Latest / Talking FACS / Cut Costs, Cut Waste: Simple Swaps That Save Money and the Planet

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Cut Costs, Cut Waste: Simple Swaps That Save Money and the Planet · Talking FACS

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  Welcome to Talking FACS what you need to know about family,
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  food, finance, and fitness.
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  This nationally recognized, award-winning podcast is hosted by the University
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  of Kentucky Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program.
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  Our educators share research knowledge with individuals, families,
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  and communities to improve quality of life.
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  Can you think of a simple idea that can have a big impact on both your wallet and the environment?
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  Reducing waste and finding new ways to reuse the things we already have is an
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  excellent way to accomplish both goals.
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  From choosing reusable products to repurposing household items,
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  small changes can add up to meaningful savings over time.
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  Welcome to MoneyWi$e on Talking FACS, where we explore practical strategies
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  to help you make the most of your money and your resources.
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  I am your host, Mindy McCulley, Extension Specialist for Instructional Support
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  with Family and Consumer Sciences Extension at the University of Kentucky.
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  Joining me today is Kelly May, Senior Extension Associate for Family Finance
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  and Resource Management.
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  And we are going to discuss practical ways families can spend less,
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  waste less, and make smarter use of their resources every day.
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  Welcome, Kelly. I'm glad you're here.
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  I'm glad to be here. Thanks so much for having me. You know,
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  recycling efforts vary by region, and what works on my street may not even work
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  in the neighborhood next to me.
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  So anyone, anywhere can help reduce and reuse.
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  What are we talking about when we talk about reduce and what are some ways that I can do that?
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  Yeah, so one of the best ways to reduce is just to omit from the start.
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  So think about things that you buy that maybe you don't need. It's a duplicate thing.
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  You've already got one in your house. Maybe you can use the one you already
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  have, but there are a lot of disposable things that we use,
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  as a convenience, like paper plates and napkins and plastic cutlery and bottled
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  water instead of tap water or bottle fillers and more.
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  So rather than spending money on things that you're going to throw away,
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  and you know that from the very start, you can choose items that can be cleaned and reused.
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  So for example, like paper towels. We can use cloth napkins that can be washed,
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  and dishcloths and towels for cleaning up messes and drying dishes.
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  And if you're thinking of the finances of that, a six pack of paper towels averages $15 a pack.
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  For that multi-pack, and families commonly use up to two rolls a week.
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  So making this simple swap could save your family $250 or more a year just in paper towels.
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  Maybe you use less than that, but still even half of that amount would be a good savings.
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  I have seen people who have put their recyclable towels on a roll so that they're
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  still convenient, like paper towels are, but then you just toss them into the
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  washing machine when you're finished using them.
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  Yeah, that would be a good way to do it.
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  And another example is a water bottle.
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  So many offices and schools now have water bottle refilling stations.
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  In fact, I feel like the water bottle is the school supply now.
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  So like, not just your backpack and your notebooks and,
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  filler paper and pencils, But every kid has a water bottle now And they know
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  to use them So my daughter is better than I am At refilling her water bottle,
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  But that's one thing I'm working to be more conscious of Is that I have my cup
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  that I can fill At the bottle filling station here at work And there are many
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  places that now If there's a fountain available There's a water filling station too So,
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  just the plastic from the water bottles Is a great way to reduce waste and to
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  not have to purchase things,
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  where it's already available.
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  I love that. In my family, we go to minor league baseball games all the time.
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  And to buy a bottle of water at the stadium is six bucks.
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  But we are allowed to take in our refillable water bottles, and they do have
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  bottle filling stations.
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  So not only are we keeping cool, but we are saving lots of money and eliminating
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  that waste that goes into the landfill.
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  So let's talk about ways that we can reuse. Thinking about reusing is like shopping in your own house.
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  So what do you already have at home that you could repurpose and use for a new
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  thing or just use for the reason you thought you were going to use it in the
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  first place? Just remember that you have it.
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  But also we can reuse other people's things. So it's like new to you.
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  It's not brand new, but it's new to your household.
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  So you could shop consignment sales or yard sales or buy your clothes and household items that way.
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  Another fun thing you can do is to have a stuff swap with your family and friends
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  or neighbors and bring things that have been outgrown or just aren't used anymore
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  like toys or clothes or household items.
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  And so the things you no longer need and you can trade those with your friends,
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  to get things that are new to you. So it's kind of a fun thing to do.
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  Also, you can repurpose things. And so I think of like the homemakers in how,
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  they can take denim and turn it into fabulous things.
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  Our current cultural arts chair is known for turning denim jeans,
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  old jeans into really cool stuff like tote bags and vests and jackets.
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  And she's done some amazing things. And so there's lots of things that can be
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  repurposed into something completely new.
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  And maybe it doesn't have to be something that complicated, but even just being
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  slightly crafty, you can turn old t-shirts into a tote bag or maybe just cutting
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  them up for cleaning cloths.
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  A picture can be modified and refinished, so you can turn an old dresser into
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  a TV console, or I've seen.
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  Online people have taken those old-fashioned television stands that the new
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  TVs don't even fit in anymore, and they've turned them into dressers or even
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  a kid's play area, like a little kitchen, with just some knobs and handles.
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  And a little bit of paint, that could be repurposed into something new.
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  But just like, you know, mason jars and cans, you could turn them into bases
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  or storage containers. And a lot of things can be repurposed.
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  I love that. And, you know, every spring, I think our merchandising appeal and
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  textile students collect blue jeans that are then turned into building materials
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  because they're very insulating and that sort of thing.
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  So, you know, just because you don't have an idea of how it can be repurposed
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  doesn't mean that you might be able to find someone else who can repurpose in
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  a completely new and different way.
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  How does this all apply to the work that we do in Camelon Consumer Sciences Extension?
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  Using less is one small part of family resource management.
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  And those are all the things we need to be able to manage and run our households.
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  So we make choices about resources every day Like how do we spend our money
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  But not just money It's also time and energy And prioritizing relationships,
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  And the decisions we make for our health,
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  And so we decide what to do With all the material resources we have Like food, clothing, and shelter,
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  And reducing waste and using less Are ways we can stretch our dollars And be
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  smarter about how we use those resources So it all fits into family and consumer
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  science very well, actually.
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  I think that's great. And Kelly, I love that you've joined me today for this
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  discussion, because sometimes we forget about the things that we already have
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  or things that we can use in a different way so that we are not,
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  adding to our budget and adding to the landfill as well.
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  If you are just tuning in, you're listening to Money Wise on Talking FACS.
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  And if you subscribe to our show from your favorite platform,
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  you're going to be able to access all of the most recent topics that we share.
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension is part of the Martin-Gatton College
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  of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.
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  Thank you for listening to Talking FACS. We deliver programs focusing on nutrition,
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  health, resource management, family development, and civic engagement.
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  If you enjoyed today's podcast, have a question, or a show topic idea,
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  leave a like and a comment on Facebook at UKFCSEXT,
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  or send us an email at UKFCSEXT@UKY.edu.
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  Visit us online at fcs.uky.edu to learn more about the University of Kentucky
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  Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Program or contact your local Extension
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  agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
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  We build strong families. We build Kentucky. It starts with us.