Let’s Check the Costs

In order to see if we’re truly saving money with the energy efficient light bulbs vs. the incandescent bulbs, we need to find out what the average cost is for each. As expected the energy saving bulbs are fairly pricey at $2 a bulb, and the incandescent bulbs are less than half the cost at about 75 cents each.

How Long Does Each Bulb Last?

Alright, so as we expected, the energy saving bulb costs more than double, so now the question is, “How much longer will it last?” The old-school bulb will last only 1,000 hours and the new bulb will last ten times that amount at 10,000 hours!

Savings Per Year

The energy efficient bulb lasts 9,000 more hours than the traditional bulb, but what does this mean for our savings? How much does it cost to illuminate a light bulb for an hour? On average, electricity costs 12 cents per kilo-watt hour. By itself, that means absolutely nothing to me, so let’s find out how much it would costs to illuminate one light bulb for an entire year with this 12 cent/kWh cost.

One 60 watt light bulb might stay on for about 6 hours a day each day for the year. So, that’s 60x6x365, and it equals 131.4 kilo-watt hours. Multiply that by 12 cents and you’ll find out that your one light bulb is costing you about $16 per year.

The equivalent wattage of an energy efficient light bulb is 13 watts. Multiply that by 6 hours per day and 365 days per year and you’ll use up 28.5 kilo-watt hours, which will cost you about $3.50, which is saving you approximately $12 per year on that one bulb!

Savings Per Bulb

The above example shows you your savings per year, but I wonder what the overall savings is per bulb since the energy saving bulb lasts so much longer. The traditional bulb costs only 75 cents and lasts 1,000 hours. The energy saving bulb costs $2 and lasts 10,000 hours.

One traditional 60-watt will last 1,000 hours, which means it uses up 60 kilo-watt hours and costs $7.20. To match the length of the energy efficient bulb (10,000 hours), we’ll have to use 9 more, which will cost us a total of $72 in energy and $7.50 in bulbs. That’s a grand total cost of $79.50.

The energy efficient bulb will last 10,000 hours with 13 watts, which uses up 130 kilo-watt hours and costs $15.60. Add the cost of the bulb and you have a grand total of $17.60. Energy efficient bulbs will end up saving you over $60 per bulb!!! Who knew?

My best friend and his wife are all about saving money, which is why they became members of Costco, a large wholesale store. Here, they stock up on cereal, chips, breakfast sandwiches, milk, eggs, snacks, basically anything you can think of. They do not have any kids, but yet, they have a pantry that is overflowing and a refrigerator that’s nearly spitting food out it’s so full!

When I go over to their house to visit, they urge me to help myself to any food they’ve got, so I gladly get up and start raiding the cupboards and the fridge. First, I pull out some Wheat Thins and can already imagine the great flavor that I will soon pop into my mouth. “Don’t eat those! They’re stale” I hear from the living room. I set them aside, somewhat disappointed, and reach for something else. “Where did you find those? That’s probably been in there for years! I wouldn’t eat that if I were you.” My friend’s wife is standing next to me now, trying to help me find something that won’t leave me violently ill.

Sure, they may have gotten a great deal on all the food they bought, but when they end up throwing away more than half of it, it’s suddenly not such a great deal.

1)      The best way to avoid food waste is to buy only what you need from week to week. If you plan out your meals ahead of time, you can limit your food purchases and therefore eliminate your waste.

2)      If you don’t like leftovers, don’t make large meals. We all have great intentions of eating those leftovers, but for some reason nuking it in the microwave just takes away that great flavor from the previous day, so there it sits in the refrigerator. Make small meals and eat it all up. You’ll have much less waste.

3)      Keep your refrigerator and pantry organized. In order to keep your food from spoiling, you must know what’s in there! Plot out certain areas for your pastas, your snacks, your cereals, etc. etc. Also, be sure to always keep the oldest food toward the front of the pantry so you eat it first.

4)      Make your leftovers more appealing. I’m sure you know that the microwave basically kills all the flavor in your meal. Why not try to reheat your meals in the oven instead? Sure, it takes a little longer, but when it comes out, that great taste is still in your food.

