Everyone likes to save a few dollars when they can, right? And even better if you find a few dollars in the pocket of an old jacket or on the couch cushions. The best money is found money. But most of us do it on a small scale. What would it take to save billions of dollars? It turns out that there are great things happening all the time, or things we could at least try to do, that can save a ton of money.
10. Bats save $3 billion on pesticides
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, global spending on pesticides in 2012 was about 56 billion dollars We spend an incredible amount of money on pest control, so if there is a way to save money, it is definitely worth exploring. And luckily for us, nature provides its own methods of pest control without any upfront costs.
It has been calculated that bats can eat enough beetles when they go out to feed at night to save money. pesticides in the amount of up to 3 billion dollars . According to other data, in the US alone, bats prevent $23 billion in annual crop losses.
One bat can eat 1200 mosquitoes per hour. America's largest bat colony in Bracken, Texas, is estimated to contain about 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats, so you can imagine how much these little guys eat every day. The fact that some people consider bats themselves to be pests just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of how beneficial these little animals actually are.
9. One dollar coins will save $4.4 billion
A few years ago, Canada took all of its one-dollar bills out of circulation and replaced them with coins featuring the psychopath widely known like a psycho They did so well that a few years later they took down their $2 bills and replaced them with cartoon ones. And beyond the funny names, there's a clear economic benefit to this plan.
It has been calculated that if the US were to abandon dollar bills and exchange them for coins, they would save about $4.4 billion in 30 years just the costs of printing paper money. Coins just last longer and are more durable. So what's the holdup? Nobody likes them.
For some reason, one dollar coins don't sell well in America. They exist, and more than half of them are currently just sitting in government vaults. But people prefer paper money. Canada and other countries have shown that if you don't give people a choice, they'll adapt to coins without any problem, but that step has yet to be taken.
8. Electric cars will save billions of dollars
Electric cars are the future, and that seems pretty obvious. Fossil fuels will literally run out one day, and while we as a species are very good at ignoring the future, we can only ignore it for so long. That’s why Elon Musk and other automakers are jumping on the bandwagon now, not just to appeal to the environmentally conscious, but to corner the market ahead of time. There are many reasons why electric is a potential winner.
First of all, it can save lives. Hundreds of thousands of them , by reducing pollution. But even from a heartless financial perspective, it's a really good idea. By one estimate, using electricity on roads would allow annually save about 17 billion dollars in terms of damage from climate change and environmental pollution. That's a pretty good motivator, and that's only if 25% cars switch. Increase the number of cars on the road to 75%, and the savings reach $70 billion.
7. If 1 in 10 smokers quit, it would save $63 billion.
Smoking is a bad habit that can kill you. It also places a heavy burden on society when those who continue to smoke become ill and need treatment as a result. In the UK, it has been estimated that smokers cost the country £13 billion a year. Money that could be saved if people could be persuaded to quit.
In the U.S., the problem is much more expensive. According to one University of California study, if just one in 10 American smokers quit the habit, it would save 63 billion dollars on health care costs. Health care costs in California alone fell by $15 billion the year after the state banned smoking.
6. Changing school start times would save $9 billion a year
Changing school start times is an issue that has cropped up in different communities over the years for different reasons. Some believe it helps students learn better, others think it will help avoid traffic jams in the morning. But the social benefits are only one aspect of why it might be a good idea. There’s also a solid dollar cost associated with it that defies common criticism of the plan.
Some are concerned that later start times will somehow increase things like transportation costs. In fact, the opposite is true, and starting school just 30 minutes later would save the government money. 9 billion dollars a year . Over the course of a decade, $83 billion could be saved, and over 15 years, that amount would jump to 140 billion dollars The benefits result from lower accident rates and higher academic achievement, among other benefits.
5. Mangroves prevent billions of dollars in coastal damage
Flood damage is probably worse than most people realize. You sometimes see major floods on the news, and obviously they damage cities, but that's not the only damage floods cause. Many storms end up devastating coastal areas year after year, costing $50 billion a year in the U.S. alone. And it's a problem that affects every part of the world where land and water meet for as long as 730 billion dollars a year .
