Lots of people are trying to be better when it comes to how they are affecting the environment. Sometimes this might mean you’ll have to pay a premium to do so, like buying the more expensive hybrid car for example. However, that isn’t always the case. There’s a whole bunch of things you can do that will be good for the environment and save you money too. Here’s my top 3.
1- Get a better thermostat
Is your house empty most of the day while you’re at work? Are you still cooling or heating your home while you’re away? There’s just no reason not to save money here. Instead of setting your temperature at your usual 72 degrees in the summer you can instead turn it up to something like 75 or 76 degrees. You can buy one of those thermostats that you can schedule to put your home back at 72 degrees when you get back home. Now you’re saving money while you’re away and you’ll never notice the difference.
If you don’t have a set schedule and have just avoided this because you don’t want to come home to a “hot” house then you can think about purchasing a thermostat with some “smart” features. You can get on of those ones that let you adjust the thermostat from your phone from anywhere. You just log into your app and turn it to 72 degree before you head home and your home will be cool when you get there. This is a great option if you want to save some money but don’t have a set schedule when you’re away from home.
2- Unplug stuff
Yes, Just go unplug stuff. We all have that plugged in something that we never use (like an accent lamp). So just unplug it. You don’t need to have your smartphone charger plugged in all day long if you’re not using it. You don’t need to have your toasted plugged in all day either. Unplug it.
If you don’t like the idea of having to unplug and plug things back up when you need them then you can try using a power strip instead. This way you can just use the switch on the power strip to turn the power on and off. Now all those plugged in things aren’t leaking anymore power just by being plugged in. Don’t like the idea of having to press a button on a power strip? Well you can fix that problem too by going full on tech smart home style. Set yourself up with a smart home system and you can then just say what you want and your power strip will turn on. You can turn on your lights, your tv, whatever you want really.
3- Reuse, Reduce, or Recycle your stuff
This one is one of my favorites because it lets you be creative. There are some things we buy that we just don’t use after a while. If That’s one of your old laptops, or maybe that old ipod you have laying around, then find a way to put it to use. If you can’t use it yourself then consider selling it. If you don’t want to go through that hassle then donate it for a good cause. The more you can keep out of the trash the better.
A neat example I had recently involved a nice metal bucket we had that we used to put all sorts of things in fo the kitchen. We got something new to go with our new decor so this one had to go. But there was nothing wrong with it, and selling it just isn’t worth my time. What I finally did with it was use it as a flower put and now it’s beautifully displayed outside in the backyard.
If you can’t think of anything to do with that old whatever it is, then just google it and see what others are doing. You might be surprised at what you can do with some of your old stuff. Try to keep whatever you can out of the trash. If all else fails, donate it!