Save More Money and Save the Planet

Environmentally Friendly Ways to Save Money – How to Go Green on a Budget

Today we’re talking about ways you can use less stuff, save more money and save the planet while you’re at it. It’s good for your wallet, it’s good for the environment, everyone wins.

And as you probably know, there’s nothing I like more than a good excuse to be cheap! I kid, I kid. But really though, saving the environment should be pretty high on all of our lists and if we can do it by saving money, sign me up!!

Money Saving Hack: Keep Reusable Straws Handy

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Straws are like, the big thing to forgo at the moment. Have you noticed? Suddenly every restaurant has stopped serving them with drinks around here.

And while that’s great as a little thing everyone can do to lessen plastic use, I’d still like to use a straw with my drink. So my solution is to just carry my own with me. I like this set:

They come with a cleaning brush and a case to keep it all together. Which is helpful if you’re prone to getting up from the table and leaving your straw at the restaurant. Ugh, shame and regrets.

Eco-Friendly Tip: Eliminate Buying Plastic Water Bottles

Until recently, my husband and I had a chronic addiction to plastic water bottles. I’m happy to say we’ve finally broken that habit and have been water bottle free for over 3 years now.

And we did it thanks to one similar to this life-changing water pitcher:

Since making the choice to use this and only this, I calculate we’ve saved over $500 in the time that we’ve had it!

In addition, reusable bottles like this one below solve the problem of taking our filtered water on the go:

Other Money Saving Tips:

How to Save Money by Being Mindful with Car Trips

This may be a small thing, but epic journeys start with small steps right? In an effort to use less gas, I’ve started taking extra care whenever I drive somewhere. I try to combine as many trips as possible and plan them out.

There used to be weekend days when I would take as many as 4 separate trips out to places in a day! Just the extra time makes me cringe, not to mention the gas and money.

Now, if I’m on the way home from work on a Friday and I know I’ll need to go to the store at any point during the weekend, I’ll just go on the way home instead. Not only do I save myself valuable free time on the weekend, it’s less distance on my car. This translates to less gas, mileage, and environmental impact while saving me money too. So many wins.

Eco-Conscious Upgrades: Smart Thermostat

I hold a special place in my heart for gadgets, so you can bet one that saves me money and helps with energy is going to be very near and dear to me. So first we had the Nest, which I loved and is still my favorite. But when we moved we figured we’d try out the Ecobee.

While they both accomplish the most important thing – optimizing your heating and cooling for energy use – I like the Nest more. It’s simpler to use in my opinion and I like it’s design.

Either way, making the upfront investment becomes worth it in the long run. These smart thermostats will analyze your usage and can help you adjust it so you can save more and use less.

Save More Money: Cut Down on Disposable Products

Plates, cups, silverware, dishtowels – these are probably things you already have and know you should use more often. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve bought these out of laziness and not wanting to keep up with as many dishes or more laundry.

But I’ll also tell you exactly what I’ve started telling myself (brace yourself for some tough love right here) Suck it up, Buttercup! There’s a whole planet and future generations counting on us to do the right thing and think sustainably. In the face of that, who am I to not spend a few extra minutes cleaning and reusing? We all can do it, and we all desperately should.

Here are just a few reusable items you should try:

The Best Way to Go Green is to Grow Your Own Food (If You Can)

The magical thing about a lot of food is that it grows from almost nothing! And sometimes even perpetuates. I’m not saying open a farm or anything here. Just try starting out with an herb box:

Or because the gadget lover in me can’t resist, this one works even if you don’t live in a place that gets the proper amount of light.

You might find that it’s relaxing and motivating when you can keep care of something that produces. I’ve just started my own basil, rosemary, and green onions because I use them a lot and they are relatively easy to do. It’s VERY rewarding.

DIY Cleaning Products – Cheaper and More Eco-Friendly

Vinegar and baking soda are just about the holy grail (grails? Okay I didn’t think this metaphor through very far but you get it) of cleaning products. All of those other fancy smelling, chemical laden mixtures are great but not usually necessary for most cleaning jobs around the house.

Bleach of course is great too just make sure you don’t combine it with the vinegar or you’ll create a dangerous gas that you definitely don’t want to be around.

Environmentally Conscious Ways to Shop: Thrift Store Clothes

So I’ll be honest, for a long time I was sort of grossed out by used clothes. Just the thought of other people wearing them while getting sweaty, or sick, or anything else was enough to keep me far away from secondhand shops.

But I’ve since realized that a ton of the clothes in these places still have tags on them! I couldn’t believe it when I saw. And even the stuff that doesn’t you can usually tell whether or not it’s in great condition. Plus there’s this thing called washing, and when it takes place in water that’s hot enough to burn you, nothing is surviving that.

ThredUp is an awesome website that is basically the world’s largest thrift store. I especially love the “New With Tags” filter. If you want to sign up to sell your clothes OR buy new ones, you can use my Thredup Code to receive $10 towards your first order and I’ll also receive $10 if you do!

Concluding Ways to Save Money and Save the Planet

Nobody’s perfect. We all know this. But if everyone tried to do what they can in little ways, we would all make a huge difference. Remember that it starts with you!

Any more ways you can think of to save more money and save the planet at the same time? Let me know in the comments below!

Environmentally Friendly Ways to Save Money

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