Save Money and the Environment

For the past couple of months, I’ve been writing ways you can save money on various purchases. In honor of Blog Action Day, an event focusing on environment awareness, I’ll here are a few tips on how you can save money and the environment:

• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) – You’ve probably read about it 100 times already, so let’s just make it 101. CFLs use a lot less electricity which saves you money.
• Put on a extra layer of clothing or a blanket in winter – We always keep a couple of blankets on the couch. It’s great for cuddling with a loved one as well.
• Buy concentrated refills where possible – Look into products like this Just Add Water Cleaners. This reduces the amount of water that is being shipped, which means that a small truck can ship the equivalent of thousands of bottles of cleaners. In general, refills are cheaper than the original packaging.
• Skip bottled water from Fiji – Water filters such as a Brita or Pur pitcher are a lot cheaper per gallon of water.
• Use rechargeable batteries – This can save you hundreds of dollars over time. It will also save a lot of disposed batteries.
• Don’t use one-time paper products when possible – It’s better to wash a coffee mug than throw out a Styrofoam cup everyday. It’s cheaper to use plates than continuously buy paper ones.

[Each Monday for the next couple months, I’m write about how to save money. I recommend reading the whole Save Money series. Last week we looked at how to save money on clothing.]