With Earth Day coming up next week, you’re probably seeing a flood of “sustainable” products promising to help you go green.
And while it’s great to support eco-conscious brands, let’s be real… buying another $40 water bottle when you already have three isn’t exactly saving the environment (or your wallet).
In reality, some of the best eco-friendly moves cost absolutely nothing and actually save you money. The trick? Shifting how we think about sustainability.
Instead of focusing on buying more, let’s start with The 5 Rs of sustainability: refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot (compost).
By embracing these principles, we can reduce our environmental impact in a way that’s both eco-friendly and budget-friendly.
If it feels like too much to focus on all 5 Rs at the same time, simplify! Making even one small change can have a big impact.
Don’t know where to get started? We’ve got you covered with a list of actionable, and unique, ideas!
♻️ Unique and Free Eco-Friendly Actions
Instead of seeing eco-friendly living as something expensive or complicated, we can focus on simple, everyday choices that reduce waste and save money. That starts with two key shifts: using what we have and rethinking convenience.
Use What You Have. 💁🏻♀️ One of the biggest ways we waste resources? Forgetting what we already own—including money we’ve already earned.
If you’ve ever left a job and forgotten about your old 401(k), you’re not alone. Rolling over an old 401(k) to an IRA can help you avoid fees and grow your savings faster. But paperwork? No thanks. That’s where Capitalize comes in. They make it free and easy to transfer your old 401(k) into an IRA of your choosing. Even helping you to find more sustainable investing options that consider climate and social impact so your financial goals can also fit your values. **
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Turn old socks into reusable Swiffer pads. (Yes, really. Works better than the disposables and costs nothing.)
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Save citrus peels for homemade all-purpose cleaner. Just soak them in vinegar, strain, and boom—your house smells fresh and you didn’t buy a $7 bottle of “eco” cleaner.
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Repurpose coffee grounds for beauty treatments. Use them as a natural body scrub to exfoliate your skin or as a scalp treatment to remove product buildup.
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Use dryer lint as fire starter. Works great for camping or fireplaces.
Rethink Convenience. 💭 The most eco-friendly option is often just a little more effort. Sometimes, rethinking convenience can be the biggest change.
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Use an old coffee mug for your morning drink. Instead of getting a disposable cup from the coffee shop, use an old coffee mug from your collection. ☕
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Use a laundry sheet replacement. Did you know tennis balls, a wool ball, or even balled up aluminum foil can be just as effective for removing static in your clothes? 🥎
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Cut out paper towels. Have you ever paid attention to how many paper towels you use exactly one time just to toss in the bin barely used? Why not switch to reusable towels, or better yet, repurpose old clothes or towels into wash rags? 🧻
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Keep an “emergency” cutlery set in your bag. A small fork, spoon, or chopsticks eliminate the need for plastic utensils on the go. 🥢
These small but high-impact changes don’t just help the planet—they also help your wallet in ways that add up big time over time! Which one will you try first?
Mindset Shifts for Sustainable Living (Family Footprint Project)
Green Living (Real Simple)
Our Sunday reset was a real deep dive on the intersections of sustainability and frugality. If you’ve been wondering how to practice sustainability without wasting money, be sure to check it out on Youtube!
Spending is a skill and you can learn to master it. If you’ve ever struggled with being unable to stick to a budget or felt guilty about spending on something you enjoy, Jen and Jill’s debut book is going to be your next favorite read.
See ya!
Misti
⭐️⭐️ P.S. Want to share all this goodness with your friends AND earn cool Frugal Friends merch?
**Means this is a sponsored or affiliate section. We may earn a small fee or commission when you choose to try one of our sponsor or affiliate partners. But opinions are still 1000% our own.
