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3 Crucial Sustainability Tips For Frugal Consumers
I was on Reddit recently and read a few posts on the role of capitalism in driving climate change. While there were some good points there, they missed the mark a bit.
It is true that we need to do more to fight climate change. One Pew Research poll showed around 65% of Americans admit that they need to do more. But they don’t have to upend our lives or be financially worse off to do so.
Many say that money is the root of all evil, but it’s also the foundation of everything good. This is something that we need to keep in mind while blaming all environmental problems on climate change. I mean, we are able to earn college degrees of money. We are able to buy a house because of money. We are able to feed ourselves and our families with food that our money bought. Don’t ever feel guilty about being concerned about wanting to get more cash; this is normal.
Getting more money is something that we can do if we exert just a little effort. You can begin by saving more. If you save more, you might also help live a more sustainable lifestyle at the same time.
In this article, we present ways that help you save money while you protect the environment. In a way, we are trying to break the notion that taking care of the environment is expensive. In fact, saving money and being a guardian of the environment are not mutually exclusive.
Start your own garden, and get your food from there.
There is now a growing concern about where we get our food. Certain sectors are voicing worries that the vegetables that we buy from supermarkets are contaminated by pesticides. There are also those that are genetically altered by companies like Monsanto.
While those concerns are valid, thinking about them can be stressful. Free yourself from such stress, and save money in the process, by having your own garden. This way, you are sure where your food comes from and how it had been grown and harvested. You’re finally eating organic in the strictest sense of the word.
Additionally, gardening is a good form of exercise. Imagine the number and length of squatting motions that you have to execute in order to tend to your plants. This activity can be equivalent to about thirty minutes of workout in the gym!
Whenever possible, use items multiple times.
When I was in grade school, we were taught about the importance of the three R’s – reuse, reduce and recycle. Reusing items is an often overlooked way to help the environment. You will also save money at the same time!
If you’ve studied economics, you know that the value of things can sometimes be measured by how long or how many times you’ve benefited from it. For example, the amount that you shelled out for a $100 dress can be maximized if you are able to make use of the item for, say, three years.
Apply this principle to all other things that you have in your house, especially those items that you spent a lot on and those that you took out a loan to buy. Speaking of loans, let us segue a little bit. There are companies that buy out title loans, in case you are not aware of them. Use their services to get significant cuts on the amount that you have to repay.
Hybrid cars, bicycles, renovated rooms– make maximum use of them all as these items can have high upfront costs. Make sure that your investment is maximized by using them to the fullest.
Open your home up to let light in.
Quite frankly, you should open up your home to sunlight so that you get all the illuminating benefits that it can offer. When natural light is able to reach even the most obscure corners of your home, you’ll realize just how much you are wasting paying for artificial light that is powered by electricity. You can take advantage of sunlight by installing high-performance windows.
We lose so much just by being careless. Hence, if you want to save money, you’d really need to be conscious about all the efforts that you put in. There are many strategies that you can apply to your life, and three of them are shared here.
Green Living Can Be Frugal Living
Are you concerned about protecting the environment? There are a lot of steps that you can take. You may find that you will save money at the same time!