Our home is where we find peace. It is our special place and where we can be ourselves. It is one thing we are always striving to better and we put a lot of time, effort and money into our homes.
As we move into the 21st century there are two things on the rise. The cost of living and the rate of damage that is being done to the planet. What if we could make small changes ourselves to help with a few costs and save the planet at the same time? Well, we are going to look at a few things we can do.
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3 Simple Steps for How to Become More Eco-Friendly at Home
All In The Cycles
Now, when we say cycles, we don’t mean bicycles. You should consider recycling and upcycling. These two things can be vitally important for both the planet and your wallet.
When we talk about recycling, we don’t just mean your waste. Of course, this is of vital importance. You can also recycle what you eat. If you have leftovers, you can reuse them. Just portion them up and use them at another time.
When we look at the amount of food that is thrown away each day. The average American, for example, wastes one pound of food per day. If you calculate this the saving over one year would be huge.
Upcycling is another way to not only save some money and save the planet, but you may also even make a little money along the way. This can also turn into a great little hobby and you may even find a passion along the way.
Taking an old piece of furniture, making it look completely different and selling it on, rather than it go to the local refuse site is a brilliant idea for anybody.
Efficiency is Key
Being more efficient throughout your home is always a huge way forward to saving some money and saving the environment at the same time.
You can take small measures such as turning off power outlets and light switches, you should even switch off those dripping faucets, they cost a pretty penny over the space of a year. Should you want to take bigger steps you could go solar with your tanks and hot water cylinders. Water heating along can be one of the biggest costs apart from eating and your rent/mortgage.
Grow it Yourself
A great way to help the environment and yourself is by growing some food yourself. Even if you live in an apartment there are plenty of items you could grow on your window ledge or even balcony.
Over the course of a year, just growing 3-4 different vegetables could mean a nice little saving and of course, if more and more people did this, production costs would gradually fall too.
So next time you have an empty plastic egg carton, why not cut a few holes in the top, place in a small amount of water in each well and put your green onion bases in. 24 hours later, you will have noticed your green onions have almost returned.
There are plenty of handy little food recycling tips like this that can save you money throughout the year.