I'd first like to say I am really not a green freak in the slightest, I just think it's a good idea to help the environment with little things that save you money and don't even take up any effort... and especially, with energy, fuel and food prices all soaring, it's a pretty damn good idea to save as much as you can.
So here's a load of quick tips on how to help, with no effort on your part.
IN THE HOUSE: ENERGY SAVING
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1. After you've charged your phone and iPod, unplug them. Although they're not doing anything, they're still using up a lot of energy.
2. Turn down the thermostat by 1 degree and you could save 10% on your heating bill.
3. Turn lights and unused plugs off when you leave the room, and don't leave your TV on standby.
4. Wear your clothes more than once before you wash, and only wash on economy and when there's a full load.
5. Don't fill the kettle right up when you're only making one cup of tea. A huge amount of energy can be saved by only boiling the amount you need.
6. A dripping tap left on all day wastes the same amount of water as if you were having a 15 minute shower, so be careful!
7. Use energy saving lightbulbs. Apparently they can save you around £100 per bulb.
8. Take a shower rather than a bath - it uses much less water.
9. Put a bucket outside when it rains, and use that water for your plants.
10. Turn off the tap when you're brushing your teeth.
11. Hang your clothes to dry and save using a tumble dryer. If you hang them outside, it's likely that you won't even need to iron them.
12. If you cut vegetables into small pieces, they'll cook faster.
And if you're willing to spend a bit, it's a good idea to get double glazing windows and insulation for your loft in order to stop heat escaping. You can also buy an energy monitor (e.g. here for £50), which tracks how much energy you're using and shows how much you're wasting.
IN THE HOUSE: WASTE SAVING
1. Recycle your cereal boxes, your magazines, your newspapers, your plastic bottles, your cans... click here to find out what you can and can't recycle in your area.
2. When you recycle cans and bottles, squash them so they take up less space. A household recycling box can hold 130 cans, but 400 squashed ones.
3. One of the biggest wastes is carrier bags from shops. Reuse them as much as you can, or buy a proper reuseable bag.
4. Recycle your old phones and ink cartridges - and get money for it. You can sell your ink cartridges here and your phones here. There are an estimated 80 million mobiles sitting in drawers in the UK alone, and every year 30 million ink cartridges are being thrown away. That's a lot of waste being transported!
5. Don't just throw away old clothes - unless they're completely ruined, take them to a charity shop. And if they are completely ruined, use them as a cleaning cloth around the house.
6. Use rechargeable batteries to save waste and money.
7. Instead of throwing away old furniture, you could try redecorating it, but if you're determined that it has to go, donate it to people who need it or advertise it on Free2Collect or Freecycle, or even eBay it.
8. Use reuseable products such as sponges instead of wipes, and food storage containers instead of cling film.
9. Instead of buying a bottle of water all the time, buy one and fill the bottle up with tap water. Then put it in the fridge overnight to make it fresh for the next day.
10. Use old envelopes to write notes and take phone messages.
IN THE HOUSE: FOOD SAVING
1. Apparently one third of food in every UK household is thrown out each year. Always check your best before dates to save throwing away food that has gone off, and if you freeze the food, remember that it lasts a little bit longer so don't just chuck it! This especially goes for bread if you're finding you often throw out mouldy loaves.
2. Use leftovers for another meal instead of putting them straight in the bin.
3. Keep complementary products such as rice, noodles and sauces in your cupboard so you always have something to add to your leftovers. For a few ideas, check out this website.
4. Instead of buying whatever takes your fancy, think about how much you really need to buy - make a shopping list.
5. Your fruit might not be looking that great after a while, but they still make great smoothies.
IN THE CAR
1. Drive at 60mph instead of 70mph and you'll see a difference in how much fuel your car's consuming. With the ridiculous cost of fuel now, it's definitely something to think about.
2. Empty your car of things you really don't need. It'll make the car lighter, saving you fuel.
3. Share your car with someone else. If you don't know anyone to share with, you could sign up with Liftshare to find someone and perhaps make a few new friends!
4. Plan your journey - you don't want a 200 mile detour like my Dad did once!
5. Don't drive if the journey's too short - most of the fuel is used at the beginning of your journey while it heats up.
6. Check your tyre pressure as it can increase your fuel consumption.
7. Don't slam your foot on the accelerator or the brake - this decreases your fuel efficiency by around a third.
8. Change gears earlier to save fuel. I'm usually in 4th gear before I hit 30mph, and in 5th well before I'm at 40mph. It does depend on your car, though.
9. Being idle uses up a fair bit of fuel, so instead of sitting with the engine on when you're in a major traffic jam or waiting for your friend, turn the engine off.
10. You're told not to coast when you're learning to drive (that is, keeping your foot to the floor on the clutch), but why not when you're going downhill or driving towards a red traffic light? It totally saves fuel.