5 Tips to Go Green and Save Money as Soon as Today!

Everyone can benefit from saving money, but did you know that you can go green and save money?

Did you know that it is possible to save the money you’ve worked hard to earn while at the same time saving the environment, too?

If you didn’t, well, let me brighten your day, because you see, it is possible to do both at the same time!

I am going to provide you with FIVE tips to go green and save money, and you can start as quickly as right now!

Does that sound exciting? If so, let’s dive into it so that you can be on your way to living more sustainably.

Tip #1 // Live more sustainable by using what you already have.

The easiest way to go green and save money is by repurposing what you already have.

By reducing the number of new things you need to bring into your home each month for cleaning, decorations, or whatever the case may be, you can save a lot of money!

Here are a few examples of what I mean:

• Turn old sheets into reusable cloths. This can replace paper towels in the kitchen and dryer sheets.
• Old socks can be cut into cleaning rags or worn to clean blinds [like a sock puppet, but for cleaning].
• Wool yarn that you aren’t going to use for a project can be made into dryer balls! [Here is a tutorial.]
• Old shirts can also be cut up into reusable cloths or used in a shop for whatever is needed.
• Empty bottles can be reused for specific things. I personally refill old fabric softener bottles with vinegar so that I am not having to get my bulk vinegar bottles out to use in my laundry.
• Spray bottles are great for reusing as well! My husband is always finding a use for an empty spray bottle.
• Glass bottles or jars have TONS of uses! You can use them for DIY gifts, to hold reusable cotton rounds, as drinking glasses, and so much more!

The more creative you get with figuring out how to use things that aren’t being used for their original purpose, the more you can save.

By switching to reusable cloth napkins in lieu of paper towels, I’ve reduced paper towel purchases from once every 6 months to once, maybe every two years [We love frying foods, so they do present a small need within my household. Otherwise, we don’t use them.]

If you have some ideas I haven’t mentioned, be sure to share them in the comments! I’m always looking for different ways to increase my home’s sustainability!

Tip #2 // Save money and live more sustainably by using ingredients already in your home for cleaning.

The easiest way to go green and save money is by using things you already have to clean your home. There are so many things that can be cleaned with one or two ingredients you most likely have in your pantry.

Here are a few ingredients you can use for cleaning:

• Baking soda
• Vinegar
• Lemon / Orange
• Soda
• Olive Oil
• Essential Oils
• Salt

Each of these ingredients has multiple uses to help save you money and clean your home.

Here are just a few examples of how these can be used to save you money:

• Baking soda is perfect for tackling stuck on grim and dirt. It can also be used to give a cleaning boost to your towels to keep them fresh and fluffy!
• Vinegar can be used for LOTS of things, but a few include mixing with equal parts water as a multipurpose cleaner, as a fabric softener, and as a disinfectant when partnered with Tea Tree Oil.
• Lemons and/or Oranges allow stuck-on grime to break up quickly, especially when partnered with baking soda. They are also great for cleaning shower nozzles. Create a powerful vinegar all-purpose cleaner by soaking the lemon and orange peels in vinegar for a few days.
• Soda works well to clean the toilet. While many would probably turn away at this, you can’t ignore the fact that sodas can clean effectively.
• Olive oil is perfect for cleaning stainless steel and polishing your wood furniture.
• Different essential oils work well for different things. Using Lemon essential oil, you can take price tags or labels off of things. Use Tea Tree essential oil for disinfecting surfaces.
• Salt is another great abrasive ingredient that you can use to get really nasty mildewed towels fresh again. Partner it with the baking soda and vinegar, plus some warm water, and you’ve got yourself some fresh clean towels!

Tip #3 // Use ingredients already in your home to make your beauty products.

One thing I love to experiment with is DIY beauty products. Ever since my friend, Sarah at Pretty Simple Ideas, posted about using turmeric in a face mask, I’ve been on the hunt to see what other things I can use in my pantry for my skin!

Here are a few ingredients I recommend giving a try and how I personally use them:

• Turmeric is great for the face and teeth! It’s got some amazing brightening powers!
• Coffee grounds can be used to brighten your face and help decrease cellulite. It’s the perfect scrub.
• Baking soda is great to use as a scrub, but go light on the pressure. It is also another good teeth-whitening booster.
• Pumpkin and honey are two of my favorite ingredients for masks!
• Mix cinnamon and honey together in some water, and it becomes a miracle drink that is great for your beauty!
• Green Tea is a great mask for under the eye. Just make sure the tea bag isn’t hot when you use it. [The Numi Organic Tea Jasmine Green is my FAVORITE!]
• Frozen spoons work great for puffy eyes when you’re in a pinch.

I could go on and on for days about how you can use things you already have in your pantry to save money, but I think this is a great starting point!

Tip #4 // Replace single-use items with reusable items.

This will HANDS DOWN save you the most money, but it is also something that may require an upfront cost. However, the savings in the long run are well worth the upfront investment.

