We have all but eliminated using paper napkins at our home. We use cloth napkins. Napkins can usually be used for more than one meal, and it takes no extra time or energy to throw them in with the regular wash. It also adds a bit of elegance to our everyday dinners.
We recycle paper, glass, cardboard, anything we can. We compost scraps when we can. I bought microfiber towels and save rag items so we don't use paper towels very much. I make my own coffee and use reusable mugs and water bottles. I use reusable shopping bags. I repurpose some items when we can. We eat less processed food and cook from scratch (less packaging and healthier and cheaper). We take short showers. We try to conserve our trips in the car....these are the things we do.
I eat a 100% vegan diet! There's a dozen different figures, but it boils down to the fact that meat production uses 5-30 times the resources - calorie for calorie - as grain/veg/fruit production. I also am investing in my first CSA box this summer and plan to get most of the rest of my food from the local farmer's market. An added benefit is that produce uses WAY less packaging than processed foods, so I save a lot of waste that way. I also use my own grocery bags to cut back on plastic consumption - I have a zillion of them in the trunk of my car.
So yeah, all the aspects of veganism. That's probably the biggest thing for me. Good for my health, good for my wallet, good for the planet!
(for the record, I do know there's really good-quality sustainable meat out there, but I like the vegan thing - to each their own!)
What are our green habits? We are members of our local CSA, from which we can get organic fruits and vegetables (and other foods, as well) grown regionally all year long. We also buy organic products at the grocery store most of the time (on sale and with coupons!). We recycle and repurpose as much as possible. We don't use plastic grocery bags and we use resusable water bottles. When we do get plastic bags, we recycle them. I am trying my hand at composting, and this year, I am hoping to grow a few more vegetables. That is a new undertaking. We use very few paper towels and almost no paper napkins. We line dry our clothes most of the time. When possible, I walk to do errands in the strip mall that is close to our house. I also walk to a few other things that are close to our house. I try to combine errands. We used to have a Prius, but it was totaled in an accident (not my fault!), and we got a Scion because it was the best deal we could find at the time and not have car payments. A good deal of this saves us money. Obviously, we could get groceries for less if we didn't buy organic, but we're trying to stick to this value because it is very important to us. Clearly, using the CSA allows us to have organic produce of a very high quality for less money.
I do many small things that I hope contribute to a healthier planet. Use CFL and LED light bulbs; line-dry many clothes; turn off unused lights and appliances; plan errands to reduce driving; almost never buy bottled water; bring my own shopping bags. Most recently, I have begun composting kitchen scraps. I already save and freeze wilted celery, onion ends, carrot tops, etc. for soup stock. Now I compost everything else that used to go in the garbage. My city has a recycling program for green waste, but they don't take coffee grounds, eggs shells, veggie peels and such, so I made a compost bin out of a big trash can and a kitchen compost pail out of a coffee can and the charcoal filter for kitty litter box. Coming next: hardscaping for the front yard to replace grass and reduce water use. We already salvaged the flagstones and are saving for the labor costs.
Hope I'm answering it in the correct place. I do what I can to be green, recycle everything that can be recycled that comes into this house, I try not to buy items in non-recyclable packaging and with the least packaging that I can if possible, use efficient bulbs and have everything on surge protectors that can shut everything down when not in use, plus so much more. All of it adds up to quite a savings on my utility bills, really wish I was completely solar!! Also gives me a feeling of relief and feel good about doing my part to save nature. The relief is that at least something is being done and one day it will spread to everyone and all will be green out of habit.
Nalgenes! Always have one in the car and always take one on travel (just remember to empty it before you hit airport security). I have a nice glass 1/2L beer stein I keep on my desk at work just to keep the same concept but a little classier.
Yes, I have a lot of green habits for example, my house is energy efficient I have smart surge protectors that turn off electricity to vampire devices, black out curtains that block sun and heat, and I use all LED bulbs instead of fluorescent ones When shopping I also try to use tote bags instead of plastic bags, I make my own car fresheners and I recycle what I can whenever I can Off hand I'd say yes, having green habits has saved me money especially on the utility bills.
Never been to Sin City so I can't comment on gambling. But your post still gives me lots to think about. Here in Canada we have something called an RRSP (sort of like a IRA). Most people don't consider that their big, fat refund at tax time is just the government giving you back your pre-paid taxes. They blow it on discretionaries instead. If they used this money to eliminate their mortgage they would be investing at about 3% TAX FREE (since we don't pay taxes on the sale of the primary home). This could could also eliminate the irrational worry about the future. But like you said, most folks don't view a tax refund this way.
