What was your resolution?

March has just begun, and already the majority of Americans cannot remember what they resolved to do this year...except to save more money. When thinking about saving green, going green (more specifically: Blue) is a terrific way to help you keep more money in your pocket. Would you like to save up to 25% of your water bill? Make some resolutions you can keep!

New Year's resolutions are easy to keep when you go green with some of these easy to implement environmental ideas.

Catch a bucket Place a bucket where it can catch rainwater. Use this to water your plants or wash your car instead of the hose. Recycled water is great-pour fish bowl water on your plants. Bathe the dog in the yard. Rinse dishes in 1/2 sink full of soapy water, then place in dishwasher. Use the water to wash the sink.

Sort it out Sorting your trash reaps big environmental rewards. Here are just a few statistics to help you keep the resolution:
* Composting vegetable waste makes natural fertilizer- reusing, reducing and recycling in one pile. This is better for the environment than a garbage disposal and requires no water.

* Sort all plastic out. Bottles, packing plastic and shopping bags are all recyclable and reduce production energy up to 67% and air pollution emissions more than 25%. Recycling one plastic bottle conserves enough energy to fuel a 60 watt light bulb for almost six hours.

* Crush those cans.
~~~Steel is the number one recycled material in the United States. Of the 100,000,000 steel and tin cans used in America everyday, enough cans are thrown away to build all of the cars in America.

~~~Make aluminum a contender: Recycling of one ton of cans will conserve 12,725 kilowatt hours, equal to the amount of the electricity used in the average American home in 10 years. This energy is the equivalent to 2,350 gallons of gasoline, or enough to drive a new car 82,250 miles. Recycling one saves enough gasoline to fill it half full.

* Read the paper online. Of the 62,000,000 newspapers printed today, 44,000,000 will be thrown away- 30,000,000 trees. Recycling one ton of paper conserves 4,077 kilowatt hours of energy or enough to heat and cool an average American home for 6 months.

* See through the waste. Recycling one glass bottle will light a 100 watt light bulb for 4 hours.

Turn it off Sleep mode requires energy. Turn off the computer, DVD, shredder, satellite converter, TiVo, lights, television, every appliance.

Down the drain
* Turn off the water while you brush your teeth (save more water than some humans get in a whole day), install low-flow shower heads, turn off the hose at the faucet. Turn off the water while you shampoo and condition- that's 50 gallons a week. Take a short shower- 5 minutes less will save about 1,000 gallons a year.

* Front loading washing machines: If you cannot afford one, wash only full loads of clothes. If you cannot do that, use the correct water height and the coldest water temperature. Line dry- uses less electricity and naturally humidifies the air.

Read on to find a way to burn some calories and save more water!

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Make my tax refund retirement

Tax season is the second largest spending season of the year: Second only to winter holidays. Rather than spend the tax refund before you get it, think about the future. Need a step-by-step guide to retirement?

It is never too early to plan for retirement. The landscape of the world of retirement accounts changes as you reach retirement age. Tax benefits begin to disappear. Tax implications become more plentiful. Retirement is the practical application of "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Begin your road to retirement by exercising wise economic choices: Buy a house you can afford, spend wisely on cars, stay out of consumer debt and maintain a healthy credit report. All of these choices build big retirement muscles.

Set your retirement goals. Calculate your current yearly expenses, including utilities, property taxes, car expenses and food budget. Do not include your mortgage interest payment, but do include your principal. Double the total to estimate how much income you will need to retire. Multiply that by the number of years you will be retired. This will be your target savings amount.

Talk to an investment counselor for help in gauging your risk tolerance, income security, dividend reinvestment and portfolio aggressiveness.

I am 20. Is it too early to start saving?

You cannot start too early. The more you do now, the less you will need to do later.

Enroll in a 401(k) plan with your employer with matching contributions or begin a retirement account. Contribute the pre-tax maximum ($15,500) to your retirement. Learn to tailor your expenses to the money you bring home. You are learning to control money better.

401(k) is not enough. If you work thirty years contributing $15,500 per year, your nest egg before dividends will be $465,000. This may sound like a lot today, but when you retire, you will only have $31,000 per year to cover all of your expenses. How much did you need again?

Discuss with a financial adviser or investing consultant whether your needs will be best served with an individual retirement account (IRA), a mutual fund account or a stock portfolio or a combination.

Do not spend tax refunds. You lived without that money all year. Instead of spending it recklessly, invest the entire refund into your retirement. You will be saving more money than your employer is investing in your 401(k).

Assess your risk tolerance. How much are you willing to gamble with your investments? Consider higher risk investments with larger dividends to grow your money faster. At this age, you will be more resilient to market losses than you will in a few decades.

I am 30. Should I change what I am doing?

You are beginning to build equity in your home. How does this affect your saving?

Keep reading. The advice continues through age 60!

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Thought about saving money on your driving expenses lately? Most everyone else has. Here is the compilation of the best practical tips from around the industry on how to save money on gasoline. Luckily, not one of them is "buy a hybrid".

Driving across town to get gasoline at a cheaper price defeats the purpose of saving money! You can get more gasoline for every dollar.

