Photo: actionblog.com

Did you ever think about how much you actually buy in a month? If you saved every receipt from every purchase you made and took note of those expenses you wouldn’t normally think important (like that random milk tea!), how much do you think you would have spent in actuality?

We can shop more purposefully, frugally while being environmentally-conscious. It’s not that hard to shop in a more organized and efficient way that will also have positive effects on our environment, our world. Here are ten tips to make your trips a little more intentional.

1. Save on gas by planning your shopping trips.

By planning your shopping trips strategically, you can save gas, time, and unnecessary spending. Here’s how:

• Make a meal plan. Have all the ingredients you need for two weeks worth of meals by first making a meal plan. This way, you can organize your shopping list and not mindlessly forget an ingredient that’ll have you going back to the store; going to the store just to pick up those missing ingredients will mean more gas spent, more carbon monoxide emissions from the car, and more time wasted! For effectiveness, make a meal plan once a month and follow it.
• Make a shopping list according to your meal plan. Once you’ve done your meal plan, only buy the ingredients you need for the recipes you’ve planned for the month. Buy fresher ingredients weekly, like vegetables and meat; buy canned and dried goods in bulk once a month.
• Combine several shopping trips. Plan your trips so they’re multi-purpose: Once a month when buying dried or canned goods, also buy the clothing, cosmetics, and personal items you need. This way, you can really reduce the number of times your family shops.

2. Go for less packaging!

You already know to bring your own shopping bags when you go shopping, right? When buying rice, bring a reusable bag dedicated just for it. If you buy meat or fish, bring a cooler so you avoid having to put them in plastic bags. This goes for clothing items, too: Ask the clerk to put your purchased items in your reusable bag so you don’t have to bring home an extra paper bag. As much as possible, pick other items that are either not packaged or that have minimal packaging; if they do have packaging, make sure the packaging is recyclable.

3. Recycle and reuse as a habit.

Make an effort in your family to practice recycling and reusing as a habit. You can save much on shopping for storage items and other accessories if you thoughtfully reuse packaging! For example: Use old glass jars from jam or peanut butter for storing items like pasta, dried goods, chip clips, etc.

4. Avoid buying products with toxic chemicals.

This doesn’t just mean cleaning products and food! Avoid toiletries, personal care items and if possible, even clothing, that you suspect has toxic ingredients. You can do this by buying organic products. Yes it does cost more, these products are much better for you health: Organic foods is cleaner because it is not covered in pesticides and herbicides, and is more nutritious; natural cleaners are also chemical-free (and you can actually make them yourself at home, thus saving more on your shopping).

5. Avoid processed food.

There is a reason processed foods–hot dogs, luncheon meats, processed cheeses, canned vegetables, frozen dinners–are cheap: They are actually less nutritious and filled with many chemicals, preservatives and artificial colouring and flavors. That means they’re hardly food! You can shop and eat healthier if you avoid processed food, plan your meals, shop purposefully, and do the following:

• Cook from scratch. Start once a week with w meal, and then work up to more. Cooking meals without any processed, pre-prepared foods takes practice, but once you get used to avoiding those artificial foods, you’ll feel a great sense of health and accomplishment knowing your family is eating better quality food.
• Eat together as a family. Research shows that families who eat together have children who score better on tests, perform better overall in school and extracurriculars, and have better marriages. Cooking meals from scratch encourages you to really prepare a loving meal for your family, so cook often!

6. Buy seasonal and local food.

Lots of our countrymen love the concept of “imported” food and clothes. However, imported products come at a premium price because of the costs entailed to bring them to our shops. That means more fuel being used up by ships and air freight, just to bring these items to our country, and this has environmental effects. If you want to be more eco friendly, buy products from local businesses, like local farms for organic veggies and local retail stores for clothing. By buying seasonal, local food, you get fresher food that does not need to be shipped around the world to get to you.

Photo: dogbonart, Flickr