Often, the decision to go greencomes down to cost. When trying to go green, we have to adjust ourmindsets to look long term, and reasonably assess what will beright for us right now and down the road. Done right, going greencan make sense financially.

Here are some tips on how you can start the process of makingyour home or workspace green.

Look at your budget and make a plan. Know whatis important to you. While the initial expense of green materialsmay be a little higher, the overall energy efficiency of yourdecisions can pay off in the long run. You even can qualify forspecial tax write-offs because of your use of energy-efficientappliances and materials. Most energy-saving products like lightbulbs, low-flow shower heads, appliances and ceiling fans arelabeled with approximate cost savings right on the packages. Forlarger projects and larger overall savings, things like attic andwall insulation, as well as energy-efficient windows, willsignificantly lower your energy bills.

Service companies and a variety of free online calculators canalso help you calculate your budget savings. For everyone, with orwithout a budget for upgrades, significant savings can come simplyfrom good habits. Remembering things like turning off lights,shutting down computers, washing with full laundry and dishwasherloads, changing filters, taking shorter showers and being mindfulof gas consumption can help you save the dollars thatcount.

Small steps you can take in your home or in youroffice:

• Turn off your computers at night

You can save around $90 per year, per computer, by turning itoff during the 16 off hours between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. on a normalworkday.

• Use both sides of the paper

American businesses throw away 21 million tons of paper everyyear, which adds up to 175 pounds per office worker. For a quickand easy way to halve this, set your printer's default option toprint double-sided (duplex printing). And when you're finished withyour documents, don't forget to take them to the recycling bin.

• Rethink bottled water

On average, we drink around 222 bottles of water a year, that'sabout four a week. With bottled water costing around $2 we arespending roughly $440 on bottled water each year as opposed to tapwater, which costs less than one cent per gallon. By using areusable container for drinking water, you can make a great choicefor the environment and your wallet.

• Get some use out of your coffee mugs

All together, we throw away roughly 900 million pounds ofdisposable coffee cups each year. Try using your favorite travelmug every morning instead of a paper cup, which cuts down on waste,and keeps your beverage hot much longer. Most coffee shops willhappily fill your reusable cup, and many even offer you a discountin exchange! If you save 10 cents on a cup of coffee, five times aweek for a year, you will have saved around $26.

• Use your cruise control and batch yourerrands

When using cruise control, your vehicle could get up to 10%better mileage. Considering today's gasoline prices, this is abenefit not only for the environment, but your budget as well. Feellike you spend your whole week trying to catch up with the errands?Take a few moments once a week to make a list of all the errandsthat need to get done, and see if you can batch them into one trip.These will save you time and gas for multiple trips.

• Cut down on junk mail, switch to e-statements and payyour bills online

There are many services that can help reduce the clutter in yourmailbox, save trees and preserve precious space on yourcountertops. Paying bills online not only saves you the cost of astamp, but also a trip to the post office.

My final advice: When considering goinggreen, the key is finding practices and routines you can live with.Consider the money-saving choices you are making and how they willimpact you in the long run. While the initial costs may be a littlepricier or labor intensive, the money saved can add up quickly andwill be well worth it in the future.

Sarah Bohan isvice president of corporate relations at Michigan State University Federal CreditUnion in East Lansing, Mich.