These days most of us are looking for ways to save both money and resources. It is becoming more clear that we all need to do our part to make wise decisions about what we consume.
While I am not an expert in “green living,” I think simply making common-sense steps towards being frugal and wasting less around my own home is a great way to start! By making small changes, using less, saving more and thinking about clever ways to use what we already have, we can be good stewards of our resources.
SunChips is generously sponsoring a $100 giveaway to one lucky reader of The Inspired Room simply for sharing YOUR green living tips! WOO HOO! I think we could all use an extra $100, so check out my tips below and then offer one of your own in the comments! One lucky commenter will win $100! {GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED}
Here are a few frugal (& green!) tips:
- Visit a local Rebuilding Center to find great things you can “re-use” to remodel your home: light fixtures, sinks, cabinets, tubs and more! Old sinks can be refinished and look good as new!
- Salvage existing kitchen cabinet boxes with a fresh coat of paint and install new cabinet doors rather than starting over with all new cabinets. I did this in my last kitchen by installing both glass and regular cabinets and new drawers into existing cabinet bases.
- Rather than buying new, re-fresh existing furniture or thrift store finds with paint or slipcovers.
- Use natural elements (like fruit, plants, moss, bamboo, twigs, or nests) for decorating your home (see more ideas in this post Creative Ideas for Decorating Naturally).
- Share and find cool stuff on Freecycle, Craigslist, or your local Goodwill or thrift store. While I was moving I donated tons of stuff that someone else can repurpose at their house!
- Downsize to or remodel a “not so big house” in order to save money, energy and make better use of the space you already have (I love this concept as I have just downsized to my own “not so big house”).
- Consider rain chains and barrels instead of downspouts to reduce your water consumption by harvesting your own rain water in style! {I just learned about this tip last week on my Gig Harbor Drive By!} Use the collected rain water for the lawn, washing the dog, laundry or watering plants!
- Use hardy native plants in your landscapes to save water and maintenance — in the northwest that means use lots of moss, ferns, rhododendrons and azaleas!
- Home composting is a small step you can take to make your community greener. It is surprisingly straightforward and it benefits both you and the environment. The sponsor of our $100 giveaway today, SunChips, recognized these benefits and has introduced new packaging that is made of 33% renewable materials. This may seem like a small change, but in 2010, they plan on having every SunChips bag made 100% compostable. Learn how to create your own hot, active compost here and take your small step.
What small “green” steps or changes have you made around your home?
Share a green living tip here this week and you’ll be entered to win something very green… $100!
PS. My friend Sandy at Reluctant Entertainer also has a giveaway today, so after you share your green tip here, head on over and check out her giveaway too!
Top photo: HGTV…check out their 2009 GREEN HOME
THE $100 GIVEAWAY CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. CONTEST ENDED APRIL 18 9PM PST
I’ve been learning more things to do to go “green”. Always looking for ideas…
I’ve always recycled for many years now.
When I shut down our computer, I also unplug it.
We use sunlight during the day, open the curtains and let the natural light shine in.
Angies inspiring blog post..Fun With The Kiddos
We just recently committed to no more paper towels. This was HUGE for us as we went through them pretty regularly!
Angie @ The Creative Mamas inspiring blog post..my six dollar treat.
One of my favorite recycling ideas is using coffee grounds and banana peels in my garden. I use the coffee grounds (and I get lots extra free at Starbucks) around everything and the banana peels for just the roses and the tomato plants. I always have a glorious garden even here in the low desert. But sometimes, I must admit, I get a powerful craving for a donut (to go with my non-existent coffee) when I’m working in the garden after just having spread a bag of grounds!
Jennys inspiring blog post..Happy Easter
Collecting rain water in a large barrel is a great way to reuse water. Water house plants or outside pots with fresh rain water. Mother Earth will love you for it
Debbies inspiring blog post..Four Corners
I don’t know how “green” this tip is, but I shop thrift stores for my wardrobe. Just last week I bought an Eddie Bauer spring sweater set, with the tags still on it, for $3.50.
I am a big fan of Freecycle. I have three small boys and when they have grown out of their clothes, I always give them away. I know a lot of people sell at garage sales, but when you figure your time and expense of setting one up, giving it away to someone who truly needs it is much better.
