Going green has a lot of advantages that make us feel like we’re contributing to something bigger. By refusing to buy bottled water or use plastic bags, we’re rebelling against mass-produced waste and helping to save the planet. However, we can often become demoralized because a single person can’t make a huge difference to the planet since it’s a collective effort. Even though we bring our own bags to the supermarket, we’ll still see hundreds of people using the supermarket plastic bags, buying eco-unfriendly items or carrying huge stacks of bottled water around.
We can’t convince those people otherwise because it’s just convenient for them. After all, having bottles of water is a great way to share water with other family members and it saves cleaning up glasses since you can just throw the bottle away. Not everyone wants to carry their own bags to the supermarket either, and sometimes buying eco-unfriendly items can save you a bit of money. However, there is one way that you can convince someone to start going green: it can save you a lot of money.
One of the biggest draws to going green is not only the fact you’re contributing to the environment but also because you can save money. There are plenty of ways to hold onto your pennies and become frugal if you plan to go green. A lot of people assume that going green means buying premium products and organic foods that cost far more than regular farmed foods, but while it does help it’s not needed to live a greener lifestyle to feel better about yourself. Without further ado, here are a couple of ways to go green and save money at the same time.
Internet Shopping
Not only does shopping online reduce paper waste and emissions, it’s also convenient and usually cheaper. It’s similar to how using public transportation cuts down emissions because they’re an essential part of any major city or town, so instead of adding to the problem by driving your own car, you can simply hop on a bus or train to travel to your destination. With internet shopping, it’s exactly the same. Your postman is still going to be driving a van and delivery drivers are still going to be hauling cargo around the city making deliveries. In addition to emissions, you also go green by reducing the amount of bags and paper you need. For instance, by using digital coupons from DontPayFull.com instead of requesting they be sent to you physically, you’ll get less junk mail and waste in your bins.
Reducing Car Usage
Reducing the amount you use your car is a fantastic way to cut down on your necessary expenses and live a healthier lifestyle. As shown on this article at blog.insurethebox.com, owning a car can be quite expensive because of insurance costs, road tax, gas prices and repair costs. If you aren’t already fairly wealthy, then owning a car is going to be something that makes a huge dent in your wallet every month. Sadly, this is often unavoidable because we feel like we need our cars on a regular basis. We feel like we need to own one to get from point A to B and they offer us a lot of conveniences.
The alternative option is to simply get rid of your car and start using public transportation. Although this is difficult for people who live in suburbs, it’s the healthier option because it forces you to walk more often and you can save a lot of money by using other forms of transportation. For example, you could cycle to work if you’re not too far away. This will give you a great workout to make you healthier, and the cost of a bike and safety gear is a lot less than that of a car
Recycle Old Items
When you dispose of your electronics, the most common way to do so is to throw them into a bin or add them to the rest of your trash. Although it seems like a fine idea, a lot of these electronic devices contain toxic substances like mercury and lead. These need to be disposed of in the proper manner so that they don’t harm people or the environment. This is why recycling your electronics is a popular option; we can reuse a lot of the components and materials from recycled devices and it’s also better for the environment. However, you can also make money from this by simply selling your old electronics to recycling services, or if they’re still in working condition you can sell them to buyers that collect old antique devices. If the device you have is fairly new, then it might still be worth using and there could be buyers out there who want a bargain.
What do you do to save money and live green? Leave your suggestions in comment field!
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OK I am going to play devil’s advocate here and say that rather than recycle that “old” technology simply hang onto it. We need to get out of the mindset of upgrading as soon as a new phone etc comes on the market. I also read an article that recommended not using next day delivery when internet shopping – when you buy and wait a few days the courier company will ensure they pick the least and shortest routes to get the packages delivered thus keeping their costs down. However if they have to go for next day delivery they may have to put on extra routes to get a parcel delivered to you which can be less green over all. And sadly there is no way I could live where I do (rural France) without a car. The nearest bus route is over 5kms away, the boys school 13kms and they can’t always take the bus due to late sports events etc and there is no way I could buy 4 x 25kg bags of animal feed without my own car (it is not available for delivery) …but I do my best to double up on journeys and keep them to as few/short as possible. #Wastelesswednesday
HI Rosie,
I totally agree with changing the mindset of keeping things longer or until they wear out. Recycling is important too. I keep my cell phone until it wears out because I don’t want to have to learn how to use a new one and feel no need to have the newest model available. We too have to have car were we live but we do try to save by doing errands in one trip if possible. We can only do what is feasible for us and do our best. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day!
Great post. Since we have become more mindful about what we buy we have saved a lot of money. We only now buy something if we really need it.
There are some things that do cost more because they are ‘eco’ or ‘natural’ but because we are buying less of the other things we are still saving money. #WasteLessWednesday
Hi Gina,
Sometimes spending more money on a healthier product saves you money in the long term. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Have a healthy, happy & blessed day.