Hippyshopper guide to saving the green way
More often than not, a happy side-effect of adopting a more eco-friendly lifestyle is that it saves you money. But what about those instances where the green choice is also the pricier option?
We all know that organic, fairtrade and hand-made items are all more expensive than their more mass produced counterparts, and when it comes to holidays, flying is often the cheapest way to travel, even within the UK. If things are really tight, you might want to opt for 'budget' products sold in supermarkets, including cheaply produced meat. Suddenly, those penny-pinching schemes begin to look a lot less green...
We've compiled a list of ways you can save money while based on our own hectic lives. Read on to find out why frugality really is the greenest option when you put your mind to it.
1. Get rid of the car
Walking or cycling are not only better for the environment, they're also better for your health - not to mention cheaper. If you live in a city, you should be able to get where you need to go by public transport. Most people who say they need a car really don't; a 30 minute walk into work gives you your recommended minimum daily exercise and cost you absolutely nothing.
2. Go Camping
If you've been taking the entire household on holiday to Egypt every year and going driving every day, take a summer out and go camping instead. Not only can you find loads of free entertainment for your family to amuse themselves, you'll actually find you spend a lot more time relaxing rather than rushing around trying to catch flights. If you need reminding of just how much fun sleeping beneath the stars can be, then have a look at Happy Campers, which has a great campsite guide, including a dedicated list of those sites that allow campfires -- a must in my book!
Alternatively, the UK has a growing network of eco-friendly B&Bs, which will give you the chance to experience the countryside without having to pitch any tents or discover the fun of campsite toilets! Last year, I visited Mount Pleasant B&B in Cornwall, and had a really wonderful time hanging out with the chickens that had laid my breakfast eggs! The Green Tourism website has a good list of places to stay that have been accredited for their sustainable methods.
3. Ditch the ready meals
In some lists like these, you'll be advised to buy ready meals as a cost-cutting measure. Pay no heed! Any ready meal that's so cheaply-made it's more affordable than buying ingredients fresh is likely to be nutritionally dubious, and will probably taste awful too. And it's often the case that they cost more anyway. Added to this, ready meals are full of chemicals, come in masses of packaging and any animal products they contain are likely to have been inethically reared.
If you're in so much of a hurry you need to consider ready meals as an option, get some quick-cook pasta, chuck in some tomatoes, olive oil, pine nuts and fresh basil and you've got a fresh, tasty meal that costs you a few pence. There are loads of quick and inexpensive meal ideas online, so why not look into making a few, freezing them, and heating them in the microwave later?
4. Meat's a treat
I find I save a lot of money being veggie, but if you do eat meat you'll need to think especially carefully about what sort to eat while penny-pinching. You don't want to save money by buying poor-quality meat that's been intensively farmed, so if you don't want to give up meat, why not start to see it as more of a 'treat' that you have a couple of times a week, and allow yourself to spend what you save on other products on decent quality meat?
5. Switch off your stuff
Get into the habit of checking your TV, monitor, lights and other gadgets aren't left on when you're not using them. Start being more aware of what you leave on around the house from today, and you'll be surprised how many times you forget.