Again, if you get creative with these things, as mentioned in #1, you can potentially have zero upfront costs!

Here are just a few swaps I’ve personally done and recommend:

• Swap paper towels for reusable cloth napkins.
• Swap cotton balls and cotton pads with reusable cotton rounds.
• STOP BUYING PAPER PLATES! Use your regular plates. It saves you money and reduces the waste going into the landfill.
• Swap plastic water bottles for reusable water bottles. [Use code TANNHOME15 for 15% off the Welly Bottle, which is the one I use and love!]
• Swap dryer sheets for wool dryer balls or reusable dryer sheets.

Here are a few swaps I’ve seen recommended but haven’t committed to just yet:

• Swap tampons for menstrual cups.
• Swap pads for reusable cotton pads.
• Change out toilet paper for family cloths [While I am telling you about this, I personally may never commit to this. However, people do and love it, so I thought it was worth the mention.]
• Swap diapers for cloth diapers.
• Ditch baby wipes for reusable cloth wipes.
• Swap Lysol wipes for reusable cloth wipes. [I don’t use Lysol wipes, but if I did, I would have made this swap already.]

Each of these swaps comes with a ripple of saving money long term. The best part is that they aren’t time-consuming swaps.

Sure, a little effort is needed for a couple of these, but it takes less than 5 minutes.

Surely that 5 minutes is worth the money saved [& the environment].

Tip #5 // Save money by using less electricity.

The last way I want to share with you today that save money by living more sustainably by consuming less electricity.

I previously published a post that you’ll want to check out for more in-depth information, but I still want to share a few things.

Here are my beginner tips for using less electricity:

• If you walk out of a room [& no one else is in there], turn off the lights.
• Run your dishwasher outside of ‘prime time’ hours, which is from about 5 PM to 9 PM during the week.
• Live slightly warmer during the summer months and slightly cooler during the winter months. You will see significant savings with this swap!
• If your windows are efficient, open the blinds and curtains to bring in the light when the sun is shining bright.
• If your windows aren’t efficient, be sure you have quality blinds and/or curtains covering them.
• Unplug unused appliances like your microwave. Ghost electricity sucks your money more than you know.

For more information on saving money on electricity, check out this post about how to save money on your utilities!

Additional tips to go green and save money

The five tips I’ve shared to help you go green and save money are simple and quick ways to get started. These additional tips are for when you’re ready for the next step.

1 // Minimize your spending

When you declutter your spending, you’re not only saving money, but you’re also reducing the amount of environmental resources that create whatever it is you buy.

Want to dive deeper into budgeting, check out my review of Your Sunny Money Method course. It is the course that helped me with cutting out unnecessary spending.

2 // Do a No Spend Challenge

With a No Spend Challenge, you’re not just testing the limits of your discipline, you’re also creating a different perspective on how you spend money.

Trust me, after I did my first one, I saw how much unnecessary spending I did, and it has forever changed how I spend my hard-earned money.

How does this relate to going green?

Same as the previous tip. You’re not purchasing as much, so you’re reducing the number of natural resources needed to create things.

3 // Make payments electronically versus mailing it

This change saves many resources, including but not limited to:

• stamps
• envelopes
• checks
• time
• gas/fuel

Think about all of the resources it takes to create a stamp, envelope, check, gas/fuel.

When you switch just one monthly bill payment to electronic, you’re saving 12 stamps, 12 envelopes, 12 checks, all the time it takes to write and mail the payment, and all the gas/fuel it takes to get the payment from your home to the address on the envelope.

Time is a non-renewable resource, so don’t waste it paying bills the traditional way.

4 // Purchase produce locally and in season

It takes a lot to get produce on the shelf.

For example, bananas are imported from Central or South America to the United States on large cargo ships and then shipped all over the country. [source]

It takes a LOT of natural resources and environmental pollution to get bananas into your home.

When you choose to shop locally and in season for your produce, you’re making great strides to live sustainably.

Purchasing in season helps to reduce the cost of produce and means that you can opt for organic, non-GMO produce more often than not.

5 // Meal plan based on the food in your pantry

How often do you plan meals without looking at the food you already have?

This one change can save you a lot of money and reduce food waste, so always plan your meals according to what you already have on hand.

Take action toward going green and saving money

If you’re ready to take action towards a green lifestyle to save money and the planet, you’ll want to check out my FREE 101 Ways to Reduce Waste Checklist!

It shares many ways you can reduce your waste as quickly as today!

Final thoughts about going green and saving money

Going green doesn’t have to be difficult. It just takes some intention and purpose.

Each of these examples I used can be utilized regardless of if you live in a tiny apartment or have hundreds of acres of land, which is what I LOVE about going green.

It is something we can all work towards together and really make an impact on our pocketbook and the environment.

If you have any thoughts or suggestions about anything mentioned in this post, I would love to discuss them below in the comments!

Related Post: 39 Ways to Cut Expenses from Your Budget