Grow Your Green

Take “local” food to the next level. If you can grow your own food naturally, you could sell any bumper crops you’ve got at the nearby food coop or at the closest farmer’s market.

Rev Up the Recycle

Are you thinking about the classic recycled item, the aluminum can? Of course. It’s a no-brainer, but how many of us actually recycle that can, and do it every time? Think, too, about waste flows for aluminum cans that otherwise end up in the trash and, eventually, the landfill? Talk to the powers that be about setting up a recycling bin for those cans and collecting them on a regular basis.

Recycle By Re-selling

Another classic recycling idea is the yard sale. The yard sale reputation might be built as a way to free up some cash by selling unwanted items, but those unwanted items could otherwise spend the rest of their natural life wasting away in some landfill. Furniture, appliances, outdoor items, clothes and other household items are all fair game. “One man’s junk is another man’s treasure” is a clichéd adage only because it’s true.

Check out local “resale” outlets that can buy back clothes that don’t fit, or never really fit in the first place, or that you’ve fallen out of love with. You can also save money by buying gently worn clothing here, too.

The Internet has also made it easier to sell unwanted items via its online capability. Your old games, CDs, or DVDs can all be sold online, as can your old books. You can also sell other unwanted items via online auction sites and other seller sites. Or take advantage of free Internet classified sites to move those items you don’t need anymore.

Even electronic devices that you no longer use, like cell phones, can be recycled in exchange for money.

Common Sense Makes Cents

You may not have solar panels on your roof, but you can still reap the financial benefits of choosing to live green, albeit on a smaller scale. What local grocery stores offer financial incentives for reusing (or refusing) plastic bags? Can you receive in-store credit at a local office supply store for recycling that used printer cartridge?

Make money by living green–you’ll feel virtuous and frugal.

Author’s Bio

Francine Gomez is a career consultant and loves giving stay-at-home moms new ideas for how to make money. There are many opportunities to bring needed funds into the home — learn how to make money writing articles to earn extra spending money or to fully support a family.

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