Category: General

There are many of us that are getting more concerned about the planet, the environment and how things seem very bleak for the future of mankind. However, often, it can seem very expensive to be able to do things that will help the planet. With many of us committed to loan repayments, contracts, utilities, rent and other expenses we may not have any money left to pay for anything else. Buying more efficient electronics or offsetting the carbon we produce or producing our own electricity are all options that are out of reach for most people. However, there could be things that we could do that will help the environment and save us money.

• Use the car less and drive more efficiently – this can be tricky if we use the car a lot, but it is good to think about whether you can cut down those journeys. This could mean walking to places or combining several journeys together to save you going out several times. It is a great way to help the environment because it not only reduces emissions and air pollution but what you are paying in gas will go down. You will also see minor savings in reduced wear and tear on the vehicle.
• Waste less food – many of us waste food. This could be down to throwing away food that is left over as too much was cooked, letting things go off before we use them or binning food that children refuse to eat. Although the final item is very tricky to resolve the others are not. Try hard not to cook too much food and if there is any left overs pop it in the fridge to use up in the next few meals. Many foods can be warmed up and eaten as they are or used in another dish, depending on what they are. If things are going off, then you need to be more organised when shopping. Plan very carefully before you go, checking what you need and what you do no need. Then do not buy too much of things that will not last long. Consider buying tinned or frozen items rather than fresh, if you can, so that they will not go off so quickly. Also be careful with the dates on food. Try to buy items which have dates in the future but with certain things you can eat them after the date anyway, it all depends on what they are.
• Buy less one-use plastic – we use a lot of plastic just once and then throw it away. This can end up in land fill taking a very long time to be broken down or burnt and causing pollution. It is better to try not to buy it at all. You can cut down by taking your own carrier bags when shopping, taking your own refillable water bottle rather than buying a bottle and throwing it away and getting a reusable coffee cup. You can also carry your own metal straw and spoon (to avoid plastic stirrers). Some of these will save you money as you will be bringing your own water from home rather than buying a small bottle of it.
• Fly less – flying is a big cause of environmental damage because emissions happen further away from the earth and they are big. It is expensive to fly and so if you can find alternative transport or avoid going to places that require a flight, then you can make a big impact on your pocket as well as the environment.
• Buy second-hand goods – there are many thrift stores and online places that sell second hand goods. These can often be in new condition or almost as good as new. They can be a lot cheaper than new items as well. By buying second-hand you are reusing something and therefore not causing materials to be used up and energy used to make something. You are also preventing items from being thrown away. There might be certain items that you are not prepared to buy second hand, but even if you get a few things it will help and you will be able to save some money.
• Buy less – we all buy lots of things. Sometimes it is worth thinking about all of the things that you have bought and whether you really make good use of them all. It is good to think about whether you can reduce the amount of things that you are buying and therefore save money. While you are shopping, always ask yourself whether you really need the items. You can always return to the store if you decide not to buy them and change your mind later, but once you have something you will have it until you decide to throw it away or give it away.

There are many things that we do which would be considered as entertainment. This could be anything from going to the theatre, concerts or movies, listening to music or audiobooks, reading or watching the television. All of these things are likely to cost us money. If we are looking for ways to cut back, perhaps because we are short of money, want to save more money or have a loan to repay, then considering ways to reduce spending in this area could be worthwhile. There are many things that you can consider which might help you.

• Try using free resources – if you find that entertainment is costing rather too much then you might find that you will be able to take advantage of some free resources to keep the costs down. For example, if you enjoy reading then you could join a library and read books for free. You may also be able to watch movies and plays if you have a television package which has relevant channels and possibly not end up paying more than you are already for that. If it is the television that is expensive then it could be worth seeing if there is anything free that you could watch to replace it.
• Find deals – there are often deals around for different things and this expands to things in the entertainment sector as well. This means that it is worth searching around to see what you can find. Keep in mind what you want to do as you will find deals for all sorts of things and make sure that the deals really are as good as they seem. It is wise to always have a search online to see if there are any deals or coupons where you are able to save money.
• Try not to pay for more than you need – often when we buy things such as television packages we find that we are offered a big variety of things that we do not need. It is really important to think about what you really want and find something that gives you only that. If there is not that option then see whether you can negotiate with the provider to get what you do want. When you go to a show or the movies then you could be tempted to spend extra money of refreshments such as popcorn and soda and these can be really expensive to buy. Take your own or have some when you get home or before you go so that you do not have to pay out the extra money.
• Compare prices and choose the cheapest options – it is so important to compare prices. It can actually be so easy to forget about doing this and just renew your contract or go to where to where you normally go without looking at all of the options. You can often compare prices quite easily online and so it is worth doing this to find out whether you can find something better than what you normally do. This might not only help you to save money but you might even find some new places to go or new activities to do which are more fun than what you were doing before.
• Set a budget – if you need help in making sure that you do not overspend then it can be good to set yourself an affordable budget. Then you can make sure that all of your entertainment costs do not add up to more than this. It might mean that you will have to post phone activities or save up for things that go over budget, but it can be a great way of making sure that you are not spending too much.
• Tell others – if you tend to go to the movies with friends or watch tv with your family, make sure that they are aware that you need to cut down. If they know this then they may be less likely to try to persuade you to spend more than you can afford. Your friends may even be pleased as they may be struggling too and may need to cut down themselves.

These might all sound quite obvious, but it is wise to try to keep them in mind. It can be easy to forget about them and then end up spending more money than necessary. It is also worth planning carefully so that you do not end up doing more than you need to. It can be that we might easily spend more on entertainment than we need to because we are doing more than necessary. Consider whether you can cut back on some of your activities so that you end up spending less. It might feel difficult to cut back, but if you are spending too much, then you may need to do this. It could be that you could replace some of the more expensive ones with cheaper ones.