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Trying to save money when you have a family sounds like a nightmare. There are multiple people in your home, all of whom have different wants and needs, to consider. However, it is possible to not only lower your spending but also teach your children to care for the planet. Here are some tips that you should start following at home.
Repair What is Broken
Too many people nowadays choose to toss an item that is malfunctioning or broken and buy a new one. If it can be repaired, it will save you money and prevent another electronic item from ending up in a landfill.
Call a local appliance repairman if your air conditioner, refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, etc. stops working properly.
Your household appliances have a negative environmental impact. Unless you are using clean energy sources, these electronic devices get power from the grid, which emits tons of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The U.S. still mostly relies on energy sources that are not considered environmentally-friendly.
Moreover, your electronics use rare metals that need to be mined from the earth, which has numerous consequences, and only a small portion of electronics that are thrown away actually get recycled. Repairing what is broken, therefore, will save you money and save the plant.
Stop Buying Food and Beverages Outside
A sandwich will cost less if you make it at home from scratch versus buying it from a store. Your cup of coffee in the morning is way overpriced. Eating takeout instead of a packed lunch is preventing you from saving money at the end of the day.
These purchases might seem small, but they quickly add up. If you spend $5 for a latte, for example, every morning before work, at the end of the month, you would have spent $100 on coffee alone.
Making your food at home may require a lot of work, but it will save you so much money. A bag of beans does not cost much. Brewing your coffee at home is easy and quick, too.
For meals, you do not have to wake up extra early every day. Learn how to meal prep, a practice in which you create meals in advance, and then you put it in a refrigerator to be microwaved when it is time to eat. Some meal preppers spend an entire afternoon to cook meals that they would eat for the rest of the week.
Not only does making your food and beverages at home save you money, but you also cut unnecessary waste. Takeout usually comes with excessive plastic packaging, which you should have learned by now is bad for the environment. Even your to-go paper coffee cups are lined with plastic. Start bringing food whenever you go to work or school.
Buy Second-Hand
There are tons of items out there that are pre-loved but are still in great condition. You do not have to buy a new item every time you need or want something. You can go to thrift stores or use apps to find absolutely anything under the sun.
Thrifting, thankfully, has become not just acceptable but popular among young people. On YouTube or Instagram, you see social media celebrities wearing clothes they purchased from Salvation Army or Depop. Buying second hand is a source of pride because you save money and the environment at the same time!
These are only three tips that will save your family money and instill a love for the environment among your kids. Following these tips, hopefully, will change your lifestyle for the better.
