Going Green on a Budget
Most of us like to save money. If you want to go green there are many opportunities to save money.
Here at Green England we are always looking at the opportunities to save money – especially in the current economic climate.
Energy Saving
Whenever you save energy, you save money.
So.....
Simple rule – switch off anything you are not using – at the socket.
Chargers which go on drawing electricity even when the appliance is fully charged.
Learn how long they take to charge and switch off when done.
Turn off all switches that have a light indicating they are 'on' – when they are not in use.
Try doing your washing at 30 degrees.
Turn your heating down by one degree.
Shorten your shower time.
Dry your clothes naturally wherever possible on a clothes horse indoors.
Hang clothes outside when you can – they smell so much better!
A bit of planning means you will never have to use the tumble dryer again! It is possible.
Get into the habit of turning off lights when you walk out of the room.
Replace lightbulbs with low energy bulbs. They cost a little more but you will save over the year about £7 a year.- in electricity.
Cook in bulk – when you have the oven on cook double quantities or more and two dishes at at time. Come home to a cooked home made ready meal that just needs reheating.
Turn off the cooker 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.
Don't use the hair-dryer – let you hair dry naturally.
Cleaning and Household
Ditch the chemicals!
There is very little you can't clean with water, vinegar, bicarb of soda, borax and lemon juice. Really. These items are inexpensive, non- toxic and work! Its amazing – its what our mother's knew. For more information on this see Clean Green and Save Money
Use soapnuts in your wash - they cost about 1/3 of conventional laundry products and are completely bio degradeable. The detergent is non- toxic, unlike the ingredients in conventional washing powders.
Use every drop of water
Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth
Catch water you are not using in a container eg running the shower to get warm or the tap in the sink, or running it cold for a glass of water. Use what you collect for flushing the loo, watering plants, washing the car etc.
Shopping
Try using freecyle to see if the item you want is unwanted by someone else locally. Its amazing what you can get for nothing and it stops them being thrown away!
Look in charity shops for clothes, books and household items. These are a fraction of the cost – ensure items get their full life and gives money to charity – win, win, win!
Shop as locally as possible – support you local economy and save on transport
Driving
With the cost of driving, there are good ways to save money as well as your CO2 emissions
Make sure you tyres are fully inflated
Drive at 50-60mph on motorways
Try not to use the air conditioning – it uses up to 10% more fuel
Drive smoothly by accelerating and braking gently.
Plan your journey – don't use extra fuel because you got lost!
Share your journey with other people whenever you can
For short journeys consider if walking is an option – save money and use calories
Remove any unnecessary luggage in the boot that adds weight to the car.
Food
Grow you own veg! Seeds and compost cost very little compared with bought veg. Share the project with a friend to help avoid waste.
Buy your local veg from your local market. If you have a local market – do support it. Veg is often local (just ask), cheaper than supermarkets and is minus the packaging and transport overheads.
Don't buy bottled water – for drinking water put a jug of water in the fridge
Going Green on a Budget - To learn more about this author, visit Penny Ritson's Website.
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