Sorry to post again, but my posting information is wrong on my original comment. I have moved and I keep forgetting to change my info!!!
Deputy’s Wifes inspiring blog post..Happy Easter!
There has been a lot of activity on Eco-products and eco fashion which encourage reuse and recycle.
Reuse allows interesting possibilities, like using empty paint cans & old jute sacks to plant trees. Decorating old tin cans for use as a penstand.
Or, old tires can be inflated, painted and stuffed with cushions to be used as a interesting piece of furniture.
Almost all things scrap can be mixed and matched to create interesting sculptures and 3D art.
Shailees inspiring blog post..Pocket notebook
Twitter: ArtbyKarena
says:
If I bring anything home, whether clothing decorative piece etc. Something must be given away! To the Goodwill, Craigs list, etc. My condominium needs repainting and when I finally choose a color it will be low VOC like Aura.
Pick a month and go without air conditioning the entire time. We did this last May — in Birmingham, AL — and it got up to 80 degrees in our house, but we held out until June.
No Debt Plans inspiring blog post..Alabama State Tax Refund: Finally!
Everyone has such great ideas for saving money and “going green”. Some of our favorites are:
* Getting our fruits and vegetables at a co-op, if we can’t use them all we share with a friend and split the cost
* Re-purposing what we already have instead of buying new (i.e. re-upholstering chairs, making my daughter clothes from my old ones)
* Clipping coupons online and collecting the newpapers ones from everyone I can (mom, grandma, friends – I never have to buy the newspaper)
My best green tip is to set up your recycling in a way that works for you. If you notice that the recycling tends to stack up in the kitchen waiting to be taken out to the garage, then find a space in your kitchen to sort it. If your recycling container provided by the city is too small then get a larger one from your home improvement store. You need to take some steps to make the process work for you or you won’t do it. I won’t at least.
Lazy Mom Leslies inspiring blog post..Earth Week
Sprinkling cinnamon around is a great bug repellent. It’s relatively inexpensive, doesn’t contain anything toxic, and will be safe if any children or pets come in contact with it. It’s easy to keep it out of sight under cabinets, too.
-recycle
-repurpose
-buy local
-grow your own food (love square foot gardens!)
-use a clothesline ( I want one so bad!)
-shop at yard sales, thrift stores, and consignment stores
-use cloth napkins
-collect rainwater
-give your teenage daughter a bathroom timer so she doesn’t drain the hot water heater!
-group all of your errands in one area at one time
-decorate naturally (pinecones, rosemary, seashells, flowers, etc…)
-stay out of stores, but when you must go use a list and stick to it. You don’t need as much stuff as you think you do.
-when the weather is nice turn off the air/heat and open the windows
-use natural light during the day
-eat less processed foods and more home cooked, nutritious meals
-take care of yourself- exercise, brush teeth, eat right, …
Bonitas inspiring blog post..My Dream House Take #102
I made my baby’s food last fall (she’s moved on to our food now). It was really much easier than I’d expected and saved us from all those little jars and containers. I’d cook veggies in huge batches (oven full of sweet potatoes) then puree in the food processor and freeze in ice cube trays. There are some great websites with very easy to follow ideas.
Some great tips here!
One of the greenest things a person can do is not eat meat or eat less. A meat-eater on a bike creates more greenhouse gases than a vegetarian driving a Hummer.
Thanks for a shot at some truly needed cash!
Katie
Katie at makingthishome.coms inspiring blog post..An Easter Wish
Turn the heat down when you go out for the day- it’s chilly when you get home, but it’ll warm up fast enough!
And join a local CSA- love mine!
Tonnis inspiring blog post..Finn – London Newborn Photographer
We have what would be considered a large family with five kiddos and here are a few of the things I can think of offhand that we do:
1. Buy in bulk.
We order 50 lb bags of staples like flour and sugar for much less than store prices.
2. Garden.
Whether it be lettuce in a pot on the windowsill or a full fledged back yard tilled plot, everyone can grown some of their food.
3. Compost.
Kitchen scraps, tea bags, coffee grounds, and egg shells get turned into a compost pile or fed to our chickens.
