In some people’s minds, being environmentally conscious and financially savvy may not seem like things that you can aspire to at the same time. We’ve all heard people say things about how expensive it is to make changes that will help the environment. Luckily, this is actually far from the truth. There are plenty of ways that you can help care for the world around you while also saving yourself some money along the way. To show you exactly how this can be done, here are three ways you can go green and save some green, too.
Drink Tap Water
If you live in a developed nation, it’s highly likely that you have access to clean drinking water. But despite this, many people choose to only drink water that has been bottled. According to Dr. Penny Pincher of Wise Bread, not only does doing this result in the creation of more plastic that isn’t easily compostable, but you are also requiring someone to ship all those bottles from their original location to whatever store you’re buying them from. In addition to this, you then have to buy this water rather than just getting it for free. To quickly solve all these problems, simply opt for filling up reusable water bottles with the clean water that’s readily available in almost every tap you encounter.
Reduce Your Own Waste
Another initiative you might want to consider trying if you’re interested in reducing your own carbon footprint, according to Green America, is to reduce the amount of waste that you dispose of. By so doing, you’ll have to pay less for your garbage to be taken away by your city and you’ll save money by finding ways to reuse what you otherwise would have discarded as refuse. Some ideas you might want to try for reusing materials include finding a way to use packaging materials in a new and helpful manner. And once you’re truly done with something, make sure you recycle every part of it that you can.
Eliminate Energy Vampires
Not only is there waste caused by creating too much garbage, but there’s also the waste of our resources, like energy and electricity. Wasted electricity is bad for the environment and bad for your own bottom line. To combat against this, Dana Sitar, a contributor to The Penny Hoarder, recommends that you eliminate energy vampires, which are appliances or other electronics that use energy when plugged in even when they’re turned off. So rather than just powering your items down, make sure you’re unplugging whenever you can.
If you’re looking for ways to save the environment and save yourself some money, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you accomplish both of these worthy goals.
