The other day we realized that our refrigerator was over 20 years old! We inherited it from friends who moved away and it was already a few years old when we got it. It does a good job but it's not as energy-efficient as it might be. We started looking for a new one and learned two great tips from Danny Seo that'll not only save the planet and save us money in the long run, but will also net us a little cash in the short run too!

First buy an Energy Star appliance via the government's Cash for Appliances program: Like last year's Cash for Clunkers program, Cash for Appliances encourages you to trade-up for a new energy efficient model. Unlike the Cash for Clunkers program however, you don't have to actually trade in an old model to get a new one. Instead, you simply get a rebate on Energy Star qualified appliances.

Okay, now what do I do with this old behemoth? Instead of leaving your old appliances on the street for the sanitation department to pick up, borrow a truck from a friend and haul them to the nearest scrap metal yard. That old hunk o junk will net you a tidy sum of cash.

Thanks Danny!

[image from Rich Andersen's Flickr with a Creative Commons License, some rights reserved]