Saving The Earth…The Cheapskate Way!

I already make a lot of ‘earth-conscious’ decisions naturally since I am such a cheapskate.  It’s pretty awesome that I am reducing my carbon footprint by doing things that save me money too!  Some of these things are pretty easy to do, while some require more time, but in the long run it’s worth it to my family and to me.  Everyone always wants to know your plans for Earth Day.  Well, I want to know your plans for the rest of your life?  You shouldn’t aim to be earth-conscious for one day.  You need to plan to change your habits and your lifestyle!  An added bonus is that you will lengthen your own life but doing a lot of these things too.  But where to start?  Here are some ideas that we already do in my family:

1. We make our own laundry soap and other cleaning products.
2. We rent books and DVDS from the library.
3. We use a GPS instead of writing or printing directions to a new place.
4. We reuse printed paper for scrap paper, then recycle it.
5. We switched our trash plan to a bi-weekly plan & got an extra recycling can.
6. We are planting a vegetable garden.
7. We make a meal plan every two weeks. (a LOT less waste)
8. We cook dinner at home 6 days a week.
9. We eat leftovers. (I add one day in the meal plan for a leftover ‘buffet”)
10. We carpool as much as possible.
11. We make a lot of our food from scratch.
12. We buy a lot of food in bulk and use or share it.
13. We open our windows and use fans instead of AC as often as we can.
14. We wear warm clothes when it’s cold and keep our heat very low.
15. We use reusable gift bags or we reuse wrapping paper for gifts.
16. We use my parents’ water filter instead of buying bottled water.
17. We buy reduced produce at the store or produce stand, then incorporate it into that day’s meals.
18. We buy local goods.
19. We use reusable bags at the supermarket and other stores (some even give you a discount!)
20. We have a box of reusable items for crafts.
21. We donate or sell items that we can no longer use.
22. We use and/or wear items from yard sales and thrift shops.
23. Our ripped, old clothes become rags for odd jobs around the house.
24. We put a brick in our toilet tanks in order to use less water.
25. We like to park the car and walk to various places.
26. We take snacks and drinks with us when we go on trips.
27. We plan our trips for certain days & group them together to save gas.
28. We use one particular car for work since it gets better gas mileage.
29. We keep the trunk as empty as possible to help with gas mileage.
30. We do routine maintenance on our cars to keep them running as long as possible.

See?  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.  I love finding new ways to save money.  The weirder, the better too!  My husband laughs at me because I am usually up for anything if it saves a buck. I am currently planning on using family cloth soon.  Look it up.  So, Happy Earth Lifetime, instead of Earth Day.

What are you doing that saves money and reduces the strain on our resources?