Eco-Friendly Finance Tips for Low-Income Earners


If you are a low earner and think that you cannot help the environment at all due to that, youre wrong. You might even be in the perfect position to act in an environmentally responsible way - reducing your carbon footprint while keeping more money in your pocket. Since you are working with a smaller budget, you can more easily avoid temptations. 

Lets go over some tips for low-income earners that enable you to be more eco-friendly every single day.

* Pay Your Bills via Your Bank  Set up your bank account to have e-billing. This is free for most bank accounts, whether its a credit union or a bank account. Even locally owned banks offer this service free today. By setting up your bills to be paid digitally, you will reduce the consumption of trees and fuel and save yourself a lot of time and money. It takes time to write out checks, and it also costs money.

* Buy Second Hand  When you choose to buy second hand instead of something new, you are not adding anything to your carbon footprint. Plus, you can save money. Do be very careful about some second-hand stores, though; check the pricing and dont be afraid to make a fairer offer. 

* Stop Using Paper  In your home, you likely use a lot of paper: printing out things on the printer, using paper towels, and so forth. Buy some old clothes from the thrift store and use them instead of paper towels. Try to read things on your screens instead of printing. Did you know it cost about an average of a dollar a page to print at home compared to 20 cents if you go to OfficeMax? 

* Cook from Scratch  Yes, its quick to go to a fast-food place, but its cheaper and better for the environment if you eat at home. Cooking doesnt have to take a long time if you plan recipes that use fewer ingredients and have less prep time. Youll use less money, and youll also use a lot less carbon to get it done.

* Eat Less Meat  You really dont need as much meat-based protein as commercials and the low-carb movement would have you believe. Plus, meat is expensive in more ways than what it costs at the supermarket. Over 70 percent of the destruction of the Amazon rainforests is due to raising cows for meat, and those emissions are higher than other types of meat or plant food.

* Start a Garden  This is one of the best things you can do for yourself as a low-income earner. When you grow your own food, you can eventually, once you learn, practically have a free meal every day. Thats both a carbon and a cash saver. 

* Change Your Light Bulbs  It is expensive to buy the LED bulbs over the incandescent bulbs, that is true. But the LED bulbs, if you buy a good name brand, will last years as compared to months. That is both a money-saver and a time-saver. Just replace one light in one room a month for incredible savings.

Finally, dont get sucked into using credit. Credit can turn you into a high-end consumer even if youre a low-income earner, and then youll never get off the treadmill of working and paying bills. But if youre careful, live within your means and use these tips (as well as the ones your momma taught you about unplugging things and turning off lights when you leave a room), youll start collecting pennies that will soon become dollars in your savings account.

