How to stop your money walking out on you

One thing that really gets my goat is waste. Food waste. Wasting time and money. The list goes on. There are plenty of ways to minimise waste, with composting and recycling being two popular ones. Here’s a quick list of tricks and tips, to help minimise your household waste while you stack some cash.

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Reduce

There’s a lot of water leaving homes and that water is also washing away money. The leaky taps and showers in the bathroom may sound and look like a slow drip, but over time these can be very costly.

Do this: 

Fix leaks, drips and cracked pipes as soon as you recognise a problem.

If you’re fortunate enough to have a swimming pool in the backyard, invest in pool covers and rollers. Most people think that covers are only good for covering a pool when not in use. But think about the amount of water that can evaporate off the surface on a steaming hot day. Now imagine your money floating off the top of that pool in that heat.

Do this: 

Cover your pool – always.

Kids turn lights on and forget to turn them off. Adults walk out of rooms to do something in a rush and forget to turn lights off. Would you like your money to walk out of a room on you? Well, that’s effectively what you are doing if you don’t manage your light-switching on-and-off habits.

Do this: 

Get into the habit of turning off lights and invest in LED and lower watt bulbs to reduce consumption.

Reuse

Wherever you can, reuse what you have.

Do this: 

• Buy and take reusable shopping bags to the supermarket
• Refill a water bottle from the tap
• Send lunches off in lunch boxes to avoid using cling wrap
• Consider installing solar panels to reuse the sun’s awesomeness

Tip: Click here to learn more about solar energy and the benefits. Powering the home with mostly solar energy is a smart and efficient way to save money.

Recycle

Do these – all small actions have a big effect: 

Nappies:

If you are a parent, nappies are the one thing you don’t want to have to think about but you must manage. The number of disposables that end up in landfill is crazy.  Why not swap to cloth versions? There are awesome snap-and-go nappies now that are cute and functional.

Paper:

Recycle office paper by giving it to kids to colour in. Use as notepaper in the office instead of buying new notebooks.  Also give the kids old envelopes to draw on. These can also be used to store small items neatly in a drawer or box.

Gift Bags:

Gift bags and wrapping paper can also be reused if opened carefully. You’ll also save yourself a trip to the shops where you might be tempted to buy something else or overspend.

There are many ways to reduce household waste. Build on the basic concepts above over time. Save money and get eco-friendly.

Get some great karma too! The Earth always gives back.