Guest Post: Greening Your Home on a Budget

Living a more sustainable lifestyle doesn’t need to blow your budget.

There are plenty of small but impactful changes we can make in our homes that are better for the planet and often better for us too. Much like being in a relationship, it’s those tiny, daily things we do that matter.

Here are five simple tips to live a more eco-friendly life with your whole family without breaking the bank, whatever shade of green you consider yourself:

• Embrace Meal Prepping
  Prepping your meals has built in accountability for your bottom line because it helps to reduce the food you buy and the food you waste. If you’ve already prepped the food, you’re less likely to toss it out or give in to the urge to order take out since it’s ready to eat. There are plenty of free meal prepping recipes to help you feel inspired. To save money, plan your meals after you see what is on sale at your local grocery store.
• Organize Your Trash
  Speaking of food waste, setting up a proper disposable system for all your home’s trash is important. Not only is this a smart move to ensure garbage is put in its place, but you’ll also learn a ton about where your family can lessen waste. To get started, organize a space for your compost, recyclables, and trash in your kitchen. I also recommend placing a container in all your bathrooms to collect empty bottles and toilet rolls for recycling.
• Mend Your Clothes
  Take a break from fast fashion and love the clothes you own. I’m the first to admit I can’t sew a button on straight but finding a local dress maker who can patch and repair clothes has kept them from the garbage and saved me money. That’s a win-win in my book.
• Make Your Cleaners
  Castile soap, vinegar and baking soda are the only budget-friendly staple ingredients you need to make a ton of green cleaning recipes that work. Skip this step if you’re not a DIYer but take the time to check out how the cleaners you are using rate on EWG’s healthy cleaning database to see if you could be buying better.
• Open Your Windows
  This is my favourite way to start going green because it’s free and easy. We spend hours upon hours in our home, and all of our habits of daily living (beauty products, cooking, cleaning) can contribute to unhealthy air within in our homes. Opening your windows every day, even in the winter, helps release the buildup of VOCs and refreshes your space.

The best way to go green at home is simply to begin! Which tip will you choose to work on first?

Sara Vartanian is the founder of Green Moms Collective a resource for living well in motherhood with stories from mothers and tips from wellness experts. When she’s not wiping green smoothies off her boys’ faces, she loves to write about easy ways to detox your home and beauty routine as well as simplifying life for a happier family.