Living green on a budget may seem impossible but believe me it is not.
There are many things you can do which will be friendly to the environment.
Can everyone afford solar panels for their home or a hybrid car?Of course not but below I will list some things you can do to make a difference.
Some will actually save you money.
Paper or Plastic Neither, if you truly want to help the planet and keep the waste out of the landfills buy reusable shopping bags.
Make sure they are made from organic products and not made in some country in a sweat shop.
You can find them all over the internet at very affordable prices..
As they hold much more than the plastic bags you use in the grocery stores you only need 5-10 for your shopping.
The cost is around $2 each but they will last for several years.
Keep some in your vehicle at all times, then when you have to make a stop to pick something up while you are out you don't get stuck using the bags from the store.
I use them when I shop for clothes, groceries and anything I am purchasing that fits in a bag.
Small things make such a difference in our environment.
I began living green on a budget many years ago, we barely made enough to live at that time but the money I wound up saving helped me as well as mother earth.
Re Cycle The average person creates 4.
5 pounds of trash per day.
Think how much is going into the landfills if you are not re-cycling.
You can re-cycle aluminum cans and foil, glass, but please rinse all containers before re-cycling, paper, a 4ft stack of recycled newspaper is equivalent to a 40 ft.
fir tree, cardboard, such as cardboard boxes but if you have a cardboard container that pizza came in it can not be recycled as they can not use it if it is dirty.
Take your packing peanuts to your local shipping store, most will take them from you happily.
I re-use my aluminum foil over and over before recycling it, very easy to rinse and re-use.
I also buy foods packaged in containers that I can use to put left overs in when possible as I can wash them and re-use them again and again.
Doing Laundry My daughter has made this one of my biggest pet peeves.
Washing machines were designed to wash more than one item of clothing.
I have seen my daughter put in a pair of pants she wants to wear that night or a shirt.
She always had more clothes she could have thrown in with it so the water she wasted was senseless.
When doing your laundry please wash a full load.
Don't pack them so tight that your clothes will not come clean but just a full load.
Most of the time we can hang our clothes up after wearing them to wear again.
I know teen agers especially are horrible about throwing them down to be washed even if they just put them on for a minute and decided to wear something else.
It was an uphill battle for me and my teens but I eventually taught them to be conservative for mother earth.
I now face it again with my 4 and 6 year old grand daughters that I raise.
They already at their age try on 10 different things before deciding what to wear.
The 6 year old now hangs stuff up as she can reach the closet and will also hang up her little sisters clothes.
It has been much easier with these two.
Water Consumption The average household uses 260+ gallons of water per day.
That is a staggering number.
You can save water and also save on your water bill by making some changes around your house.
Installing low flow shower heads, toilets and faucets you may spend a little money to begin with but these changes can cut up to 50% of your water consumption.
Think of the money you will save on your water, electric and gas bills in the future.
Men, when you are shaving fill the sink with water for your use instead of running the water the whole time.
I know we all like to relax in a long hot bath and I still treat myself to that on occasion.
Taking a shower will clean you much better than taking a bath where you sit and soak in the dirt you have just washed off yourself.
Making Your Trips Count With the price of gasoline and the carbon emmissions from your vehicle it is only wise to make each trip count.
When I go out I make sure it is a good time for accomplishing many things.
I run to the bank, pick up the dry cleaning, get my groceries and pick up the kids from school.
Not only am I saving trips, when I get home I have someone to help me carry all that in.
Ride a bicycle when possible.
My husband rides his bike to work as we live around 3 miles from his job.
You see more and more people on bicycles these days.
Walk when you can.
We live in walking distance of stores and restaurants so we walk a lot.
If we do not have to have much from the store we walk to pick up a few things we need.
Now we are doing something kind for the earth and getting exercise to boot.
Conserve on Your Electricity As I live in Texas where the heat is unbearable in the summer I have to run my AC more than I would like to.
However I do set it at 79 degrees.
If you live in a cooler climate then use ceiling fans with open windows to cool your home.
Turn off your lights when not needed.
Buy energy efficient light bulbs.
They are higher than the regular light bulbs you have been purchasing but they last for 5-10 years so the cost is minimal in reality.
G E makes some great CFL bulbs.
You will not only be helping the planet you will also find that you save on your electric bill.
If everyone changed just one light bulb it would be equivalent to saving the carbon emissions on 800,000 cars.
There are places to re-cycle these bulbs also.
Plug your small appliances, tv's and clocks into smart power strips.
When not in use turn them off from the strip, this will save you a lot of money on your electric bill and is very healthy for the environment.
Hopefully you have found some good tips here and be sure to check back often as I will be adding more daily.
Have a great day and remember to Re-Use Reduce and Re-Cycle always.
Cheryl C McNeil