Due to the current economic climate more people are becoming
aware of their waste and their finances. Here are 7 ideas on how to reduce your
utility bills, become more eco-friendly and easy substitutions that will make a
difference on your finances.
1. Switch it off. Switching off electrical
equipment at the socket is a great way to prevent electricity drainage. LED
electrical equipment is often referred to as ‘electricity vampires’ because
when they are on and not being used they are continuously draining electricity.
2. Paper. Although we live in a technology
era, paper wastage is still an issue. People are still wanting and giving paper
receipts, paper invoices etc. A great way of preventing paper wastage is by
writing all your notes down into a notepad/note book. This encourages you to
use every patch of paper and also enables you to section areas for each
topic/to do list. Then once used, unless you need to keep it for reference, you
can recycle every bit of the pad.
3. Recycle. Recycling is an easy change
that requires little alteration to your daily life and yet helps to reduce the
amount going to landfill. One idea is to have small bins for each type
(paper/plastics) which you can empty at the end of the day into the appropriate
bins or recycling bags. By choosing small bins you can stash them away under
desks or in cupboards so you don’t have to look at ugly big bins. If you can
place the bins in convenient locations in your home makes using them easier and
less hassle so there is no excuse not to use them.
4. Smart meters. Smart meters are a new
technology that the UK government is hoping to have installed at every property
in the UK by the end of 2020. A smart meter is a clever device that displays
your electricity and gas usage in real-time and the cost in pounds and pence.
This way you can make informed decisions on energy saving measures to save you
money because smart meters show you when during the day you used the most
energy.
5. Renewable technology. Investing in a
renewable technology is a great way of reducing your carbon footprint and
generating your own electricity or heating for your home. This will reduce your
utility bills and can even earn you money. If you are considering in installing
a renewable technology at your property it is worth researching the types of
funding available to you to help cover the initial installation costs and
on-going running costs.
6. Hot drinks. We are all guilty of over-filling
the kettle and re-boiling the same water that boiled when we left the room a
minute ago. Reducing the volume of water in the kettle and the number of hot
drinks you have throughout the day will help to decrease your electricity bills
and carbon footprint. Making a pot of tea or putting your hot drink in a
thermal mug is a great way of ensuring you have a hot drink available to you
for longer without the need to keep re-boiling the kettle.
7. Invest in good quality clothing. By
investing in good quality, hard wearing clothing and accessories ensures that
you save money in the long run. Why buy a shirt for £10 that will only survive
3 washes when you could buy a £30 shirt that will last for over a year? People
are often put off by the initial cost of a more expensive item of clothing, but
this is why you should view it is an investment and not an initial saving! The
same can be said for women’s accessories, if you invest in a practical,
stylish, waterproof oilclothhandbag instead of a handbag that isn’t robust enough for continuous use
then you will have saved money by the end of the year.
This article was written by The Old Bag Company – an
award-winning bag company who designs a vast range of designer bags for many
uses from oilcloth handbags to baby changing bags and large beach bags.
