Eco friendly money saving
Being environmentally friendly has never been easier there are literally hundreds of small things you can do that if everyone does can make a big difference on a Global scale, and the best thing of all most of these tips will save you money as well.
Here are some really easy things you can do that will make your life money environmentally friendly and save you some cash which you can spend on better things.
Loads more tips to be found at - forums.peazyshop.co.uk/begreen
- 1. Stop buying newspapers as much, instead read the news online, news.bbc.co.uk have an excellent website that is constantly updated and current and best of all it’s free, and you are not wasting so much paper, it far more eco friendly.2. Reuse envelopes and jiffy bags as much as possible, if you are an ebayer, then reuse old envelopes, buy a roll of sticky labels from, staples.co.uk and you have yourself a new envelope that doesn’t cost you anything.
3. Stop getting junk mail by registering your name at mpsonline.org.uk
4. Stop heat escaping from your house when it’s cold, make sure curtains are closed in the cols evenings, and buy a chimney ballon to stop hot air escaping up the chimney.
5. Turn your heating thermostat down by 1degree and this can cut your heating bill down by 10% per year saving you money and wasting less energy.
6. Turn off lights when you don’t need them and but energy saving light bulbs they last up too 12 times longer and are far more energy efficient to use.
7. Don’t leave electrical items on standby when your not using them. Simply switch them off as they are still using power.
8. Make sure you washing machine is full when you are using it so that it is running at maximum efficiency, and don’t use a tumble dryer to dry clothes, they are expensive to use, and shrink your clothes at the same time.
9. Buy eco friendly, environmental cleaning products, that don’t pollute our water with toxic chemicals, Ecover lead them way in, and can be bought at naturalcollection.co.uk
10. Fix dripping taps and don’t leave the water running when you are brushing your teeth.
11. Take a shower instead of a bath, and if you are taking a bath why not share it with someone, its more fun as well.
12. Pop a brick in the toilet cistern, or get a save-a-flush.co.uk bag.
13. Use rechargeable batteries instead of normal ones to cut down waste.
14. Boil only as much water as you need when you are using a kettle.
15. Re-use shopping bags, tesco are starting up a scheme where they will give you a clubcard point for each bag you bring with you are use, many of the large tesco also have recycle bins for old carrier bags.
16. Download music instead of buying cd’s, it works out cheaper too. (tesco)(itunes)
17. Get a water butt for your garden and collect rain water to use in your garden.
18. Buy products make from recycled materials ecocentric.co.uk
19. Take unwanted things to charity shops, or give them away on freecycle or sell them on ebay.
20. Start using libraries instead of buying new books.
21. Switch to online banking and view your statement online instead of having it posted to you.
22. Don’t buy a car, get a bike instead, and if you live in London, Birmingham etc, join the share a car scheme and only use a car when you need one. Or use public transport where possible. And if you do have a car why not join a lift chare scheme and share a ride to sowrk with someone.
23. Take a holiday in the Uk, there are hundreds of amazing place to visit, book a cottage. countrycottages.co.uk
24. The next time your in the supermarket have a look where you food is coming from, try and avoid buying food that has been flown from another country and clocked up carbon miles. Try and buy Uk produced food that has not travelled as far, and if possible buy organic food which is not only better for you but not damaging to the soil it has been grown on.
25. Recycle your old mobile phone or ink cartridges. Help The Aged accept toner cartridges and old mobile phones at all of their stores. Or if you work at an office Help The Aged can come and collect your old toner cartridges from you provided you have more that 10. Visit helptheaged.org.uk for more information.
26. Manage your power bills online, not only does this save paper but if you’re a Powergen customer, you stand to save around £43 pounds a year on your bill. If you are a powergen.co.uk customer, you can change to greenplan, which uses energy from hydroelectric power and it cost exactly the same as normal energy Visit Powergen Online.
27. Recycle. Check out Recycle More to find your nearest recycling centre, you be amazed at what you can actually recycle. If you work in a business why not consider using a waste management service like Eden Waste who will collect and recycle all of your business waste.
28. Compost Heap. If you have a garden why not start a compost heap visit The Wildlife Trusts for information on compost heaps or to buy one visit B&Q online. Some Coffee shops have even started saving used coffee grounds for customers to take away for their compost heap why not ask at your nearest one.
29. Solar Power. Buying solar panels is actually cheaper than you think and over time you will actually save money, a medium sized panel can provide 90% of your hot water throughout the summer months. Visit sunshinesolar.co.uk
30. Keep Chickens. This is something that anyone can now do provided you have a back garden, Visit omlet.co.uk for more information.
31. Go Organic. The price of organic food and eco friendly products has dropped dramatically, naturalcollection.co.uk
Looking for more ideas? Visit the Eco friendly section of the Peazyshop Forum.
