Five Tips On Reducing Waste & Saving Money

Hello my friend! Today I wanted to share more on the “how” to reduce waste and cut extra, unnecessary spending at the same time. Win, win!! You can check out my first post on reducing waste here. First, about the image above. No, I do not think ALL mankind is stupid. But there sure is a good chunk that are. Not enough people care about the planet and what’s happening to it. And many that do care began caring later than they would have if they were informed. That’s what I’m trying to do. People need to know what’s going on with our planet and the steps we can take to lessen our carbon foot print. But for today I’ll just share some tips to lessen that foot print. Another day I’ll get into what’s actually happening to our beautiful home. Hint: Think weather. Okay, onward.

I like to work on 2-3 little changes at a time. You see, if I try and do everything all at once, because I’m Super Mom ;), I’ll get overwhelmed, shut down and nothing gets done!  But with practice I’ll be able to I just step back, take a breath and say “What is the most urgent/important task that needs attention right now?” and I’ll focus on that one job until I wind down, can think clearly and begin the other tasks again!

I came up with a few very simple, albeit difficult for some ( #3- guilty as charged ), tips, tricks and suggestions to help me (and you if you’re joining me) along the way. Now, onto the good stuff!!

1.   Let others know what you are trying to accomplish and why. Let family and friends know what plastic shopping bags are doing to our environment. Invite them to watch the You Tube video to see for themselves. Show close ones how you’re using refillable containers for certain bulk food purchases. And I don’t mean the the bulk four pack of boxed sugar passed off as cereal that you get at Sam’s Club. I mean REAL food, oats, whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, fresh fruit and veggies. I know, there aren’t a whole lot of places that have bulk food items. Believe me, I feel your pain!  I just do my best and what I can to avoid purchasing anything in plastic and I always carry a reusable shopping bag with me for unplanned, legit, purchases.
2. Before you buy it, ask yourself, “Do I NEED it?” Just because the big name brand purse is on sale for a super-duper incredible price doesn’t mean it needs a home in your home. Not to mention it would have 14 other purses as neighbors, some with tags still, should be a big NO to purchasing. However, if you are carrying a purse that you are embarrassed of (guilty, had a Vera Bradley, straps were fraying. It was sad.)  then heck yeah! Spring for the purse! Make sure to check the 2nd hand shops first! That’s how I got the Vera Bradley, like new!!
3. Get rid of that other, evil plastic, The Credit Card. I think we all know what to do with these when trying to reduce spending. No, it’s not freeze them in a block of ice! Seriously, what a waste of water when people do that. What you need to do is Cut! Them! Up! And don’t forget to cancel the cards, too! Use cash, debit card or a pre-paid card that’s free to reload with direct deposit.
4. Do you know one big difference between being frugal and being cheap? They both have a goal to save money, only it usually backfires on the cheapo. For example, with big ticket items, the Frugal Fannie is going to reasearch, compare, window shop, gets the best deal taking quality into account. The Cheapo goes to the store unprepared because he knows which one he’s going to buy. The cheapest one!!  Well, six months later it breaks. You didn’t get a warranty because you’re cheap and guess how much it costs to fix? Twice as much as if you just bought a good one, not cheap, in the beginning. Take away here, being frugal saves money, being cheap costs more money!
5. The pump dispenser, now that causes a lot of waste. You do not need a full pump of most products that come with one. For example, Soft Soap, if you use a full pump of that stuff you’ll be rinsing your hands for an hour! Same goes for moisturizer, lotions, etc. I use a half pump of my moisturizer and apply when my face is still damp and the moisturizer goes a long way doing it that way. The producers of these products do this on purpose so you run out of things more often. Also, toothpaste all gone? No it’s not! Cut it in half and you have another weeks worth (one person). Make sure you put it in an air tight container so it doesn’t dry out.

So there’s a few tips to get you started. Right now I’m concentrating on no more plastic shopping bags and to be more conscientious of my purchases and always asking myself “Do I NEED this?”. So far I’ve been doing pretty well except I need to remind hubby to grab a reusable bag when he goes to the store.

Well, I think that’s it for today. Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed my article and maybe even got a few ideas; I’d love to hear them. Please, feel free to leave a comment. I’d really love to hear your thoughts on reducing waste and saving money by reducing unnecessary purchases.

Kristine

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