Trading Up Downtown

Al Gore’s 2006 documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth”, scared me. It changed my life. I went from completely ignorant of environmental issues to a tree-hugging hippie. Ok, not quite hippies, but you get what I mean.

Over the year after watching that documentary, my husband and I began to make changes to our lives. It’s nothing drastic, however, changing our diet to organic, growing our own food, etc. We expected our cost of living to increase, but we were glad to pay it for the environment.

So imagine our surprise when we looked through our annual accounts and discovered that our cost of living decreased. And here I thought attaching our lives to Walmart is best for our finances. Guess I was wrong.

Upon a deeper look at the accounts, I found out why living an eco-friendly lifestyle can save you money.

1. Reduce Your Grocery Expense

The biggest savings we had is for our groceries – despite the fact that we switched over to organic. The reason is simple. Even though we switched to organic, we also bought less food.

My husband converted our previously unproductive lawn and backyard into a food garden. We grew most of our vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes and the likes) and we traded them with some of our friends we met at a farmer’s market for those that we need but didn’t have (like apples, watermelon, etc).

Talking about farmer’s market, we also met and built relationship with a couple of local farmers and people of the same mind. A handful gathered together and did a group buy from a local farmer, saving us hundreds over the months.

2. Making My Own Cleaning Products

Most people wrongly assumed cleaning products are complex to make. That’s what the ads are there for – to convince us that the product it’s selling are developed in some lab by a scientist and that there’s no other way if you want to be safe from bacteria.

But that is simple not the case. Often you can make cleaning products that are just as effective with household ingredients like vinegar, lemon, baking soda, etc. I even go so far as to make my own shampoo and soap, although that’s not quite as easy to make as a toilet spray, for example. Soaps and shampoos took me 3 tries over 3 days to get right.

These products again saved us hundreds over the year, considering we no longer need to buy costly moisturizer, cleanser, body lotion and heck, we didn’t even need professional help cleaning our carpet! We used merely used our own formula!

To get started, simply do a simple Google search on “how to make my own cleaning products”. There is a multitude of advice out there.

3. Reduce Your Medical Bill

At first, living an eco-friendly life didn’t seem to matter much health-wise, but if you record everytime you fall sick, you’ll soon notice a pattern. Living an environmentally friendly life equals living a healthier life, I have no doubt about it.

For example, by switching to organic, you’re avoiding the pesticides and herbicides that conventional farmers use to kill insects. Organic farmers, on the other hand, use traditional methods to keep those pests away. Some people mistakenly think that the pesticide levels found in conventional food is below the acceptable level but multiple studies have shown otherwise.

Not only that, conventionally-raised animals are often confined to small cages and are unable to move for their whole lives. They are then fed grains, or animal feed (which sometimes contain their own species’ meat thus making them cannibalistic) and injected with hormones to make them grow fat faster.

These animals are no longer healthy when they are slaughtered and their toxins-ridden, excess-hormone-filled meat sold to unsuspecting customers. Is it any wonder people fall sick when they consumer these meat?

Recently, there are even reports of “fake beef” – a practice widely practiced but kept tightly secret in the butchering industry. A butcher may sell you a steak, when in fact it’s meat from other less desirable parts glued together so even a trained eye couldn’t tell it apart. These butchers use something called a “meat glue”, a chemical banned in many countries yet still practiced in some parts of the developed world, like Australia. Meat glue, of course, is banned if you like to display the organic logo, but it’s perfectly legal for conventional meat.

4. Reduce Your Transport Bill

I used to drive my children to school everyday. Not sure when the tradition started but that’s just the way it is in our house.

After converting our lifestyle, however, we’ve bought the kids bicycles and they ride them to school instead. The school is about 20 minutes away from our house so over the year, you can imagine how much we saved in gas alone.

And not only that, it’s seeing how much they enjoyed their new bikes inspired us to get one for our own! Instead of driving to town to pick up small items like ketchup or the dry cleaning, my husband and I simply rode the bike together to get these things. Of course, we also got our much needed daily exercise!

These “negligible” trips amount to more than you would expect in a year. I highly suggest anyone who is skeptical to start keeping track of how many times these trips happen over a month then multiply that number by the distance of that trip. 

So there you are, 4 ways living an eco-friendly life saved us money. These are just the beginning, of course, so please share your story in the comments!

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When not out building relationships with other bloggers, Krisca Te can be found reading blogs that tackle how to save money. She is also a personal finance freak who is currently working with CCF, a personal finance blog that writes about financial literacy and provides tips using tools like a budget spreadsheet.

This blog post is written by a guest blogger and does not necessarily represent the views of NuVal LLC or Topco.

Students who attend colleges in large cities often succumb to the temptation to eat out often since there are so many great restaurants to choose from. However, there are drawbacks to doing this on a regular basis. It’s often better for students’ budgets and their health to eat in rather than going out all the time.

When students eat out often they can end up spending a large portion of their limited budgets on food. Even eating at fast food restaurants can get expensive. Eating out also takes away a lot of control over which ingredients are used in the foods students eat. Restaurant food is notorious for being full of fat and salt. On the other hand, if students cook for themselves they can save money and keep more control over what’s in their food, allowing them to make healthier versions of the foods they love while controlling the calories. Students may have a hard time finding time to cook for themselves all the time between cramming the library, doing work for college classes online,  and of course enjoying the city, but the extra effort isn’t as demanding as many think, and can help lower the risk of unhealthy weight gain and a number of health conditions later in life.

Colleges’ campus health services usually recommend college students keep a supply of healthy foods in their dorm rooms to use for snacks, and breakfast foods to make sure they always have something healthy to eat in the morning.

