Eco Friendly Money Saving

Today I am not feeling 100% so, instead of focusing on the negative, I am going to write about ways that I have made eco friendly choices that have saved me money. I also will write about choices I made for health reasons around the house.

Glass Tupperware and Water Bottles

I love having glass tupperware and think that it is really important. People say that BPA free plastic is fine, as long as you aren't heating anything up. One thing we don't always take into account is that we may not be microwaving plastic tupperware, but putting hot food into it is just as bad. I use glass and let things cool before I put the plastic lid on top OR I use a special fabric cover that I will write about next. There are so many options on amazon. Glass doesn't leach, so it is an easy fix!

Fabric Bowl Covers

I got this one on Etsy.com and love it. It is perfect for storing things in the fridge or for transporting a potluck dish to someone's home. It also serves as a great conversation starter about what one can do to make little changes in their home to reduce waste and stop using as much plastic. I don't even know the last time I got cling wrap or anything like that. 

Fabric Napkins, Dish Towels, and Cotton Swabs

This is a money saver, its super cute, and I am not super into all of the bleach and chemicals used to make cotton swabs. I got both of these items from a seller called GreenLittleNest on Etsy.com. The napkins run around $1 a piece and the cotton rounds run about 50 cents a piece. Those are both pretty low prices considering you never need to buy either of the disposable ones again AND it is an eco friendly choice. To wash them, I just put them in either my delicates bag or a little mesh bag and throw it in with my regular wash. I also make sure to have lots of small dish towels laying around because I have not bought paper towels in years. Even the ones made from recycled paper use a lot of energy to make. With all of these paper products, less demand means less resources used and less trucks traveling and polluting the air to bring us things.

Tin Foil Replacement

Replacing tin foil, wax paper, muffin tins/liners, and other items around the house with silicone has been very easy. This baking sheet liner comes in a standard size and then a toaster oven size at Sur La Table or on Amazon.com. While silicone still leaches a little bit, it definitely is not as much as plastic and these products were a one time cost instead of constantly buying things that I wind up throwing away after use. 

Microwave

There are so many opposing views and studies on microwaves. I don't have one. There is nothing an oven cant do that I microwave can. Instead of worrying about whether or not a microwave is going to make a difference in my health and the nutrients in my food, I just don't bother with one. 

I'm sure I will come up with more tips and tricks as I go and I am sure that I am forgetting a few things. I'll share more as I go!