Grow Wealthy Through Conservation

It’s amazing how wasteful we can be both with our finances as well as with the goods we use. According the the Environmental Protection Agency, the US produced 251 million tons of garbage. This equates to 4.6 pounds per person per day. 33% of that is paper, and another 11% is plastic. 82 million total tons were diverted through recycling, but that still leaves a lot of left over trash to be managed.

Think of the cost needed to produce, use, and then discard all that waste!

My wife and I have been working to reduce our waste in several areas, both from an environmental perspective as well as from a financial perspective. None of the steps we’ve taken were difficult to implement, and in total I would estimate that we are saving several hundred dollars a year.

Here are some ideas:

• Stop using paper plates. We used to do this out of ease (hurray! No dishes to wash!). Ultimately we were going through a package of paper plates every other week, which can get pricey. The same holds true for paper or plastic cups.
• Stop using paper towels. Go to Walmart and buy some small dish towels. Buy 8-12 dish towels simply wash them with your regular laundry. We’ve gone from using one three rolls of paper towels a week to zero. Alternatively I could become a less messy cook, but then again that would be a difficult change!
  
• Stop using paper napkins and use cloth napkins instead. Remember those? Your grandmother used to use them during the holidays. Buy enough for about three meals worth and simply wash them with your regular laundry. We’ve gone from using a giant sleeve of paper napkins per month to zero.
• Bring a coffee cup to work. Granted, this tip will help out you’re company more than you, but it’s still a good thing to do. Less styrofoam in the land fill is a good thing. Your children’s children’s children will thank you.
• Freeze leftovers. This is a great way to save money on groceries and reduce waste, and most foods freeze just fine! My wife and I free bread so that we never run out, and we get a reduced price buying two loaves at a time from Sam’s. We also free beef, chicken, and our leftovers that would otherwise go bad.

That’s it! A few small changes and you can help the earth and your own budget!

If You Liked This Post Then Please Check These Out...

• At Your Means, Above Your Means, or Below Your Means?
• Looking To Cut My Grocery Expenses
• Costco’s Debt-Pushers Drive Me Crazy
• Want To Save Money? Learn To Borrow
• Costco And Value

If you liked this post please click here to subscribe to the RSS feed!