7 Ways Going Off The Grid Can Help You Tackle Your Student Loans

With our powers combined, we can save some green while reducing our carbon and student loan footprints.

1. Cut the Cable

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This can save you at least $100 a month! This is one utility that you can definitely do without. A digital antenna plus Netflix will suffice. And if you’ve been talked into a combo internet plus cable bundle, either break it apart and keep your internet or talk to a neighbor about splitting internet and getting a beefy WiFi router you can share between your apartments or homes.

2. Quit flushing money away

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Sounds icky, but if you let urine sit and only flush when you have something of substance to deal with, you’ll save gallons each day.

3. H2-Oh-No

Try turning off your tap when you’re brushing, cutting back on shower time and not running a half-empty dishwasher. Also, if you have plants, you can capture rain water to water them without running the tap. Here’s one that’s fun and practical – wait for a really rainy day to wash your car. Grab your sponge, detergent and rain coat and head out into the rain and wash your car when the skies can do the rinsing for you.

4. Try money laundering

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By this I mean save money on your laundry. Use cold water rather than hot and consider investing a couple of bucks in a clothes line and pins and hang out your clothes and whites when weather is nice. Sun-dried clothes smell and feel awesome and will save you big.

5. Rethink your ride

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Carpooling, riding a bike or taking public transportation can immediately cut down your carbon footprint and save you a lot of money. Riding a bike or walking to work is also a chance to get in shape so you can ditch your gym membership, since you’re getting in your aerobics while you commute. Public transpo and carpools are also ways to enjoy some social time rather than stressing alone in traffic.

6. Get Warm, Stay Warm

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In the winter and summer both, windows are a huge source of energy leakage. Invest a couple of bucks in plastic to put over your windows in winter to seal in heat. If you’re lazy, hit the thrift store and buy some cheap blankets you can tack up over the windows.

7. Power Down

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Rethink what items you keep plugged into your walls and what devices you leave on. Anything that’s plugged in draws a little power so having a bunch plugged in can add 5-10% to your power bill. It can be a hassle to plug and unplug some items so consider a power strip for your computer and printer and another for your TV, DVD player, cable box and game system. That way you can just plug the strip in and power up when you’re ready to use. In the kitchen, unplug the toaster, coffee maker, toaster oven, etc.