECALLS.GOV. A joint project of several government agencies, the website lets you search for product recalls and sign up for email alerts.
- Looking for love? These dating sites are advertiser supported – PLENTYOFFISH and DOWNTOEARTH.
- Avoid speeding tickets by utilizing this cool DATABASE OF SPEED TRAPS.
- Looking for free wi-f? Check out WIFIFREESPOT.COM or WIFIFINDER or WEFI.COM.
- Lost an owner's manual? Find it at OWNERIQ. The site also has user forums to help you operate any gadget.
- Check out the E-Justice Blog at CRIMINALJUSTICEUSA. The website has a list of 100 free do-it-yourself legal resources that can be found on the web.
- Got empty milk jugs? 35+ uses for plastic milk jugs.
General Electric plans to close its only U.S. solar panel factory because production costs have exceeded sale prices.
The Fairfield, Conn.-based company said that silicon panel manufacturing at its facility in Delaware, will stop in January. GE will shutter the factory all together by June. The factory can produce 34 megawatts of solar panels per year and employs 82 people. GE plans to layoff the workers with severance packages.
The move reflects the tough times experienced by solar energy equipment makers worldwide as supply far exceeded demand over the past year. Recession and a big reduction in solar subsidies in Spain - once a booming market - are key contributors. Some manufacturers have seen prices for their products fall by anywhere from 30 percent to 50 percent over the past year.
Earlier this week, Marlboro, Mass.-based Evergreen Solar said it would move panel production from its factory in Devens, Mass., to China next year in order to cut costs.
Earlier this year, BP Solar announced it would close its solar panel factory in Maryland and outsource that work to a contract manufacturer. Last month, BP said it had hired Jabil Circuit to assemble panels at a Jabil factory in Poland.
Be sure to review my original blog post.
Mark Boyle (a.k.a. Saoirse, which is Gaelic for "freedom" and pronounced "sear-shuh") set up the Freeconomy website (http://www.justfortheloveofit.org). The idea is that like-minded people sign up, list their skills and donate them to others. In return they receive favours back. For instance, a hairdresser may give a mechanic a haircut and in exchange the mechanic would fix the hairdresser's bicycle. No money ever changes hands. The website appears to have been successful. Boyle says 4,200 people with 900 different skills from 85 countries have signed up.
This concept has been so successful, that people regularly visit sites where things are given away freely. The most notable being FREECYCLE. Others worthy of checking out include TAKEMEIMFREE and CURB SURF.
This is a really cool widget. Kudos to Savings Advice. Every time you visit my blog and refresh this page, you get a new money saving tip!
Be sure to join the programs above the tip. They are legitimate money makers.
I'm very concerned about planet earth. That is why I choose voluntary simplicity and frugality. I have also given environmentalists and politicians many practical ideas to reduce carbon emissions. It seems to be working ~ a nearby town (Merrillville, IN) will disconnect every other streetlight on the town's main thoroughfares. There are more than 1,600 street lights in Merrillville, and the town is paying more than $15,500 per month to power those lights. It is a win-win situation!
But I will no longer remain silent when phony environmentalists want to take away our freedoms and tax us to death. One outrageous example is in Canada. Ontario residents won’t be able to sell their houses or condos without first getting a home energy audit – which now costs about $300 – under the proposed new Green Energy Act.
Listen to this excerpt for all the proposed taxes to combat global warming! And if you still have doubts, check out all of my clipmarks which come from news sources and proposed legislation. And be sure to read about the faked data about climate change!
- Think vertical – just keep a step stool handy
- Hang stuff – use pegboard or hammer nails between floor joists (in the basement) and hand stuff that has a handle/hole
- Think square – square containers can be stacked and don’t waste volume like circular containers do
- Be creative – use the space under a couch, under a bed, or under the stairs for your non-perishables – use a storage trunk as a coffee table
- Keep track to avoid duplication through labels, writing on boxes, and arranging items logically
- Buy foldable furniture like futons, card tables, folding chairs
- I have found that I double my freezer space simply by taking the frozen contents out of the boxes that they are purchased in
- When saving things for future use, save only the small, useful parts like screws, nuts, bolts, springs, and washers
- Buy things that have multiple uses – a bike can be both transportation and exercise
- Clean house every spring and have a yard sale – if something doesn’t sell, call the Salvation Army
- Ride Sharing Board – you can find out who needs to get home this weekend, and if it’s a place you’d like to visit, you can share gas expenses
- Dumpster Diving – when the spring semester ends and the dorms are vacated, often a treasure trove of furniture is left behind
- Surplus and Salvage Barns – colleges are often getting rid of old desks, chairs, and computers – and if you don’t like dumpster diving, look here instead
- Great entertainments at discount prices – from music to theater to guest speakers – it’s all right there
