natural living

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In celebration of Earth Day, I wanted to talk about a few ways you can “green” your money. Going green is important not only for the Earth, but for your piggybank as well!

photo credit: Ha-Wee

1. Opt out.
Opt out of catalogs with Catalog Choice. Opt out of credit card offers. Opt out for receipts (some places ask if the amount is under a certain $ amount). Saves trees, and saves you money! You won’t look through the latest Pottery Barn catalog and talk yourself into buying a $50 pillow, or opening that card just because the offer came in the mail.

2. Make your bills paperless.
Gather your monthly statements (bank, credit cards, mortgage, etc.) and go online or call the company and ask to go paperless. Saves trees and time (no filing!), just make sure to keep a mater calendar on your desk or computer that has all the due dates. If you sign up online you can often set up email alerts, such as getting an email when your statement is ready. Well worth it, so you don’t miss any payments.

3. Set up Bill Pay at your bank or an online service (such as Mvelopes or checkfree).
Save on checks, stamps, and never have to wait again for a check to clear! You also save on fuel, though one tiny envelope isn’t much add it up over your adult life and that’s a truck full of paper that doesn’t have to be shipped.
Shred and recycle old documents/statements: You can recycle the paper, compost it, or, if you are creative, create your own handmade paper. You can also save time! Less digging when you look for something, and less space to store old paperwork equals more time for other endeavors!

4. Buy products with less packaging.
With food items, fresh seems more expensive, but will often save you in the long run. (not to mention the long-term health benefits that means less spent later on poor health due to poor nutrition)

5. Create a budget.
Less wasted money, and less waste of your most valuable resource: your time!

6. Use my 1 in:1 out rule.
Know what you need and only buy what you need. If you decide to bring home a “want” then purge 1 thing. Less stuff=less waste.

7. Use what you buy!
25% of food is wasted in most homes, make sure to create a plan every week to use what you have. If you find you have excess freeze it, if you can’t give it away. Most food can go in your compost bin, so if you don’t use it, turn it into prize winning soil for your favorite roses.

8. Give.
Give away what you don’t need and can’t use to someone that can, Goodwill, Salvation Army, Freecycle, or your local women’s or homeless shelter.

9. Buy used.
Cars, clothes, household goods, tools, really everything (but food)! Can be purchase used. Look at places like Freecycle, Craig’s List, yard sales or your local consignment stores.

10. Buy energy efficient, or eco friendly when you replace something.
When the washer breaks down, replace it with the most environmentally friendly model you can afford, and remember not to replace just for the latest eco-friendly options.

I’m sure you can think of tons more green ideas to give you more greenbacks. What are some of the ways you go green?

Kelly

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One of the main lessons I try to teach the kids is to care. For the Earth, for each other, for themselves, and their belongings. They have really taken the idea to heart of late and have been asking me to keep items I would otherwise recycle.

I’m considering adding a bin to their art area for “found’ or recyclable objects.

Audrey, age 4, aspiring artist, made a mess of tissues the other day while I was in the kitchen. She was planning a “party” and used the tissues as confetti.

I explained that the tissues were something we use when we are sick or need to blow out nose, and that we spend money on, so it’s best if we use them for their intended purpose. We started collecting the tissues to throw them away, and she came upon the idea of making the tissues into art. She salvaged a few and made a few different things. Above is a picture of a ghost. (excuse the wet marks, my hand were damp when I picked it up)

Audrey made a similar one for her sister who wasn’t feeling well, and informed Emma that it could be used as a tissue when she was done admiring it!
Recycling at it’s finest. Tissue to art, art to tissue.

One of my favorite ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle is by selling or giving away things we no longer need. I’ve also been able to find things simply by asking friends, family, or members of our local Freecycle group. Sometimes I will pay $5-10 for something that would have cost me $20 elsewhere. Sometimes I get something free that would have cost $100+ elsewhere. It’s always a win-win.

Next time you really need something see if you can find it for free or used first. Chances are likely someone else has that same whatchamagadget and doesn’t need it anymore.

How do you reduce, reuse or recycle? Have you ever given away something of value, or received something of value for free?

Kelly