On Frugality and being Green: Part 1
While it may seem that being green is the new 'in' thing, it also has the added bonus of usually saving one some money. It's the simple things that one can do to be green and save money at the same time.
For example, when brushing your teeth or shaving, make sure you turn the tap off. In the past, I used to be notorious for doing this. It's so easy to just accidentally leave the tap on while you're brushing your teeth, but if you think about it, it's a lot of unnecessary wasted water. Sure one could argue that water is very cheap in our developed nations, but there's no reason to waste it, even if it does cost you literally pennies. Turn that water off while you're brushing your teeth, it's better for the environment.
How about household cleaners? Did you know that if you create your own household cleaners using a lot of home made ingredients (eg. baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice etc) you can create some really powerful environmentally friendly cleaners that are also a fraction of the cost of commercial cleaners? Yup, you bet! Some commercial cleaners also contain a lot of toxic chemicals which are definitely not good for rinsing down the sink!
How about simpler things? Well for one we turn the thermostat down one degree celsius. Neither of us are cold but if we do start feeling the chills, usually a nice warm sweater or blanket will do the trick. The only time we turn back up the thermostat is if either of us catches a cold or flu. Fortunately for us, those situations are very rare.
How about saving money in the shower? We try to take shorter showers in the winter. There's two reasons for this: a) A shorter shower uses less electricity/water (saving the environment and money) plus b) winters in our region are very dry. As a result, if we take long showers, I find that my skin gets dry, which causes a lot of itching which is very uncomfortable to say the least.
Anyway, that's enough about frugality and being green. Please join me again next time when I revisit this topic for more green tips!
For example, when brushing your teeth or shaving, make sure you turn the tap off. In the past, I used to be notorious for doing this. It's so easy to just accidentally leave the tap on while you're brushing your teeth, but if you think about it, it's a lot of unnecessary wasted water. Sure one could argue that water is very cheap in our developed nations, but there's no reason to waste it, even if it does cost you literally pennies. Turn that water off while you're brushing your teeth, it's better for the environment.
How about household cleaners? Did you know that if you create your own household cleaners using a lot of home made ingredients (eg. baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice etc) you can create some really powerful environmentally friendly cleaners that are also a fraction of the cost of commercial cleaners? Yup, you bet! Some commercial cleaners also contain a lot of toxic chemicals which are definitely not good for rinsing down the sink!
How about simpler things? Well for one we turn the thermostat down one degree celsius. Neither of us are cold but if we do start feeling the chills, usually a nice warm sweater or blanket will do the trick. The only time we turn back up the thermostat is if either of us catches a cold or flu. Fortunately for us, those situations are very rare.
How about saving money in the shower? We try to take shorter showers in the winter. There's two reasons for this: a) A shorter shower uses less electricity/water (saving the environment and money) plus b) winters in our region are very dry. As a result, if we take long showers, I find that my skin gets dry, which causes a lot of itching which is very uncomfortable to say the least.
Anyway, that's enough about frugality and being green. Please join me again next time when I revisit this topic for more green tips!
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