Sustainability is more Cost Effective than You Think!
The Indian financial year is drawing to a close. We’re evaluating our budgets, our investments and planning ahead for the next year ahead. While we’re making these plans, we’re obviously going to think about how we can increase our savings and reduce our spending percentage. We’re certainly not your average finance gurus, but we’ve got a tip for you! Sustainability can help you increase your savings!
Don’t believe us yet?
But here’s the truth: Sustainability is not inherently expensive. It’s about the mindful choices that you make to make your life easier while making your wallet thank you. Becoming friends with sustainability in your daily lives can actually help save money in the long run. At the end of the day, financial discipline is also about maintaining it sustainably.
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Use what you have for as long as you can
Don’t be carried away by something that reads green on the label and consequently throw away what you have for this supposed “green” new thing.
Instead, get the most out of the things you already own. Whether it’s your clothes, electronic appliances, furniture and more. The longer you use an item, the less you’re going to buy. Focus on repairing, upcycling and upkeep. Buying new clothes is the norm, but instead can you perhaps mend or alter clothes to give them a new look? By choosing this, you are going to save yourselves a couple of bucks!
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Quality always wins over Quantity
Be selective in what you choose to purchase. Genuine sustainable products might have a hefty price tag associated with it. While they are expensive, they last so much longer, which means fewer replacements, fewer repairing costs and others. Investing in quality, means you are saving yourself money, resources and time in the long run.
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3Rs’ to Rule your Finances: Reduce, Reuse and Repurpose
Switching your mindset to reuse and repurpose cuts down the need for new resources. Imagine swapping or thrifting your clothes instead of purchasing new garments. Vegetable scraps can be used to make a hearty, delicious vegetable broth. And glass jars that once stored malt powders can now be used to store pulses. The possibilities are truly endless!
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Transport can save you money
Exorbitant fuel prices are bound to burn a hole in your pocket and you shouldn’t have to start your day listening to traffic snarls. Instead, opt to use public transport or carpool. It saves money on gas, parking and car maintenance. If you can walk or cycle to your destination, do it! You save money and burn calories - totally a win-win!
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Eat Local & Seasonal
Choosing locally grown and seasonal produce are abundant and require fewer resources to grow. Buy directly from your farmers or their unions. Even better? Grow your own vegetables or herbs and you’re bound to save money.
These steps will be sure to help reduce costs in your personal budget. Beyond the daily costs that we keep an eye on, there’s a larger cost we often tend to forget. The true cost of continuing to live without taking sustainability into account is the damage we inflict on the planet. Climate change, loss of biodiversity, and resource depletion are tangible consequences of our overconsumption. The long term costs to the planet far outweigh any temporary savings we might gain from cheap, unsustainable goods.
It’s possible to live more sustainably without overspending. It’s not about the latest “green” product but about adopting habits that are sustainable by design and respect the resources we have. Sustainability is the journey to more thoughtful living, where the choices we make today can contribute to a healthier, more equitable world for future generations.