Simple daily acts are the ones that make you save money on annual basis.
I’m listing some easy tips to keep in mind to lower your bills and help the environment at the same time. In this post, I’m also sharing the acts I’m doing myself in my daily life as I try to live greener.
Reduce Food Waste
According to a recent report by the UNEP (the United Nations Environment Programme) and the World Resources Institute (WRI), “About one-third of all food produced worldwide, worth around [USD] $1 trillion, gets lost or wasted in food production and consumption systems. The report further notes that in the United States, 30 to 40 percent of the food supply gets wasted, an amount that’s equal to more than 20 pounds of food per person per month.
Reducing food waste is not only a benefit for our food bills, but it is also a way to help the environment. A good weekly plan of what you are going to cook and eat may be helpful to avoid food waste at home. I’m also trying to do this planning at home by always looking at expiration dates and planning my meals in advance.
Being Conscious About Electrical Appliance Use
Do you know which are the most costly appliances to use?
Through my research, I was surprised when I found out that the tumble clothes dryer is at the top of the list of the most energy-consuming home appliances.
I don’t have a tumble clothes dryer in my home, and I’m not planning to buy one. A cheap washing line or clothes horse is an easy way to replace it, which can help you save money by reducing your electrical consumption.
Don’t forget that on stand-by mode, electrical appliances also consume power, resulting in high electricity bills.
According to a report from The Telegraph, the devices with the highest energy consumption on stand-by mode are a wireless router and printer, while a desktop PC and plasma television do not consume as much energy.
To be on the safe side, remember to switch everything off when your devices are not in use.
Take Care of Your Home Appliances
Changing the air filters on your heating and air conditioning system monthly will allow the system to run more efficiently and save you money. Fixing cracks in windows or updating your old doors and windows offers better insulating solutions.
You can lower your energy bill greatly by also thinking long term and making some investments in your home. I will update my home next season as well with a restyling project that will also fix some issues. I can’t wait!
Schedule Video Conferences and Try to Telecommute
I know that not all jobs can be done by working at home or in co-working spaces.
However, telecommuting helps save money by help you avoid all travel costs. Granted, you may consume more energy by working in your home instead of at the office. However, after one year of freelancing from my home, I can say that the costs of driving and petrol were higher than my home’s energy bills. I’m also happy because I feel like I’m living a slower and greener life without polluting the air every day with my car.
However, even if you are working in an office, why waste time on traveling for a short business meeting when you can do everything on remote conference software such as Skype now?
I’m also having Skype conferences with clients from overseas now who ask for online interior design advice for their own homes. I’m also working with colleagues from different sides of Italy, and our daily tools are Google Drive and various chats.
What are your daily tips to save money and live green?
