Saving Money--What's the Downside?

Let’s face it. We’re strapped. Every penny counts. Wise saving extends our efforts from the home front to the globe. Here are some practical statistics from Reusablebags.com about cost savings.

Thermal coffee mugs:
By buying and using a reusable coffee/beverage mg, we can really make a difference. Americans discard 130 billion paper cups every year. By using my own cup, I can take coffee to go on my walks to clients and save. One estimate for those who need their lattes, is a savings of $400/year. At $4 a latte, if I were to stop every day, that would be a savings of $20 a week. For the four months a year, I’m close to a Starbucks, that’s a savings of $320. So for the hardcore coffee drinker who lives in one place, that’s almost $1,000 a year! For those times I want to treat myself to a grande latte, Starbucks gives me $0.10 off my order for bringing your own cup. I just bought two thermal mugs made out of recycled material. They are dishwasher and microwave safe, with no harmful chemicals to leach. I can brew my coffee at home, heat it up in the microwave, and dump the cup into the dishwasher when I get home.

Reusable water bottles:
Whether it’s aluminum or BPA-free polymer, a reusable water bottle, washing and reusing make so much more sense for the environment and for us. Again, I think Reusbablebags.com is low in its savings estimate of $200/year. Ever seen those yuppies wheeling big shrink-wrapped cubes of bottled water out of Costco or Sam’s?

Reusable Sandwich Bags:
Those little plastic sandwich bags add up, both in cost ($85/yr by some estimates) and in landfills. Here, I use a dual approach. I have hard plastic sandwich boxes for carrying sandwiches in a backpack, but I still use plastic sandwich bags for some things. When I do, I use them multiple times, unless they get really messy. When I sit down to make brightly colored cloth gift bags for Christmas presents this next holiday season, I’ll also make some cloth sandwich bags. By buying fabric remnants, I can make them very cheaply, compared to the $6.00 each they want on eco websites.

The trick is to play to your strengths. If you are a seamstress, go for it. If you have access to inexpensive reusables, that would be good, too. Stay aware of areas of your life in which you could economize and help the planet at the same time.