17 awesome ways you can save money by living sustainably
Simple, low impact ways to save money
Want to live a more sustainable life but think it requires too much effort—or just don''t know where to start? We''re here to help. We''ve found dozens of simple steps you can take to be more green and also save money—a lot of it—around the house. Try a few of the tips here to start, then dig in to our rapidly expanding resources, including:
• CR''s Sustainable Living Guide• Test Your Eco Smarts With Our Quick Quiz• Make Sure You Buy a Reliable AppliancePlus: Look for CR''s Green Choice designation, which identifies the products in our ratings that are better for the earth—and your wallet. We''ve added Green Choice to our washing machine and dishwasher ratings, and more product categories will get the designation soon.
DIY carbonation can save you cash. Based on our calculations, a family that drinks 5 liters of seltzer a week and switches from store-bought to making their own with a soda maker would save $195 over two years—and spare 520 single-use plastic bottles. (This is based on using the highly rated SodaStream Terra, $80 at some retailers.) Use our interactive tool to see when your family would start to save.
Taking leftovers home from a restaurant reduces food waste and maximizes the value of your dollars spent dining out. If you''re ditching the doggie bag because certain foods aren''t as good reheated, know that we found that an air fryer can bring even loaded nachos, tacos, and other foods typically thought impossible to resuscitate back to their original glory.
If you use single-use coffee pods, try trading those for a reusable K-Cup filter. Keurig makes its own, but you can also get one from DéliBrü, Di Oro, Fill N Save, Maxware, or Perfect Pod. And you''ll save big: The average price for a pound of ground coffee in the U.S. breaks down to about 18 cents a cup. Compare that with Keurig K-Cups, which cost roughly 74 cents a cup. Based on two coffee drinkers enjoying one cup every morning, you''ll save almost $400 a year with the reusable filter, which can go into the dishwasher when you''re done. (If you still have disposables, here''s our guide to recycling coffee pods.)
Grabbing coffee out? Starbucks and Peet''s, among other coffee chains and shops, offer a small discount if you bring your own mug. In our tests of insulated travel mugs, the 16-ounce Zojirushi kept drinks hot for an astonishing 13.5 hours—6 hours longer than the closest competitor and far longer than the Yeti Rambler.
If you buy purified bottled water because you aren''t happy with what comes out of your tap, try a high-quality water filter pitcher. Take the top-rated Brita Rapids Stream. For a $25 investment, this pitcher filters up to 40 gallons of water per cartridge (replacements cost $7 each). That''s about equal to the amount of water in 303 plastic bottles (16.9-ounce), or more than twenty-five 12-packs.
Yes, they cost twice as much (or more) as single-use batteries, but you can recharge them hundreds of times. To get the most savings, use rechargeables in devices that require frequent battery changes, such as your computer mouse and remote controls for toys, advises Shanika Whitehurst, CR''s associate director of sustainability. Disposables are better for products with a low energy pull, such as smoke detectors, clocks, and your TV''s remote control.
"If you''re heating your entire gas grill, a 10-minute preheat ensures good performance," says CR test engineer Larry Ciufo. "Anything longer than that is likely to be a waste of gas." Prep everything you plan to cook before you heat your grill, then set a 10-minute timer on your phone so you don''t burn through extra propane.
Get more life from the mattress you have by rotating it or flipping it (depending on manufacturer guidance) at least twice a year. And follow our mattress cleaning advice. When it''s time to replace it, don''t be fooled by terms such as "natural" or even "organic." The two most meaningful standards are the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and the Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) certification.
When you need to replace a major appliance or you''re outfitting your kitchen or laundry room with a new suite, choosing a reliable brand can help you avoid problem-prone machines—and the cost of repairs. Our fourth annual Brand Reliability Rankings show how reliable a brand is relative to others, across multiple appliance types. The results are based on data CR collected from our member surveys covering more than 669,500 kitchen and laundry appliances purchased new between 2011 and 2021.
Composting breaks down fruits and veggies into a nutrient-rich fertilizer—and keeps food scraps out of landfills.
We took a deep dive into buying a used appliance and found that you can hunt down solid options for a fraction of the price of buying new. "It takes a little legwork and a willingness to live with a mismatched kitchen or laundry suite, but in return you can find a top-of-line appliance for a fraction of what it would cost new," says Jim Nanni, director of appliance testing at CR. You can purchase used at online marketplaces and yard sales, but a used-appliance store or a repair shop might offer lower prices and a warranty.
The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that you could shave between 4 and 22 percent off your annual energy bill by dialing down your water heater from 140° F to 120° F. That could mean savings of more than $400 a year. But check the manual or check with the manufacturer to confirm the proper setting for yours—and know that electric tank water heaters should be set at a high enough temperature to prevent bacteria growth.
It distributes tiny grass clippings, which decompose and fertilize your lawn. In autumn, it shreds and spreads fallen leaves. The mowers below earn Excellent ratings in our mulching test. They''re also energy-efficient and quiet, and they don''t pollute. Not sure if a battery mower will cut it? Use our interactive tool at to see when you''d break even vs. gas.
Chromebooks use a cloud-based operating system that reduces the need for pricey processors and built-in storage. Free software called CloudReady makes it pretty easy to give an old laptop new life as a functional Chromebook. We''ll walk you through the process with step-by-step instructions.
A drafty house can drive up your energy costs. To find less obvious leaks, hold a lit incense stick near potential problem spots, like windows and doors. If the smoke dissipates, you probably have a leak. Use caulk to fill gaps between stationary features, such as door and window frames, and use weather stripping to seal what moves, such as doors and windows.
