You don’t need to choose between living on a budget and purchasing eco-friendly goods. With some research and planning, you can be the consumer-conscious individual you want to be and not go broke while reducing your ecological footprint on the planet. There are some simple ways to be a conscious customer while still saving some money.
Purchasing New Items
Becoming conscious of what you consume does not mean that you have to throw everything in your house away and start all over. In fact, that would create more waste and would cost a bundle. Instead, start today and purchase items that are sustainable and ethically produced.
For instance, if you’re looking to purchase new furniture or housewares, search for recycled or reclaimed materials. To avoid having to constantly replace items and get items that last longer and are more durable, look for high-quality pieces from stores like Crate and Barrel, which offer eco-friendly products. While quality goods can come with higher price tags, search for Crate and Barrel coupons and promo codes from sites like Rakuten that will help to offset the price.
Researching
Researching what you’re purchasing, where it’s from, and the methods behind producing it are great ways to reduce impulse buys. Research makes you think about where you’re spending your money and what/who you’re supporting.
While researching products and spending time mulling over what you are investing in, you’ll likely also find more promotions, discounts, or cashback offers. Many companies have forgone brick-and-mortar retail in support of direct sales to customers, which ultimately reduces the cost of goods and provides you quality products at a reduced rate.
Shopping for Clothes
If you’re looking to make a difference in what and from where you purchase, a great place to start is your clothing. Eco-friendly clothing can come at a high price tag, but the durability and quality are unmatched. Like with furniture and houseware, you can find coupons, promo codes, and cashback offers to soften the blow of higher prices.
Perhaps you can start by getting a few new items while purchasing the rest from secondhand sources. Secondhand clothing doesn’t require extra materials or manufacturing. In many secondhand shops, you can find new or like-new items from some of your favorite brands.
Finding an Alternative
For many of the products you use daily, a green alternative exists. The typical examples are in the form of water bottles and straws. It’s estimated that a million water bottles are purchased every minute and that about 80 percent of those bottles are not recycled, but rather end up in landfills and oceans. You committing to using reusable bottles will make a huge difference. Imagine if 1,000 or 5,000 people also decided to do this. Imagine if 50,000 or 200,000 people did it. So much waste would be prevented as a result.
While a quality reusable bottle may cost more on the front-end, choosing it not only helps you prevent waste, but you will likely recoup your money and save by finding reusable alternatives. In most cases, finding an alternative is better for the planet and your budget.
Being a consumer-conscious individual doesn’t need to break your budget. Spend time to evaluate what you purchase and why. You likely will find that researching what and from whom you purchase will result in fewer impulse buys, and you will end up with quality products. To offset the costs associated with better quality goods, always look for promo codes, coupons, and discounts for better products. In the long run, you will save money by purchasing products that last longer and are reusable.
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