Other tips to help college students eat cheaply and easily include:

1) Take advantage of the dining hall if a meal plan is included in tuition. Many schools require students, or sometimes only first-year students, to purchase at least some meals each term. Stay away from the fried options and focus on the salad bar, lean protein sources, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Try to avoid sampling the desserts too liberally, too.

2) Healthy breakfast foods are relatively inexpensive and easy to prepare. Many require no cooking or just heating up in the microwave, which is perfect for busy college students. Stock up on easy options like dry cereal, milk, oatmeal, fresh fruit, peanut butter, and whole grain bread, bagels, or English muffins. In a pinch you can always have breakfast for dinner as well. Many of these foods also make great snacks for anytime.

3) If you have access to a full kitchen and know how to cook, you can learn how to make a few simple dishes you enjoy and make them go-to recipes when you have time to cook. You can even cook extra and freeze meals in single-serving portions for extra-busy days.

4) Salads and sandwiches are also easy to prepare and potentially healthy options, as long as they’re made with lean meat and salads aren’t doused with dressing. The options are endless, and students can save money by purchasing vegetables in season or save time by purchasing prepared salad greens that are already washed and chopped.

5) Following the US Department of Agriculture guidelines for healthy eating can help students eat foods in the right proportions for good health. This means half of each plate should consist of vegetables and fruits.

While urban college students may enjoy eating out, it’s usually both less expensive and healthier to eat in. It does take more time and effort, but also gives students more control over what they eat. This can help keep students from gaining the so-called freshman fifteen, and save a few bucks to enjoy other aspects of city life.

You want to be thrifty with your money, but not cheap with your family. You want both a frugal and healthy lifestyle. We understand.

That’s why we’re providing 10 easy tips on how to save money on groceries without sacrificing quality. We believe you can have your carrot cake and eat it, too—just maybe with the help of a few coupons.

Write your grocery list at home.

We all know we’re supposed to write grocery lists, but on a busy day, it can seem like just another chore. However, writing a grocery list and sticking to it can help you save time at the grocery store while avoiding impulse buys.

Temple University’s “Wise Choices” grocery guide even recommends writing your list to conform to the grocery store’s layout, sorting the items by aisle.

Remember to bring your grocery rewards credit card.

Did you know a grocery credit card could earn you up to 5% cash back on groceries? Also, some rewards credit cards offer points for grocery purchases which you can trade in for lots of useful stuff.

So, if you have a grocery rewards credit card, make sure you remember to bring it for grocery runs. It might be helpful to write a reminder for yourself at the top of your grocery list.

Leave the kids at home, but bring another adult.

If you can, find a babysitter for younger kids so you don’t have to bring them grocery shopping. Responsible teens in the neighborhood can provide low-cost babysitting services.

Many kids like shopping, but they will often slow you down and talk you into buying less healthy, more costly items.

On the other hand, it can be good to bring another adult, like your partner or roommate. If you both go over the shopping list together, you can hold each other accountable for sticking to it.

Eat before you go.

Have you ever heard you should dress up to go clothes shopping so you don’t buy something pricey out of embarrassment? The same concept holds true for grocery shopping.

If you go grocery shopping while hungry, your stomach will tempt you to buy things your brain knows you can’t afford.

Find coupons in the Sunday paper and online.

As in the old days, grocery coupons can still be found in the Sunday paper. Now, they are also online, on sites like coupons.com.

Be smart when it comes to coupons, however. If you’re getting $2 off on an item you don’t need and weren’t planning to buy, are you really saving money? Use coupons for the items already on your grocery list instead.

When in season, buy fresh fruits and veggies.

Fresh fruits and vegetables are healthy and tasty. When making dinner, serving fresh vegetables on the side and fruits for desert can help you slim down your grocery budget, not to mention your figure.

Buy larger packages of food, but avoid “warehouse bulk.”

We found this tip in “Common Sense Ways You Could Save $5,000 – $10,000 (or More) Over the Next Year,” an article published by the U.S. Department of Justice. The article points out that most families can’t go through large amounts of food before they spoil.

So, if you want to save money by buying bulk, focus on the largest amount of food your family can reasonably finish before the expiration date, not just on the price tag.

Limit purchases of prepared and prepackaged foods.

This tip is also from the Department of Justice’s “Common Sense” list. Prepackaged foods are usually more expensive and less healthy.

Now, we know it’s hard to avoid them in this day and age, but you could try setting a budget to limit how many prepared foods you buy per trip. Stocking up on Ziploc baggies also helps—just prepare food at home and bag it up to take to work or school.

Before hitting the checkout aisle, look over your cart again.

This is where it helps to have another trustworthy adult. After filling up your cart, go through it one last time to assess whether you really need the items you grabbed, or whether a few impulse buys snuck in. If you know you have to show your partner or roommate what you bought, you’ll be less tempted to cheat.

Again, we realize you’re not perfect. If you know you’re going to end up with one or two impulse items, at least budget for them. For example, you and your partner could limit yourselves to 50 cents each for impulse buys. At least that way, you guys will leave with a pack of gum and small bag of licorice instead of a big box of junk food.

After you cash out, check your receipt for errors.

After you’re done shopping, Temple University’s “Wise Choices” guide recommends scanning your receipt to look for price errors and ensure you received the right change.

As an added bonus, you could find coupons in your receipt you wouldn’t have noticed if you had just shoved it in your pocket.

Of course, it’s polite to wheel your shopping cart out of the way first!

Daniela Baker with CreditDonkey says, “Isn’t it funny how our parents’ advice always finds its way back to us as grown-ups?” The fact is, these age-old strategies have survived for a reason—they really work. If you apply them each time you go shopping, not only will you save money on groceries without sacrificing quality, you will actually be able to afford better quality food!