11 Ways to Help the Environment that Save Money

1. Make Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

After you use the cleaning products, they slip down the drain and are treated with the waste water and then dumped into our waterways. In a May 2002 study of contaminants in stream water samples across the country, the U.S. Geological Survey found persistent detergent metabolites in 69% of streams tested. Detergent metabolites are toxic and not biodegradable in water. Sixty-six percent of streams contained disinfectants!! [Source]

I have mentioned this in other parts of the blog, but I just make my own cleaning products. I bought a spray bottle, filled it up with white vinegar, distilled water, and some essential oils (I chose orange oil, but you can also use lemon, thieves, or anything else you’d like). It works well and it doesn’t have a ton of toxic chemicals.

2. Come to Terms with an Imperfect Yard

Conserve water and cut down on chemicals by not using herbicides, pesticides, and watering your grass just to make it look greener. The chemicals that you use in your yard seeps down into the groundwater supply and contaminates our drinking water and our lakes and rivers. 

3. Donate or Sell Clothes, and Buy Clothes at Thrift Stores or Secondhand Shops

The most environmentally friendly way to shop for clothes is to buy secondhand. I always keep a bag at the back of our closet that I add clothes to for selling or donating. When the bag gets full, I take it to a consignment shop to see how much money they’d give me for any items and then I donate the rest. Typically I take them to a store like Plato’s Closet first to get cash, then to a different consignment shop, and then donate anything they refuse.

4. Conserve Electricity at Home

Don’t go overboard with heating your house in the winter or cooling it in the summer.

• I was once told to set our thermostat at 68 degrees in the winter and 78 in the summer to conserve energy.
• Be creative about bundling up when you’re cold or drinking more water when you’re hot.
• Make sure your house is fully insulated and consider wrapping your windows in the winter to keep the cold air out.
• Using energy-saving light bulbs, unplugging things when they are not in use will also save energy, and powering-down your computer at the end of the day.
• Minimize energy use by opening your blinds and using the sunshine to light up your home during the day.
• Wash clothes in cold water, line dry them whenever possible, and only wash clothes when you have a full load.

5. Reduce Food Waste

This one is HUGE! Use what is in your refrigerator, go “shopping” in your pantry, get creative by coming up with recipes for things you already have, and only buy what you know that you’ll use. The benefit of meal planning is that you can plan for meals to use all of your ingredients. i. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to buy a whole bag of celery for a recipe that calls for only a small bit, so I’ll try to plan a few different recipes that call for celery so that I can use all of it before it goes bad.

Check out my summer challenge of going zero-waste with our food here.

6. Go Meatless for a Few Meals Per Week (or Completely!)

Raising animals for food uses a lot of land, water, and energy. Substituting beans, peas, and lentils can save money and still provide necessary protein. [Source.]

7. Buy Thinx or the Diva Cup

Cut down on waste by using reusable period products! I now own five pairs of Thinx, which are washable period panties, and I haven’t used a single tampon or pad in over a year. The average woman goes through about 240 tampons per year and tampons are not cheap. One pair of Thinx costs about $30, but they are washable and re-usable. I’ve been using Thinx for about four years now, and they still work just fine. Get $10 off your first pair by clicking this link: http://ref.thinxify.me/isZYp

8. Biking to Work

This is something that I wish I could do! Collin used to bike to work everyday, but then after we moved his commute became longer. Many cities nowadays are installing bike lanes to make biking to work easier and safer. It’s better for the environment, saves money, and good for your health. Win-win-win.

9. Plant a Garden

Grow your own food and save money! We just spent last weekend soaking up the sun and planting a vegetable garden. We do a CSA share every summer through a local farm, so we planted some food items that we eat a lot of that we may not get too many from the CSA. We ended up planting zucchini (for zucchini pasta with my spiralizer), cucumbers (for pickling), green beans, basil, and cilantro.

10. Conserve Water at Home

Don’t let the water run endlessly while you are brushing your teeth, keep your dishwasher on an eco setting, install a shower head that controls and conserves water… These are all ways that will save you money little by little while also saving water. Turning the drying cycle off on the dishwasher and letting the dishes air dry will also save energy. Consider installing a rain barrel under your gutters and then using that water for your garden and grass.

11. Avoid Disposable Dishware

I thought that our society figured out that plastic water bottles were clogging up our oceans… and yet people are still using them?! I always keep a reusable water bottle in my car, at my office, and at home so that I can fill it up wherever I am. In general, just avoid disposable dishware.

One of my good friends is the queen of waste-free living and she carries around this set and refuses plastic ware when she’s out.

On a similar note, this video inspired me to start refusing plastic straws when I’m out:

I also just bought this set from Amazon!

What are your tips for being greener and saving money?