7 Easy Ways to Live More Sustainably (Without Spending Money or Planning Ahead!)

We know living sustainably can feel pretty overwhelming sometimes, and that’s why we’ve put together this list of 7 super simple things that you can start doing today, many of which will help you save money and require zero planning!

So if you’ve just begun a commitment to sustainability, or if you’ve already been on this path for a while, we hope this list will serve as a reminder that sustainability doesn’t have to be complicated. There are so many things you can do to be more sustainable that are incredibly simple. So breathe a sigh of relief and read on!

1. Take shorter showers

The average American uses 15.8 gallons of water every time they take a shower. Whether you’re in the category of people who love long hot showers to de-stress and unwind, or you like to get in and out quickly, even if you cut back your shower time by just 1 minute you could save over 750 gallons of water every year (assuming you shower every day).

Now imagine how much water you could save if you cut back your shower time by several minutes, or just didn’t even shower at all? (LOL, kidding! Please shower...) If you tend towards long showers (guilty!) set a timer to remind yourself when it’s almost time to get out to help you stay on track.

Bonus points: We love this suggestion from Home Water Works: if you have to wait for warm water to get to the shower, collect the cold water in a bucket and use it to water plants (or any other cold-water need you might have!).

Also, if you are OK with spending a few bucks, you could also invest in a low-flow showerhead to conserve even more water.

2. Air-dry laundry

Air-drying saves energy, resources, and money, and it can also help to prolong the life of your clothes and keep them in good condition, potentially leading to less future consumption and spending.

You can air-dry laundry by laying items flat on surfaces in the home, hanging to dry on clothes hangers, or by using outdoor or indoor clothes drying racks.

If you need an item to dry more quickly than air-drying allows, you can also do a hybrid of machine and air-drying. Just pop the clothes in the dryer to get them mostly dry, then lay flat or hang to dry to finish up - or vice versa.

3. Turn off lights

Did anyone else constantly need to be reminded to turn off their lights when growing up? To this day I (Amanda) still feel a small pang of guilt when I forget to turn off a light bulb… oops!

In all seriousness, though, turning off the lights has got to be the lowest-effort, least-planny (yes I made up that word, and I like it!) task ever when it comes to living more sustainably.

If you do want to put in a little extra investment, LED bulbs are a sustainable solution that can replace any incandescent, halogen, or CFL bulbs in your home. LED bulbs use significantly less power than the other options, based on stats from Electric Rate, which saves both power and money in the long run.

4. Recycle

This one is a no-brainer, and thankfully recycling has become standard practice and/or highly encouraged in many places. Even if you don’t have a recycling service available where you live, you can store your recyclable items and take them in for recycling yourself.

Ps. Recycling bottles and cans at a recycling center is a great way to save some moolah while saving the planet. Win-win!

5. Never throw away leftovers

Up to one-third of the food bought in American households is wasted. Even in very low-waste homes, it’s estimated that about 8.7% of purchased food goes to waste.

Guess what gets wasted along with the food? The energy and resources it took to grow, process, transport and prepare that food. Not to mention that the waste costs the average American household over $1800 each year. Yikes!

You can fight this problem of waste in two major ways: only buy what you need and always eat the leftovers.

While this option does take a little more planning than the others, it can have a huge positive impact on the environment and on your wallet - both of which definitely make the extra planning worth it.

If you don’t like eating leftovers, plan to make meals that are just big enough to satisfy you or learn how to incorporate leftovers into delicious new meals and recipes.

6. Cancel junk mail

So much paper is wasted on junk mail every year, plus the resources used to transport said mail. Canceling junk mail not only reduces waste, but I’m sure will be a welcomed change in your life as your mailboxes will no longer be found stuffed to the brim with unwanted items. Your recycling and trash bins will thank you.

7. Stop buying single-use water bottles

Single-use plastic water bottles are a huge source of waste and have even been linked to some health problems. In the USA alone, 1500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second, and 80% of those end up in landfills (despite the fact that recycling programs exist). Not to mention that plastic water bottles cost 1000 times more than drinking tap water and require the use of tons of oil for production.

Switch to a reusable water bottle or drink from a cup whenever possible, and single-handedly save the earth! (Not really, but how nice would that be?). If you do find yourself drinking bottled water, just make every effort to ensure it ends up in the recycling rather than in the trash.

Your efforts really do make a difference, despite how small they may feel! We hope these 7 easy ways to live sustainably will help you in your journey. Thank you for reading this post and for doing your part to care for the earth!