Living an eco-friendly lifestyle can benefit the planet and our wallets. A lot of people tend to think living sustainably costs more money, but certain eco-friendly practices can actually save money. These are a few easy swaps and tricks to live more sustainably and keep a bit of extra cash in your wallet.
1. Host a clothing swap.
If you’re hoping to get a new outfit for a party or event save money by swapping instead of shopping. Encourage your friends to bring over their unwanted clothes, open a bottle of wine, and let the swapping begin.
Everyone gets to clean out their closets and receive a few new pieces for their wardrobe. Swapping clothes with friends saves that shopping money, gives you an excuse to clean out your closet, and ensures unwanted clothes don’t end up in landfills.
Related:How To Make Your Wardrobe More Sustainable
2. Ditch the plastic wrap and use beeswax wrap instead.
Mark plastic wrap off your grocery list forever by investing in Beeswax Wrap. This eco-friendly alternative is made with fabric, beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin ensuring natural materials are keep your food fresh and safe.
Beeswax wrap is great for keeping cheese, vegetables, fruits, covering bowls with leftovers, and more. This affordable kitchen swap is wonderful for the planet because it reduces the plastic wrap getting sent to landfills AND for your wallet because that’s an item you can take off your shopping list. Learn more in depth on how to use beeswax wrap with the How to Use Beeswax Wrap guide. Similarly, it’s definitely time to ditch plastic water bottles for boxed water or a refillable bottle.
3. Quit paying for menstrual products each month.
Ditch the expense of monthly menstrual products and start using period panties. This one is a bold swap for sure. I was hesitant at first, but I’ve been using THINX period panties for four years and I love them.
Instead of throwing away plastic tampon applicators and sending pads to the landfill invest in a few pairs of period panties. These are underwear you can wear on your period, wash, and re-wear.
While period panties may appear to be expensive, this is an investment that will pay off because of all the money you’re spending on menstrual products each month.
4. Take shorter showers for less water waste
Who doesn’t love a long steamy shower? I’m definitely guilty.
According to Boston University, the average shower uses about five gallons of water per minute. If we shortened our showers by two minutes, each of us can cut water use by 10 gallons! And shorter showers means a cheaper water bill. It’s a win-win!
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5. Use reusable snack bags.
Reusable snack bags are a great way to keep food fresh and never have to buy plastic snack bags again. Reusable snack bags can easily be washed and reused. Certain brands are even able to go in the dishwasher. Personally, I love these fun pattern reusable snack bags.
Related: 15 Gifts To Give That Are Better For The Environment
6. Consider buying ugly produce.
Unfortunately there is a lot of produce that ends up in landfills simply because of how it looks. How wasteful! Imperfect Produce reports that 20 percent of produce doesn’t even leave U.S. farms based on how it looks. But you know what? Ugly produce is usually still perfectly edible.
There are multiple programs that allow consumers to purchase ugly produce at a discount rate which keeps produce out of landfills and allows the consumer to save money. I’ve used Imperfect Produce a few times and have really enjoyed it.
7. Ditch the dryer and line dry your clothes.
I’m a huge advocate for line drying clothes because this natural drying keeps the fibers of our clothes in tact making clothes last longer. By ditching the dryer you’re able to reduce your electricity usage.
Green Cleaning Magazine shares that electric dryers make up approximately six percent of total household electricity use. By not using the dryer you can save yourself some money, too.
If you’re not able to completely ditch using the dryer, consider investing in wool dryer balls which will reduce the amount of time your clothes need to be put in the dryer.
Challenge yourself to pick a few sustainable living tricks from this list to positively impact the planet and save money.
By Emily Waddell
Emily Waddell is the founder of the conscious lifestyle blog The Honest Consumer and e-commerce shop Give a Damn Goods. Emily graduated from Belmont University in 2017 with a degree in Social Entrepreneurship and uses her blog and e-commerce shop to encourage consumers to make a difference with their purchase power. You can also find her on Instagram @thehonestconsumer.
