Practical Tips for Going Green at Home without Breaking the Bank
Saturday, December 9, 2017, 6:00 AM | Leave Comment
Here’s the good news. More and more homeowners are recognizing the need to go green. They now understand that they have to do their part in helping the environment and that it all starts at their home. So why are a lot of them still not doing it?
It’s because a lot of them are under the impression that doing so is expensive. They’re right. It can get expensive but only if you let it.
There are a lot of ways on going green at home without breaking the bank, and this article will list some of the most practical ones. You won’t even need to engage in any expensive construction projects to help out the environment a bit.
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Go Green without Breaking the Bank
First of all, going green will lead to great savings down the line. You’d have to invest on it, of course, but the returns on your investment will be phenomenal if done right. You’ll get monthly and yearly savings. This means that this initiative will pay for itself in the long run.
You can minimize your investment by following these affordable tips to go green:
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Buy second-hand products
The savings are immediate provided that you really need to buy them. You can go to a consignment shop at your local area and scour the store for some nice second-hand clothes that you can still wear and use.
In addition to saving money, you’re actually helping the environment because you’re prolonging the life of these products. Buying a second-hand piece of shirt will take it away from the landfill for now and will lessen the need to produce another shirt.
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Grow herbs and vegetables
You don’t have to set aside a whole garden for that. You can simply set up a windowsill garden and plant herbs and vegetables there. This way, you can simply pluck herbs and vegetables that you need which will lessen trips to the grocery.
You can also set up a garden for plants. This can help improve the quality of air inside your home.
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Switch to slow-flow shower heads and faucets
You don’t really need a blast of water each and every time. There are faucets and shower heads that have a slow flow feature which can help you save water.
It’s just one of the things that you can do to save water along with other basic tips like keeping showers short, turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth and the likes.
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Ditch the dryer
Using the dryer is convenient but not exactly a green option. You can actually use two free sources of energy to dry your clothes – the wind and the sun! Air dry your clothes at a clothesline or one of those practical drying racks.
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Use rainwater
We shouldn’t be using (and wasting) water on watering plants, flushing the toilet and the likes when we could have saved water by using rainwater. You can simply position a big barrel by hooking it to a downspout in order to capture rainwater.
You’ll have perfectly clean water that you can use to water your garden, flush the toilet and the likes.
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Avoid toxic chemicals when cleaning
You can use homemade cleaning agents. Vinegar and baking soda are amazing for cleaning around the house. They’re cheap, more environment-friendly and safe for your family as well.
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Consider composting
Composting can help with waste reduction. If you garden, you can also use it to fertilize your garden.
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Replace your bulbs
Incandescent bulbs are old-fashioned, don’t last long, and consume a lot of energy. Make the switch to LED bulbs. They’re more energy-efficient and last longer than traditional bulbs.
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Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use
Yes, it’s not enough that you turn off appliances. You have to unplug them because appliances still use energy even when turned off. The energy usage is small, but it can add up.
Of course, make it a habit to turn off the lights when not in use. Make it a habit, no, a rule, that everyone turns off the light when leaving a room.
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Invest in technology
Some gadgets that you can invest in that can help you go green are programmable thermostats, electricity usage monitors and sun lights can help you save energy.
The programmable thermostat can lower your energy bills by around 10 per cent every year. The usage monitor, as the name implies, will monitor your electricity usage so you’ll know if you’re wasting energy. The sun lights can light up your patio and lawn at night.
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Start Implementing these Tips Today!
As you can see, going green at home without breaking the bank is not only possible. It’s also very doable. There’s really no reason for you not to do it especially considering the fact that these measures can help you save money.
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