Create Your Own Sustainable Home On a Budget

The journey towards a more eco-friendly home can be long. There are lots of ways to spend money living green and also lots of cheap and easy green living ideas that can significantly reduce the impact of your home while you save up for some of the bigger ticket items.

1. replace lightbulbs with energy efficient ones
2. seal up drafts to reduce heating in winter
3. repair leaks and place flow restrictors on taps and showers
4. install awnings over windows or use curtains to keep the house cooler in summer (curtains will come in handy for insulating in winter)
5. take advantage of government grants at the moment and consider installing solar hot water or voltaics and ceiling insulation
6. dual flush toilet (or put a brick or full water bottle in the cistern to reduce water volume each flush). Sydney water are currently offering a toilet replacement service
7. get a bathroom timer and limit showers to three minutes
8. separate waste, place containers under the sink to separate organic food for the worm farm, recyclables and landfill waste
9. get a worm farm
10. reduce energy use of appliances by ensuring there is adequate ventilation to the back of the fridge or putting in extension leads on hard to reach plugs so appliances can be easily turned off such as microwaves, DVD players etc
11. make more use of your microwave, it is more energy efficient than other cooking methods
12. moderate indoor climate by installing house plants or even better make up a living wall
13. get digging and create a veggie patch
14. beg, borrow, steal or swap plant cuttings and cultivate plants for your garden or indoors
15. if you are looking to redecorate go for low VOC paints and reuse/recycle – check out eBay or local antique or charity shops to avoid buying something from new.

If you are on a roll and want to take things further, we have collated an array of tips for eco-living, so check out our tips section.

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