Planting trees in your yard is one of the simplest ways to add value to your home and create future energy savings, too. Since trees provide shade and shaded air is cooler, you can strategically plant trees so they provide shade wherever your air conditioning unit is. The unit draws in the cooler air, which means it uses less energy to lower the temperature and circulate air conditioning around the house. In just one year, you'll save about $250 in electricity costs alone.

Sure, water is good for you, but water in plastic bottles can be bad for your wallet and bad for the environment. A daily bottled water habit can easily cost one person a few hundred dollars per year. Instead, invest in a high-quality reusable bottle -- I like glass ones from Lifefactory -- and fill it with filtered water. In just one year, that investment will help you recoup, on average, about $240. Cheers to the ecological savings!

An old, leaky toilet is something that is easy -- and often relatively inexpensive -- to replace. The Environmental Protection Agency's WaterSense program identifies bathroom products that are 20 percent more efficient than traditional showerheads, faucets and toilets but don't sacrifice any performance. You can find WaterSense toilets at home improvement stores such as Lowe's Home Improvement for about $100. That one switch will cover the cost of the toilet in just over a year, and for each following year, you'll save about $90 on your water bill.