Take Steps towards an Eco-Friendly Lifestyle

Ever the since the recession hit us hard, it has definitely become more and more apparent that green living is the way forward. So what do I mean by green living? For those who may not be in the know, green living is a highly cost effective and economic way of living. Many people are now changing their lifestyles, cutting back on their weekly spending and generally adopting an eco-friendly attitude which is great news all round.

The benefits of choosing to reuse household items and live a greener lifestyle are endless as there are just so many means to make positive changes. For example, if you’re a shop-a-holic who spends hundreds of dollars every month on stylish new outfits, how about donating some of your old and unloved clothes to your local charity shop? That way somebody else can give what you don’t use anymore a good home. Also, instead of splashing out your credit card on a dress that has lots of intricate embellishment, you could try customizing a plain dress yourself which will not only save you money in the long run, but you will have also just created a garment that is 100% unique!

Take vintage clothing for example: second hand, thrift, hand-me-down, whatever you choose to call old items of clothing, often browsing the rails of charity shops is a fun and cheap alternative to only visiting the more expensive stores. What’s more is that you get to leave knowing you have helped some of the world’s most famous charities.

And it’s not just clothes that are capable of having an eco make-over, household items like jam jars can be transformed into kitsch little vases or can be used as jewellery holders, and paper bags you don’t want anymore can be doodled on so you can show off your artistic flair when wrapping your friend’s birthday present. Even cleaning items can be stretched further if you apply the good old ‘waste not want not’ motto to dish washing.

So why are so many of us ditching our weekly Saturday shopping trips and opting to do less expensive things? Well, for one thing, escaping to the park doesn’t require any money… you can get some light exercise and escape from those crowded high street stores too when you fancy a break from retail therapy – what could be better after a busy working week?

All it takes for little steps towards living a cleaner, greener lifestyle is some imagination, like recycling the things you don’t need anymore and making do with what you already own. You will soon get into the habit of becoming more generous as a person, more creative in how you look at things and much more resourceful in your spending habits. Think about how you can help others improve on their quality of life and donate to charity organizations as much as possible…you will be amazed at just how great the satisfaction is of helping those in need.

About the Author

Julie loves to live frugally and eco-friendly. She runs her blog FinanceGirl.co.uk where she writes regularly on the topic of personal finance, covering latest news and money saving tips.