new banner
In This Issue
Save $$ on Energy-Saving Windows by 12/31
10 No-Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely
"Bury" Me Before I Die. 
diane blog photo

Well, not literally. But I've given a lot of thought to what I'd like done with my body when I die. Here's what I've decided.

Thinking about ways to simplify your holidays?



You'll find lots of suggestions in 

Big Green Purse, available
 now.
 Amazon.com


Join Our Mailing List
Want to go local and organic for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving
Find Us On:


Save $$ on Energy-Efficient Windows & Doors if You Buy by 12/31
 

storm doorEnergy-efficient doors and windows save money by keeping cold air out in winter and warm air out in summer. Replacing old doors and windows with energy-saving ones is affordable if you take advantage of federal and state tax credits that allow you to deduct a percentage of the replacement cost from your taxes.

 

The federal tax credits run out on December 31, 2010; if you want to upgrade, doing so now will save you the most money.


How much?


You can take a 30% tax credit up to a total value of $1,500. In other words, you can spend up to $5,000 on a single or multiple products for your principal residence (the one you own and live in), and get 30% or $1,500 (30% of $5,000 = $1,500) back as a tax credit. If you made some of your  purchases in 2009 and some in 2010, you can combine the total, but you can't get more than $1,500 in tax credits on the total purchase.


Of course, once you make the investment, the new doors and windows will also reduce your heating and cooling bills. Your local contractor should be able to help you estimate savings depending on what  you buy, the HVAC system you use, and the climate where you live.


In addition to insulating windows and doors, purchases covered by the 2010 tax credits include:


*biomass stoves (those that burn wood or corn pellets, for example)


*heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems


*insulation


*metal or asphalt roofs that reflect the sun's rays, lowering a home's temperature


*non-solar water heaters


The $1,500 maximum does not apply to geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, solar panels, fuel cells, and wind generators.  These are all eligible for a 30% tax credit with no upper limit, in addition to whatever tax credits you claim on windows. 

 For example, you can get $1,500 back for new windows, and $3,000 back for a new geothermal heat pump - for a total tax credit of $4,500.


NOTE: These are "non-refundable" tax credits so you can't get more back in tax credits than you pay in federal income tax.


Here is more information on Federal energy tax credits. You can look here to see what's available in your state.


Whether you replace your doors and windows or not, these additional tips will help you save energy this winter.

 

Follow us on TwitterFind us on Facebook

 

  

10 No-Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely
  
That's another way of saying, the world just doesn't make more water. What's here is what's always been here. And it's what's always going to be here, even though there are more and more people using the limited water we have...which is why we have to figure out how to make every drop of H2O count. 
Hence: 10 No Brainer Ways to Use Water Wisely.
 
1) Give up bottled water. Use a reusable filled with filtered or tap water.

2) Give up the idea that you have to drink water all the time.
Where'd that idea come from, anyway?

water bottle and filter3) Filter your water at home, using a reusable bottle fitted with a filter, or a filter on your tap.

4) Take shorter showers. Get in. Soap up. Get out. I bet you can do it in five minutes; ten, max.

5) Use low-flow shower heads and faucet aerators.  Cheap and available at your local hardware store.

6) Get a new toilet. Here's what I did. 
7) Replace your lawn. Use groundcover, stones, pavers, more plants. Remember: lawns don't exist anywhere in Nature. That's why growing them requires so much water and chemicals.
8) Stop the leaks. Tighten or replace faucets and spigots.
9) Wash full loads. This goes for the dishwasher as well as the clothes washer.
10) Turn the water off. Why people still let faucets run when they're brushing their teeth is beyond me. You don't need to let the shower run for ten minutes before you get in, either. And you don't need to let the kitchen tap run while you're just clearing the table or off talking on the phone.

Any other great water-saving tips? Please share here.



Find us on FacebookFollow us on Twitter

Politics? Shmolitics.

My apologies to any of you who are elated with the results of this week's elections. And my condolences to any of you who think that the world has come to an end.

I'm in neither camp. Here's why.  Please take a quick look and share how you feel and what you plan to do next, either because of or in spite of our political landscape.
 
 Until next time,
 

Diane MacEachern
Big Green Purse

email: [email protected]
web: http://www.biggreenpurse.com
twitter @dianemaceachern
facebook - dianemaceachern1