#9 is great if you had no choice but to take the plastic grocery bags, but it's even better if you don't use plastic bags at all! Most grocery stores allow the reusable canvas bags instead.
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money at the Same Time
Want to help the environment, but not too keen on all of the expensive suggestions floating around out there? Here are 10 frugal ways to incorporate green living into your life without throwing your well laid budget plans to the wind.
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- Safety Razors - Giving up disposable razors for the old fashioned safety razor is a great way to save money and the environment. The multi-packs of flat razor blades are not only inexpensive, they come without all of the extra plastic housing that ultimately ends up in land fills. We've been doing this in our house for a few years now, and have noticed a tremendous savings. An added bonus? We don't have to carve out extra storage in the cabinets when we stock up. Flat packs of blades store very efficiently in a minimal amount of space.
- Mineral Salt Deodorant Sticks - You can find these at nearly any health food or natural living store. They last an incredibly long time, don't contain any harmful ingredients, and as with the safety razor idea listed above, don't come with a ton of obnoxious plastic packaging to toss in the land fill once the product has been used up. My husband and I used this product on a recent six month trip around the world. It lasted the duration of the trip and is still going strong. It also takes up minimal room in the back pack.
- Re-usable Coffee Filters - Just imagine never having to buy or run out of these little babies again!
- Give Up Paper Towels - OK, I'll be honest. This is not easy in the beginning. The trick? Having a simple, workable system for having clean rags on hand. I ended up using several of those fabric sleeves with elastic on both ends . . . you know, the kind most people use to store empty plastic grocery bags in for quick access? I hung one in each place we routinely used paper towels. Then, I raided the pile of old T-shirts we had set aside to go to Goodwill and cut up a bunch of cleaning rags. These were what I used to fill up each of the disposal "sleeves". When we need to reach for something to wipe up a spill or do a quick clean up of a particular space, we can now reach for a washable cleaning rag instead of a paper towel.
- Recycle Old Athletic Socks - Not possible you say? I beg to differ. Cut each old sock off just slightly above the ankle, and below the ribbed leg section. The left over foot portion is what I use instead of those expensive disposable dusting mittens. These things are great for getting around stair banister railings, gripping table and chair legs to dust . . . you won't go back, I promise you! The other ribbed section, particularly if it is ribbed the entire length of the piece, is great to slice up one side and use for a great moisture holding dish rag. The ridges give you extra scrubbing power too.
- Shopping for Second Hand Goods - Anything you are comfortable buying second hand keeps that same item from ending up in a garbage dump. This applies to furniture, clothing, toys, kitchen ware, and to a certain extent, automobiles. This personal finance procedure goes a long way to helping out the planet and your pocketbook at the same time.
- Think Before You Print - Save money on ink and paper by checking to see if you really need a paper copy of a particular document before hitting the print button. Still think you really need it? Check out the econo mode for printing which will at least use less ink and save you money in the long run on those refilled cartridges.
- Celebrate the Power of Tie-Dye - This is a great affordable way to give lightly stained, lighter colored linens and clothing items a second shelf life. Some ideas? Old sheets, curtains, pillow cases, socks and T-shirts to name a few.
- Find a Second Use for Those Plastic Grocery Bags - These things really can help out a time or two more after making it home from the grocery store. Use them to line small trash cans (one less item to buy), pick up after your dog in the park or provide extra cushioning in those holiday postal packages.
- Consider a Personal Filter for Your Kitchen Faucet -This will enable you to skip the extra packaging that comes with large cases of bottled water and carve some extra cash out of your personal budget at the same time. We've been using one for at least 5 or 6 years now and really like not having to find extra room for those bottles.
There you have it. Ten ways that won't break the bank or the planet. Have another idea? Pop me a line, I'd love to hear about it!
Best of Wise Bread
I agree about the canvas bags. We have some that we recently purchased. However, sometimes when you have to shop in bulk (which we do, living remotely), it can be difficult to carry enough canvas bags to get the job done. That's when we feel obligated to find a way to re-use them.
But yes, I agree that fabric bags are the way to go. Thanks for taking the time to post!
