With the failing economy and global warming becoming a real threat, now is the most crucial time to find out effective Green Ways to Save Money. Changing tiny elements of your day-to-day living can make a huge difference on the environment as well as your bank account. With the economy double-dipping, prices going through the roof and environmental changes occurring all over the world, you can help save your pocket and planet by following some of these 7 Green Ways to Save Money.
Water is the elixir of life. We need it for survival, but it still costs money. Never take it for granted.
• Take shorter showers. It reduces your heating and water bills. Victoria, Australia suffers from major water droughts, so their government encourages its citizens to have a ‘4 minute’ shower rule. That’s right, that’s 4 minutes to take a full shower. If Australians can do it, you can too! Try to aim for these quick showers and you’ll soon find yourself a green way to save money.
• Turn off leaking taps and don’t let the tap run when you brush your teeth.
• Installing a faucet aerator also reduces water use when the tap is running.
• When it’s sunny, hang your clothes on a clothes line. If not, use a drying rack and open a window. Dryers suck up a huge proportion of your water usage, as well as heating, which makes money go down the drain.
More energy use = more money needed = more detrimental to the planet.
• Turn off lights and electrical items when they are not in use. It helps to get a “smart” power strip that automatically turns on and off when your appliance is or isn’t being used! Smart!
• Install energy saving light bulbs.
• Use a thermostat. You’ll often find you only need to heat up your house in certain areas and at certain times of the day.
Reduce the need to keep on churning out paper plates, cups, sanitary towels, tampons etc. It causes more waste and tells the companies they need to make more.
• Use cloth or toweling diapers for your baby instead of buying expensive manufactured diapers. It reduces waste and is a green way to save money by recycling.
• Invest in a menstrual cup. If you think about how much money you use on tampons and sanitary towels, it can make you sick. Menstrual cups are re-usable so nothing gets thrown in the bin!
• Use a flask. You’ll only need to boil water once as a flask keeps hot water hot throughout the entire day.
• Don’t buy bottled water. Use a water filter to purify tap water – it’s cheaper and you help to reduce plastic bottle waste and manufacturing. Then, carry your water around in a flask!
• Don’t turn electronics into disposable items. Newer and ‘better’ electronic items get released faster than you can say ‘Mac or PC?’ Nonetheless, you don’t need to keep buying them. Keep your electrical items for as long as possible, then donate or recycle responsibly. This is a key green way to save money that keeps toxic electrical waste that produces mercury out of the environment.
• If you are a meat eater, eat one less meat dish during the week. Meat is expensive produce: farming takes up a lot of land and money.
• Grow your own food. Even if it is only growing your own herbs on your windowsill you’ll be saving yourself having to buy groceries, and you’ll be making the world that little bit greener.
• You can be green and save money by going to markets and supporting your local farmers and groceries. They are often cheaper and tastier, and you are helping to support your local economy.
• If you live far from work or work with other countries, you can cut down on travel costs by using video webchat in conference calls.
• Shopping online is a greener way of saving money as you save on gas.
• Reduce paper use. Save your documents on media devices and think carefully about when you need to print.
• Borrowing books from the library is a greener way to save money than buying new ones.
• Buy eBooks. They are cheaper because they don’t use paper or printing costs.
Walk or cycle to work, school or to visit friends rather than driving. It’s a greener and healthier way to save money than using gas and public transportation.
There are numerous green ways to save money aren’t there? Every little helps, and you’ll soon discover that by turning off the tap, not taking baths and having quicker showers. If you’re fed up of spending so much money on items that just get thrown away, you can always find alternatives that are a lot cheaper and last longer. Being greener often comes in hand with saving money. Try it for a month and see how much money you can save! Share your own tips on Green Ways to Save Money below!