Staying Green and Saving Money

When it comes to resources, few are more precious than our environment. Thrifty living fits well into the zero-waste lifestyle and staying eco-friendly isn’t something that has to cost you all that much. There are various methods for staying green and saving money; these are six of my favourites.

Ditch the Car

Cars are expensive; both for the bank account and the environment.

Walking, cycling and public transport are all awesome affordable alternatives. If you don’t have any option but to drive though, consider if there is a way to consolidate trips. If you have family or fiends who need shopping too, maybe it is possible to reduce the amount of trips out between all parties?

DIY Cleaners

There are so many benefits to moving to homemade cleaning products. They’re eco-friendly, allergy friendly, safer for children and pets, they’re simple to produce and most importantly? They work!

The price difference between some cleaners really does add up. So much in fact that you can sometimes create the equivalent of a £2-5 bottle for less than a £1. What’s more is that they don’t take very long to put together.

Grow Your Own

Growing your own vegetables might be a little time consuming but the economical, ecological and health benefits are undeniable. Smart growing though can be highly effective and save significant sums of money year-on-year.

Your harvest can be frozen plus seeds are both cheap and you get more with each batch. If you’re dedicated you can become self-sufficient (or close to) when it comes to your veggies.

Manage Your Water Consumption

By turning the water off whilst you brush your teeth, shave and so on you will save a hefty sum each year.

It’s also way more efficient to do full washing loads if possible.

Equally, installing a dual-flush, a water-efficient showerhead and tap aerators all make massive differences with your water flow.

If your water bills are still high, it might be worth considering getting water-efficient appliances and checking for leaks too.

Reuse, Repair and Recycle

Single use items are not cost efficient, far from it. Where possible it is much better to get multi-use items that will last longer.

When things stop functioning, you should always check to see if they can be repaired; more often than not you’ll find YouTube is a great help in this regard.

If all else fails, can you repurpose or recycle? Is there another need than be filled with some creative thinking? It is worth considering.

Switch off the Air Con

Air conditioning is the epitome of modern luxury, at least for most (the truth is there are some who need temperature regulation of this nature for medical reasons). Ideally, it should act as a last resort as it is both expensive to run and not all that good for the environment either.

Some ways you can avoid resorting to the air conditioner include: hydronic cooling, optimising the air flow in your home, making sure you drink sufficiently and turning off unnecessary heat generating hardware.