If you are successful in wasting less, I’m sure you’ll notice that you have more cash at the end of each month as well. If my friends bought only what they needed, I bet their grocery bill will reduce by 40%!

Federal Level Incorporation

The most popular option of forming a corporation in Canada is to do it on the federal level. This method has several added benefits. Companies would receive advanced name protection, permission to doing business in the whole country and professional client service. The government claims that while it costs more to set up a business at the federal level, it has some obvious benefits for those who are serious about their future company. This incorporation option is good for those who are planning to be in business for a long time and are expecting fast and great amount of expansion in the first years. Support is provided in both of Canada’s official languages.

Online Incorporation in Canada

Thanks to the initiatives of the government, it is now easy to incorporate in Canada using safe and reliable online systems. The online filling centre does not only allow customers to send over information through the forms, but also to check the progress of their application, tax status and registration, The total cost of incorporation can be reduced, choosing a greener and more effective method. All acknowledgement letters and status notifications are sent through secure servers. The only cost involved is the filling fee which can also be paid through the site. Currently it only costs $200 dollars to file a request of incorporation. While document templates are provided, you might decide to add further documentation to the application and this would mean that you will hire a business lawyer to do it for you.

Basic Steps

Once you have determined which form of incorporation you prefer to set up you can start the process online with or without a lawyer. A company name can be found using the online search and once selected, you can start the process. Using the Online Filling Centre is simple and there are help files attached to every section, so you cannot get lost. Upon filling out the form, you will receive an acknowledge letter through the email system alongside with the Certificate of Incorporation, Once you have this in your hand, you are required to register with the province separately. Some provinces also have their own website with the facility to fill out the forms and send the information over via the Internet making it even easier to create a business.

You know when you get that bill from your mechanic (after your car had some work done to it) and you notice that 75% of the expense is due to labour  It’s the same story with remodels. When you pay a contractor to redo a room in your house, the majority of the expense in your bill is from labour.

So, you might not be a handyman (or handywoman), but there are a ton of resources out there today that will allow you to learn while you’re working on the job. You could simply take your search to Google or Topps Tiles and study a few other websites, or you could look for a video of the same job on YouTube. With these two main resources at your fingertips, you could really take on almost any project and you won’t have to pay that contractor!

The Bathroom Remodel

My friend is currently considering remodelling his bathroom. Actually, he’s already purchased the new tile for his floor, but is now a little uneasy about getting the project started. “It just seems too difficult” he recently told me. While I understand his hesitation, I’m still urging him to take on the project himself to save money. After all, even if you dig into it a little and find out that it is indeed a little too much to handle, you can always call a contractor at that point, but why not just jump in and get your feet wet first? There’s absolutely no harm in it.

Since I have tackled tiling before, I’ve even volunteered to be one of his resources. It’s really quite simple though.

The Process of Re-tiling

To re-tile the bathroom, you first (obviously) have to remove the old floor. For my friend, this means removing the laminate squares and the plywood flooring. He will then be left with the base subfloor and be ready to build up from there.

Since the tile can get quite heavy, it’s important to use cement board underneath the tile. So, this gets laid out next, and then you can begin with your tile job. Simply trowel on the mortar, and lay your tile, carefully spacing them out with spacers and making sure it is securely laid in the mortar and laying flush on the cement board. Once the tile is laid and the mortar is dry, the only job left to do is grout. For this, you simply mix your grout and work it into the cracks of the tile with a rubber trowel. After about 30 minutes (or whatever is specified on the mix), you can take a wet sponge and remove any excess grout that is on the tile. At this point, you’ve got yourself a whole new floor! The best part is, you didn’t have to pay that contractor and kept 75% of your money in your pocket!

While having hard water can be a nuisance, it can also be hard (pun somewhat intended) on your wallet! Did you know that hard water impacts the efficiency of your water heater? It’s true! Because of the added metallic minerals, the water takes longer to heat. You may think that the difference would be minimal, but actually, the hard water takes almost 30% more energy to heat! If your water heater costs $500 in energy per year, you could be wasting $150 each year because of that hard water.

What is Hard Water Anyway?

