There are many articles written on how to go green, lower your budget, or use less, but a lot don’t cover what the writer actually does to help. I don’t have the money to install solar or anything spectacular like that, but I do work hard to do my part in making my family as green as it can be. Here are just a few things that I do every day.

1. Recycle – yes, this may sound redundant, but recycling is a huge part of my daily activities. Every piece of “trash” our home comes across I first see if it can be reused or repurposed into something else. If it cannot, I see if it can be recycled. If it cannot, can it be composted? I go down the list mentally to see if I really have to throw the item out. This may seem difficult at first, but after a while it becomes second nature.
2. Purchase less – I love to shop, but realize that neither my budget nor the environment really needs me to shop the way I like. Purchasing things that are unnecessary or serve no purpose is very wasteful, even grocery items. Therefore I shop as little as possible. I try to purchase everything I would need for the next month in one trip. If I go to the grocery store, I make a list of menu items and pick up what I need for them, plus some additional supplies like rice, pasta, etc. and then store them for quick meals not on the list. The only things I return once a week for are milk, bread, and other items we use more and cannot store the excess. This cuts my budget down and doesn’t waste gas or allow me to impulse buy for things we do not need or won’t use and will end up wasting in the end.
3. Staycation – I do not leave my house 1 day per week and spend time with my family doing projects at home. Instead of running around like my schedule makes me do all week, I take every Sunday and just stay home. We clean up around the house (using environmentally friendly products of course), watch a movie with homemade popcorn (love my whirly pop), take the dogs for a walk around the neighborhood, garden for fresh vegetables, and do all sorts of other projects.
4. Home Improvements – We installed low flow shower heads that use only 1.5 gpm instead of standard 2.5+ gpm. We also installed aerators on other faucets that didn’t already have them and installed CFL or LED light bulbs. Next on the list is fixing all screens so we can open up the house and turn off the air during the nicer months here in South Florida and install tint and blinds on the windows to help keep out the heat during our hot summer months.

These are just a few things my family and I do to make our home greener and lower our impact on the environment. What things do you do to make your family green, lower your budget, and use less?

About the Author:

Liz Karschner writes for SEPCO’s blog (http://www.sepco-solarlighting.com/blog) that provides information on commercial solar lighting, off grid solar power, renewable energy and going green. She also writes on Thoughts of Randomness (http://www.thoughtsofrandomness) that provides the random thoughts on all sorts of subjects.