Twenty-eight percent of people use the programmable or learning option on their thermostat to optimize their energy use, according to a nationally representative survey (PDF) by CR of 2,240 U.S. adults in March 2022. If that''s an option for you, set your programmable thermostat to automatically adjust the temp when you''re away or asleep. Follow our step-by-step guide. According to Energy Star, a smart thermostat—which can program itself and will save even more energy (and money) by using your smartphone location data to tell whether you''re home or away—can lower your heating and cooling bills by an average of 8 percent, or $50 per year.
You can save up to 3 percent on your utility bill for every degree you raise your thermostat''s set temperature above 72° F this summer.
In summer, keep curtains closed when you can, to block warming rays. Run a ceiling fan and you can raise the air-conditioner thermostat by 4° F and feel just as comfortable, per the Department of Energy.
Electric heat pumps can chop your heating-related carbon emissions by 40 percent or more compared with a gas furnace, according to a study from the University of California, Davis. Thanks to new technology, heat pumps now work in not only warmer climates but also colder ones. Homeowners who switch from oil or propane heat are likely to save money, too—especially if you live somewhere with tax incentives or cash rebates. Check the Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency for programs in your area.
. . . even without the panels.
Trader Joe''s sells cut basil for $2.69—or a potted basil plant, $4, which could provide a steady supply of the aromatic herb with a little sun and weekly watering. "Indoors, with south-facing sun, you can grow basil, thyme, mint, oregano, rosemary—to name a few—on a windowsill," says Karen Washington, co-owner of Rise & Root Farm in Chester, N.Y. Looking for something more automated? We recently tried four countertop herb gardens and found that some were easier to use than others.
A new federal rule requiring lightbulbs to meet higher efficiency standards means that energy-wasting incandescent bulbs might not be an option for long. But it doesn''t pay to wait: We compared the energy use of a 100-watt equivalent Philips-branded "eco" incandescent (halogen) bulb with the energy use of compact fluorescent (CFL), LED, and smart LED bulbs. The incandescent uses 72 watts, the CFL uses 23 watts, and both LEDs use 14.5 watts. The difference in yearly energy cost between the incandescent and LEDs is about $7 per bulb. So if you replace 10 incandescents (the average home uses more than 60 bulbs), you''ll save about $70 in yearly energy costs. Plus, LEDs last 14 to 17 years longer.
Replacing old toilets with new models that qualify for the EPA''s WaterSense label could save more than $140 a year on your water bill, according to the EPA. Federal standards require that new toilets use no more than 1.6 gallons per flush; WaterSense toilets must use only 1.28 gallons. "In our tests, many WaterSense models perform just as well as—if not better than—some higher-gallon toilets," says CR test engineer Chris Regan.
Online Buy Nothing groups let you give appliances, lawn-care equipment, and anything else you no longer want to people in your community instead of sending them to the landfill. Everything is offered free and you can post a request for anything you need (just not cash or anything illegal). Search Facebook Groups for your local Buy Nothing group or go to the Freecycle website. (Plan a handoff in a public location or parking lot; some police stations even have spots designated for that purpose.)
Installing a low-flow showerhead with the EPA''s WaterSense label can save 2,700 gallons a year, or about $16 in average annual water costs.
People typically keep a garment for about two years. Extending that to three years, by taking good care of your clothing, reduces its carbon, water, and waste footprint by 20 to 30 percent—and you''ll save because you''re not having to replace items so frequently. To get more wear out of clothes, first, wash garments less often and/or use shorter or more gentle wash cycles. When it''s time to lauder, try the soak function. It fills the tub and lets the detergent work without much (or any) agitation before it runs a shorter wash-and-spin cycle. Decreased agitation reduces wear and tear on clothes. And when it comes to protecting delicate fabrics, use mesh laundry bags.
When you''re done with a garment and it''s still in good condition, consider selling it through a local consignment store, or try an online option, such as ThredUp. If the item''s worn out, search the database at Earth911 for nearby textile donation sites. Alternatively, retailers such as H&M and brands including Levi''s and Adidas offer coupons or other incentives for your used apparel. (Interested in sustainable fashion? We also have a guide to thrifting.)
A bidet seat attaches to your toilet and spritzes your backside. This post-potty rinse uses more water (in addition to your standard flush) but saves on toilet paper. "Our toilet paper consumption has gone down by half," one bidet fan reported to CR''s user experience and research team. Another said they used 80 percent less TP after installing a bidet seat. In CR''s evaluation with more than two dozen bidet owners, the Brondell SimpleSpa Thinline was among the favorites.
Think about how often you rip one off the roll, then toss it in the trash—for wiping the counters, drying your hands, and cleaning up spills.
Don''t have a dishwasher? The best way to hand-wash dishes is the water-efficient two-basin method. Scrape away solids, then soak and scrub dirty dishes in a sink filled with hot water and a few drops of dish soap. Follow by rinsing in a basin of cold water.
First, don''t prerinse. Unless you have superhard water or an ineffective dishwasher, you can skip rinsing the dishes before loading them. And if you make sure to run full loads, you''ll save water, energy, and detergent. Built-up mineral scale and food residue can diminish your machine''s cleaning abilities. If your dishwasher has a filter, clean it whenever performance dips. And for all models, run an empty load with a cleaner, such as Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner, $9, or citric acid a few times a year.
When it''s time to replace your dishwasher, our Green Choice designation will help you find an option that''s among the most eco-friendly models we''ve tested.
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