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, 2008 |
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Simple Living Who Me, an Environmentalist? Of course having seven children does not qualify me for environmentalist of the year. But, there are many things I do in my everyday life that help keep our budget in line and also help to preserve the Earth. These are simple things that most people can do. If you are not used to thinking this way, you could start by making one small change at a time. Before you know it, you will have made a change in your lifestyle and a change for the Earth. * * * Laundry savings: We wash in cold water and dry outside when possible. Maybe you don't have time to hang all of your laundry. But, you could start by hanging one load each night before you go to bed or first thing in the morning. If you can't hang it outside, try using a rack in the tub or in the laundry room. We also make our own laundry soap and simply use the same old detergent bottle that we started with two years ago. We save over twenty dollars a month on detergent and save the Earth from having to dispose of yet one more plastic bottle. Lighting: Switching to fluorescent light bulbs has saved us money. We save at least three dollars a year for each bulb. They cost more to buy, but make up their savings soon. You could just replace one or two a month if you can't do it all at once. We also try to keep lights off that we are not using. Money saving meals: Most of our meals are home cooked. That eliminates the boxes, bags, cups, lids, straws and wrappers that come with fast food meals. It also saves us from using gas to run out to a restaurant for dinner. Garbage bill saver: One of the easiest things we do each week to save money, is recycle. We recycle enough cans, bottles, jars, papers and milk jugs each week to save $100 a year on our garbage bill. If we had to pay to throw all of those things away, it would cost at least two dollars a week. Arts and crafts supplies: Instead of buying the newest art supplies at the educational stores, I encourage my children to reuse household items and be creative. We use toilet paper tubes, kitchen gadgets, newspapers, aluminum pie plates, plastic bottles, boxes, junk mail, magazines and yes, even dryer lint! Toilet paper tubes become binoculars, telescopes, constellations, noise makers, bird feeders, puppets and anything else the children can come up with. Kitchen gadgets can be used for paint printing. Newspapers can be used for making hula skirts, capes, paper boats, hats and even reading lessons. Aluminum pie plates can make bird feeders, wind chimes and tamborines. Plastic bottles can make great noise makers, oceans in a bottle and interesting baby toys (just fill them with attractive objects and secure the lid). Boxes can be houses, cars or space ships. The food boxes can also be used to play grocery store. Junk mail and magazines can be used to make collages or books. And dryer lint, that has been our great discovery this year. We stuff paper egg cartons with lint. Then we pour melted wax from old candles bought at second hand stores on top of the lint. Then, when we start our bbq, we use two or three sections as our lighters. We don't have to eat lighter fluid, we don't have to pay for it and neither does the Earth. These are all fun easy ways to help the Earth and your budget. Each family will probably come up with more ideas on their own. That's what makes this so exciting. Find what works for your family and do it.
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Want more money-saving tips? Get a FREE subscription to our monthly Ezine! Copyright © 2003 by Deann Curtis
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