First of all, if you live in the city, you most likely don’t need to worry about hard water, but if you’re a country dweller, you may very well be battling hard water in your household. Simply put, there is an excess of calcium and magnesium ions, present as sulfates and carbonates, that cause your water to be hard. While this isn’t necessarily dangerous, it does create nuisances and costs you more money than is necessary.

So How Can You Solve Your Hard Water Problem?

So how can you fix this problem of hard water? Is there anything you can do? Yes, there certainly is. With the help of water softening systems, such as the high efficiency Harvey water softener, you can correct the issues with your water.

So what does this softener actually do? It promotes ion exchange. In the ion exchange process, water moves through a bed of softening material, which attracts and removes the unwanted materials.

Other Benefits of Your Softened Water

If saving money and energy aren’t enough for you (but since when isn’t that enough?!), there are other reasons to invest in a water softening system.

• Removal of scale buildup
• Reduction in the use of cleaning products
• Increased performance of your appliances
• Better for your skin and hair
• Reduces cleaning time
• Makes for a cleaner shave
• Superior for drink making

These are some great reasons for getting rid of that hard water, but what if we took it one step further to increase the dramatic importance of your softened water? For me, I always think about the phrase, “time is money” and it’s absolutely true. If I have to spend an extra hour cleaning my shower and appliances because of hard water, that means that I’m losing an hour’s worth of income since I could have been doing something much more productive! So what’s your time worth and how much of it are you wasting? Don’t just think about the wage you make while working your full-time job either. How valuable is your time with your family? Can you even put a price on that? Save as much time as you can in life. If this water softener will do that for you, then I say it’s worth it.

With environmental policies and efforts becoming increasingly popular in many parts of the world, it se
ems that more people are slowly beginning to realize the necessity of protecting the Earth. However, not everybody knows how to do it. Most are familiar with some basic eco-friendly concepts – recycling, cutting back on fuel emissions, etc. – however, many do not realize just how much they can do to contribute to environmental efforts. For example, did you know that your choice of investments can directly impact environmental issues?

For example, take gold investment, which tends to be a particularly popular alternative investment option during difficult economic times such as those we currently live in. There are many different ways in which one might invest in gold – from purchasing gold ETFs, to buying Gold at BullionVault, to purchasing stock in a gold mining company. However, before getting involved in these types of investments, you may be interested in the well-documented negative environmental impact of gold mining.

Here are the three main ways in which a gold mining operation can harm the environment:

• Energy Output – Mining gold is not as simple as it once was. In fact, most gold mining operations involve an incredibly high energy output, as huge areas are torn apart, and rocks are deconstructed in a search for tiny bits of gold. According to a Washington Post article on the subject, an entire mine is considered to be “rich” if it yields a few tenths of an ounce of gold – which gives an idea of the waste and excess energy involved in mining.
• Toxic Drainage – Mining gold on a large scale can also yield a number of other materials and elements that can be harmful to the surrounding ecosystem, should they drain into a nearby river for example. These materials include arsenic and copper, which can be devastating to animal and plant life in the areas surrounding a gold mine.
• Harmful Material – Finally, mining gold often turns up other materials even as the gold is withdrawn from the rock. The main example here is mercury, which often turns up with gold, and which is highly toxic. Given that there are several significant health problems that can result from contact with mercury, this can be a major issue on its own.

These are some of the factors to keep in mind if you want to make an environmentally responsible effort while investing. While there are some potential economic benefits to investing in gold simply by purchasing quantities of the metal itself, investing directly in a gold mining company directly backs the harmful efforts listed above. Generally, it is a good idea to look into this sort of background information when making any investment.

This is guest post on behalf of BullionVault, written by freelancer Mark Simmons.

Some people have left the country to find work abroad. Some people have taken the opportunity to set up their own business instead. Some people have done both.

One country to consider setting up your business in is Egypt. Economic reforms and the Central Bank of Egypt’s supervision of all the banks in the country has enabled it to weather the crisis better, creating a more favorable business environment.

However, when you set up a business, it’s important to run it sustainably.

Here’s how to do both.

