As we celebrate Earth Day this week, I thought it was appropriate to think of ways that we can all be more GREEN, while saving our Cents, too! Here are 5 Tips:
1) Turn it Off- Lights, computers, and other electronics consume energy and our money. Turning lights off when we leave a room, unplugging chargers when not in use, and shutting down the computer (and printer) at night can all help to save!
Did You Know? Lighting consumes up to 34% of U.S. electricity!
2) Re-Use It: After all the FREE reusable totes and shopping bags this week, it will be even easier to use these, and not use the plastic bags at the grocery/drug stores. Getting a reusable water bottle (like the CamelBak BPA-Free Better Bottle with Classic Cap
) will also reduce waste, and cost, associated with disposable water bottles.
) will also reduce waste, and cost, associated with disposable water bottles.Did You Know? Each year, Americans throw away 100 billion plastic bags (only 0.6% are recycled)!
3) Grow Your Own: Planting your own vegetables, fruit, and herbs can save you money, but it can also reduce the use of chemical pesticides. And just think of the money you’d save by less trips to the grocery store for produce! You can also follow along in my gardening journey.Did You Know? The average food item in America now travels at 2400 kilometers from farm to plate!
4) Buy Used: You probably already know the benefits of buying second-hand, but buying used, also helps the environment.
Did You Know? A cotton t-shirt blended with polyester can release 1/4 of its weight in air pollutants and 10 times its weight in carbon dioxide!
5) Recycle: Of course recycling can help the environment- but have you ever thought of different ways to use all that newspaper that you buy on Sundays? Try using newspaper instead of paper towels the next time you wash your windows. Not only will it save you money not buying as many paper towels, but it will get your windows streak-free! Did You Know? Making paper from recycled content creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution! (facts from worldwatch.org)
Do you have other Frugal tips for being GREEN? I’d love to hear about them!
Looking for more ways to be Frugal and Green? Check out 11 (More) Frugal Ways to Be Green.
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Melissa, a mom of 2 boys in Arizona, understands the importance of watching a family budget. After leaving the business world, she dedicated herself to working at home and pursued her passion of helping people.
{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
Good tips! I haven’t cut out my use of plastic grocery/walmart bags totally, but I bag my own groceries and pack them full, and tell the Walmart checker to use as few as possible. Then I also reuse them for trash bags, etc. I wish I could recycle them, but ours doesn’t take them.
No I did not know that about the T-shirt! Ack! Great info and website, thank you!
Am trying harder to get into using reusable totes, although I usually ask for paper bags at the grocery store because I can put out all our recyclable cans/bottles in those and then they get recycled at the same time. But not only are there a bunch of totes available free this week in different store offers, I found some great (and very big) totes at Kohl’s for $1.99 each. So with those, plus the smaller free ones, I’m set
Go green!!!!
Am trying harder to get into using reusable totes, although I usually ask for paper bags at the grocery store because I can put out all our recyclable cans/bottles in those and then they get recycled at the same time. But not only are there a bunch of totes available free this week in different store offers, I found some great (and very big) totes at Kohl’s for $1.99 each. So with those, plus the smaller free ones, I’m set
Go green!!!!
Am trying harder to get into using reusable totes, although I usually ask for paper bags at the grocery store because I can put out all our recyclable cans/bottles in those and then they get recycled at the same time. But not only are there a bunch of totes available free this week in different store offers, I found some great (and very big) totes at Kohl’s for $1.99 each. So with those, plus the smaller free ones, I’m set
Go green!!!!
Am trying harder to get into using reusable totes, although I usually ask for paper bags at the grocery store because I can put out all our recyclable cans/bottles in those and then they get recycled at the same time. But not only are there a bunch of totes available free this week in different store offers, I found some great (and very big) totes at Kohl’s for $1.99 each. So with those, plus the smaller free ones, I’m set
Go green!!!!
Good links and facts! I posted a similar list on my blog today, of ways to save money and help the environment:
http://frugallyblonde.blogspot.com/2009/04/going-green-and-saving-green.html
Great tips!! I love my cloth shopping bags!!
great tips! i love all of them and try to do all.
I wrote on a similar topic this week…I guess green and frugal is on everyone’s minds lately!
I try my best to do all those and more, but am guilty of forgetting to turn the computer off. I gotta work on that!
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