In this world where almost everything costs money, it almost seems as if to save money, we must first spend money!
When it comes to adapting a greener lifestyle, for example, the media may have you believe that it’s all about solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars when most of us can’t afford things like kitchen countertops made with recycled glass or hand towels made from organic cotton.
Fortunately, we can still make the biggest improvements with small changes in our daily household routines. The old, familiar slogan Reduce, Reuse, Recycle is still the best motto for green living today. When you think about it, reduce and reuse essentially define how our grandparents ran their households simply by being thrifty and not wanting to waste. As for recycling, that should be a given; it’s just what you do with garbage that still has some value. For example, even though recycling a paper plate is better for the environment than throwing it in the trash, it’s still not as good as using and washing a regular plate (and it’s a lot less expensive on the long run).
If you really do want to make a difference, ditch those paper plates and plastic bowls for durable and inexpensive dinnerware. Clean up by scraping off the scraps (composting it, if applicable) then soaking plates in the sink with a little cold water. In a few minutes, the dishes can be washed clean. Tip: Choose a concentrated organic dishwashing liquid and save more!
Here Are More Ways You Can Green Up Your Life.
Better way to store food
You may think that it’s smart to use cheap, “reusable” plastic storage containers (the kind that are like lightweight Tupperware but are trashed after about a half-dozen uses), but it will be in your best interest to invest in a good set of oven- and microwave-safe glass containers with quality plastic lids. They’ll pay for themselves many times over and will keep scores of cheap plastic out of the waste stream.
Smart laundry moves
Big, full loads save water, electricity and natural gas, depending on the type of water heater you own. An easy way to ensure full loads is to have a laundry basket for each colour (whites, darks and mixed colours) and wash only when a basket is full. For most loads, hot-water wash is overkill (use warm or cold water instead), and always use cold water for the rinse, which rinses just as well as heated water.
Shower talk: Use a low-flow shower head
Since many people will not compromise their shower routine, the easiest way to save resources here is to use a low-flow showerhead. By law, the maximum flow for a single head is 2.5 gallons per minute (gpm), but you can find a decent spray with even less gpm. To take it another step, use a head with an ON/OFF switch so you can shut off the water while you shampoo and soap up and turn it back on instantly with the same temperature.
Consider this old-fashioned cleaning routine
As with meals, reusable stuff makes for a big improvement (and savings) over disposable wipes and other throw-away cleaning products. Cleaning pros (and Grandma) know this best: they fill a good bucket with their favourite cleaning solutions, sponges, gloves, mop and any other essential tools. This keeps things portable and storable. You might want to have additional buckets for different parts of the house.
Make a habit of carrying reusable shopping bags
You’re probably tired of hearing about reusable shopping bags, but they really are the way to go. The problem is most of these have been reduced to lousy advertising vehicles and are too small or oddly shaped to do much good. The best all-purpose bags are large, reinforced plastic types with woven cloth handles. They’re capacious, washable and virtually indestructible. The kind that folds like a paper grocery sack is ideal. Keep a few in your car’s trunk and you’ll have them for every kind of shopping trip.
