New Ways to Save Money and the Environment that You Have Never Heard Of

Tired of hearing about turning off lights when you leave the room, turning your air conditioner a few degrees up, and other common sense ways to save money and be green? I am too! I would like to share with you some tips that I’ve developed that will help you to save money and be green at the same time. I’ve been dirt freakin’ poor before, so my money saving strategies arose out of necessity. They all reduce the impact on the environment, so I chose to keep doing many of them now even though I no longer have to. I don’t have billions of ideas that will turn your budget inside out, but I do have a few that can save quite a bit when used together.

Since I’ve been writing about poop lately, I’ll start out in the bathroom. One of the biggest water consuming things in your household is the toilet. Contrary to popular belief, the water that comes out of the toilet to fill the tank is clean. Thirsty kids all over the world would LOVE to drink our toilet water. If you have a newer toilet you may not be using as much, but our older toilet uses about 4-5 gallons per flush.

My household alleviates this problem by using “dirty” water to flush the toilet. Instead of draining the bathtub, we save the water and put a pitcher next to it. If we take a shower, we use the stopper while showering to collect the water. Every time we flush the toilet, we lift the lid and pour some of the bath water into the tank. If you start doing this, I can guarantee you that your friends WILL make fun of you, your toilet will smell good due to the soap, your water bill will go down, and your friends will secretly try it when they hear how much money you saved. Ours went from $40 per month to $6 just by reusing our bathwater to flush. I know it sounds strange, but it works. I read about a woman who also used her bathwater to wash clothes with by making multiple bucketloads from the bathtub to the washing machine, but this just isn’t for me.

Washing your hands doesn’t take a ton of water, but washing your hands several times a day does. Way before our time, our grandparents kept a tub of water with soap nearby to wash and rinse their hands. While keeping the same tub of water to be reused for several days probably makes us all feel a little sick, but keeping a tub of water for a day (or even half a day) is much less bothersome. Instead of using the same water for washing and rinsing, keep some water in the sink to wet the hands and use fresh water after lathering and scrubbing to rinse with. It may be a good idea to use antibacterial soap and follow up with hand sanitizer if you choose to keep your water for longer than a day.

Another way we save water in the bathroom is by turning the shower off while shaving and using hair products. Instead of letting the water run while shaving my legs, I simply turn it off. You can see the amount of water saved easily if you’re saving the water to flush with. Try leaving the water on the whole time one day, and leaving it off the next. Your showers will also be much faster since the temptation to stand under the water is no longer there.

The bathroom is also a great place to waste electricity. Instead of using a hair dryer to dry your hair, try letting it air dry for a day. Take the time you would have spent drying your hair to go for a walk outside instead. Your hair will dry very quickly during the summer months, and you’ll burn a few extra calories. Another alternative is washing your hair at night and allowing it to dry in your sleep. Just cover up your pillow with a towel, roll your hair, or try twisting it up in lots of small buns. The result will be nice, dry curls that will withstand just about anything. You will also save a small amount of electricity, and you’ll reduce your impact as well. If you do decide to dry your hair, be sure to unplug when you’re finished. A small amount of energy still travels through the outlet while things are plugged in, and some electric companies claim that these “energy vampires” can be up to 17% of your electric bill each month.

Are you sick of spending lots of money on shampoo, conditioner, and soap, but love to use the good stuff? One way I cut back my costs is by buying in bulk. I buy the largest bottles of each that I can, and I use less expensive products to dilute them. For example, I buy 1 liter bottles of shampoo and add about 4 oz. of cheap shampoo to the bottle. The small change is not enough to cause a noticeable difference in the product’s performance, and it makes the product last about a week longer for me. Buying in bulk also reduces the impact of excess packaging and transportation on the environment. I use the less expensive products on my kids’ and husband’s hair, as their hair requires less care than mine.

Cleaning supplies are another bathroom-associated cost that can add up quickly. Instead of buying a different cleaner for every fixture, try using a multi-purpose cleaner on everything or simply cleaning with bleach. Bleach is a good option for non-porous surfaces because it disinfects and reduces odor. Typical bleach can be diluted to a level that is less harmful than other cleaners. One gallon of bleach is very inexpensive, and can be used for other rooms in the house as well. Vinegar, baking soda, and soapy water also make good bathroom cleaners.

Lastly, I’ll throw in my two cents about feminine hygiene products and the environment. Guys, if you don’t want to hear all about tampons you should skip this part. Girls, if you would like to reduce your impact and use a tampon that truly doesn’t leak, give OB tampons a try. They use much less packaging than the average tampon, and do not have applicators. They are small, discrete, and they have worked better for me than any other product I’ve tried. Due to their minimal packaging and size, they are a great choice if you prefer to minimize your impact. I’m not sure if they still give out samples or not, but at one time you could go to their website and order a sample that came with a cute little carrying case to make sure that they work for you before buying them. I believe they are a little less expensive than other brands, too.

That’s all I have for today. Later, I’ll move through the rest of your house and discuss more creative and less talked about tips for saving money and the environment. As always, please rate me if you liked (or didn’t like) what you read.

Read about me getting bit by a spider…on my BUTT!
http://www.progressiveu.org/232023-spider-bit-my-arse

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