Have you wanted to create a greener lifestyle, but thought to yourself “All of these eco-friendly products are just too expensive!”. You are not alone! Eco-conscious or sustainable products are often made with durable, high-quality materials, and that can reflect in a HIGH price tag.
But do not lose hope! There are so many ways to go green today that are FREE. Whether this is your first go at becoming more sustainable or if you have been making changes for a while, my 5 Free Ways to Go Green Today are budget-friendly essentials.
1. Refuse Items You Do Not Need
Refuse has become that latest addition to the famous mantra “Reduce, Reuse Recycle”, slipping right in at the beginning, as it should be.
“Refusing” stops a product from unnecessarily wandering into your life just to be thrown away later.
For example, I am from New Jersey so naturally, I love bagels. I love them so much actually that I probably purchase a bagel weekly. Every time I purchase a bagel though they give me napkins, a brown paper bag, and plastic silverware.
If you are like me, then you already know deep down that this bagel will be eaten as you drive to your destination, never even seeing the true light of day, thus there is absolutely no use for a bag, silverware, or napkins. In all honesty, the bag is an obstacle to reach the bagel as I drive.
To avoid this though I now make sure to Refuse all the accessories I will never use, thus diverting unnecessary waste!
Though this example may be specific, try to think of at least 2 areas of your life where you accept things that you just end up throwing away without using.
This could be the freebie at the make-up counter, the plastic bag for the one item you purchased at the store, or the Black Friday Deal you do not need.
Over time all of these small Refusals make a big difference, making it a powerful FREE way to go green today.
2. Reuse Items You Already Own
Reusing items is the essential way that is often forgotten about to go green today for literally no extra money.
Are you known to enjoy some pasta and sauce or maybe you prefer salsa and chips? Well, Guess What? If you clean those jars and strip the label you will be left with a gorgeous set of reusable glass containers in no time!
Why spend $30-$50 on glass containers to bring your lunch in, when you already purchase them in your daily groceries!
Looking to clean your home without using paper towels? Take two old T-shirts you say you will wear again (but you know should be garbage) and cut them into cute cleaning rags instead!
Ultimately, reusing items in your home is a key way to begin going green today. It can be as imaginative as transforming one object into another or as simple as always bringing the same grocery bags you got the first time back to the store. The sky is truly the limit.
3. BYO (Bring Your Own)
This brings me to the third item on the list which is BYO or “Bring Your Own”. Bring Your Own is sort of like the fun cousin of refuse and reuse. When you think about BYO it just makes sense but is often forgotten because of the little extra effort it requires.
Back to my earlier example about bagels. Maybe you aren’t like me, and maybe instead of wolfing down your take out in your car like an animal, you wait until you reach your destination.
THUS, the silverware and napkins provide value to you.
Instead of using theirs, simply bring what you need from home! Oftentimes plastic silverware barely even does the job, so instead of buying a $20 bamboo cutlery set, just bring your own silverware from home and wash it when you get back. It is truly that simple!
Some other examples of BYO include:
BYOGB: Bring Your Own Grocery Bag – any bag in your house will do, my vegetables haven’t complained yet
BYOWB: Bring Your Own Water Bottle – this will even SAVE you money
BYOM: Bring Your Own Mug -An essential for Coffee Lovers everywhere
4. Ask For Eco-Friendly Items
There are some items that are just better if you buy instead of DIY. A great way to go green for FREE today is to ask for these items as gifts!
Most eco-friendly items fall between the price range of $5-$50 dollars, making them great gift items, but just slightly too pricey to want to buy yourself.
So ask for them! Do you have a relative who is a terrible gift giver and you always grin and bear it? Next year let it be known you want an eco-friendly item and finally enjoy a great gift.
Most of the items I have acquired over the years, or items I wanted to try, but not buy, I have asked for as gifts. This has been an awesome opportunity to build a stock of durable, long-lasting items, without any cost to myself.
Additionally, it has inspired many of the gift-givers to purchase something for themself as well! Making everyone involved a bit more eco-friendly, yay!
If you are interested in some Sustainable Essentials I would recommend, check out my Sustainable Swaps Guide. This guide will help inspire your wish list for years to come!
5. Swap With Friends
Last, but certainly not least is SWAP. Swapping is a great way to trade out some of your unwanted clutter for items you need. Do you know some other friends or family members looking for certain items that you have extra of? See if they can trade you for something you want or need!
There are often situations where you simply have too much of one thing and not enough of another.
Some Things I Often Swap For Are:
- Reusable Grocery Bags or Totes
- Cloth Napkins or Hand Towels
- Storage Bins or Containers
- Clothing
- Kitchenware
By creating swaps with friends you have 1) gotten rid of something you no longer needed without throwing it out, and 2) gained something you did need for free.
This is a win-win option for going Green for Free Today!
Ultimately, going green today does not have to be expensive or hard! I hope these options I provided you have demonstrated how the 5 Ways to Go Green for Free Today are easily doable! If you have enjoyed this post, check out How To Build Green Habits to learn how to further kickstart your sustainability journey!
