Save money around the house: 7 ways to save money while being environmentally conscious. Be eco-friendly and keep more money in your wallet. This post contains affiliate links.
Managing a household requires effort, time, and money. Whether you live alone, with a partner, with roommates, or with family, you will have a never-ending to-do list. The moment you cross one thing off your list, something else needs to be taken care of.
In this post, I will show you 7 ways to save money around the house and be more eco-friendly at the same time. I don’t have kids (or plan to), but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be environmentally-conscious. If I can save money on top of that, then it’s a win-win situation.
Disclaimer: the word reusable will be used a lot in this post.
Additionally, you will see that some of these items may have a slightly higher upfront cost, since the idea is to save money in the long run and avoid having to buy the same, disposable items over and over again. It’s like when you’re being cheap and decide to pay a lower cost for a product that will be useless in a few months, causing you to spend more money with a replacement. Instead, it’s about being frugal.
Let’s dive in.
Save Money Around The House: 7 Eco-Friendly Ways To Spend Less
7 Ways To Save Money Around the House
Food Storage and Groceries
Although we can’t deny plastic has its benefits, it is made of unsustainable materials that will likely outlast humanity itself.
To offset this, one of the ways I save on groceries is through buying things in bulk (like meat, for example). Also, I rely on containers and bags for freezer and fridge storage.
To save money and avoid plastic, I utilize reusable silicone bags, which have allowed me to avoid purchasing Ziplock bags for years. Sure, they cost a little more than your average $5 Ziplocks, but they pay for themselves quickly. They can be hand-washed or thrown in the dishwasher for an easy clean up.
Similarly to silicone bags, my girlfriend and I make an effort to use reusable grocery bags as much as possible. Yes, it might cost $2 for a reusable grocery bag, but it prevents us from paying $0.05 for each single plastic bag we would normally have to pay for. In the long run, that adds up.
In The Kitchen
A lot of the food I eat is oven-baked. If you want your baking sheets and pans to last longer, and to avoid a messy clean up, you must use an oven sheet liner.
Aluminum foil and parchment paper cost anywhere between $2 to $15, depending on the brand and dimensions.
A great alternative to buying disposable foil and parchment paper is to invest in silicone baking mats, which can be washed and reused over and over again.
Laundry
Another great way to save money around the house, specifically with laundry, is to use dryer balls. Not only do they replace the need for dryer sheets, but they are also better for the environment and cut down drying time, which in turn will lower your electricity bill.
Instead of paying $5.99 for dryer sheets, you can get a pair of wool dryer balls for $7.99 and you’re set. Or, if your laundry loads are larger, you can invest in a set of 6 dryer balls for $14.99.
Another point about laundry: whenever possible, try washing your clothes in cold water. It saves electricity and makes your clothes last longer.
Coffee
I am a shameless coffee addict and I can’t deny it. Admittedly, I enjoy a Starbucks coffee every now and then. However, paying anywhere from $2-$5 a day per coffee is a surefire way to force yourself to work longer. Especially given that most of us drink more than one cup of coffee per day (guilty), it’s just not sustainable.
Speaking of sustainability, as much as companies are making efforts to reduce plastic and other waste, at the end of the day, your disposable coffee cup ends up in the trash bin.
I understand that not everyone has the luxury of working from home and making their own coffee as they please. If that’s the case, then the least you could do is bring a reusable mug or tumbler with you to reduce waste.
If, like me, you work from the comfort of your own home, then there’s really no excuse to leave your place for the sole purpose of buying a cup of coffee.
Yes, a walk around the neighbourhood and a quick stop at the coffee shop is a nice treat. But if this is a daily habit, you could save so much more by investing in a coffee machine and making your own coffee.
And I’m not saying you need to go all out and spend $200 on a fancy Nespresso machine (although I can’t lie, they taste delicious). A simple drip coffee machine or even a Keurig are great options.
If you do end up getting a single-serve machine like a Keurig, you can even buy a reusable pod and fill it ground coffee instead of using disposable pods. Trust me, ground coffee like this will last you about a month, even for a heavy coffee drinker like me.
Water
If you live in a place where tap water is not safe to drink, there are alternatives to buying cases of plastic bottled water.
Because I still rent, I haven’t invested in a more expensive water filtration system yet. For now, I use the famous Brita filter and spend approximately $7.48 every two months to replace it. If you’re new to the Brita system, it only costs $20-$40 to buy a pitcher, depending on the size you’d like.
Brita also offers a faucet mount option, which I haven’t tested out yet, but it may be a good alternative if you don’t want to refill the pitcher all the time.
Similarly to coffee tumblers, a good way to avoid buying plastic bottles of water is to keep a reusable water bottle with you. If you have a water fountain at work, even better.
Otherwise, you can also get a bottle like this that comes with a filter, so you can get tap water wherever you are.
One last point about water: save money by drinking water! Our body does not need sugary drinks (or alcohol, for that matter). Why add these unnecessary items to your grocery list?
Batteries
In case you haven’t noticed, batteries are super expensive. In our technology-driven world, we are constantly in need of batteries, and replacing them can be quite costly, not to mention the waste they cause.
By investing in a charger and reusable batteries, those last-minute runs to the store, because you’re out of batteries, is a thing of the past. As long as you have enough rechargeable batteries for all your electronics, all you need to do is plug them in for a quick, low-cost recharge.
Cleaning
Even if you’re a clean-freak, you are probably not buying cleaning products every time you visit the grocery store. Still, they add to your monthly, quarterly, or however-often-you-clean expenses, and most of these products are filled with harsh chemicals.
So, why not cut out these costs completely and make your own cleaning products, with items you already have around the house?
White vinegar, baking soda, and lemon, for example, make for great cleaning supplies. Mix and match them, among other ingredients, for eco-friendly cleaning solutions that will help you save money around the house.
Save Money Around The House – Final Thoughts
Saving money around the house does not have to be time-consuming or turn you into an extreme cheapskate.
Instead, it’s about making smart choices that will both save you money in the long run and also help the environment.
Although some of the tips above may come with an upfront cost, the idea is to save money long term.
Do you use any of the tactics above to save money around the house? Are there any other tips you find valuable?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
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I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post may contain advertisements by Monumetric. This post may also contain internal links, affiliate links to BizBudding, Amazon, Bluehost, and Questrade, links to trusted external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.
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