Living Green on a Budget: Part 1

Maintaining healthy and green living habits can be hard even if you don't have any obstacles in your way.  Now add kids, families, full time jobs, pets etc. into the mix and it can be even harder to live an eco-friendly lifestyle.  On top of that pile stack living on a tight budget.  Often times items that are green or eco-friendly are not as cost effective for the average household.  I feel as if I struggle with this problem often...can I afford this more earth-friendly item over it's substantially cheaper, but less green item?  This is not an easy task especially for a person like me who loves to stay on budget but desperately wants to help make the world a better place for my young son.  I am no expert but I thought I would share with you today a few of the items that I purchase or things that I do in my everyday life to save money that are also be eco-friendly.

In the Kitchen

Honest Company Dish Soap.  I do a lot of dishes.  Just between the three of us in my family we generate so many items that need to be washed. This plant based dish soap is eco-friendly and comes with a lot of suds power.  Because of the price point on this item I am able to purchase it for my own dishes and save money in the process.  It smells nice, fights grease well and doesn't contain any harsh chemicals which helps keep my hands from feeling dried out after I wash.

Cleaning



Cleaning with distilled Vinegar is a great option for cleaning around your home.  Not only can you use it for cooking, canning etc. but it is also an excellent and inexpensive cleaner.   A lot of appliances that we use everyday have clean cycles that encourage you to purchase some sort of brand specific clearer in order to get that item cleaned.  Both my coffee maker and my washer recommended brand name solutions to clean out my appliance. I recently used this trick twice in my kitchen.  Once in my coffee maker and the second time in my washer drum.
In both of these cases, I have found that using clear distilled vinegar is just as good as the solutions  that were recommended.  And it saves me from using harsh chemicals around my family. You do have to be careful to make sure that the vinegar you are buying isn't made from synthetic chemicals either. By using this more eco-friendly product, not only am I keeping my house from being exposed to harsh chemicals or pouring those chemicals down the sink, but I am also able to save money purchasing vinegar which, unlike a lot of cleaning chemicals, can be used for a number of different things.

Saving on Utilities

During the harsh winter months it can be hard to keep the electricity or gas bills down if you live in a cold area.  Many times this past fall / winter I have exceeded my utilities budget because it was just too cold to keep off the heaters. However, if you have the option to run your heater at a low setting or turn it off all together, you can save on resources and on money. Remembering to turn off lights around your home or to use natural light when you can is another great way to save money.  I was recently able to bring my own bill down by turning off my heater during the day and wearing a sweater inside.   This was actually a win win for me since I have so many amazing sweaters that I hardly wear.  This practice forced me to go to the back of my closest and pull out those cozy sweaters.

Being eco-friendly on a daily basis all while trying your best to provide for your family, can seem like a hard task.  But there are ways to help be good stewards of our planet and help your pocket book out at the same time.

Comment below and tell us how you stay on budget while still helping to keep our plant safe.  We always want to hear about ways that our fans are making the world a better place.

Be the change you want to see in the world.  Come on, let's show them what you can do.

Cheers!

Missy-