It sounds too good to be true, but making more environmentally friendly choices can also benefit your bank balance. Bank Australia provides some simple tips to help you balance the planet and your prosperity.
1.Friendly foodie
Shopping at a local fruit and vegetable markets such as your local farmers' market or grocer can be a great way to support local producers with no extra burden on your wallet. Prices are generally cheaper and you have the added benefit of not being surrounded by the often pricey processed foods you find in typical supermarkets. Try making vegetarian meals too – using beans, lentils or vegetables instead of meat is cheaper and comes at a lower environmental cost.
A beginner's guide to getting the best deal at the farmers' market
2.Choose second hand or repair
With all the fast fashion available these days it's so easy to buy new things when you get bored with your existing clothes or if they start to show wear and tear. Consider instead learning how to do basic repairs like iron on patches for holes in your jeans or sewing buttons back on.
How to: a guide to basic clothes mending
Another great idea is to buy from eBay, op shops, or try one of the new social media sites focused on selling, swapping or buying specific brands online. You can sell your pre-loved items while raising funds to buy 'new' items sold by other members.
3.Energy savers
The monthly or quarterly energy bill can be a big drain on household finances. Bills can be particularly high during the cooler months when you are running heaters and dryers more regularly. Luckily, there are a range of ways you can reduce your energy intake and your bills:
- Ditch your dryer and use a line or clotheshorse instead to save energy
- Replace appliances and bulbs with more energy efficient options
- Next time it's chilly, try popping on a jumper or snuggling up with a hot water bottle and blanket rather than automatically switching the heater on
4.Take your lunch and make your coffee at work
It's the oldest trick in the book for the budget conscious – always take your lunch. But did you know it's also a great way to protect the environment? If you re-use containers you'll be reducing the impact of single-use items like takeaway packaging and cutlery. Similarly, if you make your coffee at work the old fashioned way, you will be avoiding the waste associated with packaging whilst keeping your $4.00 in your pocket.
5. Join a cooperative
Cooperatives are often great ways to minimise your impact on the planet and save money. Vegetable box cooperatives, car share clubs and swapping/trading clubs are all great ways to tread more lightly on the earth whilst saving your bank balance.
Read more: How to join the sharing economy right now!
You can also consider a cooperative for your finances. Bank Australia is 100% customer owned, which means that the bank is able to give customers great value products and services without needing to deliver profits to shareholders. That means it can help you save money, plus you'll also help the planet because your bank isn't funding damaging fossil fuel projects.
CANSTAR estimates that Bank Australia customers are $A 23.5 million better off each year by choosing to bank with us over a major bank, so there is evidence to show that cooperatives offer great value.
6.Carry a water bottle
Single-use plastic water bottles are one of the biggest contributors to landfill. More than 100 million plastic bottles are used worldwide every day, and only 1 in 5 plastic bottles gets recycled, the rest end up in a landfill, or polluting the environment and our oceans. Consider a planet-friendly bottle that will last. If you normally buy bottled water daily, your new bottle will pay for itself within a week!
7.The best things in life are free
It's a cliché but it's true. Take a walk in the sunshine, head to the beach or a national park and enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that come from spending time in nature. The more you love nature and appreciate the natural environment in your community the more you will fight to protect it too.
Read this next: How to upcycle old socks!
Images: Shutterstock