I recycle as much as I can. My work has paper bins and a battery recycle box where we can throw our old batteries away. Generally there is no cost to recycle for me since I am going to work anyways. The only time I get money back is if I take my plastic bottles to a recycle drop-off location.
We definitely recycle (they pick it up curbside for free! Why not? Saves us over $50 a year on trash pick-up!!) and we try to use and reuse whatever possible. Instead of throwing useful things away, we try to give them away or donate them to a resale shop so someone else can make use of them. Also works in the kitchen: bread ends no one will eat turn into bread crumbs for coating chicken and fish, fruit no one will eat becomes a smoothie, and rotation of food helps us save money by using it instead of throwing things away. There's always a way to save more, you just have to be creative.
Thanks for tipping us off to this money-making technique -- it's not as obvious as those that I mentioned but definitely a great way to encourage a personal savings habit.
Over a year ago, I gave up my car. Yes, it saved us insurance, maintenance, and gas. But we've also saved tons on dining out. When it's harder to just hop in the car and go somewhere, we're more likely to eat at home.
We recycle, use cloth grocery bags, turn off lights, etc. DH uses reusable containers for his lunch. Our cars get in the upper 20s for mpg. DH's commute is only 20 minutes each way instead of an hour or more. Pretty standard stuff.
I love socializing, I love eating out, and I love going drinking, so this is one area in which I've really struggled to spend less. I've made a couple shifts in this area to save money. First, I go out a few times less during the month that I used to. Second, I try to have friends over for eating / drinking potlucks more often that I used to.
I ride my bike to work as much as possible. The obvious benefits are gas savings and a small workout. Problem is I spend more on bikes and parts than I save in gas!
Yes! In fact, I manage a non-profit thrift shop in my town. I have brought home so many different kinds of things, it always surprises me. Sometimes we get *brand new, never opened* products.
I love to search thrift stores for out-of-print knitting and crochet books. Plus I have found many useful craft item such as buttons, needles and crochet hooks. In addition, I am glad to be contributing to the various charities supported by the stores.
We have all but eliminated using paper napkins at our home. We use cloth napkins. Napkins can usually be used for more than one meal, and it takes no extra time or energy to throw them in with the regular wash. It also adds a bit of elegance to our everyday dinners.
We recycle paper, glass, cardboard, anything we can. We compost scraps when we can. I bought microfiber towels and save rag items so we don't use paper towels very much. I make my own coffee and use reusable mugs and water bottles. I use reusable shopping bags. I repurpose some items when we can. We eat less processed food and cook from scratch (less packaging and healthier and cheaper). We take short showers. We try to conserve our trips in the car....these are the things we do.
We recycle and use cloth grocery bags. We use and plastic bags we get as garbage bags instead of buying new ones.
I eat a 100% vegan diet! There's a dozen different figures, but it boils down to the fact that meat production uses 5-30 times the resources - calorie for calorie - as grain/veg/fruit production. I also am investing in my first CSA box this summer and plan to get most of the rest of my food from the local farmer's market. An added benefit is that produce uses WAY less packaging than processed foods, so I save a lot of waste that way. I also use my own grocery bags to cut back on plastic consumption - I have a zillion of them in the trunk of my car.
So yeah, all the aspects of veganism. That's probably the biggest thing for me. Good for my health, good for my wallet, good for the planet!
(for the record, I do know there's really good-quality sustainable meat out there, but I like the vegan thing - to each their own!)
My green habits are reusing, recycling, and breastfeeding!
What are our green habits? We are members of our local CSA, from which we can get organic fruits and vegetables (and other foods, as well) grown regionally all year long. We also buy organic products at the grocery store most of the time (on sale and with coupons!). We recycle and repurpose as much as possible. We don't use plastic grocery bags and we use resusable water bottles. When we do get plastic bags, we recycle them. I am trying my hand at composting, and this year, I am hoping to grow a few more vegetables. That is a new undertaking. We use very few paper towels and almost no paper napkins. We line dry our clothes most of the time. When possible, I walk to do errands in the strip mall that is close to our house. I also walk to a few other things that are close to our house. I try to combine errands. We used to have a Prius, but it was totaled in an accident (not my fault!), and we got a Scion because it was the best deal we could find at the time and not have car payments. A good deal of this saves us money. Obviously, we could get groceries for less if we didn't buy organic, but we're trying to stick to this value because it is very important to us. Clearly, using the CSA allows us to have organic produce of a very high quality for less money.
