Ways to Be Green
1. Canvas shopping bags – it is easy to leave your canvas shopping bags at home when you only have a few. I have over 20 that I rotate between my car and my husband’s car. I found that I am more likely to take them in the store when they are already in the car. This reusable strawberry bag will fit perfectly into your purse or bag. It’s cute and affordable.
2. Aluminum water bottles – the cost of these bottles has dropped tremendously lately! You can find them in two pack at TJ Maxx for $9. Amazon is another great place to find them.
3. Programmable Thermostat – this is a must for us! In fact, we had a zoning system installed in our house because the upstairs was always 10-15 degrees hotter than the downstairs in the hot Atlanta summers. With the programable thermostat we control what time we want the house to heat and cool and aren’t paying for electricity or gas when we are not home/don’t need it. While a Nest thermostat is incredibly awesome you can save big money and spend $20’ish on a functional programable thermostat that will not break the bank.
4. Sprinkler Timers – not only do sprinkler timers save energy, but they also allow you to catch some extra sleep! We set our sprinklers out the night before and the timer starts them in the morning. Now if they only moved themselves…….
5. Wash clothes in cold water – yes, cold water gets your clothes clean too! Using cold water saves a lot of energy since you don’t need to fill up the hot water heater time and time again.
6. Rechargeable batteries – talk about a great invention! Rechargeable batteries range from AAA to AA’s that convert in to C’s and D’s.
7. Buy used – try consignment sales, craigslist, or ebay for items you want to purchase. Goodwill and Salvation Army also have great deals! Since spring is here yard sales are in abundance.
8. Don’t let the water run – when you brush your teeth, turn off the water. Take shorter showers.
9. Recycle! You can recycle your plastic shopping bags at many stores. Target offers drop off bins for batteries and more.
10. CFL Light Bulbs – remember when these were considered expensive? With the right coupons you can get them for free or less than a dollar
11. Cook with smaller appliances – using the toaster over instead of the over can save big bucks over time.
12. Walk – headed to a different store in the same shopping complex? Burn some calories and save some the environment by walking instead of driving.
13. Grow your own veggies – it doesn’t matter if you use a planter or have room for a garden! Growing your own veggies and herbs is a great idea. The photo from above is our finished garden. And yes…… the tomato plant in the back is already dead. Let’s hope that is not a sign of times to come.
Do you have Ways to Be Green that are not on this list?
Don’t miss these Earth Day Jokes for Kids.
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Leandrea is a married mom of two girls, ages 13 and 12, living in Atlanta, GA. She is passionate about helping people save money one coupon at a time. Read more
I began a vericompost recently in doubled plastic Rubbermaid bins. Love to feed our worm pets and eager to have some easily accessible compost to use for our container planting.
Reuse! I keep the rubber bands and twist ties from the produce department. When I use part of a frozen fruit bag, it gets a rubber band or twist tie to keep it together when it goes back in the freezer. Also, any plastic bag gets reused as a wet swimsuit holder or sweaty runn g clothes keeper until I get home from the gym. Or use them when you clean the cat’s litter box mid week.