Are you looking for ways to save both the environment and money? These eco-friendly money-saving tips can help!
Over the last few decades, going green has become a part of everyday life. But there’s always more we can do. There are quite a few good reasons to go green. Besides it reducing your carbon footprint, it can save you tons of cash overall.
But even though going green might seem a little daunting, it’s not as complicated as you would think. There are several easy things you can do to go green and save money you could already be doing and not realizing.
But the main idea is that taking it one step at a time can significantly change the world and people around you. So, on that note, let’s look at some efficient ways to save money and go green. Here are 8 eco-friendly money-saving tips you’ll thank us for!
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Avoid wasting energy
This first one sounds obvious, right? Well, apparently, it isn’t. Most people waste too much electricity without even realizing it. It’s not suitable for the environment, and it’s definitely burning a hole through your wallet.
There are several daily instances where you can minimize energy consumption. For instance, unplug your laptop, phone, or any other devices when they’re fully charged. Turn off lights when not in a room and turn off the TV instead of putting it on standby.
Also, ensure you only boil the water needed for your tea when using an electric kettle. Any plugged-in appliances will still draw electricity from the wall socket! In most cases, laziness is the primary reason behind this huge waste of electricity.
But these small things can make a tremendous difference to the environment… AND your electricity bills. Another eco-friendly money-saving tip would be to use energy-efficient appliances to make the most out of them.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Bring your own bags when shopping
Nowadays, many supermarkets and grocery stores charge their customers for the shopping bags they provide. Many wish to do their part in helping everyone go green.
This small fee typically goes towards helping to fund the parent company’s green strategies and encourages folks to bring shopping bags from home rather than use wasteful plastic bags.
So, taking your own shopping bags every time you go shopping can save you a couple of bucks a year and prevent more waste from plastic bags that don’t decompose. Also, some supermarkets offer customers a slight discount when they bring their own bags.
Moreover, the less plastic bags are used, the less likely they’ll end up in landfills. It’ll cause minimal environmental pollution, leading to a happier Mother Nature.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Don’t waste water
Getting clean water from a source to a tap is difficult. So we must use as many eco-friendly money-saving tips as we can!
In fact, it has become even more complex nowadays because more of the planet’s drinkable water is soaked with chemicals, hormones, and microplastics that will poison everything on Earth unless changes are made worldwide.
But minimizing the water usage around your home is one of the most effortless ways to save money and is crucial for supporting the environment. Purifying and pumping water takes a ton of energy, which leads to greenhouse gas emissions.
So, conserving water can help preserve energy resources and minimize pollution. Also, the less water you use, the more money you will save by lowering your water bills. There are a few ways to minimize your water usage.
For example, reduce your shower time, use a low-flow showerhead, put a brick on your toilet tank, and so on. By making just a few small changes around your home, you can save money AND go green at the same time.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Use reusable water bottles
Millions of people use single-use water bottles and toss them across the planet, leading to an abundance of waste. If you want to make an immediate change for a better future, swap those single-use bottles for reusable water bottles.
The use of reusable bottles can decrease plastic production. It also reduces the waste in landfills, which results in less pollution. Another thing to consider is that studies show that bottled water bottles cost more than the tap version.
An average person must drink 2 liters of water daily to function properly. That means using reusable bottles can save approximately 800 standard-size disposable plastic water bottles annually, eventually saving you lots of extra cash.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Get rid of all that paper
Going paperless is another fantastic way of going green while saving money. We all know that the key ingredient to making paper is trees, which prevent the discharge of toxic gases into the atmosphere. The more trees we have, the cleaner our air is.
Research indicates that it takes approximately 24 trees to produce one ton of paper. That means we can save forests and, therefore, the air we breathe by going paperless as much as we can, leading to building an eco-friendly planet.
A paperless environment can also save you some extra money, from purchasing supplies to storage, distribution, printing, and anything else related. So, consider replacing your paper files with digital documents.
It can save you money in the long run. On the other hand, if paperless isn’t an option for you, try a more eco-friendly paper, like hemp-based paper.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Choose cold water when washing clothes
The truth is that washing machines are incredibly wasteful contraptions. They generally use 90% of their energy to heat up the water during a cycle and use an enormous amount of water to do a single load.
So the bottom line is that heating water to wash your clothes is a complete waste of energy. And as we all know, more energy consumption is terrible for the environment. And let’s not forget that those enormous electricity bills are awful for your wallet.
Consider using cold water to wash clothes to reduce your carbon footprint and electric bill. Freezing water can clean your clothes like hot water… with maybe a bit of extra elbow grease if you’re handwashing.
The only difference is that there’ll be less use of electrical energy. All in all, lowering your carbon footprint is as effortless as switching to regular water for a cold wash.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Switch to LED lighting
Switching to LED lights from those old, conventional light bulbs is a fantastic eco-friendly money-saving tip. LED bulbs are made of non-harmful materials so that they won’t affect people or the environment.
Initially designed as the kind of small bulbs used for powering lights on TVs and radios, a happy side effect of these easy-to-manufacture bulbs is that they can help rid the planet of contamination and pollution.
Even though LED lights cost a bit more than other bulbs, they use up to 90% less electricity and will last longer due to a more straightforward, durable construction. Therefore, they can save you money on electricity bills due to less power consumption.
Eco-friendly money-saving tip: Invest in washable rags
Many people use disposable paper towels when cleaning around their homes. But purchasing paper towels hurts the environment and burns a hole through your wallet if you use them often.
The best option is to stop buying disposable paper towels and switch to reusable rags for cleaning up. You can use washable cloths repeatedly after washing, saving you lots of cash. Swedish dishcloths from Amazon are a fantastic alternative.
They’re long-lasting, durable, hand and machine-washable/dishwasher-safe, compostable, and excellent at removing filth.
What do YOU think of all these eco-friendly money-saving tips? Please feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
And if you liked this article, we highly recommend you also read: 11 Expensive Costco Items You Thought Would Save You Money