Nice article. I thought this was interesting because it didn't mention gasoline like every other green article out there.
cheapiness.com
great tips!!!
1,2,3,6,7,8,9,10 are all things i do
giving up paper towels is hard ive tried, i have reduced my use so i guess that is still a good thing... and i dont wear socks, if i did id reuse them... i wish i didnt have to use plastic bags, i try to use the least amount possible but i use them after to scoop up after my puppy... and finally coffee taste better with the reusable filters...
Thank you for your kind words and encouragement.
You're right. Giving up paper towels IS hard. As long as we do the best we can, and at least think before we use one, that's a start, don't you agree? I appreciate you taking the time to post.
How about getting rid of toilet paper and using water instead? I think you "first world" people are really gross using toilet paper to wipe. How can you wipe a turd off your ass crack without using water?
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money at the Same Time - These are some nice tips.
I blogged about the exact same thing here: http://tinyurl.com/2xc2bv
I called it: 10 Easy Steps to Save Thousands of $$$
I ended-up with a slightly different list of things. However, What I found out was that everyone has a carbon footprint - it’s your own personal measure of how much carbon dioxide you create and how much you contribute to climate change. But by actually trying to reduce this you save lots of hard earned cash.
Hi Rob.
Your post sounds really interesting. I'm going to check it out, particularly the part about the carbon footprint. I'm really interested in that. Thanks for posting!
My son is taking an online environmental science class and the students determined their carbon footprint; not sure if this is the same site they used but here's a carbon footprint calculator: http://www.carbonfootprint.com/USA/calculator.html. There are USA and UK versions. He endorses #7 and thinks it's hypocritical to print any materials associated with his class.
If they're fairly clean, grocery bags and produce bags can be used to hold a large brick of cheese - just don't use it for cheese again after, because the second brick will go moldy faster. In Canada we get our milk in bags; the outer bag is great for homemade bread - again, once only. The smaller bags are good to freeze things. I stuff three produce bags into a small jar from single-servings of jam and keep it in my purse, for such things as diaper emergencies or needing a bag for garbage, etc. One time I braided together plastic bags and sewed them with more plastic bag, to make a small rug for my friend's door. :P I don't know how it ended up, but at least the bags weren't just jammed into a crevice in her small dorm.
I imagine a bag could make an interesting improvised watering can - nip off a corner when you already have the full bag of water at the garden.
A lot of my efforts to "go green" have involved using less chemicals around my household, which I think is more harmful than using plastic bags or bottles. For example, I use vinegar, water and baking soda for much of my household cleaning, rather than buying a bunch of cleaning chemicals. It works just as well! Instead of spreading pesticides around my garden to keep rabits away, I place used kitty litter around it instead. It really works! I remember when the 10th anniversary of Earth Day came around, and everyone was on a big "biodegradable" plastic kick...until studies revealed the biodegradable garbage bags were no better than the regular bags.
That's a good point. I try to make a few myself. It's also more affordable to go with the vinegar and baking soda, don't you think?
cook just a little more of your own food. as a very minimal investment of your time, grow a few herbs and bake your own bread. you don't save a ton of money but there are definitely some savings to be had, and the improvement in quality of life is appreciable. pretty satisfying to feed those people in your life a little less industrial by-product, too.
I'm with you. We don't do much convenience food at all in our house. Too much packaging and all those additives I can't identify, let alone pronounce. We are trying our hand at a few herbs and a bit of produce this year. The jury's still out on our success with that, but hey, at least we're trying. Thanks for posting.
I think the last place for a plastic bag is in the trash. First of all, you can reuse them for their original purpose: take them back to the store to carry purchases home. You can use them several times for this. See the article on my blog: http://www.fakeplasticfish.com/2007/08/be-careful-on-reusable-bags-bandwagon.html
Once they are worn out and can no longer hold groceries, use them for crafts. You can knit with plastic bags, make baskets and other crafts from them. Treehugger has a few articles about things you can do with plastic bags.
Once you put them in the trash, they are out in the world potentially harming other living creatures. No, the trash is not the place for a plastic bag.
