1. Eat organic food, buy from the farmer’s market, or grow your own.

Organic food can be more expensive but the cost is lowering. You may look at adding a few organic foods to your grocery list, such as organic milk, which often lasts longer than non-organic anyway. Visit your local farmer’s market to support your local growers and cut down on the emissions it takes for the food to end up on your table. Grow your own organic food if you find it is too expensive. Everyone can grow something even if it just herbs in your kitchen window.

2. Recycle

If you aren’t already, recycle everything you can. Recycling can take a few forms, you may take everything to a recycling center in your town or you could find other uses in your own home for items. For example you could use glass jars for small item storage or design a lamp out of old tin cans. Ask around the artist areas in your town to see if someone uses household items in their art and may want your extras.

3. Throw less away

Recycling will reduce your waste but so will making food from scratch instead of purchasing all pre-made meals or snacks. Purchasing less will also help. If you drink a great deal of water then get refillable bottles instead or purchasing a large amount of plastic each week and reuse your ziplock bags. Once you begin to look at things differently you will be amazed at how much you can reduce the amount of trash your throw away each week.

4. Lower your carbon emissions

Walk, carpool, and use public transportation if you can. If this isn’t possible then plan your errands for one day instead of getting out every day. Make sure that your car is running well and that your tires are at the correct pressure so that you get the best fuel efficiency possible.

5. Borrow and barter

Instead of paying someone for a service you need look to your friends, family, neighbors and co-workers. Perhaps you could trade babysitting with a friend or you can borrow your neighbor’s chain saw rather than purchase your own, especially if you only need it for one project. Have a furniture or clothing swap and invite everyone you know. You just may find the outfit for your next party or the entertainment center you’ve been wanting without having to go out and buy a new one.

6. Natural cleaning can save you money and give you a less toxic home

There are many natural cleaning products you can purchase or make yourself. Items as simple as cleaning with vinegar and baking soda can do a lot of things. These cleaning products are healthier for your family and often are much less expensive than purchasing products. Make sure that you dispose of items, such as batteries or compact fluorescent light bulbs as directed in your town.

To help you stick with this New Year’s Resolution, involve the entire family. Most of these are so easy to do that you will find having a greener life much easier than you thought!

You can purchase natural cleaning products. Now many of these are even found at your local stores or you can order them online. The problem with these products is they often cost more than the usual cleaning products you pick up. Instead of purchasing cleaning products at all, just make them yourself.

Several essential oils are disinfectants and can be used to make cleaning products. Pine oil, tea tree oil, and thyme are all good to use as a natural disinfectant.

Disinfectant Recipe:

2 tablespoons borax
¼ cup lemon juice
2 cups hot water
twenty drops pine oil, tea tree oil or thyme essential oil

Shake the borax, lemon juice, and hot water together in a spray bottle. Add the twenty drops of your essential oil choice and shake again. Use just as you would any other disinfectant.

Toilet Disinfectant Recipe:

2 cups white vinegar
3 drops tea tree, thyme, eucalyptus, or pine essential oil. Mix in a spray bottle. Spray in toilet and clean as you normally would.

Keep your natural cleaning products labeled and only use them for one product (such as toilet bowl disinfectant or glass cleaner) so that you are not mixing chemicals.

What natural cleaning products do you make?

Many think that the more a product costs, or the more it smells like bleach, the better it is, but this isn’t true. Green cleaning supplies can work just as well as regular cleaners without the price tag or the toxic fumes.

Baking soda isn’t just an ingredient you use in recipes; it is also a green cleaner. Use it and a bit of water to clean and rinse the tub or shower. Baking soda has great abrasive qualities that will have your tub sparkling.

Vinegar is the green cleaner I use the most. Mix one part vinegar with one part water in a spray bottle. Use it to clean mirrors, windows and any glass surface as well as countertops. Read more about the uses in this vinegar article.

To unclog a drain, throw a cup of baking soda down the drain and follow it up by slowly pouring vinegar. Leave the mixture for about 15 minutes and let the chemical reaction do its work then flush the drain with hot water. This can be done every week to keep your drains clean and clear.

How many times have you picked up a cleaning product with lemon in it? This isn’t by chance as lemon is a great green cleaner. Clean grout and shower doors by rubbing half a lemon on them.

These items will significantly cut down on the amount you spend on cleaning products and will keep your air cleaner and fresher. Don’t forget, instead of using regular air freshners after you’ve cleaned, to use eco friendly air freshners instead.

How do you green your clean?

* Use potpourri – You can find potpourri just about anywhere or you can make it yourself. Potpourri is cheap and can be used for a long time if you freshen it occasionally with dried herbs and spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or mint.
* Use essential oils – Essential oils are made from the natural oils of plants. These oils are non-toxic so you don’t have to worry about using them. Combine a small amount of an essential oil with water and spray potpourri, wreaths, or pinecones in your home. Essential oils are expensive up front but a very small amount goes a long way and they will last you a long time.
* Place fruits on a wreath – Cut an orange, apple and lemon into thin circles. Dry the fruit then arrange and attach to a wreath. These will last for just a few weeks so you would have to make a new one next year.
* Light some beeswax candles – Beeswax candles will let off a delightful honey smell and is non-toxic.

These are just a few ways to freshen up your home. What eco friendly and frugal air freshners do you use?

• Automatic Coffee Maker – Fill the coffee maker reservoir with vinegar and run the machine on the brew cycle to freshen and clean the machine. Finish by running water through the rinse cycle.

• Microwave – Boil a bowl of one part vinegar and two parts water in the microwave. This works great to loosen all the stuff stuck inside the microwave, making it easy to just wipe it down.

• Brass, Copper, and Pewter – Dissolve one teaspoon of plain salt in one cup of vinegar. Gradually add flour until it makes a paste. Spread the pasted on the metal and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and polish until the metal is dry.

• Windows – Put one part water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle. Use just as you would any glass cleaner, much more streak free than those you buy.

• Toilet – Spray toilet bowl stains with vinegar and scrub out stains. Throw about three cups in the toilet and leave for thirty minutes for a fresher smell.

• Clothes – Add one cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine to make clothes softer and dissolve soapy buildup on your clothes. Rub vinegar on to deodorant stains on shirts and wash as you normally would.

It is great to see how you can be eco-friendly and save money at the same time! Look for the extra large bottles of vinegar so you can use it everywhere you need it.

What else do you use vinegar for when cleaning?