Today’s guest post comes from Heather Levin, author of the blog The Greenest Dollar. With a passion for personal finance and being green, she enlightens us on how the two can join forces to help us save money while being environmentally friendly. If you enjoy reading this guest post then please consider reading her blog here.

There’s no doubt about it…’09 is shaping up to be the year when frugality became cool and green living went gold. If you’re new to both of these worlds, then you might be wondering how in the heck to even get started. After all, there’s more “money saving tips” out there than you’ve got money to save, and without the know-how you can easily transition from “going green” to “spending-way-too-much-green”.

Here’s the good news, though. You don’t have to spend green to go green. The two aren’t mutually exclusive. It’s easy to live green and save money at the same time. Shocking but true. So, ready for “Green Living 101”? All right then.

Here are the Top 7 Ways To Save Money And The Environment. Pay attention, because school’s in session.

1. Stop Your Junk Mail
Did you know that over 100 million trees are used for our junk mail every year? That’s just like deforesting the entire Rocky Mountain National Forest every four months. Yikes. If you get off all the junk mail lists, you’ll immediately start saving trees and reduce your carbon footprint. And how will this save money? With no credit card offers or catalogs to look at, you won’t be tempted to shop till you drop. You can use Google’s “Stop Junk Mail” or use other services and agencies that will help you (but may charge a fee).

2. Stop Using Plastic Bags
If I could plead for anything on behalf of the environment, it would be for people to stop using plastic bags. Every plastic bag takes over 1,000 years to decompose, and hundreds of billions are tossed into landfills every single year. Less than 1% are ever recycled.
By purchasing just a few reusable shopping bags, you can completely eliminate your contribution to this. And how does this save money? The more you use your reusable bags, the more you’re going to loathe plastic bags and not want to get a plastic bag for anything. This means that you’ll shop just enough at the store to fill up your reusable bags. You’ll buy less. Trust me; I religiously take my reusable bags, and I do indeed buy less. It’s fabulous.

3. Switch To CFL Bulbs
Ok, you might have heard this one so much that it’s sounding like a broken record. But, there’s a good reason why CFL is on everyone’s lips. Each bulb will save $30 in energy costs over the course of its lifetime. And, they last 10 times longer than regular bulbs. You’ll save on your energy bill, and at the store since you won’t have to buy bulbs all the time.
Be aware, however, that you can’t just throw away CFL bulbs when they burn out. They do contain a small bit of mercury, so they must be disposed of safely. The Home Depot recycles CFL bulbs free of charge, as does IKEA. Go them!

4. Invest In Power Strips
Ever heard of “Vampire Power”? And no, I’m not talking about Edward’s luscious good looks in the new “Twilight” flick, or the smoldering eyes of Brad Pitt in “Interview With A Vampire”. Yep, those vamps have power all right, but it’s the kind to make me follow them anywhere. Wait, I digress…
Eco-busting Vampire Power is when your appliances continue to suck power off the energy grid even when they’re turned off. This is power that you’re paying for; some experts claim that 10-20% of your bill is made up of vamp usage. That really adds up.
Combat this theft by plugging these things into a power strip and unplugging the whole thing at night. Simple. Effective. And, no garlic or wooden stakes required.

5. Use Less Laundry Detergent
You’ve probably never given it much thought, but if you’re using regular laundry detergent, it’s probably pretty bad for the environment. The bleaches, brighteners, colorants, and solvents are all classified as toxic by the EPA. And, you’re probably using way, way more than you need to. Yours truly has done my own “minimal detergent needed test,” trying out multiple loads over time to see how little detergent I could use and still get clean clothes. My findings? 3-4 tablespoons for one big load.
Translation: you don’t need the “industry recommended” ½ to ¾ cup of detergent per load. Remember: the more detergent you use, the more you have to buy. This works in favor of the detergent company. So, use less: buy less. Simple, frugal and better for the environment.

6. Turn Down Your Thermostat
The U.S. Dept of Energy reports that you can save 10% or more on your annual heating bill simply by turning down your thermostat 10-15 degrees for one 8-hr stretch per day. This means that if you had a programmable thermostat, you could save big by turning down the heat while you’re at work. It would turn back up right before you got home, and you’d never know the difference. Except, that is, for more money in the bank.

7. Stop Buying Bottled Water
Did you know that we use 1.5 billions of oil every year just to make bottles for bottled water? Plus, according the National Resources Defense Council bottled water is 1,000 to 10,000 more expensive than the water that comes out of your tap.
Here’s the kicker: most of the time, there’s little to no difference between tap water and bottled water anyway. Want to save money and make a big difference in the environment? Then stop buying that uber-expensive bottled water and start carrying your own in a reusable container, such as Nalgene or Sigg.

See how easy all that was? All these green living tips are really nothing more than easy lifestyle changes that cost little, if anything, to do. You really don’t need to invest $20,000 in solar panels or $25,000 on a new hybrid. When it comes to green living, the little things really do mean a lot.

What do you do to stay green and save money?