4. Get a few hens.
Even in most cities, hens are allowed. Nothing tastes better than a fresh egg fried up.
5. Shop your house.
Whenever I get a decorating itch (often) I shop the house, rotating furniture from room to room, drapes, photos, rugs, etc.
6. Shop your pantry.
Making the weekly menu for our family, I’ll first consider what I already have on hand to use which lessens what I need to buy.
7. Stock up on sales.
Muir Glen tomatoes at $1 for the big can is a steal. I bought two cases.
8. Hang clothes on the line.
We did this even living in the city.
9. Pull buttons off of worn out clothing before discarding it.
10. Shop second hand. Just about everything we wear is handmade or second hand.
11. Donate gently used clothing, household good, unopened food.
Our nearby city has a huge influx of immigrants and we have a constantly growing, ever present pile of donations for them.
12.Learn to sew. Really. This saves us so much money.
13. Cook from scratch.
One of my favorite cookbooks is from the depression era. The recipes are delicious and frugal.
14. Heat with wood. We have a 4,000 sq foot old house heated entirely with two wood stoves and fallen wood from our land.
15. Use cardboard, cereal boxes and junk mail as mulch in the garden.
Ok, I think that’s enough.
Hannahs inspiring blog post..In which I contemplate the cuteness of our kiddos…
Last year our town was offering a discount if we ordered rain barrels…we had to pick them up on a certain date at our DPW… I love the big BLUE thing….I used it to mostly water my flowers…we live up North so we took it down for the Winter…its time to get that baby into working order again….
Thanks for the chance
Kathy
It is just recently, that we really started paying close attention to everyday “go green” ideas. We look for ideas to re-use and save! It may seem small, but in the long run is HUGE. Simple steps of recycling, re-using things around the house to decorate and refurbish, walking instead of driving. Start small and see where it takes you! We also have turned our cleaning products towards environmentally safe. Plus I just love organic stuff, the look and the feel is what keeps me coming back!
Cassandra Louises inspiring blog post..Code Red
I have one shelf set aside in my kitchen cabinets to put all my reusable containers. Every time I use spaghetti sauce or finish out the rest of a herb or spice, I have grade A containers that are so versatile!
taras inspiring blog post..wow, it’s hot
I’m just getting into the “green” lifestyle! But I LOVE it!
-reusable water bottles for the gym
-reusable grocery bags (I’ve even made some and given them as gifts–lots of patterns online)
-place buckets out while its raining. Use this water to water plants after rain ends. Helps our H2O $bill$ too!
-making use of our community provided recycling containers. We pay for it no matter what, so you MIGHT AS WELL put it to good use!
Thanks for the opportunity!
Lindsay
Lindsays inspiring blog post..Can I get some HELP?!?!!?
More thoughts …save your egg shells…put them into the ground when gardening….the plants love the calcuim…. I also save the wrappers from my butter, I keep a little baggie in the frig…I use them to butter my pans when baking !!!
Sorry I should have consolidated my ideas….
Kathy
I love all these green ideas! Here’s a few things we’re doing at our house:
-vegetable gardening
-composting
-using reusable shopping bags
-looking for used items first, trying not to buy new
-line drying our clothes (soon, this summer we’ll start doing that)
-making our own household cleaners, and laundry detergent. (Okay, this is partly about money, but we’ve realized how important it is to be good stewards of everything we have).
-buying local and limiting our consumption of meat.
Thanks for the giveaway Sunchips, and everyone else for all the great ideas!
Ginas inspiring blog post..The power of Praise
So many ways we all have been going green – my choice was to eliminate plastic containers and cups from our household. They are toxic when heated (and let’s be honest – the purpose of a rubbermaid is for the leftovers) and converted to good ‘ole pyrex containers.
Go green!
I’ve replaced all my cleaning supplies with green options. No more bleach or ammonia, nothing that wouldn’t be safe to ingest.
Menu plan – it decreases food waste, and it makes it easier to plan around what’s in season.
Barbaras inspiring blog post..Fire Hall Theatre – Grand Forks
Those are great tips and some of them are the ones we already implement! We love to repurpose furniture and odds and ends around the house. I don’t think we have bought a “brand new” piece of furniture in years!
