Save Money Using These Eco-friendly Tips
How does an extra $10 a week sound? How about an extra 50…….What about an extra $100
By making a few small changes to your lifestyle, you can boost your bank account as well as reducing your impact on the environment.
Here are some eco friendly facts to consider
* Replacing your light bulbs with energy-efficient bulbs can save you around $100 a year.
* Turning off your appliances, rather than leaving them on standby can save you nearly $100 a year.
* By air-drying your clothes in the sun as opposed to a clothes dryer can save you a massive $500 per year.
* By shopping for what you need and not throwing out food can save your hundreds of dollars on your annual food bill.
To begin, we must first of all understand how we treat our environment and how we can adapt our lifestyle for future sustainability.
Green Architecture
Lets start with the home. Building a green home means making it more self sufficient and sustainable. One of the most significant money-saving changes you can make around your home is to monitor the way you use electricity, gas and water.
Little changes with our habits can make a big difference. Turning lights off as you move from one room to another, using energy-efficient light bulbs, and turning off all standby modes in appliances will help reduce your bills.
The high energy consuming items around the home include household appliances, heaters and air-conditioners. Fridges are an easy area for improvement. Reducing the times you open and close a fridge will help, or filling the fridge with bottles of water, wine or any liquid, which will help make your fridge more energy efficient. Insulate your home so that it is warm in the winter and cooler in the summer.
By installing a solar energy system, you could be saving yourself up to $50 per week on electricity.
Save Water
A green home also means conserving and recycling water. The simplest thing for any of us to do is to turn off the tap when not in use. Turn it off between brushing your teeth and when you are soaping yourself in the showers.
Fix all water leaks such as leaky taps and shower heads. Use water-saving toilets, washbasins and showerheads available. Installing a rainwater tank means your garden can be watered for free, without worrying about breaking water restrictions.
Invest in an indoor compost bin to help reduce the amount of rubbish your council has to remove. Using a garden compost, and for example a worm farm, not only reduces the waste you create but also provides free fertiliser for your garden.
Green Cleaning
One of the easiest ways to save money is to revert to more traditional cleaning methods that don’t use chemicals and are cheaper than branded products. Vinegar, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda were favourite cleaning products for past generations and their effectiveness hasn’t diminished.
Green Transport
Walk, cycle or use public transport to get to work. Ask yourself the question. Do you need to drive every time you do? Do you need to own the car you do? Cutting the car out altogether and going by foot, bicycle or public transport when you can will have a huge impact on your environmental footprint.
If you must drive, choosing the car you drive has a massive impact, not only on the environment, but also on your wallet. Hybrid cars are more eco friendly and smaller cars consume less petrol. With the volatile petrol prices, the running cost of a car is very expensive.