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Marketing of “green” products and services is increasing perhaps more than any other segment. While many of these products and services are legitimately geared towards green initiatives, others are just coming along for the ride.

You may have heard that “green is the new black.” The difference is that there are no shades of black, but there are many shades of green. That’s because the use of the word “green” is not regulated in advertising. Some industries have made the investment to develop standards, so that only those members meeting the standard can use the industry green seal of approval, but such programs are not yet widespread. Even where they do exist, members not meeting the standard could still call themselves green.

Sometimes it can be hard to divine a company’s true intention. Some people might not even care what the reason is, as long as some good comes from it. So it may be more important to consider whether or not the greening of a product is actually beneficial to the environment or rather just an attempt to capitalize on the latest fad.

All of this matters because you, as a consumer, may consider the relative environmental friendliness of a company when making purchasing decisions. Regardless of your opinions about the importance of environmental protection, I’m sure that most would agree that all other things being equal, choosing a more environmentally friendly product is a good decision. Such a decision can be skewed if green marketing tricks you into choosing a product that isn’t really as green as it seems.

Whether you choose green products only when they are comparable in price to non-green alternatives or are willing to pay a premium for them, don’t blindly accept claims of a product being green. If you are going to be spending money on such products and services, you should first consider whether it’s the actual product, or just the marketing, that’s green.

Waiting until the last possible minute to make a necessary purchase will usually end up costing you more. Discretionary spending often sees quite the opposite effect. Planning appropriately in both cases will have the highest likelihood of success.

When you procrastinate in making a necessary purchase, you slowly lose control of the price you are going to pay. Early on, you may have the luxury of being able to comparison shop and wait a little while until a better deal comes along. As time progresses, your options become more and more limited. When you get to the point that you have to make a purchase, you likely have to pay whatever price is asked of you just to satisfy your need. How often have we spent more than we intended just to have a gift in time for a birthday or similar timed event?

Discretionary spending offers more flexibility because you rarely have a hard deadline for the purchase. Even if you delay the purchase, you could always wait even longer if the price wasn’t favorable. You may even decide not to make the purchase at all. For many products, particularly new technology, prices come down over time.

Let’s consider an example for an upcoming trip. In one case, you need an airline ticket to get to your sister’s wedding. In the other, you’d like to go on vacation soon. If you book your trip to the wedding a day or two before you need to be there, you could be in for a big surprise. While it is possible that you’ll get a good deal if the flight you want isn’t very full, the much more likely scenario is that you’ll end up paying whatever fare you can get because you have to be at the wedding. If the price was more than you could afford, you may even borrow money or charge it just to be sure that you were able to attend. In the second case, you could choose whatever destination had flights that weren’t very full or whichever deal looked best. If no deals looked good, you might simply wait and try again next week.

Many other types of purchases follow a similar pattern. The more specific the item and necessity to obtain it, the more you are probably going to spend. Of particular importance is to avoid overspending for discretionary items because you confuse them with a necessity. If you can live with an alternative, have no pressing need for the specific item, or can skip the purchase altogether, you’ll probably end up paying less. If none of those situations apply, then purchasing early is likely the best way to go.

It’s long been known that using credit cards can cost you more, because of the interest and fees associated with their use. It also isn’t surprising that many people spend more when using credit. In some cases, though, the amount of the transaction may make cash a costlier option.

The reasons why we spend more when using credit are threefold. First, if we carry a balance on our credit cards, even spending the same amount will cost more using credit because of the interest we pay on the purchase. Second, the abstract nature of using credit disconnects us from the pain of spending cash. We may not consider what we’re spending because a swipe of the credit card for an expensive purchase is just as easy as for an inexpensive one. Third, using credit allows us to make purchases that we wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise. Many of us have higher credit limits than cash available for purchases, so it follows that using credit may lead to added spending.

The other side of the equation is the phenomenon that I’m sure we’re all familiar with. Once we break a large bill, it seems like the change we receive quickly gets spent. I can walk around with a twenty-dollar bill in my wallet for weeks at a time, but once it’s broken, the tens, fives, or singles that I get back seem to quickly disappear. If you carry a balance on your credit card, then making small purchases with your card could get very expensive due to the interest charged on those purchases. But if you’re like me and pay off your balance every month, you might be better off charging small purchases to avoid breaking large bills. I have gotten so used to this practice that I hardly even carry cash anymore. Again, this only works if you pay off your balance in full every month.

When budgeting, many people focus on minimizing either the small recurring expenses (like a daily coffee) or the large expenses (like high interest credit card debt). Both are important and reducing both types will prove to be the most effective. In a similar way, how we spend more may vary depending on the amount of the transaction. Some people may be better off always using cash, while others may find a mix of cash and credit to be the best fit.

Which causes you to spend more in each scenario?

Sometimes it’s the simplest changes to our finances that can have the most dramatic effect. One such change is using direct deposit for your paycheck.

Nearly all jobs now offer the option of having paychecks direct deposited into your bank account. Many even require direct deposit. Using direct deposit forces you to pay yourself first. Unlike cashing a paycheck, spending what you need, and saving whatever is left, direct deposit lets you save as much as possible. This happens, in part, because we are lazy. Just like we save less when we have to take action to do so in the case of a physical check, we save more in the direct deposit case because it requires no additional effort.

If you are already using direct deposit, you can still make improvements in how you do so. By using a secondary account, such as a savings account or direct banking account, you can specifically mark a portion of your deposit for savings. Some employers will be happy to split your direct deposit into multiple accounts to make this process easier. If not, you can set up a recurring transfer to move a portion of your direct deposit amount every time you get paid. By using a secondary account, you make it even more difficult to borrow money from your savings. Instead of having to withdraw the money to spend it, you have to transfer it to a primary account (which might even take a few days in the case of a direct banking account) and then withdraw the money to spend it. This extra step may be all the incentive you need to resist impulse spending and save more.

While you may not need to use a secondary account to protect your money from your desire to spend it, doing so may also offer psychological benefits to see your savings grow. Making a simple transition to direct deposit or improving how your existing direct deposits are handled requires minimal effort but can have very positive effects on your finances. Take the time to review your current situation to see if you could benefit from this easy tip.

With gas prices soaring, the cost of operating a vehicle continues to climb as well. While there are many other ways to get around, one of the best choices is the bicycle.

I recently heard someone say that cycling is the most efficient form of transportation. That claim is repeated on many of the websites I looked at for verification. Exploratorium states that “cycling can be as much as 5 times more efficient than walking” and “one hundred calories can power a cyclist for three miles, but it would only power a car 280 feet.”

Riding a bike may not help the soccer mom who needs to do grocery shopping, transport children, and run errands, but it can work in a lot of other situations. While the main benefit of riding a bike considered here is the financial savings available, particularly with the high price of gas, there are many other benefits as well. The positive health and environmental benefits are the first to come to mind.

When I lived in Germany, people rode bicycles everywhere. It wasn’t abnormal to see a mother with a basket full of groceries and a few kids in tow, a family out for leisurely ride, or a business man in a three-piece suit on his way to work on a bicycle. I once saw a painter biking to work with all of his supplies, including a step ladder. You realize that you can do a lot more with a bicycle if you simply open your mind to the possibilities. High gas prices are forcing many people to do just that.

So the questions of the day to determine if purchasing a bicycle would return a net savings on your investment: Could a bicycle allow you to get rid of your second car? How much could you save by not burning gas to get everywhere you need to go?