Like many people, I have a hard time saving money. Whenever I receive extra money, I want to spend it on frivolous things. Temptations are everywhere. It’s so easy to spend money, making it harder to do the opposite.
Lately, I see a link between how we spend money and how our over-consumption is damaging the planet and its ecosystem. We don’t have unlimited resources to frivolously spend just because we are bored. I am desperately looking for a different way to live my life.
I thought it would be nice to save money and live sustainably at the same time. Saving money would give peace of mind. It’s nice to know that there is money in my bank account in case of an emergency. I also want to choose what I do for work and how long I am willing to work.
Here is my plan for saving money while taking care of the planet.
Spend less money to save the earth
Sustainable living has a reputation of being very expensive. When the production is ethical and sustainable, it costs more. If you replace everything you own with sustainable products, it will be very expensive.
There is another way to live more sustainably, without spending too much money: stop buying things constantly! Overproduction and overconsumption are the biggest causes of environmental damages. Not only does it take so much energy to produce and ship items across the world, those products are thrown away only after a few years or even months, becoming hazardous garbage. If you think about it, the best sustainable practice is to not spend money on new items.
To save the earth and the money, I should start living with less. I read that we can have a richer spiritual life if we surround ourselves with less stuff, written by a buddhist monk. It sounds great to live with a calm zen mind like those monks do, doesn’t it?
Buying less is also a better strategy for saving money. People focus on buying more with less money, searching for better deals and sales, but I can be saving more money if I just stop buying more than necessary. I will also be saving time, since it takes so much time and effort to find better deals and discounts.
9 rules for saving money sustainably
I know numerous advantages of spending less money, but I still struggle to actually do it. Changing my lifestyle is not simple, after all. So I came up with rules that would allow me to save money and the planet.
Buy clothes only once or twice a year
Clothes can be expensive both financially and environmentally. We make way too many clothes and it is harming our planet. Unlike food and shelter, it’s easy to cut back on clothes. Yet, if we are not careful, temptations are everywhere. When we are walking down streets or scrolling down on social media, smart advertisers are making efforts to make us buy more.
I have a simple solution to this: I will make a rule to buy clothes once or twice a year. I will check my wardrobe once or twice a year, preferably before the warm season and cold season start. I will check if any of my clothes need to be replaced and make a list of pieces that I need to buy.
It’s simple and efficient. I also know how much I will spend on clothes each year.
Don’t buy because it’s on sale
I find it harder to resist buying when it is on sale. It makes me feel like I don’t want to miss the opportunity to save money. It is better for me to make a rule to stay away from sales and discounts. I will save more money by not buying.
Buy second-hand
To save money and the earth, I will prioritize buying second-hand. They are usually cheaper and, most importantly, better for the planet.
Don’t stock and buy when things run out
When we are saving money, we can get a better deal if we buy things in bulk. If we count individually, it is cheaper to get in bulk, but there is a risk of not being able to use all of them. I don’t know about you, but when I buy something to stock, I tend to forget about having them. They will stay in my closet for many years and when I notice it, I no longer need it.
For me, it’s much simpler to buy things when I run out of them. It will be less wasteful and I can also keep my room cluster-free.
Buy cheaper food that is about to expire
I decided to stay away from sales and discounts, everything except for foods. Food waste is a serious problem in our society. We don’t get to waste any food that is so vital for us.
By prioritizing on buying the discount food that is about to expire, I can save money and also the food that is going to be wasted. It’s a double-win.
Cook food at home
Cooking takes time and effort, but it can save money in the long run. Pre-made foods and take-out foods are more expensive. Also we eat more fresh vegetables if we cook for ourselves.
There are some days that I really don’t want to cook, but I can do it to save money and live more serenely.
Use one product for many purposes
Now we have products for each part of our body or to clean each part of the house. That means we have to spend more money on each of these products. In most cases, a simple all purpose product can take care of anything.
I have been using one product for cleaning and washing clothes. I also simplified my skin care routine to a single product for moisturizing and another one against the UV ray. It is definitely saving me a lot of money.
Stay away from social media
Like many people, I spend too much time on social media. I just want to see what people post and stay connected with friends, but as I scroll, ads for new products appear and I can’t ignore them.
It is hard not to think about buying new things, when I am on social media. It would be better for me to limit my time from it.
Find sustainable hobbies
Like spending so much time on social media, I notice that I spend most of my free time on shopping. I grew up in a culture where shopping was the main activity to pass time. I socialize while shopping. It also gives me some time for exercising by walking. So when I am giving up shopping, I need to find other ways to spend my free time.
There are many alternatives. I like spending time reading. I can enjoy art, play sports, enjoy walking in nature, gardening, etc. It will take some time to get used to doing different activities, but I do want to be able to enjoy different things.
When I have more than enough money to spend
When I am struggling with money, it’s easy to save money and be smart, because I have to. It is when I have more than enough money, things get more complicated. I start thinking about what I can buy with the extra money that I got. I think about upgrading my life by buying new things. It’s an obsession.
If I want to keep saving money and protecting the planet, I need some additional rules for the time when I have more money that I spend.
Spend money in small businesses
It is harder and harder to determine if a company is ethical and eco-friendly. It takes so much time and effort to research each company, so I just give up.
I believe it’s easier to spend money on small businesses that don’t mass produce their products. I think the environmental impact of smaller companies is less than the bigger corporations.
Spend money on experience and services
There are other ways to spend money than buying more stuff. We can spend money to have new experiences. Rather than filling my life with a bunch of stuff that I probably won’t need in a couple of months, I can spend money to learn new things.
I can see and discover new places. I can take lessons to learn new skills. It would be a better way to spend my money without taking up too much resources.
Spend money on the press
In today’s world, information is free and abundant but unreliable. That’s why we need good journalism more than ever. Because of the amount of free information available on the internet, journalism has been struggling to survive. If I have extra money, I would spend it on the good press.
It is an on-going process
I can’t change the way I live my life overnight. Change takes time. It is frustrating and my bad habits probably come back from time to time. But I really do want alternative ways to spend time on this earth. I think it’s worth making some effort.