GasDandy is an easy-to-use tool that tracks a vehicle’s mileage and maintenance information, providing data that can be used for both business and personal purposes. By making these figures readily available, the program also gives the consumer the opportunity to save money and to proactively identify problems that can shorten the life of their vehicle(s) and contribute to greenhouse gasses. Download a free trial version of GasDandy today at http://www.gasdandy.com
Sounds like a neat site. We try to keep careful watch on our fuel consumption on a regular basis. This could be an interesting addition to our repertoire.
Reusable cloth bags are a lot better way to go, for several reasons:
http://www.ecojoes.com/using-a-cloth-bag-instead-of-paper-or-plastic/
Love the site and all the tips. Another great tips site is 'Green My Wallet' with all the tips tied back to a financial goal. Go Green and Save money seems to be ubiquitous these days...
But in case anybody needs an extra reason or two (or three) to go easy on the plastic bags, check this out...
I'm just a cheapskate, and I find my frugal, or more than frugal ways serve the environment as well! Almost everything that comes into my household is re-used. I even cook with my bacon drippings. We compost. We home-brew (great for the environment and gives good compost and good, cheap, beer if you work at it). My flower pots have cherry tomatoes and carrots in them. I grind newspapers and cardboard for mulch. I even grow my own seeds. When we buy meat, each piece has to have at least two uses, for example, bacon, makes bacon bits from fatty part, bacon from what's left after trimming, and bacon drippings to flavor many other dishes. I bought a pressure canner, so I don't have many tin cans or single use bottles to throw away. If we buy peanut butter its in the re-usable pail containers. Rags get stuffed into cracks before the expensive sealer goes in. I eat a lot of oatmeal, as porridge, in cookies and in meatloaf, because it is cheap and nutritious. I apply my pis to the flower garden, as fertilizer it is supreme, but is best diluted. I sold my cars and bought a bike. I sold my 35 mm camera and bought a digital one. When I retired, my company stopped paying for my Microsoft software, so I switched to Ubuntu, the free one from the net, and use Gimp, that comes with the free Ubuntu package for processing my .jpgs. It took a bit of time but now I am very happy with this system. My wife sews everything that we can't get second hand for clothing. I use left-over paint from the eco-collection sites, and blend it to colors I like. We grow most of what we eat, and gave bushels of tomatoes away to the food bank last year (bumper crop in backyard). I sometimes feel guilty when I go to the bank and put money in, then I think of the screwing I took, all my working life believing the ads, and I chuckle and smile smugly.
Very inspirational.
We do quite a bit, but not nearly as much on the gardening end as you do. Good job.
Another good way to save money on razors is to make them last longer. It's not hard to do, and you can keep using the same razor for a looong time. I've read about some that lasted over a year; mine lasted a good six months :)
http://www.ecojoes.com/my-razor-lasted-longer-than-normal-yo/
GreenMyWallet.com is a site with lots of little tips and tricks to save money while being green. I found several similar ideas to this post, so they must be good ideas!
Great blog! Cheers!
Create neighBORROW-hoods (trusted networks) to borrow things from neighbors, co-workers, classmates, etc.
I know of another site that gives great tips and advice on how to save money and go green. They also offer a free live online seminar on the subject. It's www.ahealthcafe.com/tngreen
You guys have great tips
By shopping through www.weshopgreen.org, you can go green with online purchases you already make because the site donates a portion of your purchases to green organizations.
If green alternatives cost too much, green what you already buy online. It is free an easy and definitely can't hurt!
Great Article!
Having read alarming stats on ForestEthics.org, I believe that saving paper goes a long way in saving trees and therefore saving our beautiful planet.
Each year, catalogers send out more than 20 billion paper catalogs – that’s 67 catalogs for every man, woman and child in the US. Almost none of this paper contains any recycled content. Hence every year, over 8 million tons of trees are cut down to make catalogs alone, most of which end up in the trash without being read. American forests are being destroyed in the process.
I believe catalogers need an alternative way to market their products - one that is eco-friendly and affordable. So after several months of hard work, we came up with eCatalog Creator. It is a digital publishing service that converts paper catalogs into eco-friendly online page flipping flash catalogs. By switching to flash catalogs, advertisers and catalogers can save forests, energy, water, and their huge printing and postage costs.
