Earlier this week I mentioned cutting back on snack packs for financial savings and to reduce packaging. Here are a few other ideas to save some money while saving the earth:
Recycle: This is pretty common for most people nowadays. Save your cans and bottles and turn them in for their deposit (5 cents here in MA) a little pocket change is never a bad thing.
Reusable Shopping Bags: You probably own a couple good size bags you can use as shopping bags, but if not the $1 per bag investment at the store is worth reducing the dozens of flimsy but toxic plastic bags you would use every week. Some stores will give you a discount for using reusable bags, Whole Foods credits you 5 cents per bag right off your bill. CVS has a Green Bag Tag that you buy for .99 (although I got mine free with a coupon) and scan like a loyalty card every time you don't take a plastic bag (even if you just buy a pack of gum) and after 4 scans you get a $1 coupon. And don't worry about using one store's bags at another store, I have never had a cashier sneer at my Shaw's bags at Whole Foods.
Read News Online: I still believe an investment in the Sunday paper is worth it, it has tons of news and local information and all your sales flyers and coupons (not to mention funnies!) but a daily newspaper is an unnecessary expense and a lot of waste. Same thing with magazines, most magazines have an online forum now, cut the cost of buying mags and eliminate the piles of paper.
Swap: Before you spend the money on something new look around and see if a friend is planning to get rid of something, go to a yard sale or look online at Craigslist or Freecycle. There is a lot of stuff on the planet, let's not keep buying more if we can reuse something cheaper (or free!).
Anyone else have a good idea for saving cash while saving the planet?
Stop and Shop also credits you .05 cents per reusable shopping bag.
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