19 Ideas To Save Household Money On An Eco-Friendly Way
I’m a stay at home parent and I make the majority of our household purchase decisions. As I also happen to be quite a eco conscious person, Iso have developed a few ways how to cut down on cost and be environmentally friendly at the same time. I always love finding new ways to recycle and repurpose things as I just hate throwing things away. Apparently, it also saves some money too if you do so. Which is always good. There are plenty of ways to save household money, so I’m sharing my favourites with you. Most of these are good for your wallet and for the environment at the same time. I hope you’ll find it useful.
1. Buy supermarkets own brands. I tend to buy around 70% of my grocery shopping from my favourite supermarkets own brands. I have been testing them for years and honestly, they are not only as good as the branded products, but sometimes even better. Like toilet paper, dried pasta, rice, flour, milk, plain biscuits etc.
2. Shop for food online. It’s easier to stick to your budget and it means no more unnecessary trips to the supermarket ending up with extra spending. It saves time, a drive to the supermarket and some toddler meltdowns. It also saves you money, because whilst you shop online might also want to check out some voucher deals with sites like dealsdaddy or dealsqueen
3. Batch cooking. I don’t cook too much in advance, but I always make sure that pasta sauces, casseroles, fish cakes are cooked in batches since I’m cooking. It means I can use up full packs of fresh ingredients without waste and also save myself a night’s cooking.
4. Buy seasonal fruits and vegetables. These are a lot cheaper and healthier. They travel less to get to the supermarket (mostly local produce) so they are fresher. And of course less transport means good for the environment.
5. Stop buying bottled soft drinks. Simply, because they are bad. Bad for your health, bad for your wallet and bad for the environment.
6. Use your freezer. Chop up all the veggies and fruits you cannot use up and put them in the freezer. Use them later for soups or smoothies. If you can’t finish a loaf of bread before it goes off, just stick the rest in the freezer. They will be then great to make toast or when you think you’ve ran out of bread.
7. Pack lunch. So much cheaper and eco-friendly if you use reusable containers. You waste less food and you have a delicious, home made lunch for yourself at work.
8. Use your garden if you have. Or even your balcony. Grow your own vegetables and herbs: healthy, pesticide-free, seasonal products from your own garden. If there’s too much, then learn how to preserve them.
9. Make your own cleaning products. Honestly, this is way easier as it may sound. You will only need some vinegar, essential oils and baking soda really. They are hard on dirt and gentle on the environment. You can find plenty of guides and recipes online.
10. Buy second hand clothes. I’m fully aware that some people might have issues with this. But consider this: the global textile industry has a terrible impact on our oceans and seas. Second hand clothes are considerably cheaper too. As a mum of two littles, I (THEY) ruin my clothes so fast, that it doesn’t even make sense for me to buy new items.
11. Wash on 30C or 40C. Your electricity and water bill will be grateful for that. And you. Also, always run both the washing machine and the dishwasher when full.
12. Use reusables. Of everything, whatever you can. Nappy, napkins, moon cups, food containers, drinking bottles, etc.
13. Buy rechargeable batteries. Without rechargeable batteries we would have spent a small fortune on batteries given how many battery operated toys the children have.
14. Swap to energy efficient lightbulbs. If you haven’t done this yet, you really need to consider it. The life of the energy saving bulbs are so much longer that there is no real comparison to the old, regular ones. And they are of course eco-friendlier.
15. Sell unused items. It’s amazing what you can sell online these days. I often sell lightly used items either online or in the local mummy circle which is a great way to get some money back, recycle things and help others at the same time.
16. Always look for online discounts before buying. They can make a significant difference in the price you pay in the end and of course a short term loan could also help.
17. Watch less television. Now, that we have almost no time to watch telly, it was time to downgrade the package and save some money on this. I’m pretty sure, that even before making the switch I could have easily lived without so many channels.
18. Use public transport. Cheaper and greener. If you live in a town or city like we do, there’s really no need to drive everywhere. Most of the time it’s even faster by public transport not to mention the parking fees.
19. Upcycle and repurpose. It’s always worth to have a good look at the item before throwing it away, because it can be used in parts or the whole for other different things.
This is a collaborative post.
18 comments
I love buying supermarket own brand. I think they are usually really good and so much cheaper. My husband is a snob though and hates it! Luckily I’m in charge of the shopping!
That’s one of the best way to save money. Sometimes they are the fraction of the price of a branded items.
One thing I do is buy clothes on discount . I never pay full price for fabulous.
Me neither. Clothes can cost a lot of money. £100+ for a clothing item? No way!
I’m all for this! I’ve recently taken a massive step to stop using plastic! It’s such a big deal and we have to make a change xx
well done, that’s fantastic. Thanks for your comment.
this is really useful – I have been making big steps to become a ‘greener’ household lately. I’d love to try making my own cleaning products 🙂
That’s fantastic! Small steps count and are important!
Thank you for so many great tips! I use quite a few of them already like batch cooking, packed lunches etc – nothing beats a homemade lunch made from scratch using fresh ingredients, saves you money in the long run instead of buying pre-made ones.
Eating out – especially if that happens every day at lunch time can add up big time!
Such simple tips but when you add them all up they make a real difference to your bill. Small changes are worth doing for sure. Mich x
Thanks Mich, yes they are quite simple and they can be done by everyone!
I always tend to buy supermarket own brands where possible as they often use the same manufacturer. I don’t do public transport though – we live semi-rural and the buses are almost non-existant
These are incredible tips, i do practice most of these but picked up some new tips so thanks
I love each and every one of your suggestions not only because they will actually save money but also because you have stated how we can also help the environment at the same time. Such a fab post!
Fab list! We do most of these already, but great idea about reusable batteries – we don’t use many any more but better to cut down on waste where possible!
I tend to choose supermarket own brands over brand names. I actually prefer the value beans over heinz. Haha. I use plastic tubs for storing food in the freezer as well as lunch boxes (I’ve got loads of them and my friend laughed when I showed her my 50 tubs but now she pops round to pinch some!)
Wouldn’t it be great if supermarkets offered food delivery in plastic containers? by that I mean… frozen food is in reusable containers rather than plastic bags and we can send them or take them back the following week.
I think that’s a great idea Beth!