Who doesn’t like to save a little money? Especially on those pesky everyday necessities like food, water, electricity and transportation. Who also doesn’t like attempting to cut back on their environmental impact? (Okay, so the second one isn’t as fun, but we still hope the answer is no one!) Here’s a few helpful tips on how you can start saving up for your must have fall item while also creating a greener lifestyle.
- Stop buying bottled water. Purchase a water filter for your tap water instead and always keep a pitcher in the refrigerator. Purchasing bottled water can add up over time and it also generates waste once you’ve finished your plastic bottle.
- Get thee to a library. Instead of purchasing your own copies of books, borrow them from a library. Sure, the other eco-friendly option is to download them on your iPad or Kindle but this involves paying for an expensive electronic and then purchasing an ebook. Not too much money saving going on there. Guess what? Libraries are free!
- Cut back on your household energy expenses. Getting an exorbitant electric bill in the mail is never fun. Everyone probably knows the common advice: turn off the lights when you leave a room. But to help lower costs even more, try unplugging appliances when they’re not in use or invest in a power strip which can sense when appliances are off. You can also install energy saving lightbulbs which will cost less over time than a standard lightbulb.
- Reuse plastic bags or invest in your own shopping bags. Stores now offer monetary incentives if you show up with your own bags. Target offers a 5 cent discount per bag while CVS will give a $1 credit every 4 visits. In some parts of northern California, stores legally now charge you an extra .10 cents per bag if you don’t have your own. Next year, this will be upped to .25 cents. Sure, none of these amounts are particularly significant but think of the savings over time.
Can you add to our list? What are some of your budget friendly and eco friendly tips?
For more ideas on saving money and going green, check out these articles from CBS News, The Worldwatch Institute and ABC News.
