8 Tips for Sustainable Living

Manage Your Energy Output

With temperatures around the world rising due to the climate crisis, more and more people are turning to sustainable options for living. To help you think more about living in a self-sustainable fashion, here is a list of nine fantastic options. Not only are these eco-conscious options, but they will also help you save money in the long run, allowing you to really focus on the parts of your life that truly matter.

While implementing every single option on this list may be quite a difficult task, especially if you live in a small urban space, you can still apply a few that you think you can manage and still make a positive contribution to the environment and save yourself extra cash that can be put in a savings account each month. Read on below to see which of these nine tips could work you for.

Solar Panels

If you have a flat roof in your home, and especially if you live in an area that is rich in natural sunlight, perhaps it is worth considering a solar panel. This way, you can become more self-reliant on your own energy source, saving heaps of money over the years. Don’t know where to start when it comes to implementing such an idea? For a great option, it’s recommended to check out what’s on offer from respected solar panel firm Custom Solar and Leisure, who will be more than likely to help you to achieve this dream.

Live Simply and Frugally

Before you embark on a self-sustainable lifestyle, it is worth asking yourself what parts of your life are already far too wasteful. Whether it is spending way too much money on groceries or unnecessary purchases, burning too much energy on possessions you don’t need, or filling your life with busyness that only serves as a distraction from the important parts of life, these can all be counterbalanced by embracing a much simpler and more frugal life. While it will inevitably be difficult when first starting out, it can have untold benefits on both your financial and mental health, possibly allowing you to retire far earlier than you ever imagined.

Create Your Own Food

Raising your own livestock is a great and fun way to remove your reliance on grocery stores and supermarkets to get supplies. Building your own small farm with pigs and chickens requires not as much maintenance as you think, and is a great way to create your own meat supplies. If you are a vegetarian, then you can use the animals as a means to provide dairy sources, such as eggs and milk. This is perfect in the time of a pandemic — like the one we are currently suffering from — reducing dangerous trips to the shop, as well as a fine backup option in the case of other disasters.

Of course, the start-up costs of this can be pretty high, and some may not fancy the hard work and graft that’s required to look after animals. Therefore, another good option is to grow your own food in a garden.

You can complement owning livestock with growing your own vegetables. Not only will they inevitably taste a whole lot better as they will be very fresh, but it will save you lots of money in the long run too. For people living in a small flat, this is definitely a better option than owning livestock, as it will be easier to maintain plants that grow some small measure of food than having animals running about! An awesome part of this is that if you have any surplus, you will be able to sell the difference!

Downsize your Possessions

One of the most dangerous parts of contemporary life is over-consumption. Most people own far more possessions than they genuinely need, taking up valuable space in homes and ultimately wasting precious energy. Perhaps it is time to think about what you own in your own house and whether or not you can downsize what you own. You may find out that you can even live in a smaller space, taking up less energy and saving far more money in the process.

Preserve Food

Preserving food used to be far more common in times before supermarkets existed. People realised that they would need to have enough food on hand to last through any issues. Cut down on daily trips to the supermarket by focusing on big monthly trips for items that can be easily preserved in a cellar or pantry, providing a vital source of food that is far less likely to run out. Buying in bulk can also help you save money, so it’s worth preserving as much food as you can.

Use a Rainwater Tank

For a sustainable water option in your own home, have you considered investing in a rainwater tank? The premise is simple: a rainwater tank collects runoff from your roof via pipes that can then be converted into a source of water for the whole house. While they are likely to incur some steep upfront costs, this means that you will no longer be reliant on a central water source, saving you far more money in the long run. It is worth pointing out that this should only be an option if you live in an area with a reliable rain pattern!

Take stock of all your utility bills and figure out a way to bring those costs down. A better way may be to simply understand what you are spending your money on and if you are using up too many resources already. Once you have a clear understanding of your outputs, you can install smart controls that automatically turn off services when they are not being used.

Take Up Cycling

Nearly every expert in financial frugality praises the power of biking. Not only is cycling to work or to the shop a far healthier option, it has untold benefits for the environment as well. Additionally, when you ditch the car or using public transportation, you will be saving yourself heaps of money in the long run as there are no real costs after the initial purchase.

Thanks to Zoe