We shop goodwill/thrift stores too finding things for all around the house!
I’m a big follower of the reusable bags too; Wal-Mart just recently got on the bandwagon and I’m loving it!
Sarahs inspiring blog post..Easter Sunday
we are doing several things around our house to create a green environment that is very important to us.
-we have a garden
-we compost
-we use rain barrels
-we are looking into getting a rooftop wind turbine
-we are going to line dry our clothes when the weather is okay outside
-we recycle and take all our glass to recycle centers
A rather simple tip for cutting energy consumption–and saving a few dollars: close air registers in rooms that are not in use and close the door. There’s no need to heat or cool that guest room when no one’s using it.
Also, a programable thermostat is quite helpful.
Granny Smith Greens inspiring blog post..Victory
I stopped buying paper towels! I have a rag box under my sink now that we reach for whenever we have spills. Don’t get rid of old bath and dish towels~cut them up into rags. These ^ are all great tips!
melissas inspiring blog post..winna, winna, winnahs!
We try to make less trips to the store (which requires more planning) or we go on our way home from somewhere else. We recycle our grocery bags, (been meaning to get the canvas ones), we use energy efficient light bulbs, we don’t by bottle water anymore in the plastic bottles (we try to use glass bottles and reuse them) and we are planting some veggies this year. We just got a rain bucket to use for watering the outdoor trees and plants. Thank you for this give-a-way opportunity. Who couldn’t use $100? Have a great day.
Cherri Engles inspiring blog post..‘After’ photos of the Furniture re-do
My “green” tip would be to make more bulk purchases like dry beans and spices. I finally started making some bulk taco mix so we don’t have to buy an envelope for each meal. Less packaging! And the slow cooker and pressure cooker are my dear friends who help me make healthier foods and use less electricity/gas while I cook.
A couple of things we do at our house to me more “green”
1. We compost kitchen clippings and get wonderful fertile dirt to use in our plants and garden
2. We garage sale whenever the weather is good enough to get out
3. We also freecycle! It is great to not send the old sofa and christmas decorations to the landfill.
$100 would definitely be great!
I got some reusable eating utensils from To-Go Ware and I pack those in our sack lunches, so we use those rather than plastic throw-away utensils. I also try to grow some veggies and herbs on my porch (don’t have a yard unfortunately). In addition, I bring my own bags to the supermarket (most of the time) so I cut down on plastic bag trash.
Joelles inspiring blog post..My prayer journal
I stopped using sandwich bags for kids’ lunches and started using tupperware containers. And I’ve become the light-nazi at our house, making sure the only lights on are the ones we needs – no more porch light overnight, no fishtank lit up past bedtime, an no ceiling fans running in rooms where there aren’t people. We’re getting in new habits of little things that are adding up to big benefits.
Lisas inspiring blog post..Redeemed
Eat Green! During spring, summer, and fall, I buy as much of our food from the local farmers’ market as possible. Not only is the food healthier and tastier, I appreciate knowing that the food was grown locally and driven only a few miles to market, as opposed to buying strawberries that were flown or driven all the way from California! Bonus if you have a farmers’ market close enough to ride a bike to (less polution than driving your car!) This year I hope to go a step further and grow herbs and veggies of my own.
Erins inspiring blog post..Easter Brunch
Several things we do:
She’s got the idea!
-green shopping bags
-recycling
-shorten showers
-stopped using the bathroom heater
-check packaging to make sure it is reusable and/or recyclable
-stopped having phone books delivered
-started using all paperless billing, whenever possible
-turning off lights and using the LED lightbulbs everywhere in the house
-compost pile
-our first garden this year
-my 6 year old told me the other day that she is going to recycle her room…I asked her to explain and she said she is going to recycle it into a castle!
All small things but we feel like we are doing as much as we can to, at this point in our lives, to make an impact!
Elizabeth Flowerss inspiring blog post..
Love to use vinegar to clean everything. That and baking soda really. I haven’t bought a cleaning product from the store in forever. That was the best change that I made.
