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Mrs Green shares her money saving tips
I penned a few words on how reducing food waste could save you money for the Tesco Greener Living website recently. Go and take a peek and let me know what you think.
While I was there, I started playing with Tesco’s Save Money House. Just when you think you know all there is about being a true Mrs green, something new comes along to surprise you.
Tesco’s tell me I can save over £3500 by being greener, so who was I to say No!? I know about the energy saving lightbulbs and we’ve gone one step further by running LEDs from a small solar panel. Last year we had full cavity wall instalation and double glazing put in to make our home more energy efficient. I only boil the amount of water I need and we don’t use a tumble dryer.
However, I hadn’t heard of a stand-by-saver – do you know what that is? Apparently a stand-by-saver turns off a charger after a set amount of time. This is one area where I’m particularly bad; I tend to put my mobile on charge overnight, so it stays on for around 8 hours.
I was glad to see that they have recycling tips built into the Save Money House, such as keeping reusable bags handy for unexpected shopping trips, using up leftovers in the kitchen and making your own compost.
Another thing I still do out of habit, is laundry at 40 degress. Apparently I could be saving £10 a year by washing at 30 degrees. Well, you know what they say – Every little helps 😉
What about you? What small steps could you take to save money and increase your green credentials?
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Good tips Rae. How about buying energy saving machines such as washing machines? Make sure you buy one that is an A rating, which is the best.
Julie it is actually A+ which is the most efficent for appliances
I like that photo of you, Mrs. Green!
I get the email updates from uswitch and they sent through an offer for power saving phone charger plugs the other day – might be worth signing up for newsletter from them! I also got an eco-save letterbox for the front door too – will report back when I’ve fitted it to see if it actually works.
ditto frugalgirl–mrs G has a certain glow in these last few photographs…success becomes her. t’is the reward of consistency.
“Just when you think you know all there is about being a true Mrs green, something new comes along to surprise you.” Yep, something sorted at one point in time may just be better changed at another and in other areas you just have to keep on going back and making slight adjustments.
Hey Mrs Green,
Saw your blog on how to reuse wedding gowns. We have a store called She’s So Beautiful…Consignment and Bridal Boutique were we buy and sell wedding gowns. But nothing less then perfact! Just wanted to give you an FYI
Your Eco Friendly Friend
Ashley
I’m insulating my house this winter. It’s amazing how much heat slips through the attic.
You teach me something new every time I tune in here … Thanks, Mrs. Green 🙂
I’ve been washing my laundry in cold water for years (in the US we have Hot/Warm/Cold settings on our washers) and my laundry has always come out clean. The only time I didn’t use cold water is when my washer broke and used hot water for months without my knowledge! The machine was so old that I couldn’t get parts or I would have fixed it. I replaced it with a low water use front loader. Now when I push the Cold button, it really does use cold water!
Nowadays we tend to have more clothes and wash them much more often. Surely we also shower/bath/wash more often too? Much of the washing we put in a machine probably doesn’t need soap let alone water. Just hanging a garment up after wearing it to air should be enough. You don’t have to wear the same thing day after day but it seems some people don’t wear the same garment twice before washing it. New Scientist had an article on this waste.
@Julie Day: Hi Julie, great idea – I think that one is mentioned in the save money house too. Some appliances go up to an A+++ I believe! or maybe it’s make up 😉
@[email protected]: Why thank you – I took it myself with the camera at the end of my arm – must have been a lucky day for lighting!
@carolinep: Oooo, thanks Caroline – I’ll sign up and see if I get a discount! Mr G and I have seen something coming up in Lidls too where you can operate several plugs from one remote control. That could be useful for us as we often lie in bed and realise we’ve left the router and peripherals on.
@nadine sellers:
@Jane: I agree Jane; it’s always good to go back and over things, to see if there is something new to put in place. That’s what I love most about life – there is always something new to learn or some new perspective to be had. I hear you on the laundry thing, hence the ‘freshen up’ cycle on my machine. I wear clothes until they are dirty and THEN wash them; it might be I wear something for a week before that…
@Ashley: Hi Ashley, welcome to the site and thanks for sharing your website with us – we have many Canadian readers, so that’s really useful 🙂
@John | WaysToSaveMoney.tv: Hi John, welcome to the site – do you have any stats on insulation? I know it’s a biggie for many people and they don’t realise how much heat they are wasting without it.
@Amanda Broadfoot: Hi Amanda; what a lovely comment – thank you! Keep dropping by 😀
@Condo Blues: I tried that a few times but it didn’t work here. Our water is very hard and I wonder if that made a difference. Also I have a mud magnet for a child, so I guess that’s not good either LOL!
Why when Tesco are members of the British Retailers Consortium do we not see recycling info: http://www.onpackrecyclinglabel.org.uk/ There is also very little or no packaging identification. Every Little Helps!
@Jane: Hi Jane, I think packaging info for recycling is sadly lacking in most shops – it’s something that needs to change for sure.