Financing Your Business

Clearly, you’ll need start-up capital for your business. You should go to a bank that invests in sustainability projects, for links to companies that aren’t environmentally responsible can harm your own business.

One bank you can get business financing is from HSBC. Worldwide banks like this offer a wide range of loans and financial services for businesses and can help your business run more smoothly.

Being Sustainable

Running a sustainable business has several benefits. Besides protecting the environment, you can save money and bolster your public image.

Here are some ways to do this:

• Print less — this reduces waste and saves money
• Turn off equipment when it’s not being used — this both lowers your electricity bill and protects the environment
• Use refillable ink — saves money and uses less plastic
• Turn off dripping taps — in hot countries like Egypt, saving water is important, and you’ll save money on your water bill too.

Registering Your Business

First you must register your business, which you do once you’ve acquired a visa. Mission accomplished, the next step is to check with the Commercial Registry, in Cairo, that no one has registered your intended business name. If not, you can register it with the Department of Companies. You’ll have to pay a notary fee, an establishment fee, a service charge and a commercial syndicate fee.

To incorporate your business, you’ll need the following documents:

• A bank certificate, which you must request from an authorized bank in Egypt
• A copy of the powers of attorney legal representatives have received from the business owner
• The original certificate which confirms the registration of the company’s auditor in the Registry of Accounts and Auditors
• The articles of association.

All of these documents must be notarized, but this doesn’t have to be expensive. You can even get it done for free. The Egyptian Government’s one-stop shops (OSSs) are designed to help business owners. They’ll provide document notarization free of charge.

Next you have to submit the notarized documents to the Department of Companies, then register with the OSS for tax purposes.

Finally, you must register the names of all your employees with the National Authority of Social Insurance. This requires the following documents:

• Your business lease agreement
• The business’s tax card
• The employees’ ID card and birth certificate
• A copy of the business owner’s and employees’ degree certificate.

To set up a successful business you must be responsible financially, fiscally and environmentally. By doing so, you can save resources and money to make your business more profitable. If you receive business financing from a bank, business or investor that supports sustainability projects, you can protect your business and project a positive image of it. Then with your business successful, you can enjoy the best of everything Egypt has to offer.

- My new job – the one that took away 99% of my blogging time – has been amazing! For the first time in my life, I am working in a job that keeps me constantly engaged throughout the day. On most days, it is 3 PM before I even realize it and I have to start wrapping things up for the day so I can go home on time. On top of that, I truly believe in what my organization does (we’re an environmental not-for-profit) and I feel like I’m making a difference in the world. What more could I ask for!?! Its amazing all the different directions your life can take when you are happy.

- I’ve been working two side jobs to earn additional income, which has been great. I’ve managed to get a consistent client as a private tutor that pays me a great wage to help with things I already know all about anyways (i.e. require zero prep time). And I recently got an inquiry from someone to buy some photos from me which will become my second paid photography gig.

- All this extra income is great and my savings have really taken off in the last 4 months. Considering that at this time last year, I was making less than minimum wage as a graduate student, having a reliable income means I haven’t had to think about other options like lines of credit or same day loans.

- I’ve been learning all kinds of things about healthy and low-impact eating. Did you know that you should always buy cooking oils in tinted or darkened bottles because the light that passes through transparent bottles degrades the oil and removes all the nutritional benefits. And that heat does the same thing! Don’t keep your cooking oil near your stove or fridge!

Alright, well, that’s my random update for the season
I keep checking the blog now and then, so do give me a shout if you want to share something interesting.

- Earth and Money

Happy Carnival!

Editor’s Choices

Miss T. @ Prairie Eco Thrifter writes Avoid Toxic Skincare Products in Minutes Flat - the skincare industry is full of products laden with toxic chemicals, which we (often) unknowingly slather all over ourselves to “protect” us from the sun or wrinkles or whatever. Did you know that tens of thousands of chemicals are used in these products and that most of them are not tested for safety? Most people don’t and I surely didn’t.

Editor: Though the article might be a little overly doomsday, its something that needs to get more exposure in our world today. Skincare products have a direct pathway into our bodies – before you buy something, ask yourself if you would eat it. If you wouldn’t, then why would you consider putting it on your skin – its all going to the same place!

