These days many of us want to save money but many of us are also becoming conscious of the "green" movement.
We all want to contribute to the sustainability of our planet yet save money at the same time.
How can the ways we shop impact our planet? Well, of course, one of the easiest and most obvious things is to bring your own reusable bag.
Plastic bags are meant to be used for a minimal amount of time, just the time it takes to bag your groceries and go home.
Yet these same plastic bags will remain within the waste system for an estimated 1000 years or more as plastic does not biodegrade in the natural environment.
Plastic kills thousands upon thousands of marine birds and mammals and it is a deep threat to our oceans, lakes and waterways.
Many stores have recycling bins for plastic bags; however, plastic has long had a low recycling rate.
It is best to try to avoid as much plastic as you can.
Plastic bags are something that you can easily do without.
Just bring your own bags.
Another thing to consider as you shop green is buying things in bulk.
If you can use the products you buy in bulk you will save money and save the environment.
Larger packages use fewer plastics than single use items of the same product.
Makes sense to buy the larger package if you are going to use it plus it is usually cheaper to do so.
You can also try to buy recycled products.
Many paper towels are made from virgin wood.
That means that trees were cut down and used to make a product that you use to dry your hands.
Is that really necessary? There are a few recycled paper towel products that work just as well as other paper towels but they are made from recycled paper.
It is something to think about.
You can shop green by using your computer.
We all have access to this amazing Internet and you can use it to your advantage.
Check out sales and plan your shopping by visiting websites instead of visiting stores or even checking newspapers.
You will save gas, time, money and the environment.
Coupons are a great way to save money but traditionally coupons have only been found in newspapers.
Consider this, The New York Times Sunday Edition is printed on virgin paper.
If just that one newspaper used recycled paper for the Sunday Edition it would save approximately 75,000 trees each week, which adds up to a staggering 3,900,000 trees per year.
Keep in mind that these statistics are for only one newspaper, not even close to the millions that are printed each Sunday throughout the United States.
So coupons can be a great way to save money but in order to be more environmentally conscious, why not find the coupons you want online? Print out only the ones you need or better yet, use coupon codes, promotional codes and discounts.
If you can just input a code for your coupon and avoid paper altogether, that would be the greenest solution of all.
Be conscious of your shopping decisions and how they affect our environment, because after all, we all live and love on Planet Earth.