Environmentally Friendly Tips That Will Save Money — Sustainably Yours

Being environmentally friendly doesn’t mean you can’t save money. You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on eco-friendly products.

And as much as these items are great for reducing your waste, some of them can be expensive.

Here are some ways that you can get started on being environmentally friendly while also saving money.

These budget friendly tips are sure to have just as much of an impact on helping the environment as using the expensive products.

1. Reuse glass jars

There’s no need to spend your money on matching glass jars. Instead, reuse the ones you bring home with your groceries.

Clean out pasta sauce jars, pesto jars, and other glass containers that you get from the grocery stores. Then, use them around the home for storage. Use them to:

• Store loose leaf teas
• Store leftover food
• Serve drinks
• Freeze food
• Pack lunches

2. Take care of your clothes

The fast fashion industry makes its money by creating cheap clothes that shrink, tear or lose their colour within a few wears.

Instead of buying a lot of clothes for cheap, buy fewer clothes that are of better quality and care for them. Quality material will last longer than any clothing you get from fast fashion companies.

You may have to spend extra cash for the higher quality clothing but in the long run, you will save money. You will no longer have to replace your clothes every year because of rips or tears.

Some ways to care for your clothing is to:

• Hang or fold clothes right away instead of letting them get wrinkles
• Only wash them when they get dirty instead of after each wear (except for undergarments)
• Follow washing instructions so that clothes don’t shrink
• Close zippers and buttons when washing clothes to avoid snagging
• Learn to repair minor issues such as fallen buttons or tears

BONUS: If you no longer want an article of clothing, give them away to friends or donate them to charities in need! This will prevent them from ending up in the landfill.

3. Unplug appliances

Plugged in appliances use electricity even if they aren’t on. Save money by unplugging appliances that aren’t in use. This is the easiest environmentally friendly tip that will save you money instantly.

Appliances that we tend to leave plugged in even when unused are:

• Washing machine
• Computer and phone chargers
• Portable fans and heaters
• Kitchen appliances
• Wifi router at night time

4. DIY skin care

Don’t spend money on expensive skincare items that might not work. Try making some at home instead!

When you make these at home, you know exactly what ingredients are going into each item. Plus, you can customize them however you like.

Some simple DIY skincare you can make using ingredients around your home are:

• Face/body/lip scrubs
• Face Masks
• Lip Balm

5. Get creative with gifts

Instead of purchasing gifts, give friends and family DIY gifts. Gifts are a lot more meaningful when hard work and thought go into creating them.

Some creative gift ideas include:

• Homemade candles
• Infused cooking oils
• DIY skincare
• Freshly baked cookies, brownies or any other dessert you can make
• Scrapbook filled with memories

6. Take shorter showers

Long hot showers make up a good portion of your electricity bill and tend to waste water. Taking shorter showers will save you money. If you want to save even more money, try showering in cold water.

If you want to go a step further, have a water bucket in your shower. Any excess water gets caught in the bucket. You can use that bucket of water around the house. Try watering your plants or garden with it, do a foot soak or use it to clean around the home.

7. Wash clothes in cold water

Washing clothes in cold water is the same as taking cold showers. Cold water is cheaper than hot water so you save on electricity bill. Cold water will clean your clothes as well as hot water does.

The only time you should use the hot water cycle is if your clothing label specifically says to use hot water.

8. Hang your clothes to dry

Save energy by hanging your clothes to dry instead of using the dryer. In the summertime, hang your clothes outside. On really hot days, the sunlight will dry the clothes within half an hour!

The sunlight is also good for the clothes as it won’t shrink your clothes and it’ll smell cleaner and fresher.

In the wintertime, use a drying rack to dry your clothes. This will take a longer time but you’ll save so much money and energy throughout the year. Try drying your clothes overnight so that they’re ready in the morning.

9. Drive slower

Did you know that the faster you drive, the more gas it takes to speed up? Driving slow will actually save you gas and reduce pollution!

When you speed up, your engine works harder to drive faster. This uses more fuel. Next time, stick to the speed limit!

10. Use your groceries before they go bad

One thing I’m sure you have been guilty of is buying fresh produce then letting it go bad in your fridge. Sometimes the veggies get stuck in the back of the fridge or sometimes we order in and never have the chance to use our groceries. It’s okay. It happens.

Food wastage is a huge contributor to global warming so we should aim to eat all the food we get. Otherwise, the rotting food is going to make our planet even hotter.

Since groceries are usually a huge expense, why not make sure you’re getting every penny’s worth? Here are some ways to make sure you use up all your groceries:

• Meal prep so you know exactly when you’ll eat each item
• Have an ‘eat first’ box where you put veggies and fruit that are starting to go bad
• Make homemade vegetable broth from leftover vegetable scraps
• Make a grocery list and stick to it — no impulse buying!
• Freeze veggies that are going bad

Remember, living an eco-friendly lifestyle doesn’t have to be expensive!

I hope these simple budget and environmentally friendly tips will encourage you to make some of these changes to save money.

If you have any more budget friendly sustainability tips, share them in the comments below!

Originally published at https://sustainably-yours.com on November 2, 2020.