Cash Flow Mantra @ Cash Flow Mantra writes You Tube Saved Me $100 or More - My son recently locked his keys in his car. A quick search of car locksmiths revealed that it would likely cost at least $100 to have one come out close to 11 pm on a Friday night in the rain to unlock the car door in order to retrieve the set of keys. So I decided to see if there might be a DIY way to break into the car.

Editor: Beyond the fact that this article is going to teach us all how to steal cars, the author highlights the power of the internet to save money. I have about 60 GB of digital video from my wedding that I am planning to stitch together into a movie. Rather than buy a piece of video editing software than can range in cost from $100-1000, I did a little internet research, and found some free open source software to do the job, with tutorials on how to do what I need to do. In the end, I saved hundreds of dollars. 

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krantcents @ KrantCents writes Are Temp Jobs the New Career Track? – Over 40% more people hold temp jobs now than in 2009! I recently read an article called Careers Are Dead which says the labor market has changed to temporary or contract work.

BARBARA FRIEDBERG @ Barbara Friedberg Personal Finance writes BEST WAY TO PLAY THE LOTTERY (YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LIKE IT) – Is there a way to win the lottery? There is an alternative. Learn the way to win (it’s not what you think).

MMD @ My Money Design writes Practicing Entrepreneurship the Fraidy-Cat Way – Using Your Job – I’m a giant fraidy-cat when it comes to the subject of entrepreneurship. It’s not that I don’t believe in taking risks – I just question if the risk is worth taking.

Jason @ Work Save Live writes Have You Been Scammed With Payment Protection Insurance? – Understanding Payment Protection Insurance Payment protection insurance, also known as PPI, is a special type of insurance product that is designed to cover payments to lenders in the event the borrower can’t pay.

Ted Jenkin @ Your Smart Money Moves writes The Best Ways to Save for College – When it comes to saving for college, there is a ton of information out there.

Eddie @ Finance Fox writes The Secret to Success in Life is Investing in Yourself – We all work hard for that bonus, salary increase, debt elimination, and even to save more and invest money, but how many of us invest in ourselves?

Tushar @ Finance TUBE writes The Energy Sucking Monster: Air Conditioning – Today we will talk about The Energy Sucking Monster: Air Conditioning. I don’t know if you realize this but 22 Billion dollars is spending every year on air conditioning. That is 70% of our electric bill just on air conditioning. And I know that we are being experiencing record of temperature this summer.

IMB @ Investing Money writes Do You Need the Money You’re Investing? – Your need for the money that you are investing will influence how you invest the money.

Luke @ Learn Bonds writes Should Your Core Bond Fund Own Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS)? – A recent interview on the basics of Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities (CMBS) with the manager of the Artio Total Return fund Don Quigley.

PITR @ Passive Income To Retire writes Understanding Mutual Fund Classes – Find out everything you need to know about Mutual Fund Classes!

Jon the Saver @ Free Money Wisdom writes What is a Title Loan? – Title loans are confusing for the average American. But sometimes, they can be used in a great way to protect your assets.

TDB @ Tax Deduction Blog writes Are Health Care Home Improvements Tax Deductible? – As the year draws to a close, it may be a good idea for you to take stock of your potential federal tax liability. Let’s face it, there isn’t much you can do in the way of damage control after the year ends. A quick review now will tell you if you need to implement…

PK @ Don’t Quit Your Day Job… writes Who Is My Representative? – Sick of voter apathy? Lead the fight to fix it by figuring out the state and federal representatives at any point in the (United states) map.

Lena @ What Mommy Does writes Sample Monthly Expenses Spreadsheet – Keeping a monthly budget is important, but don’t kill yourself by starting from scratch – download my sample budgeting template and customize it to fit your life.

Sicorra @ Tackling Our Debt writes 101 Frugal Tips to Help You Save Money – Now to some people these frugal tips will sound like things they already do everyday, and they are probably reading this and thinking “what’s the big deal?”. But for many other people these frugal tips will be an eye-opener because they are probably used to spending a lot of money on anything and everything, much like my husband and I did.

