Easy Ways To Go Green And Save Money At Home

Now that the holidays are over I am looking for easy ways to go green and save money at home.  We did pretty well staying on budget for the holidays but we still spent a bit more than we had wanted.  The best way to overcome the realities of overspending is to tighten the belt now.  To be honest, speaking of tightening the belt, we can at least save a few dollars on groceries by not eating as much as we did at the big family meals!!!  Here are some really great ways to save money and at the same time, go green.

Easy Ways To Go Green And Save Money At Home

• Energy: You would not believe how much money you can spend by adjusting your thermostat 2 degrees down in the winter and 2 degrees up in the summer.  It doesn’t seem like much, but it works!  To save a bit more and go green at the same time, change out your light bulbs to a more energy efficient bulb.  These planet friendly bulbs cost a few extra cents but you will save far more than you spent.
• Water: By switching to a low flow shower head and cutting your shower time by just five minutes, you can save a lot on your water bill.  In the kitchen, you may be surprised to hear that is it less expensive to run the dishwasher than it is to do the dished by hand.  I had no idea!!!
• Eat Smart: By making a few small changes to your diet, you can save on your grocery bill and lose a few pounds at the same time.  A trick I learned from my mom was to add vegetables in places your kids won’t expect them to be!  She would shred carrots and add them to our pasta sauce as well as shred zucchini and add that to brownie and cake mixes.  For us grown-ups, adding some diced tomatoes or mushrooms to a pasta sauce will extend the size of the meal as well as get in your extra servings of the good stuff!
• Bottled Water: Say goodbye to your bottled water and say hello to reusable bottles.  This is such a smart choice to make and it is so easy to do.  We were spending about $20 a month on bottled water, which may seem like a small amount, but in a year, that equals to 4 tanks of gas or the cell phone bill. IF you make the switch to stainless, there are some great choices out there, including one of my favorite companies, Earthlust.  If you want some high quality stainless with some amazing graphics, you cannot go wrong with Earthlust.

Making The Switch To Aluminum Bottles

When I was deciding on making the switch to aluminum bottles, my biggest question was the cost.  I had no idea what a good stainless bottle would cost or how long it would even last.  After doing some research, I found Earthlust who had great products that are affordable and are ethically made, which is important to me. The company was started from a desire to protect the health of a new born son and a love for the environment.  The bottles from Earthlust are made from food grade stainless steel, which is naturally safe because there are no toxins or harsh chemicals.  Many of the beautiful designs are created from the founder and many are limited editions.  You can choose from 13 or 20 oz. bottles as well as the one liter size as well as baby bottles, sports lids and organically made carrying bags.  I chose two beautiful designs that I knew the kids would enjoy; the 20 oz. bottle ($18.00) with the cool Octopus for Henry and the same size for Caitlin with the neatest origami graphics.  I gave the bottles to the kids for Christmas and they just loved them!  They could not wait to run to the kitchen and try them out; Henry with juice and Caitlin with water.  For the price of one month’s bottled water supply, these awesome bottles are a smart choice.

One reader will receive a $30 gift certificate to be used at Earthlust.

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