How to save money by going green. Part 1.

One of the biggest stumbling blocks to going green is our fear that it’s going to be so much more expensive. But what if we told you living a greener life can actually be cheaper than the alternative? Don’t believe us? Read our new series on how to save money by going green and we’ll show you how…

“I’d love to live a greener life, but I just can’t afford it”, is a belief we hear a lot at Green Salon. So is it actually true that going green is a bank breaking experience?

At Green Salon, we've spent the last few years examining the costs of going green and our conclusion is a not very sexy … it depends on how you go about it.

True, eco-brands are often smaller and, thus, more costly. However, that’s changing and with some life-style changes, it’s now perfectly possible to save a significant amount of money by living a greener life. In the medium term greening our lives is likely to cost us money as we replace our heating systems and cars, while in the longer run, it will potentially save us lots of money.

While that’s a rather complex conclusion, the good news is that, overall, we believe it will be a net saving to our household budgets. 

Right now, while inflation is rampant, and the cost of living is shooting up, our new How to save Money by Going Green series is going to show you how to save your pennies by adopting greener habits.

(All our figures are based on a single person living in a single occupancy apartment.)

DAY-TO-DAY LIVING

Counting your pennies in day-to-day living sounds like a real snooze, but if you follow these simple sustainable tricks, the savings will start piling up by the end of the year. You’d be amazed by how much you can save by simple things, like coming prepared for those impulse drinks purchases.

Reusable cup:

Wondering whether a reusable cup really makes a difference to your bank balance? It will if you pick up your coffee from a cafe that gives you money off when you come reusable cup in hand. Going reusable 5 days a week for your caffe latte at Pret a Manger, for instance, will save you £2.50 a week (Pret offer 50p off if you BYO cup, at Starbucks it’s a smaller saving of 25p). By the end of the month, at Pret, that adds up to £10. 

We love these collapsible coffee cups from Stojo, which fold up in a dinky way and fit in your handbag. You’ll have paid it off after about a month and after that you’re saving all the way to the bank.

Potential yearly saving: up to £100

Stojo collapsible cups, water bottles and food storage make eating and drinking on the go cheaper

Refillable water bottle:

Most of us don’t bother to add up how much last minute purchases of bottled water cost us, which is lucky as the maths is not pretty.  At 90p per plastic 0.5 litre bottle of Evian, for instance, if you bought one every day in a busy week, you’d be saving £18 a month by bringing along a refillable water bottle. 

We love these Halo bottles as the smaller size fits in your handbag, or for a cheaper option check out this stainless steel reusable bottle at Ethical Superstore. Download the Refill app to find where you can refill your water bottle for free - no questions asked. 

Potential yearly saving: up to £198

Second hand tech:

Why buy new tech, when you can get it for half to two-thirds the price second hand? Check out companies like Reboxed, who are on a mission to rehome 300 million devices by 2030, Backmarket and Relove, all of whom refurbish smart phones and laptops before selling them on. 

If you’re unlucky enough to have a problem with the device, send it back and they’ll replace it for you straight away. After all, they’re all in the business of making second hand the circular norm of the future. (Don’t forget you can also sell on old devices to them and make money too).

Potential yearly saving: £200 if you buy a refurbished iPhone 12 versus a new one.

Honest Mobile:

You might want to ask yourself why you’re spending £36 a month for unlimited data at O2 or £32 at Vodafone, when you could be spending £25 a month at Honest Mobile* for the same deal. On top of which, they’re the first carbon positive mobile provider in the UK, they apply a loyalty discount so your prices actually go down over time and they have the best customer service we’ve ever encountered. You can find out more about them in this blog in the Green Salon Journal.

Potential annual saving: £84

Honest Mobile* are cheaper than most of the competition and get cheaper the longer you stay.

Library of things:

So you need to put up a new bedroom  shelf? Gone are the days when you need to pop along to B&Q and buy a drill for £30. Nowadays you can hire one for the day for £8. Welcome to the Library of Things. They’re popping up around London and they’ll lend out pretty much anything you’d have previously bought. Pop corn maker for the weekend, anyone?

Potential yearly saving: depends on how many things you need to rent!

Repair cafe:

In the last few decades, we’ve got used to chucking things out when they don’t work anymore - that’s not only created a mountain of waste but it’s also got us hooked on buying new instead of repairing what we already own. Step forward the Repair Cafe which now has more than 2000 cafes popping up all over the world. These cafes, staffed by expert volunteers with repair skills, provide you with all the tools to either DIY - or you can ask for a helping hand.

Potential yearly saving: once again, depends how much you need to repair but essentially it’s free!

So, all in all, you’re looking at a saving of as much as £380 if you make a few small green swaps - and if you’re planning to spend on new tech, devices or kit, you could save some serious money. For instance, your green savings would go up to £580 overall if you bought a refurbished iPhone 12 rather than a new one in the coming year: that’s a couple of months of your energy bill.

In the next part of our series on How to save Money by Going Green we’ll be looking at how to cut costs in the kitchen.

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