Reclaim Your Treats

Filed under: Home, Tips

The concept for reclaiming your treats begins with budgetary concerns but, like many frugal practices it can be a green option as well. We all know that stopping every AM for coffee, whether it is a plain, 99 cent cup at the gas station or a $4 latte at Starbucks can be a budget buster.

What about things like an ice cream cone after work, some flowers at the farmers market or a book on Saturday afternoon? All of these things could probably be considered a treat. But after the third or fourth Saturday of buying a book and some flowers those treats have become a routine. It’s poor for your wallet and you eco-friendly karma.

Frequently, an examination of these types of habits can help your budget but they can plus help you be a bit more friendly to the planet.

• Brewing coffee at home - saves you $1 or more per day and eliminates one paper or foam cup from the landfill each day. You additionally can choose what types of
  coffee growing practices to support and buy fair trade or shade grown beans.
• Buying in season, local flowers - saves money and transportation miles. Better, yet, grow your own at home and save even more money and improve the value of your yard.
• Go to the library - instead of stopping at the bookstore on Saturday afternoon for a treat, go to the library and browse to your hearts subject matter. Bring home a selection of titles. Save at least $4 by not purchasing a book and all that paper used to produce new books. Plus, there’s no buyers remorse whether you don’t like a book you’ve chosen - just return it to the library an pick a new one!

What kinds of treats have you changed to be more eco-friendly?

[Via Lifehacker]

Reclaim Your Treats originally presented on Green Daily on Tue, 25 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

 

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[Source] Christina Clark