Glad that we are doing our bit to save the trees, and helping others to do the same.
no need to throw half of it away. just put the whole suck on your hand. once your "dust Mitten" is way to dusty to work with, just fold the extra sleeve you have there over the dusty part of the suck and go on with your work!
if you keep turning it around your palm - you're getting up to 4 mittens for the price of 1 suck :)
going green can help the environment and you can have fun by what i have seen. No im not one of those people who thinks that every one should do something major to help the earth! yes i do think some people,like me, should do a little something.
I also found a GREAT way to save the environment by using filtered water bottles, I love the NEW stainless steel from BackToTheTap.com they carry a great line of filtered water bottles that adjust to your budget.. from $15 to $35, and you can use this great bottles over 3months or MORE, then just replace the filter and re-use them again... GREAT for the environment, and also for ON THE GO!!! :)
They are BPA Free and also donate $1 to Earth Share Foundation.
I also found a GREAT way to save the environment by using filtered water bottles, I love the NEW stainless steel from BackToTheTap.com they carry a great line of filtered water bottles that adjust to your budget.. from $15 to $35, and you can use this great bottles over 3months or MORE, then just replace the filter and re-use them again... GREAT for the environment, and also for ON THE GO!!! :)
The most surprising tip of all...solar
Installing solar panels on your roof just became a bargain. Depending on where you live, new financing mechanisms such as the Sungevity Solar Lease, PACE (property-assessed clean energy) and PPA (Power Purchase Agreements) allow you to get solar with zero money down--you pay off the system on a monthly basis, and your monthly payments are likely to be less than you're paying for electricity right now. Also, if you go with one of these financing mechanisms, you'll be guaranteed a fixed rate for 10-15 years so you won't have to worry about utility rate hikes.
Find some more tips on my blog 10 Ways to Save Money
We are very conscious of the environment. My husband and I went vegan, partly for environmental reasons. It was found that children have a day without too much meat.
Tip #1:
Yes, solar CAN be an economically viable way to go green. It mainly depends on your geographic local and the per unit cost of commercial power in your area. Identifying and balancing the right variables is crucial to the success of such a project. We look at some of the ins and outs of solar power purchase agreements (PPAs) and what to look for in this and other cheap finance methods (leasing, renting, etc...) that support the greening of your energy consumption. Under the right conditions, they can be an economic and green bonanza. Handled incorrectly, expect an un-redeemable disaster. As with most situations, knowledge is your ally. See our webpage for more complete details:
http://alternative-energgy-home.cosmic-corridor.com/rent-lease-or-ppa-so...
Tip #2:
I like using rechargable batteries and solar chargers when possible. They're easier on the environment AND my pocketbook in the long run. For any application, I just keep one set charged while I'm using the other in the device I'm working with. Swapping between sets this way I never run out of power.
Tip #3
Take a look at your wall plugs and power strips. Unplug any unused small wall plug power converters that most small devices run on (wireless phones, micro reading lamps, portable mp3 players, etc...). As long as they're plugged in they consume power. Typically, it's easier and greener to avoid burning a watt, as opposed to finding ways to make them more cheaply.
cheers,
Geno
I want to start using your suggestion about the cleaning rags. It is something quite easy to do. I've already started ridding my home of the various expensive and polluting cleaning supplies, opting for vinegar, sodium bicarbonate, etc. Also, I discovered real soap! Soap is a great alternative to the detergent bars available at the supermarket. It lasts longer and treats your skin so well that there is less need for lotions, etc. I'm finding it easy to use on the dishes and to replace shampoo, as well. Something I discovered is that you can save water by using soap, because it rinses easily and leaves no harmful residue on your skin.
Another suggestion for being green and frugal: Replace incandescent bulbs with Compact Fluorescent lights (CFLs). Electricity use for lighting will go down by 75%! An almost guaranteed 10-fold return on the cost of the bulbs, as each bulb will save about $30 in electricity over its useful life. With a cost of $3 per bulb or less, this is one of easiest ways to go green and save money.
http://livinggreenandsavingenergy.com/going-green-and-earning-money-an-e...
