Green Ideas

Living a more green friendly life does not only help to save our planet, it also helps to save you money. It’s amazing how many earth-saving ideas also keep money in your pocket.

Stop buying bottled water. Everyone knows that those plastic water bottles live forever in our landfills plus they cost money so why are still taking the lazy way out? Why not buy everyone you know a water bottle that fits their personality (or buy two so one can be in the dishwasher). They have bottles with every motif  / design imaginable. Drinking city water from your faucet, or filling your bottle from your fridge with a filter, it really does not matter, you are not paying $1.99 for a twelve ounce bottle and you are not tossing a hunk of plastic into a landfill

Why pay for paper towels when you can get a chamois or other absorbing rags that can be washed over and over and reused. Think of the money you’ll save.

Cloth napkins are another huge saving for the enviorment and for your wallet. Cloth napkins are so cheap (you can typically get them for about a dollar each). I bought enough cloth napkins for 5 days (cost me less than 20 bucks) that way I can toss them in the wash with other dirty laundry and the money I save is fantastic.

Canvas Tote Bags. Reuseable tote bags sell at Wal Mart for .99 each.  I keep them in my trunk so they are always with me. When I get home from the store I unload and then put them right back in the trunk. Use them in the grocery store, Target, Home Depot, no matter where you shop. Now you can refuse paper bags and those horrid plastic bags and use your canvas bags over and over.

Baking Soda is cheap if you buy the huge container at the warehouse stores. Baking soda has a thousand uses (research online) and it is eco-friendly. Pass on all those harsh cleaning products when you can use natural components like baking soda or vinegar.

Stop using gift boxes for presents. I use containers that are useable. Buckets, bins, baskets etc. Not only are you giving a gift with a useable container but you also are no longer using wrapping paper which is a huge waste of money, it’s like you are paying for trash when you use paper wrap. I wrap baby gifts in a receiving blanket. If it’s an adult gift you can use a table cover or no wrapping at all, just a big reusable bow. I also stopped buying gift tags years ago. Save old greeting cards and cut out the front design or the sentimental words from the inside, punch a hole in the corner and tie to your gift. The “tag” gives you more room to write your message and it takes the place of buying an additional card (HUGE saving)

Try to prepare at least 2 meals a week with NO electric and NO gas. Serve big tossed salads or cold cuts or antipasto. No need to cook and you’ll save on your utility bill each month.

These are just a few earth saving ideas, but if you really want to do all you can do I would suggest you get a book called The Green Year by Jodi Helmer. 365 small things you can do to make a difference. Almost every idea in the book is simple, easy to do and time or money saving ideas.  It is a book you will refer to over and over. It also makes a great gift idea.