It’s everywhere isn’t it? Save the planet, use less, do more, eat this, don’t eat that and recycle, recycle.
But can you go green and save money?
Yes you can actually, just doing little things can really make a difference to your bills for starters. If you really embrace it, the savings can be greater.
Shorter showers, less water and electric/gas. Turn the heating down a degree or two, more savings.
Use a shorter wash in the machine on 30 degrees and you save water and electric again. Many people still put the washing on cycles that run for 2 hours or more. With modern fabrics, daily showers more clothes changes it is totally unnecessary. Use an economy wash if you have one. It can also help the washing machine last longer, less wear and tear.
Does it drive you daft?
It can be very off putting at times but having said that it is important. Did you ever watch the film WALL-E? Behind the fun animation was a serious message about the amount of waste we have. In the film Earth becomes uninhabitable and what remains of humanity is riding round in a spaceship where everything is done for them. Watch it, see if you find the message disturbing.
There are many things we can do in every day life to help ourselves and the planet. There are lot’s of blogs with hints and tips. But it’s also about common sense.
Eco swaps from Huffington Post.
Stay cool with insulation
“People spend money on heating their homes. If you’re doing that and your home isn’t insulated, you’re wasting money,” Mike says. “Around 25% of an uninsulated home’s heat is lost through the roof, so insulate your loft.” As to other checks to make? If your place has cavity walls, it’s a relatively cheap and easy job to have those insulated, too. As well as locking the cosy vibes in, come summer, it’ll keep oppressive heat out.
Let the sunlight in
Sounds basic, but worth remembering. “Keep your curtains open during the day, to let the natural light and heat in,” Mike says. Remember to ensure that all of your windows have the blinds pulled up before you go to work, so that the day’s rays have time to permeate your place.
Try a line dry
As well as filling your washing machine up with a full load (obviously) and setting it to 30 degrees, make sure you line dry, while the weather’s nice.
I love seeing a line full of washing blowing in the breeze, especially knowing it has aved elctricity
Prolong summer nights
This goes for your garden, too. Make your outside space come over all ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ with solar-powered outdoor lights, rather than traditional types.
You know not to overfill your fridge. But, conversely, it’s a good idea to fill up your freezer. “In the fridge, you want air to flow, but, in the freezer, empty drawers are wasted energy,” Mike says. “What I do is flatten down cardboard boxes to fill them. The energy it takes to freeze those is less than it takes to freeze the air.”
The Quality Unearthed blog has a great blog with lot’s of tips for going green/ living a greener life. Here are a few of them.
- When it comes to bills of any kind, opt for a paperless alternative. Emails are a much greener option and will not only help save the trees, but also eases the strain of the transportation of letters
- Cut down your shower time. While your rendition of Grease Lightning might be nothing short of fabulous, you don’t have to finish the song before you exit the shower! In fact, sometimes the acoustics sound even better when your towelling down. Well, while we can’t guarantee that, shorter showers will help save the planet and your water bill at the same time. It’s a win win!
- Walk or bike. Bus or carpool. Only drive your own car if it is absolutely necessary. Not only will this help those with health and fitness goals in 2019, but those saving their money will also see a reduction in fuel costs!
- Say no to spam mail. Contact the companies of any spam mail you receive and ask to be removed from the list. Thousands of trees are needlessly destroyed each year for junk mail that is unlikely to see a world away from the paper bin or fire. It’s outdated, and quite frankly in this day and age, unacceptable.
- Turn off your electrical items when you aren’t using them. That should be a no-brainer, but even when your computer is off but still plugged in, it requires power – just for that little red dot to let you know it’s there if you need it. Again, unnecessary, and will save you money in the long run!
Even the BBC website has a blog post about being more eco friendly in every day life. The post is from last April. They have hints and tips from various bloggers too, so worth a look if you are interested..
Do I have to change my life drastically?
No of course not! Many of us already recycle thanks to local councils providing separate bins and information on what to put in those bins. If you do that already, you are a recycler. Yay!!
What about packaging?
Try and go for items with less packaging. When buying fruit or veg, don’t put it into bags, lay it in the trolley as it is. Okay, some stuff you can’t but most you can. Few carrots, apples bananas etc are fine, I do it all the time. No one even notices at the checkout.
Ahhh…. you will get the odd one who will try and put it in a plastic bag. Just politely say, no thank you.
To be honest, I have found that leaving stuff in plastic bags in the fridge makes it go off quicker. Maybe that’s why everything is wrapped in plastic? As the plastic is only going in the bin, it’s better to leave it at the shop.
If your local council recycles plastic, look in your bin and take note of how much is plastic.
An easy one!
Take a bag out with you. I have a bag that folds up very small and I keep it in my handbag. It has come in very useful on many occasions. We also keep some bags in the car, those have also come in useful when we have stopped somewhere remembering a couple of things we need. For a big shop we always take plenty of bags with us.
Have there been times I forgot? Of course but that’s life, it happens occasionally. I just try to do better next time.
Hang washing out rather than tumble drying. I love seeing a line full of washing blowing in the breeze, especially knowing it has saved electricity and it smells so much fresher.
Conclusion.
If you are just starting out on the greener lifestyle there are lots of small things you can do to go green and save money, that also help the planet.
If you have food shops delivered, make sure the many bags they use get recycled.
Check what can and can’t go in the recycling bins.
Don’t automatically say yes when offered a bag while shopping.
Shower rather than bath and try for 5 minutes or less.
Go paperless for bills.
Just small things that soon add up. Saving money for yourself and helping to save the planet too. Isn’t that a good feeling?
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Questions and comments welcome.