While we can deal with damage after the fact, natural defenses are one of the most valuable resources we have. Things like natural reefs and mangroves , are responsible for holding floodwaters, and mangroves in particular, those gnarled-looking trees whose roots hang down into swamps and rivers, have a huge impact. They provide protection against rising waters and prevent more than $65 billion in flood damage.
4. Eating ugly foods could save you over $15 billion.
Every year in America products worth 160 billion dollars go straight into the trash can. The average family of four throws away $1,600 a year, and it happens for a variety of reasons. Items get damaged, spoiled before they can be used, packaging is damaged, you name it.
However, one reason for waste does not match the others. Ugly food is the leading cause of food waste, and it has nothing to do with quality. Ugly food is perfectly safe and edible, it just doesn’t look pretty. Deformed apples, weird bananas, and discolored oranges are often thrown away, despite the fact that they are just as nutritious and delicious as their prettier counterparts.
For years, farms, distributors, and stores threw out all this food before consumers even saw it. But in recent years, there has been a shift, and research shows that consumers will absolutely appreciate ugly food, especially if you come right out and tell them it's not nice American retailers throw away $15 billion in ugly food a year, while farms themselves throw away over 66 million tons, and all of that could be saved by simply making it more accessible.
3. Pet ownership saves $11.7 billion per year in health care costs.
Are you a dog person or a cat person? As long as you're one or the other, there's a good chance you're saving money, at least on health care costs rather than on pet food. Pets have been shown to provide numerous health benefits, from lower blood pressure to stress reduction. But if you want to put a price tag on it, you can. It's $11.7 billion per year.
According to a George Mason University study, all of these health benefits add up to that number. Pet owners visit the doctor 0.6 times less often than pet owners. With 132.8 million pet owners, that’s $11.37 billion less than the doctor. So where did that extra $400 million come from? Walking your dog! Five or more walks a week shave off an extra amount, bringing the total to $11.7 billion, thanks to lower obesity rates among dog walkers.
If you don't already have a pet, it's worth remembering that this figure is money saved on healthcare costs, not money in your wallet, as pet owners will spend much more on chew toys, food, and pet-sized Halloween costumes.
2. Oysters could prevent billions of dollars in flood damage and water cleanup
There are many rivers, bays and other waterways in the world today that are heavily polluted due to years of dumping oil, trash, chemicals and other dirty stuff. This in turn kills coral reefs and other natural features underwater that have a profound impact on the world above the waves.
As part of the project " Billion oysters" There is an attempt to restore New York City's oyster reefs by taking real oyster shells and clams from restaurants and dumping them back into the water. This is because New York City used to have over 200,000 acres of oyster reefs, and each little oyster naturally filters 50 gallons of water a day. But when they die, the water gets dirtier and dirtier. Plus, the city is at high risk of flooding. The reefs are natural blockades, and when they go away, big storm surges can flood the city streets . And it's not just New York City, but all coastal areas. Natural barriers like oyster reefs prevent tens of billions of dollars in potential flood damage.
The natural filtering ability of oysters can also help purify water, which cansave billions extra technology costs.
1. Writing in the shower could save Americans $1.5 billion
Here's a rhetorical question: Do you pee in the shower? No need to answer. It's just food for thought, because it's more relevant than you think, not only to the topic at hand, but to your personal bank account.
According to EPA figures, your toilet accounts for about 30% all water, used in your home. If you break it down to dollars and cents, every time you flush the toilet, you're sending 1.3 cents down the drain. That could add up to over a year. And when you factor in every person in the country, that's a heck of a lot. But it's a necessary thing, right? Obviously, you have to flush the toilet. Besides, what if you didn't have to do it every time?
There are 329.5 million people in the country. If everyone in the country flushed one toilet a day, it would cost $4.28 million. That's every day. At the end of the year, we've all just flushed $1.5 billion.
Here's the thing. If you pee in the shower, instead of in the toilet once a day (you'll still be showering in the shower), 1.6 gallons of flushed water are saved. 1.3 cents saved. $1.5 billion saved.
Obviously, there are a lot of real-world flaws in the math here, from toilets that use more water to the fact that not everyone showers every day. But it's worth noting, at least on a personal level, that you save about $5 a year by peeing in the shower once a day rather than flushing.
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