Make a New Year's resolution that will amount to meaningful changes for you and your family.

Resolve to turn down the heat just a little. You'll save money, reduce emissions, and still stay warm.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—So how's it going with those New Year's resolutions? If you resolved to lose 50 pounds in January, exercise for an hour every day, become the perfect parent/significant other/child, or cut your day-to-day spending in half, reality may already be raising her ugly head and suggesting you may have been, er, not completely realistic. Maybe it's time to revise your resolve and center it on actions that are more meaningful and doable. Here are four of my favorite New Year's resolutions, and they'll all save you money, shrink your carbon footprint, let you spend some more time with your family, and maybe even cause you to shed a few pounds—without upending your life.

#1: Cut your utility budget. The average family spends almost half its budget on home-related expenses, with heating and cooling accounting for a sizable chunk. Aim to cut your electrical and gas use by 5 percent with a few free and unnoticeable tweaks.

• Turn your heat down just a degree or two while you're home and a full 8 degrees while you're sleeping or at work, and you can trim your energy costs by 16 percent. You'll also reduce the amount of carbon dioxide you send into the atmosphere. Installing a programmable thermostat is well worth it for many people, and the most basic models cost just $30. I love mine.

• Turn your water heater down to 120 degrees from the standard 140. It'll be hot enough to shower in without needing to mix in cold water. Cut your daily showers down by two minutes and you can shave down your energy use even more.

Line-dry at least some of your laundry—even one load a week—and the saved energy will cut your dryer's impact on global climate change by half. And since your dryer uses more energy than your washer and dishwasher combined, you'll also save a few dollars on your energy bill. While you're at it, cut the total number of loads you wash per week by wearing your clothes more than once or twice. If something isn't visibly soiled or odiferous, hang it up to air for a day and return it to your closet or drawer rather than tossing it in the hamper. You'll save time, energy, and money. And your clothes and linens will last longer, saving you even more down the line.