Help the Planet and Save Money

You can also make the ink go further by changing your font. The default for most documents is Arial or Times New Roman. A switch to Century Gothic will reduce your ink usage by 20 to 25 percent. Depending on how often you change your cartridges, that'll quickly add up. And yes, this is also good for the Earth. According to Cartridgeworld.com, it takes a gallon of oil to make a new laser cartridge, only 30 percent are recycled and those that aren't can take up to 450 years to decompose.

4. Shop the farmers market

If you steer clear of farmers markets because you think it's pricier than the supermarket, research shows that unless you're buying eggs or potatoes, you're wrong. A study conducted by a Bard College researcher for the Northeast Organic Farming Association of Vermont found that on average supermarket prices on nonorganic items were 10 to 20 percent more expensive.

What's more, the disparity on organic items was even greater. One reason? Transportation, says Doreen Kukral, author of Save Green While You Go Green. When fruits and veggies are being shipped hundreds if not thousands of miles there's a cost to that (both to your bottom line and to the Earth.) Oh, and when you put that fruit away, don't — do not — create a fruit bowl. It might be pretty, but keeping your apples and bananas (or other fruit) next to one another in this manner causes them to ripen too quickly. Keep them separate and you'll end up throwing fewer away.

5. Unplug

Finally, it's important to know that everything you have plugged into an outlet — even if it's not in use — is consuming energy, says Kukral. "Some 15 to 20 percent of home energy use is consumed by electronics in standby mode or turned off. If you don't use it frequently, unplug it. Otherwise, it will pull phantom power." To make it easier on yourself, plug computers and entertainment systems into power strips. Then, you can shut everything down with the flip of one switch. Pull the cord and you eliminate phantom power to the strip as well. "If you were going to do just one thing in your house," she says. "I'd say that's a smart way to go."

—With Arielle O'Shea