Many of us are looking for ways to make a saving on our monthly outgoings. However, if you are also a patriot for sustainable living, then you might be wondering if those two things come together. After all, could living sustainably end up costing you more? The truth is, it won’t! In fact, it is possible to save money if you look at your general habits and make some small changes. With that in mind, here are some of the ways that sustainable living could help towards saving money and the planet. 

Drying clothes outside instead of using a dryer

One of the first things to think about would be to dry clothes outside instead of using a dryer. A dryer can be a costly home appliance, and while it gives you convenience and speed with your laundry, it will also massively increase your energy usage. Drying outside costs nothing and is far more sustainable. 

Ditch the dishwasher

The dishwasher is a very useful home appliance, but again, it can be costly. So instead, why not ditch it and choose to manually wash the post instead? This is not only a more sustainable option but will save you money on your energy usage. 

Avoid an expensive commute to work 

It can be hard to get out of the habit of using your car for the commute, but choosing a public transport option will cut your own carbon footprint. Better still, why not try using a bike instead? Changing your habits and making sustainable choices for things like this will help to save you money on fuel and other expenses. 

Change your habits when it comes to babies and young children 

We all know that having children can be expensive, but when you have a baby you might find there are always costs to consider. One thing you might want to try is reusable nappies instead of disposables? Disposable nappies are a weekly cost and they are also incredibly bad for the environment when it comes to our ever-expanding landfill sites. Reusable nappies will require an initial investment, but in the long run, it will save you money and is much more sustainable 

Things to do in the garden

There are also plenty of things you can do in your garden that will help you live sustainably and save money. Creating a compost area with scraps can be a great fertiliser for your garden instead of having to buy expensive compost options. You could also collect rainwater which can be used to water your plants. Water rates can be quite costly. 

Change your habits with your energy usage 

Energy is big news at the moment so why not look to change your habits when it comes to your energy usage? Switching lights off in rooms you are not using, not keeping appliances on standby, and even switching things off at the plug. It reduces your energy usages and helps you to save money. 

Last but not least ....

And finally you can save even more when you are buying through SaveMoneyCutCarbon's website. We have talked before about how we love working with the SaveMoneyCutCarbon team and when you buy your sustainable products through them you don’t just help to save the environment, you also save money. With every purchase you make, you will collect Planet Points which will be applied to your account and can be used as payment for future purchases. SaveMoneyCutCarbon now provides every non-home club member 1 point for every £1 they spend, and Home Club members 2 points for every £1 they spend.

 – Planet Points can be used on everything across the website

– You can part pay with Planet Points or full pay

– They can’t be used for postage but they do offer free delivery on orders over £40

 – You can save your Planet Points and spend them when you are ready

We all need to be more planet conscious as the world changes around us and hopefully this post has given you some easy ways to live more sustainably and shown that it can actually save you money too!

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Making changes to your home when it comes to wanting to be more eco-friendly can seem overwhelming. After all, you make the choice to be more environmentally friendly, but where do you start to try and implement those changes? While you can make conscious decisions with your lifestyle and start more or less immediately, it may take a little longer to completely overhaul your home. This is when starting with specific areas can make a difference. 

The bathroom is one of the most used rooms of the home, and there are many ways you can implement some eco-friendly changes in there. With that in mind, we have been working with SaveMoneyCutCarbon to show some of the ways you can have an eco-friendly bathroom with some easy eco swaps. 

Change your shower and reduce the time you spend in it

One of the first areas to start with when it comes to your bathroom is the shower. Many people choose to shower thinking it is the most logical choice and less wasteful compared to a full bath tub. But a shower can use up just as much water. You may want to make the change to a low-flow shower head which will reduce the amount of water being used at any one time. Another great tip is to reduce the amount of time you spend in the showers. A few minutes less each time could make a big saving when it comes to the amount of water you use. 

Ditch single-use bottles for reusable containers

There are a lot of single-use bottles that you will find in your bathroom. Shampoo, conditioner, not to mention cleaning products. So you may want to think about ditching the single-use bottles and making the change to reusable containers. OceanSaver EcoDrops are the perfect solution to reuse plastic bottles.

Make the switch to a responsibly sourced toilet paper

A standard busy home may go through around three to four rolls of toilet paper each week. So while you may not want to reduce the amount of toilet paper that is used, what you can do is make the change to a more responsibly sourced toilet paper instead. By doing this, you are doing your bit to tackle climate change by choosing a paper  that is made from more responsibly sourced materials like Uranus Wiper. It might seem like a small change to make, but if everyone made this conscious decision it could have a huge impact on the planet. 

Make swaps for reusable items 

There will always be things that we need to use in the bathroom, so you may want to consider making some swaps to more reusable items. One of the first things to consider could be makeup remover wipes. Having a wipe that you use and throw away is not eco-friendly, and even using cotton pads means that you throw them away once they are done with. You can now buy reusable make up remover pads that can be cleaned and reused time and time again. The less things you look to throw away, the better. 

Use home made products 

You could also use this opportunity to implement some home made products into your bathroom that can be more environmentally friendly. Making your own soap, for example, not only looks great and can be decorative but it can also be made from more responsibly sourced materials. You could also look to make your own cleaning products and even create hair products like your very one dry shampoo. Again these can be small changes that you implement but will go a long way towards your eco journey. 

Saving water

We all might have to wait a few minutes for the water to heat up, so while you wait, why not catch some of that water that would be going down the drain and to waste? This could be used to clean vegetables, water plants, or even be drinking water for your animals. 