~ Only buy gasoline in the early morning while the ground is still cold.

As gasoline heats, it expands. Since all gas stations have their tanks underground, the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline is. While oil companies weigh gasoline for specific gravity, gas stations do not. Denser gasoline means that your gallon will actually be a full gallon.

~ Pump at the slowest flow rate.

Slowly pumping gas reduces the amount of fumes produced. EPA mandate requires all gas pumps have a vapor return which stops fumes from escaping. When you pump fast, the vapors (still gasoline) are vacuumed back into the gas station's tank and sold again to someone else. You are charged for what goes out the nozzle without getting credit for the gasoline that returns to the storage tank.

~ Keep your tank full.

Gasoline evaporates. The more air in your tank, the faster the gasoline evaporates and breaks down into poorly burning fuel. Lower temperature burning gasoline reduces fuel economy. By design, your tank backfills with air as you burn gasoline. When your gauge reaches half, get to a pump.

Gasoline storage tanks have a floating ceiling to keep zero atmosphere from touching the gasoline. With minimal exposure, the gasoline neither evaporates or degrades before it is trucked to gas stations. Oil companies take this measure to preserve their gasoline, so should you.

Read the rest of the tips and tricks...

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Water in your gas

Since saving money on gas is important to everyone, with or without a car, fuel economy affects all of us. Water in gasoline is the number one fuel economy reducer. So how does it get there?

Water gets into your gas in stages. Depending on the handling of your gasoline, the time of your purchase and your own maintenance of it, in some cases the amount of water will be greater than the actual gasoline content of your tank.

How is that?
Gasoline is refined from crude oil. As it breaks down, the flammable portion of the gas separates from the remaining chemicals. One of the resultant chemicals is water. The only way for gas to break down is to be in contact with air. The oxygen in the air interacts with the gasoline causing it to fume. This effect is noticeable when you pump gas into a gas can. You will be able to see the flammable portion of the gasoline swirling in the air above the opening.

Gasoline evaporates at a remarkable rate. The more air in your tank, the faster the gasoline evaporates and breaks down into poorly burning fuel.

What does that do to fuel economy?
Water is a natural fire extinguisher. A mixture of gas and water will not burn as hot as gasoline alone. This is why the gas burns from the tank faster when the gauge is lower. It takes more volume to get the same amount of gasoline when it is mixed with water. As the fuel pump churns the liquid from the tank, the heavier water mixes with the gas.

Lower temperature burning gasoline reduces fuel economy considerably. By design, your tank backfills with air as you burn out the gasoline. When your gauge reaches half, get to a pump.

Does it only happen to my car?
Oil refineries' gasoline storage tanks have a floating ceiling to keep zero atmosphere from touching the gasoline. With minimal evaporation, the gasoline neither evaporates or degrades before it is trucked to gas stations.

The gas station does not have this measure in place. Their tanks are lined metal and backfill with air the same way your gas tank does. The longer the gasoline is in their tank, the more the gas will degrade, increasing the water content.

How do I stop it?
Keeping your tank full and buying gasoline the day after it is delivered are two ways to keep the least amount of water in your gas tank. The third way is to treat your gasoline once per month or every two thousand miles.

When you treat your gas, the water that is at the bottom of the tank goes through the engine at a faster rate. The qualities of the gas treatment will raise the octane level of your gas, causing it to burn hotter.

This increase in temperature ensures that the water is burned away completely. An added bonus to this is that it reduces the amount of rust and debris that can clog fuel injection systems.

The last step to keeping water out of your gas is to purchase and maintain a locking sealant gas cap. By preventing the gas fumes from escaping, the gas cap also keeps ambient air from condensing in the top of the gas tank. This condensation increases the water content.

Buy appropriate grade gasoline for your vehicle, maintain your gasoline, cap your tank and treat your tank regularly. These are the most efficient ways to keep water out of your gas.

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Rural America copes with oil prices

Rising oil prices are isolating rural America. Small town way of life is in the throes of death.

Rural America is known for long-time residents who rely on slow rising gasoline prices to reach the supplies they need to sustain itself from month to month. The rising cost of oil is crippling these towns.

Kershaw, South Carolina is a prime example of a rural town of 2,500 residents. They travel once or twice per month to neighboring cities to buy the items not available in the small town. Many commute to the city to work.

Workers are moving closer to the jobs. Sheila Hinson, local Realtor, said, "My business is booming in the city, but hurting in Kershaw." She cannot sell the homes left behind.

"I have to go to town once a month now because I cannot afford the gas. I had to buy a bigger freezer," said Mary Johnson, of Johnson & Johnson. This local merchant has to open her store more hours despite doctor's orders in treatment her Parkinson's disease.

A Rite-Aid Pharmacy employee, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said, "We are filling less prescriptions. The senior citizens cannot afford to come get their medicine."

Daycare centers have waiting lists for the first time. Families that have always been one-income, now demand two incomes to make ends meet.

Children are suffering the cost of gasoline as well. School buses are prohibited from running air conditioning units. School boards are to vote by summer's end on the temperature in the classrooms this fall.

