Being Environmentally Conscious Can Be A Money Saver

Plan grocery shopping around other errands to save time and money on gasoline by reducing the number of trips made to the store. Pay attention to the packaging. Instead of buying individually packaged products look for items that can be purchased in family or bulk sized cartons. These are often less expensive and produce less waste. However, be careful not to buy so much of any product that it doesn’t get used or goes bad before it can be used. Reduce, reuse and recycle when planning and preparing meals. Reduce the amount of leftover food by serving less of the foods that are frequently not eaten. Reuse leftovers by serving them in a day or two as a evening meal or pack them in a lunch to save money on midday meals. Recycle leftovers into a different type of meal. There are cookbooks that find creative ways to make use of leftovers. Spoiled food can be a drain on the pocketbook as well as a hazard in the kitchen. Proper refrigeration and paying attention to expiration or use by dates will help reduce the amount of spoiled food thrown away. Refrigerators should be set to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower and freezers should be set at 0 degrees or lower. Other ways of being environmentally as well as fiscally responsible include: using a reusable water bottle instead of buying bottled water, reusing plastic grocery sacks for garbage can liners, buying bulk sized products like hand soap to refill smaller more practical containers and recycling glass, plastic, aluminum and cardboard containers. SOURCES: Alice Henneman, extension educator; Lorene Bartos, Extension Educator Ann Fenton University of Nebraska Extension Pierce County