Bamboo products instead of plastic 

Finally, it could be a good time to get rid of other single use plastic items that you will have in your bathroom. Bamboo is a great eco alternative for lots of things such as toothbrushes and even cotton buds that you use regularly. Even things like a bamboo bath mat could be a great way to implement some eco-friendly choices that also look great in the bathroom. 

Hopefully, this has given you plenty of ideas on how you can have an eco-friendly bathroom but do you have any top tips we haven't covered?

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Often when we have a bad day at work or office, we struggle to find a boost of positivity and continue to work efficiently throughout the rest of the day. People also don't understand the importance of having a positive mind. 

If you are struggling to find a daily boost of positivity, this article helps you to find a couple of amazing hacks to get that easily. 

It's necessary to remind yourself each day what you are thankful for. 

Nothing is better than the reasons you love your life when you feel a little down after a rather frustrating or sad day. 

Whether it's something you got to learn at work, or spending more time with your family, or anything else that you thought was amazing about the day. It would give you an instant boost of positivity and make you smile for sure. 

Some sunshine will always make you feel better

If you spend most of your time inside the house, you will feel suffocated and negativity can take over your head. You can also feel tired by looking at the same surroundings. 

So make sure that once every day, you step out of the house and get some sunshine or fresh air to get rid of the negative thoughts in your head. It can be a daily boost of your positivity so you can feel happy no matter how your day goes. 

Working out makes it easier to focus on good things. 

You might not believe this, but working out once a day can truly give you a quick boost of positivity and nice distraction. 

The rush of adrenaline that you get when you work out not only makes you feel happier, but it also is extremely healthy for you. It keeps you away from all the negative thoughts and enables you to feel positive despite the hard things you go through. 

Take breaks whenever you need them without hesitating. 

Most of us feel extremely guilty about taking breaks even once throughout the day and just rest for a while. Working non-stop makes it easier for you to feel overwhelmed and more negative.

It's okay to take frequent breaks - short breaks every few hours allow you to be distracted for a few minutes and do something else that you love. It also gives you a boost of positivity and energy to continue your work much more efficiently. 

Once every day, do something that makes you smile. 

With a boost of positivity, you learn to look forward to every day that comesand feel excited about everything you get to do. And the best way to achieve that is to do something you love. 

Whether it's listening to music, playing with your pet, or anything else that you know makes you smile wide. Make sure to find those couple of free minutes every day to do those things that you look forward to the most. So do that once a day to find a quick boost of positivity every day you wake up. 

Conclusion

You might struggle to find that daily boost of positivity but you definitely know that it's important to make it through hard days and smile a little. 

We have talked here about some amazing quick ways to get a boost of positivity no matter the kind of day you have had or where you are!

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With many students receiving GCSE and A Level results recently, there are discussions in households across the country about future career choices, with many parents wanting their child to choose carefully and wisely. When it comes to the job that you do, as you get older you may find that you are stuck in a rut with your career. It might not have been your first choice and is not be something that you feel passionate about.

However, you may have gained skills and experience that could be utilised when working for yourself and going freelance. Picking and choosing the work that you do and finally getting that work and home life balance right. So how do you change that? 

Going freelance can be quite scary. You have the loss of security of that consistent wage, and it can often feel overwhelming when it comes to managing the work and home life balance. But there are so many incredible benefits and finally being able to choose your workload or even do something you are more passionate about far outweighs the worries. So here are some of the top tips to help you go freelance. 

Have the confidence to take that step

One of the hardest things to do when it comes to going freelance is to have the confidence to do it. Right now you may be secure in a job. You feel you have security, and a consistent wage each month. This gives you the comfort that bills are paid and things are getting done, but that’s all it gives you. Have the confidence to step away. If at first you think it is too much of a leap use any spare time you have to start working on the side, and then build it up gradually. Be confident in your ability and also your decision that inevitably will give you what you want in the long term. 

Seek out work opportunities 

Going freelance doesn’t need to be as scary as you might once have thought. So many people are now taking this route to live the life they want to live and are getting to the stage where they are able to do it. There are websites out there that advertise freelance opportunities. Websites like People Per Hour and Fiverr are great places to start. You can also advertise your skills directly on there. You can even use Facebook as a way of advertising for jobs or seeking out work opportunities through groups or using the marketplace. There is also the fact that you can start to easily advertise your services through your own website and through social media content. This is one of the bets things to get you started as a website can hold all of the relevant information anyone would need. Whether that is sample of your work, feedback from previous clients, and any pricing information. You can also reach out to potential clients through platforms like this and pitch to them directly. 

Make sure you are professional in all aspects 

Once the work starts to come in it can be quite hard to not be overwhelmed by it all, but the one thing that you can’t let slip is the professionalism that you need to contain at all times. Being professional in all lines of communication such as phone, email and social media messages helps you to continue that working relationship. Also, the same can be said for when an invoice needs to be raised, Ensure that you display all of the correct information. A great tip is to use invoice templates so that you can get things right. Websites like PayPal are great to use at the start. This will also help you to get paid quickly rather than needing to amend and resend when information is forgotten about. 

Your working environment matters 

Finally, it might be a good idea to ensure that you consider your working environment. Most people who freelance work from home, and this can be distracting if you don’t have a dedicated area to work. If you can, create an area in your home that is dedicated for working. It might be a desk in the corner of your living room or your bedroom. Having a desk area helps you to segregate between working and home life. If you have the space in your home, a home office could be a great option to consider. The idea is that you can walk away from your work, or feel productive and work mode when you are sat at your desk. 

Let’s hope these tips help you if you think going freelance is an option.  

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