Best Green Living

Every month, when you analyse your monthly household expenditures, do you notice an increase as compared to previous months? It may just be ten dollars or a hundred dollars but it is definitely on the rise.  If you are not paying attention, it can surprise you one day when suddenly you don’t have enough to pay the bills.  Or even worse, you get a raise from your stingy boss but when you actually get the few extra dollars in your paycheck you find the money is already spent. 

Here are five simple tips that you can use and adapt to your daily life to help reduce your overall household expenses.

1. Cut up your toothpaste tube.
When you can no longer squeeze out any toothpaste from the tube, just cut it in-half. There is some more toothpaste left that can last you for a couple of days if you have a large family. If you live alone or with your spouse only, the extra toothpaste can last up to five days or even more.

2. Do not throw away that old bar of soap.
As your wash your hands with soap on a daily basis, the bar will become smaller and smaller until it is almost unusable. Instead of throwing it away, simply stick the old bar of soap onto the new one. Just make sure both of them are wet when sticking them together.

3. Install water saving kit in your toilet tank.
When flushing the toilet, the amount of water used is usually more than is required. By installing a water saving kit in the cistern, the amount of water saved can be as much as three gallons per month.

4. Use the fan
Whenever possible, use the fan. The air conditioner is a major contributor to your utility bill. By using the fan, not only are you saving on your utility bill, you are also building up your body’s tolerance to heat. Your chances of getting heat exhaustion or heat stroke during the hot summer season are greatly reduced.

5. Recycle those junk letters.
Each month, you will probably received a dozen or more letters from direct mailing companies in your mailbox. Some of these letters are printed on one side only. Collect these letters and combined them into a writing pad. You can also used them to print draft documents. Besides saving money, you are also saving a lot of trees.

Start cultivating these useful habits today and make them a part of your daily life. You will be pleasantly pleased when you notice your household expense start to decline bit by bit as time goes on.