I have a top 10 list of money saving tips that I clipped from a Whole Foods Market newsletter. Here’s my version; Good stuff, worth sharing:
- Better Living through (Natural) Chemistry. You can use everyday kitchen ingredients to make effective, natural cleaning products. Think vinegar, salt, baking soda and lemon juice. AllYou.com has a number of recipes for the living cleaner with cleaning products.
- What’s that smell? Delicious! Forget those air fresheners that use chemicals and electricity to mask odors, throw a few cloves and some cinnamon into a pan of boiling water for the best kind of aroma-therapy!
- One Man’s Trash = Your Treasure (and vice versa) – upcycling is the latest trend in repurposing old items to new purpose. Check out sites like freecycle.org to find upcycling treasures or offer your own to fuel the imagination of someone else.
- Wash with Wisdom – save water and money by only running your washing machine – and your dishwasher – when you have full loads.
- Recycle Your Dish & Bathwater – again, save money, by using your ‘brown’ water to water plants, gardens and your lawn. Easy to do when you’re using eco-friendly cleaning products!
- Learn to Cook, Eat Well, Get Healthy – fresh produce and organics may seem more expensive but by eating a healthier diet and cutting down on the fats, sugars and salts that commercial food processors load into their products you will reap huge dividends in lower health costs and trimmer waistlines as well!
- The Road to Riches is Paved with Rags – hyperbole? Yeah, just a little bit but why use expensive, paper tools when you can take that ratty, holey t-shirt, those hem-frayed towels, and your other worn out cloth items and turn them into dirt seeking cleaning implements!
- Blowin’ in the Wind – bring the great smelling outdoors inside when you line-dry your clothes. You’ll save electricity and feel virtuous to boot!
- The Future’s So Bright… – with savings when you swap your old incandescent light bulbs with long lasting (7-10 times the life) compact fluorescent bulbs and other new lighting technologies. Energy.gov estimates that “…upgrading 15 of the inefficient incandescent lightbulbs in your home could save you about $50 per year.”
- Compost Yourself! Have you priced compost recently at your local gardening center? Well you won’t have to when you compost your table scraps and other biodegradable products. The latest trend in home composting turbo charges the process by using worms. Here’s a link to a Compost-at-home
I hope you enjoy, use, and profit from these eco-friendly, planet saving, wallet padding tips!
