Can Going Green Save You Money?

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As you may know, one of my big goals for the year is to reduce the amount of plastic we use. Our beautiful planet is a finite resource and I want to do what I can to help reduce the amount of garbage that ends up in our landfills and our oceans. But does going green save you money? Here’s a few places we’ve been saving:

Groceries

Bags

I know it doesn’t seem like a lot, but most of our grocery stores charge a few cents per plastic bag that you use. We have so many reusable bags so we leave a few in the car (for the last minute trips) and have lots at home as well.

Bulk Shopping

This has been a big switch for us but we have been bringing our own containers to the bulk food store. The weigh the container and then you fill it with whatever you are buying and then they subtract the weight of the container when you pay. But is it cheaper? Obviously this depends on where you live and what prices are like. For example I eat oatmeal often, a 1kg bag of large flake oatmeal at Walmart is $3.37, but at our BulkBarn store it is $2.10 for 1kg. Most things we buy regularly is a similar price or cheaper.

Farmer’s Markets

I love the convenience of shopping for all my groceries and household items at one store, but sometimes it’s worth it to make a second stop. We have a local farmer’s market not too far from us. Usually the produce is cheaper or a similar price to the big grocery stores, and the produce isn’t wrapped in plastic!

Shipping Fees

I make fun of myself often for being a box hoarder. I keep pretty much every box that comes into my house because I might want it for Christmas or something. Well and my friends that are moving appreciate the free boxes! Anyway if you shop online you know that the items you order will come with a lot of packaging. Sometimes it’s recyclable but sometimes it’s not. By shopping in store if I can, I’m saving on those pesky shipping fees, as well as the items I throw in my cart to get free shipping. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still going to shop online, but less than before.

Take Out

I love any food I don’t have to make, but my eyes have been opened to how wasteful all those take out coffee cups are. I’ll still treat myself occasionally but I’m aiming to remember to bring a refillable mug. Most days I just make beverages at home, which saves money and the environment.

Printer Ink

Did you know a lot of ink cartridges for printers are able to be refilled? I had no idea until I looked into it! Costco will refill ink cartridges for many different brands, usually costing between $8.99 and $13.99, which is significantly cheaper than buying a new cartridge. This also stops the plastic from going in the garbage.

Feminine Hygiene & Diapers

This one’s for the girls. There are plastic free alternatives to feminine hygiene products. The diva cup, cloth pads, and period underwear are all great options. There is an initial cost to invest in these products, but all of them should last years and you won’t have to buy plastic every month.

Similarly you can buy cloth diapers for your babies. Those patterns look so cute on them anyway and you’ll avoid sending many diapers a day to the landfill.

So, does it save money?

YES! There are plenty of ways to be budget friendly and reduce plastic!

This can be a big change if you aren’t used to thinking about packaging or what your items are made of. I recommend picking one place that you can cut back on, and then once you master that as best you can, add another thing in. Reducing plastic is not an all or nothing thing. Even if you just start bringing reusable bags to the grocery store, that could be HUNDREDS of plastic bags that aren’t going to a landfill (or blowing down your street)!