Green England Articles Going Green on a Budget

Going Green on a Budget

Most of us like to save money. If you want to go green there are many opportunities to save money.

Here at Green England we are always looking at the opportunities to save money – especially in the current economic climate.



Energy Saving

Whenever you save energy, you save money.

So.....

Simple rule – switch off anything you are not using – at the socket.

Switch off chargers which go on drawing electricity even when the appliance is fully charged.Learn how long they take to charge and switch off when done.

Turn off all switches that have a light indicating they are on – when they are not in use.

Do you clothes washing at 30 degrees.

Turn your heating down by one degree.

Be quick in the shower - saving CO2 and water.

Dry your clothes naturally wherever possible on a clothes horse indoors.

Hang clothes outside when you can – they smell so much better! A bit of planning means you will never have to use the tumble dryer again! It is possible.

Get into the habit of turning off lights when you walk out of the room.

Replace lightbulbs with low energy bulbs. They cost a little more but you will save over the year about £7 a year.- in electricity.

Cook in bulk – when you have the oven on cook double quantities or more and two dishes at at time. Come home to a cooked home made ready meal that just needs reheating.

Turn off the cooker 5 minutes before the end of cooking time.

Let you hair dry naturally - leave the hair--dryer in the cupboard



Cleaning and Household

Ditch the chemicals!

Most things can be cleaned with water, vinegar, bicarb of soda, borax and lemon juice. Really. These items are inexpensive, non- toxic and work! For more information on this see Clean Green and Save Money

Use soapnuts in your wash - they cost about 1/3 of conventional laundry products and are completely bio degradeable. The detergent is non-toxic, unlike the ingredients in conventional washing powders.

Use every drop of water

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth

Catch water you are not using in a container eg running the shower to get warm or the tap in the sink, or running it cold for a glass of water. Use what you collect for flushing the loo, watering plants, washing the car etc.



Shopping

Try using freecyle to see if the item you want is unwanted by someone else locally. Its amazing what you can get for nothing and it stops them being thrown away!

Look in charity shops for clothes, books and household items. These are a fraction of the cost – ensure items get their full life and gives money to charity – win, win, win!

Shop as locally as possible – support you local economy and save on transport



Driving

With the cost of driving, there are good ways to save money as well as your CO2 emissions

Make sure your tyres are fully inflated

Drive at 50-60mph on motorways

Try not to use the air conditioning – it uses up to 10% more fuel according to the RAC

Drive smoothly by accelerating and braking gently.

Plan your journey – otherwise you use extra fuel because you got lost!

Share your journey with other people whenever you can

For short journeys consider if walking is an option – save money and use calories

Remove any unnecessary luggage in the boot that adds weight to the car.



Food

Grow you own veg! Seeds and compost cost very little compared with bought veg. Share the project with a friend to help avoid waste.

Buy your local veg from your local market. If you have a local market – do support it. Veg is often local (just ask), cheaper than supermarkets and is minus the packaging and transport overheads.

Drink tap water, not bottled – for drinking water put a jug of water in the fridge

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