Marie at Family Money Values @ Family Money Values writes How to Become a Millionaire, What I Would Do Differently – If you are consciously seeking to live an intentional life, to become wealthy – or to at least be comfortable financially, perhaps you can use some of the below reflections on what I might have done differently to become a millionaire.Here are my reflections on a faster path to wealth. Here is what I would tell my younger self to do, knowing what I now know.

J.P. @ Novel Investor writes The Unending QE And Your Money – The Fed announcement of QE3 was the big news last week. Despite my misgivings and distaste for more easing, it’s here, it’s going to happen, so let’s make some money from it. Or more importantly, not lose any.

Ray @ Squirrelers writes Reader Comments on the Value of Traveling – A recent post on money, traveling, and location independence elicited an opposing view from a reader. This post shares the reader response, and continues the debate on the financial justification for travel.

TTMK @ Tie the Money Knot writes Working Mothers, Careers, and Double Standards – Double standards often exist in life. This includes the realm of working or non-working parents, and their careers. This post explores this topic.

Jeremy @ Modest Money writes 7 Considerations for Buying A Cheap Car – The thought of buying some freedom with a cheap car can be quite tempting. Do not let that emotion cloud your judgement and result in buying a vehicle that costs too much to keep on the road.

Deacon @ Well Kept Wallet writes 10 Ways to Keep from Spending Money – Are you looking for some ways to keep you from spending money? Well, you have come to the right place. It can be hard to resist the urge to go shopping or to buy items that you really want. Here are 10 tips to help you fight the urge and help you get your finances in order.

Carvin @ http://ruleyourwalletblog.com writes Why do the rich get richer? According to Fisher – An explanation of why the rich get richer according to Irvin Fishers theories. Theories include psychology and multiple income streams.

Jason @ Live Real Now writes Cheap Lo Mein – I did some research and came up with a quick, easy, and cheap recipe for lo mein. It takes 3 dishes and 20 minutes.

Beating Broke @ Beating Broke writes Long-Term Care: Are You Prepared? – While I’m not sure that there is any way to prepare for the emotional toll caring for your parents brings, you can prepare for the financial toll it brings.

Tushar @ Everything Finance Blog writes A Recap of the Financial Blogger Conference FINCON12 – I had the pleasure of attending the Financial Blogger Conference in Denver earlier this month, and just like last year, it was chock full of great information. Here are the three main takeaways I got from attending the sessions:

James Petzke @ This Is Common Cents writes Book Review: The 4-Hour Workweek – Tim Ferriss shows us how it is possible to work only 4 hours per week.

Philip @ PT Money Personal Finance writes The Key to Earning Free Travel with Your Credit Card – The key to maximizing airline miles or points is in both earning as many as possible and spending them wisely.

The Yakezie Carnival is brought to you to by the network of personal finance bloggers of the Yakezie. You can submit articles at Blogger Carnivals.

So I feel obliged to put an official nail into the coffin of Earth and Money. Its been a fun journey and I learned a lot! I don’t regret any of the time and effort I put into this site in the last 6 months. But I think I’ve outgrown it and I don’t want to make it a lifestyle/career. I talked a lot about how I’m a scanner, and maybe this is just the natural next step for me, simply time to learn a new skill. I also don’t like the idea anymore of blogging anonymously.   I want to share this blog with those I know and make it more personal. But due to career concerns, I’m not at a point where I feel comfortable blogging about these topics publicly. Maybe that day will come, and when it does, Earth and Money will be ready and waiting for me.

Before I leave, there are two people I want to thank. The first is Simon, at Sustainable Personal Finance. Simon was the first blogger to reach out to me and he gave me a lot of invaluable advice. Every beginning blogger should be so lucky. The second is Jeremy, at Modest Money. I said before, I always felt like Jeremy was my own personal cheerleader. He’s done amazing things with his blog considering he only started about a month before I did. It shows what you can do when you really focus your efforts.

To all those who are just now coming upon Earth and Money, please browse the material on the site. There is some great information here and I hope you can benefit from it. I will not be taking it down anytime soon as I feel that some of these articles need to be out there in the public domain.

Until next time, cherish your money, cherish your earth, cherish everything around you!

- E&M