Also, Choose a Trash/Waste company that lets you put everything (to include plastics 1-7) in one bin. It makes recycling easier …hense you will recycle more. We have always recycled…but with putting ecerything in one bin…plus it taking virtually everything…to include wood….we as a family of 6 have 1 trash bag per week!!!! Can you believe that?
I have a water bottle that a refill and carry with me instead of buying bottled water. It’s easy and cheap!
sylviarj at yahoo dot com
Three words:
Recycle, Recycle, Recycle.
Not only putting glass, plastic, cans and papers into designated bins but recycle anything you possibly can. For example…, my husband has just taken down old solid wood shelving in the basement left by the previous owner and is building our kitchen island with it.
Mayas inspiring blog post..Beaches that Rock
I’ve always been “thrifty” and now find I was doing many “green” things before it became popular but never realized how much electricity is consumed by things that are plugged in but not turned on. Now my mission is to “unplug”!
kathleen (at) MomSaves (dot) com
We gave up paper towels and napkins a couple of years ago. I don’t even miss them now and love that I get to set a pretty table with cloth napkins!
Alana @ Gray Matterss inspiring blog post..Are You At Risk?
I am making my own laundry soap. I have always composted but since our move last year have not had a good way to compost. I hope to have a blog soon about making a composter out of a plastic barrel. I also will soon be a beekeeper as I have ordered 2 hives. THrifting, reusing, making do has always been a way of life and I love the challenge!!
blessings
mary
I use canvas tote bags for all of my shopping….we recycle alum cans, plastic and cardboard. and yes, I would love to win some green….$100!
I also wanted to add that having a household budget is a very important step I believe in going green. So much waste when we don’t know where our money is going.
Mary Ellens inspiring blog post..He is RISEN!!!!
- use vinegar, baking soda, and lemon juice to clean
- mulch! it saves a lot of water that would otherwise be lost in evaporation
- make your own bread. it eliminates a lot of waste from those plastic bread wrappers
- use cloth napkins
- use cloth diapers & cloth diaper wipes (in combo with a diaper spray, like one by california baby)
- shop season-end clearances at outlet stores for great prices on kids’ clothes and save them for hand me downs or then donate them
Composting eliminates waste and is great “food” for the garden! Buying local is better for the environment and helps local farmers. Using cloth napkins eliminates waste (and are so much nicer!) and using microfiber cloths to clean instead of paper towels eliminates waste. Buying in bulk eliminates waste. Meal planning eliminates waste. UPCYCLING (finding another use for something BEFORE it goes in the recycling bin) is a good habit…try turning an oatmeal container into an organizer or empty glass soda bottles into bud vases. Buy handmade or used! Over time, my hubby and I have incorporated all of these things, one by one, and now it’s habit!
I save my baby food jars. I wash them, take the label off, and modge podge cute paper on the lid. I put scrapbook embellishments in them. They also started making baby food in plastic containers. I wash those and use them when I pack my husbands lunch. I put veggies, dip, tuna salad etc… in them.
I agree with reusing and repurposing as much as possible–that’s probably the bulk of our “green” activity right now, since we’re on a budget. The other thing we’re trying to do to save both money and the environment is to cut down our errand-running to once or twice a week. I never realized how often I left the house until we moved to a rental 20 minutes away from the nearest store!
We’ve been trying to find new ways to wrap presents instead of using wrapping paper. Newspaper, old paper grocery bags that can be colored and decorated and reused bags all work great!
I truly love to live green and as I adore Sun Chips, I am very excited about their new packaging. I can’t wait to buy a bag.
I always keep cloth bags in the car so that I don’t have to use the plastic. Many stores offer a credit for doing this.
We have switched all of our light bulbs to energy efficient bulbs.
My husband is a den leader to a group of scouts and all of their outings and crafts are covered by money the boys make from recycling aluminum.
If you keep borax, baking soda and vinegar on hand they can each be used on their own or mixed accordingly to form 95% of the necessary household cleaners. Smart and economical.
Even my design business incorporates thinking outside the box. In each home I try to incorporate current pieces they have on hand and everyday items in new and fun ways versus always buying new.
I could go on and on about living green. It truly is not hard to do.
Laura Ingalls Gunns inspiring blog post..Love amongst crazy bird people