Eco-Friendly Ways to Save Money

Eco-Friendly Ways to Save Money

I like to save money and if I can do so in a “green” way then all the best. This contribution from Autotrader has some great tips for doing just that.

Any way that you reduce your energy consumption saves you money. However, many people still view going green as a luxury rather than something that can be achieved within the confines of normal budget; it is inextricably tied to trendy hipsters who enjoy composting and kale salads. This is just not the case! Being friendlier to the environment isn’t just good news for the planet, it’s also great news for your wallet. Below are a series of tips on saving money by saving the world.

One Man’s Treasure is Another Man’s Trash

Instead of throwing everything away, why not take a long hard look at what you’re getting rid of? If you are getting rid of clothes, you could take them to a recycling centre that offers money for fabric. If you are throwing out furniture, you could put it on websites such as Gumtree or eBay. There are even places that offer money for old glass and tin cans. Not only this but passing your possessions on isn’t the only solution. You could always embrace arts and crafts by upcycling even the most ordinary of household objects, and you could sell them to make money or find a special place for them in your home.

Save Money: Lower Your Energy Bills

It may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people forget to switch off the lights when they leave a room. You can take this a step further by switching off appliances at the socket. It can also help to put draft excluders in your house and to take your heating system off automatic so that you only use it when absolutely necessary. Replacing your light bulbs with LED lights is another easy solution. These bulbs are certainly a wise investment, as they can last up to ten years!

Cars Can Be Recycled Too

The notion that new environmentally-friendly cars are always the best option for the environment is open for debate; instead, older used cars can often be the more ecologically sound option. This is due to the fact that buying a used car avoids the problem of carbon dioxide produced at each stage of the production of a new car. It is also an excellent way to get the best value for money. Furthermore, buying a used car doesn’t have to mean compromising on quality, for instance, the Hyundai i20 strikes the perfect balance between handling and comfort, boasts generous standard specification levels and a generous amount of space on the rear bench.

Save Money on the Laundry

The laundry is a great place to start saving both money and the environment. Make sure that you always wait to wash a full load rather than wasting water and money on washing powder and energy. You can clean your clothes in cold water without this affecting the quality of the wash, just use a quality washing powder or liquid. Finally, make sure to line dry your clothes rather than shelling out for a dryer and the cost of running one.

The Christmas Recyclometer

I wrote a post a while ago about the Coca-Cola Recyclometer and the Plant Bottle which you can read here. Basically, as part of their ongoing work at looking into ways of reducing waste and promoting recycling, the team at Coca-Cola have spent months tirelessly collecting facts and figures to give us a tool which makes it easier to recycle.

Lets face it, some of us recycle without thinking about it, some of us (I include myself here), try to recycle and usually remember but aren’t exactly the most savvy when it comes to what you can and what you can’t recycle, and where.

The original Recyclometer is packed full of fantastic info and is a very interactive tool. Kieran loves it.

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Being festive people, the team have given the Recyclometer a Christmas makeover so you now see where you can recycle items used more frequently in the winter months, and how much energy each item saves!

It’s well worth a visit, it’s a great tool for the kids (who if they are anything like my eldest, know much more the envirnment and recycling than I do!) but is also suitable for the rest of the household. It makes things easier, it tells us what we need to know and more so there is no excuse not to use our recycling services to the full.

Slightly off topic, many of you, like myself see the Coca-Cola truck and see this as the marker for the beginning of the festive season. When I was told that the lovelies from Coca-Cola had also produced a fun festive quiz I was confident I would ace it. Apparently not!!

Have some fun and give it a go and see how you get on!*

*If you get them all right the first time, please don’t feel like you need to tell me, it’ll just make me feel worse!

Coca-Cola have really pulled out the stops with this tool which covers much more than I can write about, have a visit and enjoy using the easy to navigate Christmas Recyclometer.