The Truth About Styrofoam [infographic]

by Wheels For Wishes

Bills Got You Down? Tips for Saving Money at Home

Owning a home is a smart idea for most people who can afford it. After all, paying rent just gives you a place to live and you don’t build any equity in your space. That’s not very wise for people who have the funds to invest in a home.

Home ownership also means big bills, at least in a lot of cases though. While it’s still worth buying a house for most people, there are times when you can feel like that house you bought is a real money pit.

Use this guide to help you figure out how you can reduce your bills. It’s well worth the effort and the average homeowner could save $100 or more per month.

• Heating and Cooling

Heating and cooling bills are killers for homeowners, especially those who have a large space to deal with. While you probably won’t be able to go without heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer, you might be able to reduce your usage of those two things.

Start by opening your curtains in the winter to let warm sunlight in during the day. Keep them closed during the day in the summer, but let the cool night air in in the evening. Just make sure those curtains are shut early in the morning.

The other thing you can do is to install a programmable thermostat. That will allow you to set the temperature higher or lower when you’re not home to save cash. Then you can set it to come back up or down depending on the season by the time you arrive home from work or the day’s activities.

Using an electric consumption calculator can also help you track monthly expenses before you get your bill.

• Extra Services

A lot of homeowners these days spend a fortune on things like internet, cable TV and streaming services like Netflix. While most are affordable on their own, they can easily add up to hundreds of dollars per month before you know it.

Go through your monthly charges and see what you can cut down on. Do you need the fastest internet available, or would something more affordable make sense?

Are all of those streaming services essential or could you cut back to one? Minor changes can go a long way over the course of a year.

Thank you to today's sponsor who shares our belief that saving money and energy is always a good idea. 

Block Island Organics purifying facial cleanser (review & discount code included)

Our Daily Green first became acquainted with Block Island Organics in 2014 when we tested their organic sunscreen. They recently contacted us to test and review their purifying facial cleanser.

The timing couldn't have been better. I recently underwent a series of allergy testing for what appeared to be serious eczema on my hands. My hands were dry, cracked, peeling, bleeding and swollen. I was in constant pain and no amount of doctor recommended "Intensive Repair, Very Dry Skin Lotion" was helping. I was slathering it on day and night and my hands just weren't improving, and in fact, were getting worse.

After weeks of misery, we opted to do the allergy patch test. When the results returned, we discovered that I have a severe allergy to a common ingredient used as a preservative in nearly every commercially produced body care and cleaning product on the market. Including the lotion. What is that ingredient you ask? CL+ME- isothiasolinone or Methylisothiazolinone, or MI, or the commercial name Kathon®. 

I spent over an hour at the local drug store reading one label after another, feeling more and more disappointed. If you scan almost every bottle of facial cleanser, shampoo, conditioner, dish detergent, laundry detergent, you'll find this ingredient near the bottom of the list. It's become a very common preservative in many products that contain water, as concern over parabens as a preservative have increased. Companies reformulated their products with a new preservative and it turns out, it causes contact dermatitis in quite a few folks. So much, that it was named Allergen of the Year in 2013 by the Dermatitis Society.

This is why I am so delighted with the Block Island Facial Cleanser! Guess what they use as preservative? Trifolium pratense, or the biological name for Red Clover Extract. Created in nature, not a lab, this preservative will keep bacteria and mold from forming in the product without causing chemical contact dermatitis. I started to use this cleanser and besides not being allergic to it, I actually love it. It foams up gently, with coco polyglucose (a coconut oil based surficant) as the foaming agent which carries away the dirt and oil. Yet the cleanser doesn't  leave your skin dry or tight, just clean and glowing. And though I'm not really given to "selfies" I thought I would show you how nicely it cleans my face, firsthand & un-retouched. Talk about truth in advertising, huh?

You can order any of the Block Island products and Our Daily Green readers will receive an exclusive 20% discount. Simply use the code kimu when you check out to receive your discount good through October 21, 2015.

Our Daily Green is happy to work with Block Island.
We received the facial cleanser free of charge, but our opinions are completely our own.