Top 25 Thrifty Ways to Go Green

Until recently, I had never realized that my thrifty ways were helping the environment.  I never considered myself a tree hugger or environmental activist.  I always tried to do my part, within reason.  Now I am beginning to realize how frugalness is good for the environment. 

Here are some thrifty ways to help the environment, and possibly your wallet too:

1)  Replace light bulbs with CFLs.  Last year, I replaced several light bulbs in my home with CFLs.  They use at 2/3 less energy than standard bulbs.

2)  Don’t waste food.  When you waste food, you’re throwing out more, buying more products, and putting more packaging into the environment.

3) Shop online.  Shopping online saves gas from driving to the stores and it can be done at night when the kids are in bed.  I’ll admit that I don’t do much shopping online due to shipping costs, but thanks to this site, now you can shop with no shipping.  

4)  Make your own cleaning products.  I am amazed at the cleaning power of vinegar and baking soda.  It’s good for the environment, less expensive than cleaning products, and healthier for your home.

5)  Bring your own bags to the grocery store.  Some stores charge you for their bags and some stores will give you an incentive for bringing your own.  Bringing your own also helps keep bags out of the landfills and saves you the time of recycling them.

6)  Air dry your clothes.  Air drying your clothes can save a lot of money on your electric bill and it also keeps us from using more energy.

7)  Conserve water.  Click on the link to find 25 ways to reduce your water bill.  Simple things like checking for leaks or installing an aerator on your spout can really help out.

8)  Conserve electric.  Here are some tips for saving money on your summer electric bill.  I’m sure all of us could use a little help on cutting costs this year.  We could all implement a few of these tips into our lives.

9)  Buy used items whenever possible.  I try to buy items used if I can.  It saves a lot of money and enables items to be reused rather than being wasted. Selling your stuff helps you to get rid of things you don’t want, clears up needed space, enables you to earn a little money, and helps someone else that wants to buy it used.

10)  Learn to be content.  You don’t need the latest gadget and gizmo to be happy.  Accumulating things takes up room in your house, causes burdensome debt, and only leaves you longing for something bigger and better.  Materialism is a barrier to contentment.

11)  Join your local freecycle group.  Freecycle is an opportunity to give away things that you don’t need and to get things you want or need for free!  I have given away a pair of crutches, a crib, and a bunch of children’s hangers.  I have received clothes for my children.  Don’t put more stuff into landfills.  Find someone that can use it.

12)  Don’t use so much gasoline.  I try to do all of my errands one day each week or plan my errands in a way that will use the least amount of gas.  Check here for more ways to save gas.

13)  Buy Energy Star appliances.  If it’s time to replace your appliances, then you should buy energy star appliances.  These save money on electric and water usage.

14)  Use rechargable batteries.  Rechargable batteries last longer than regular batteries and keep batteries from being throw away.

15) Use the library or get second hand books from others.  I do not have a magazine subscription.  My mom saves some of her old magazines for me.  This is fine by me because I usually don’t have time to read them anyway.

16)  Email whenever possible.  An email isn’t as personal as a handwritten letter, but it saves time, money, and paper.

17)  Buy clothes that don’t need to be dry cleaned.  Dry cleaning is expensive and harmful to the environment.  If you do have clothes that need to be dry cleaned, then check out these safe alternatives.

18)  Use cloth diapers.  Now I could never bring myself to do use cloth diapers, but I had good intentions.  Over the long run, cloth diapers save a lot of money and of course, they’ll keep you from throwing away about 3,000 diapers.  Even though I didn’t use cloth diapers, I’m trying to do my part by putting my two-year-old son in underwear whenever I can. 

19)  Grow your own fruits and vegetables.  You’ll save lots of money, get stuff to can or give away, and then you can keep out the pesticides.

20)  Repurpose old items that you have.  Use curtains or sheets to make pillows, take an old skirt and make doll clothing, glue buttons onto a picture frame.  Lots of stuff can be repurposed.

21)  Cut out junk mail as much as possible.  This is something that is on my to-do list.  I’ve looked into a few companies that can help with this problem.  Some are free, some cost a few dollars.  Maybe I should just try all of them.  That might work.  

22)  Send ecards through care2.  When you send ecards, they’ll make a donation to the rain forest.  Check out their Click2Donate page.

23)  Recycle!  This one’s pretty easy and self-explanatory.  Most cities have a recycling service that will pick up the recycling, along with your trash.  Check with your local area to find out the rules.

24) Join the Arbor Day Foundation.  For only $10, you can get 10 trees.

25) Use the internet.  You can find recipes, tips, send pictures and emails, and check out great blogs.   

What can you add to this list?

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