5 Simple Ways of Conserving

I mention recycling fairly often on my blog, but I think that recycling is a only a small part of energy conservation. Don't just recycle, reuse, re-purpose, use less and throw away less. I believe that a big part of it is attitude. 'What small things can I do today to make the world a better place?' Here are some of the things that I do, and yes I am aware that they don't make an enormous difference, but if everyone is doing small simple things to help the environment, it can make an enormous difference.

1. Reusable grocery bags- I love these. They're bigger and easier to carry than multiple plastic bags and they save me money. For every time you use one of these at Target they take 5 cents off your total. Every time you use one of these at Smith's, you get 5 points, which essentially translates to a 5 cent reward towards future grocery purchases.
2. Reuse cooking water- I realize this is not always easy to do, but when I boil pasta or corn I drain the water into a container instead of the sink and pour it on my garden after it cools. I also pour half-full luke warm glasses of water on my lawn instead of down the drain.
3. Save and reuse popsicle sticks- Why should I pay for popsicle sticks for craft projects when I rinse off the hundreds that we go through around here and use those?
4. Reuse plastic grocery bags- Even with using the cloth bags I still get these sometimes. I make a point of not throwing them away. I use them to line the small garbage cans in our bathrooms and the office. I keep a couple in my car to hold trash, or soiled children's clothing. They're also good for wrapping Christmas ornaments or fragile items when moving.
5. Reuse paper- You know those credit card and insurance offers that you're always getting in the mail?  I use the back sides of those papers to print coupons. I also use them to write my to do lists on. I use the envelopes to hold my coupons divided by grocery store. I've printed coupons on the backsides of bills before. I also maneuver it so I always print at least 2 coupons per sheet of paper. Junk mail can also be used for paper mache or for small children to color on.

Here are a couple of other posts I have written in the past about things you can do to help the environment that will also save you money.

Ways to save money that are good for the environment too.


More ways to save money that are good for the environment.

Ways to save money on your utility bills in the summer.

What things do you do to help out the environment?