School commutes are hurting residents. Katherine Long, University of South Carolina (USC) student said, "I had to cut my class schedule because I cannot afford to drive to Columbia more than twice per week." USC is 50 miles from Kershaw.

Lancaster County Library has cut routes the Book Mobile has traveled for the last twelve years. Chief librarian said, "With the cost of gas, we are looking for ways to cut the budget."

Meals-on-Wheels has operated in Kershaw from the Lancaster office since it was founded. Meals have not been delivered to Kershaw since oil was $103.00 per barrel in February, 2008.

Other charities are struggling to meet the community's needs. When asked for a charity donation, H&H Chevrolet dealership owner Annette Hinson replied, "People cannot buy cars, and business has been so off that I cannot afford to give."

Many residents are buying golf carts to drive around town. Town drivers are more frequently sharing the road with motor scooters from local motor sports shops.

Life-long resident Kenny Roberts said, "Gas is too high. I can't go see everyone I help." He hauls garbage for the elderly and delivers food from Buffalo Baptist Church to its shut-in members.

Businesses are closing that have been supporting Kershaw for the last 25 years. "I cannot afford to drive here anymore," said business owner Marcus Bailey of Bailey's Pottery and Antiques. He is a resident of the smaller town Heath Springs, seven miles from Kershaw.

Kershaw owned and operated swimming pool is seeing fewer students and members. Residents are investing in above ground pools, splitting the cost with neighbors.

With the continued loss of tax base, Town Council member Rose Marie Baker said, "If something does not change, the only choice we will have is to raise taxes." The first reading of the 2008-2009 budget revealed the largest increase in Kershaw history with no significant increase in services.

Kershaw Mayor Tommy Baker is open to suggestions and solicits them before each Town Council meeting. "Kershaw needs more support from the county," he said.

Main Street business owners that remain have banded together to produce a business-oriented festival to draw more potential residents and business to Kershaw. Owners are not willing to let their small town die under the weight of rising gasoline prices.

The trickle-down effect of rising oil prices on rural America is the isolation of small town residents. They cannot afford to live the way they always have.

Elderly residents are suffering for lack of service which has sustained them in the past and the inability to get the medicine they need. Families have changed home life to support the cost of gasoline to make ends meet. Children are exposed to heat unnecessarily. Young workers are moving away.

The cost of oil is too great when it kills small towns.

**This article can be seen on Yahoo! News, OneWorld.net and GlobalExchange.

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Save money on gas...

Thought about saving money on your driving expenses lately? Most everyone else has. Here is the compilation of the best practical tips from around the industry on how to save money on gasoline. Luckily, not one of them is "buy a hybrid".

Driving across town to get gasoline at a cheaper price defeats the purpose of saving money! You can get more gasoline for every dollar.

~ Only buy gasoline in the early morning while the ground is still cold.

As gasoline heats, it expands. Since all gas stations have their tanks underground, the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline is. While oil companies weigh gasoline for specific gravity, gas stations do not. Denser gasoline means that your gallon will actually be a full gallon.

~ Pump at the slowest flow rate.

Slowly pumping gas reduces the amount of fumes produced. EPA mandate requires all gas pumps have a vapor return which stops fumes from escaping. When you pump fast, the vapors (still gasoline) are vacuumed back into the gas station's tank and sold again to someone else. You are charged for what goes out the nozzle without getting credit for the gasoline that returns to the storage tank.

~ Keep your tank full.

Gasoline evaporates. The more air in your tank, the faster the gasoline evaporates and breaks down into poorly burning fuel. Lower temperature burning gasoline reduces fuel economy. By design, your tank backfills with air as you burn gasoline. When your gauge reaches half, get to a pump.

Gasoline storage tanks have a floating ceiling to keep zero atmosphere from touching the gasoline. With minimal exposure, the gasoline neither evaporates or degrades before it is trucked to gas stations. Oil companies take this measure to preserve their gasoline, so should you.

~ If the truck is filling the station's tank, pump somewhere else.

As the truck sprays the gasoline into the tank, it disturbs the debris settled on the bottom of the tank from evaporation degradation and decay of the tank. This dirt, rust and incombustible material reduces fuel economy and can cause serious damage to your fuel pump and fuel injectors.

~ Change that fuel filter.

It is impossible to avoid evaporation degradation. Before you change your oil, clean your fuel with a product approved by your vehicle's manufacturer. When the oil is changed, change the fuel filter. Preserve your fuel economy by removing the most material reducing your gas mileage.

~ Driving courteously.

Quick starts and hard braking burn more gasoline than letting off one pedal and touching your foot to the floor before applying pressure to another pedal. The speed limit, or just a bit below, will produce better gas mileage.

~ Empty your trunk and backseat.

Reduce weight to reduce gasoline consumption.

~ Use cruise control every time possible.

Cruise control saves more than 7% of the gas used driving manually on flat terrain.

~ Use the correct grade of gasoline for your vehicle.

~ Plan excursions to include at least three stops. By combining trips for errands, you will burn less gasoline and time.

Make your gasoline dollar drive you farther. Save enough to drive to your Senator's office to demand equity with oil companies when it comes to preserving your fuel investment.

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