The Top 8 Eco-Friendly Money-Saving Swaps On Aussie Lists…

The Top 8 Eco-Friendly Money-Saving Swaps On Aussie Lists…

I think we can all agree saving money where we can is on everyone’s to-do list, whether you’re saving for a holiday, just out enjoying those well-deserved luxuries in your day-to-day, or love to be cost-effective, we feel you! 

Discover the top 8 eco-friendly swaps that save money while benefiting the Earth and your health. Find where to start or see what you're already saving.

1.  Reusable Water Bottles 

This may sound obvious but your reusable water bottle is not only one of the best earth-saving swaps we can make to avoid plastic bottles, but it’s also saving you sooo much money in the long run. 

Despite having some of the highest-quality drinking water in the world, more than a million Aussie households drink bottled water at home. This is costing a collective$3.4 million each day and contributing to Australia's single-use plastic problem. Wild we know, but together we can change that. 

A reusable water bottle can cost anywhere from $10 to $50, depending on the brand and material. If you were to drink one 16-ounce bottle of water each day for a year, you would be using 365 bottles. If each bottle costs $1, that would be a total of $365 spent on bottled water in a year. That’s if the bottle is $1… but let’s be honest plastic water bottles can cost anywhere up to $5! 

Our tip is to find a plastic-free reusable water bottle that lasts, is durable and that you looove to drink from like these stainless steel bottles. Paired with one of our charcoal water filters, you’ll be clinging to your water bottle and creating those good habits in no time!

2.  Cloth Napkins & Towels

Many disposable napkins are made from paper but cannot be recycled due to their short fibres. While they can be home-composted, they usually end up in a landfill instead of being correctly home composted. 

With the average Aussie using around 12-15 sheets per day, you could save a whopping $350 per year by switching to cloth towels instead of paper towels. These un-paper towels make the perfectmultipurpose wipes, towels, burp cloths and more. Sign us up! 

3. Compost Bins

*Compost nerd dance* 

Composting made it to the list, and we couldn’t be more stoked. A compost bin is a great way to reduce food waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden, saving you money on buying fertilisers, and saving our soils from nasty chemicals. 

While some Australians may spend only a few dollars on fertiliser each year, others who have larger properties or more intensive gardening practices may spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Check out our huge range of composting solutions here. Whether you’re renting a smaller space, having a huge garden or just checking out your options. We have a composter for you! 

4.  Reusable Silicone Food Storage Bags

It’s time to talk about those plastic ziplock bags… Making the switch to reusable silicone food storage bags is a great way to save on all of those single-use plastics and money, & you can do so much more with them.

They are durable, dishwasher safe, and can be used over and over again! We even made our own baby wipes in them too! A reusable storage bag can last well over ten years with care. 

Waste saved? One silicone pouch will save you over 250 single-use plastic zip lock bags. As a rough estimate, a pack of reusable pouches with a variety of sizes can cost around $10-$20, and they can last for years with proper care. On the other hand, a box of Ziplock bags with a similar quantity can cost around $5-$10, and they typically last for a few weeks to a month, depending on your usage. Saving you up to $100 a year!

5.  Reusable Beeswax Wraps

A great place to start reducing waste is to say goodbye to cling wrap. Reusable beeswax wraps are washable, long-lasting, and are such a great and easy-to-use wrap for lunches, on the go and to cover leftovers. 

So let’s do some math here…  A pack of three beeswax wraps can cost around $15-$20, and they can last for up to a year with proper care. On the other hand, a roll of cling wrap can cost around $2-$5, and it can last for a few weeks to a month, depending on your usage. Saving you anywhere up to $60 a year just on cling wrap!

Other options include silicone food covers or thisOne wrap that doubles as baking paper too! Checkout out our money-saving cling wrap alternatives here.

6. Water Filters

This one lights up our eco-hearts as we have welcomed our charcoal water filter with open arms and now we can’t leave home without it! 

Just one charcoal stick replaces 6 Brita filters, saving you over $40! Plus your charcoal filter will last you over 6 months, the average Brita filter lasts a month and costs around $33… meaning you could save over $380 a year! 

7.  Eco-friendly Dish Soap

We knew the dish block would make it to the list, not only for saving money for dishes but our 4 in 1 dish block saves money all around your home! Switching to an eco-friendly cleaning bar is a great way to reduce your environmental impact and save money on buying conventional dish soaps, laundry detergents and multipurpose cleaners! 

In fact, you could be saving up to $700 per year!

8.  Reusable Grocery Bags

While we have thankfully said see ya later to the single-use plastic bags from our supermarkets, bringing our own reusable grocery bagis such an easy way to reduce waste and save money on buying new bags every time you go shopping. How do you remember your bags? We add “bags” to the top of our shopping list and leave our bundle of them in the car too! 

While the bags are only between $0.20 - $2.00 when we add that up each time we grocery shop over the year… That’s a whole grocery shop! 

So with those 8 easy eco-friendly swaps, we come to a grand total of up to anywhere from $2000-$3000 per year in savings! 

We hope you found this list helpful GFZ’s, whether you’ve made the swaps, looking to save money or searching for your next swap to make we want to say thank you for cleaning up this Earth with us! Leave us a comment below if you have another swap that’s saving you the big bucks!

P.s if you loved this blog we think you’ll also enjoy our one about A Natural Cleaning Product Could Declutter Your Cleaning Cupboard for Good over on our Sustainable Living blog! It’s a goodie!

Until next week GFZ’s!

Much love, 

GFZ Team xx