I recycle bottles and cans. It helps me to to get some money and be green at the same time
I do many small things that I hope contribute to a healthier planet. Use CFL and LED light bulbs; line-dry many clothes; turn off unused lights and appliances; plan errands to reduce driving; almost never buy bottled water; bring my own shopping bags. Most recently, I have begun composting kitchen scraps. I already save and freeze wilted celery, onion ends, carrot tops, etc. for soup stock. Now I compost everything else that used to go in the garbage. My city has a recycling program for green waste, but they don't take coffee grounds, eggs shells, veggie peels and such, so I made a compost bin out of a big trash can and a kitchen compost pail out of a coffee can and the charcoal filter for kitty litter box. Coming next: hardscaping for the front yard to replace grass and reduce water use. We already salvaged the flagstones and are saving for the labor costs.
Hope I'm answering it in the correct place. I do what I can to be green, recycle everything that can be recycled that comes into this house, I try not to buy items in non-recyclable packaging and with the least packaging that I can if possible, use efficient bulbs and have everything on surge protectors that can shut everything down when not in use, plus so much more. All of it adds up to quite a savings on my utility bills, really wish I was completely solar!! Also gives me a feeling of relief and feel good about doing my part to save nature. The relief is that at least something is being done and one day it will spread to everyone and all will be green out of habit.
Nalgenes! Always have one in the car and always take one on travel (just remember to empty it before you hit airport security). I have a nice glass 1/2L beer stein I keep on my desk at work just to keep the same concept but a little classier.
Yes, I have a lot of green habits for example, my house is energy efficient I have smart surge protectors that turn off electricity to vampire devices, black out curtains that block sun and heat, and I use all LED bulbs instead of fluorescent ones When shopping I also try to use tote bags instead of plastic bags, I make my own car fresheners and I recycle what I can whenever I can Off hand I'd say yes, having green habits has saved me money especially on the utility bills.
I reuse old milk jugs for my childrens' art projects.
Never been to Sin City so I can't comment on gambling. But your post still gives me lots to think about. Here in Canada we have something called an RRSP (sort of like a IRA). Most people don't consider that their big, fat refund at tax time is just the government giving you back your pre-paid taxes. They blow it on discretionaries instead. If they used this money to eliminate their mortgage they would be investing at about 3% TAX FREE (since we don't pay taxes on the sale of the primary home). This could could also eliminate the irrational worry about the future. But like you said, most folks don't view a tax refund this way.
I recycle as much as I can. My work has paper bins and a battery recycle box where we can throw our old batteries away. Generally there is no cost to recycle for me since I am going to work anyways. The only time I get money back is if I take my plastic bottles to a recycle drop-off location.
We recycle, use re-usable grocery bags, buy meat and produce from local farmers and compost our kitchen waste.
We definitely recycle (they pick it up curbside for free! Why not? Saves us over $50 a year on trash pick-up!!) and we try to use and reuse whatever possible. Instead of throwing useful things away, we try to give them away or donate them to a resale shop so someone else can make use of them. Also works in the kitchen: bread ends no one will eat turn into bread crumbs for coating chicken and fish, fruit no one will eat becomes a smoothie, and rotation of food helps us save money by using it instead of throwing things away. There's always a way to save more, you just have to be creative.
Thanks for tipping us off to this money-making technique -- it's not as obvious as those that I mentioned but definitely a great way to encourage a personal savings habit.
Over a year ago, I gave up my car. Yes, it saved us insurance, maintenance, and gas. But we've also saved tons on dining out. When it's harder to just hop in the car and go somewhere, we're more likely to eat at home.
We recycle, use cloth grocery bags, turn off lights, etc. DH uses reusable containers for his lunch. Our cars get in the upper 20s for mpg. DH's commute is only 20 minutes each way instead of an hour or more. Pretty standard stuff.
I love socializing, I love eating out, and I love going drinking, so this is one area in which I've really struggled to spend less. I've made a couple shifts in this area to save money. First, I go out a few times less during the month that I used to. Second, I try to have friends over for eating / drinking potlucks more often that I used to.
I ride my bike to work as much as possible. The obvious benefits are gas savings and a small workout. Problem is I spend more on bikes and parts than I save in gas!
I walk to work every day and I refill my water bottle at work.
Yes! In fact, I manage a non-profit thrift shop in my town. I have brought home so many different kinds of things, it always surprises me. Sometimes we get *brand new, never opened* products.
You are welcome!
I love to search thrift stores for out-of-print knitting and crochet books. Plus I have found many useful craft item such as buttons, needles and crochet hooks. In addition, I am glad to be contributing to the various charities supported by the stores.