Green & Clean

It’s hardly a secret that making your own food at home is great for your budget and your health. The planet also benefits from less packaging and travelling to stores and restaurants. A lesser-known fact is that you don’t necessarily have to sacrifice time in order to save money.

The trick is having the right tools on hand. Using these five gadgets on a regular basis can save you hundreds of dollars every month. You probably already have most of them tucked away in your kitchen cabinets. If not, ask friends if they’re looking to unload any of the items below or seek out great deals or freebies on Craigslist, Freecycle, and elsewhere.

Slow cooker

Grandma had the right idea. This old-fashioned appliance can save you money in countless ways. You can make delicious meals using inexpensive ingredients such as beans and tough cuts of meat (which are magically transformed into tender morsels after a full day of cooking at a low temperature).

Slow cookers use much less energy than traditional ovens and stoves. You’ll also potentially spend less on take-out since you won’t be tempted to order in at the end of a long day because you’re too tired to cook.

Prep time is usually quick and easy since it often involves slicing and dicing a few ingredients, throwing it into your slow cooker, and letting it simmer all day. This handy appliance has made a bit of a comeback in recent years so there’s no shortage of delicious recipes to choose from.

Bread machine

Homemade bread is far superior to and much less expensive than most store-bought versions. Most of us don’t have time to bake bread by hand, but a bread machine can save a lot of time since all you have to do is add the ingredients and turn it on. It’s also a great tool for making pizza dough, desserts, and other higher ticket items.

Here are some tips for saving money on ingredients for homemade bread and pizza dough. One common criticism is that bread you make at home may go bad more quickly because it has fewer preservatives than processed bread. An easy solution is to slice up leftover bread and store it in the freezer.

Coffeemaker

We’ve all heard this one before, but that’s because you can really save a bundle by brewing your coffee at home instead of purchasing it a coffee shop.

How much will you pocket? The average adult can save around $100 a month (assuming you buy two cups of Joe a day at an average price of $2.45). The savings really add up if you have more than one coffee drinker in your household or buy super-size versions of specialty drinks on a regular basis.

Soda maker

It’s unlikely that you already own a beverage carbonator, but it may be worth the investment if you drink a lot of sparkling water or conventional soda. A soda maker allows you to easily turn tap water into your favorite carbonated drinks in minutes. Some other benefits: Making your own soda is fun, you don’t have to lug heavy bottles home from the supermarket, and you save time on sorting through empty bottles for recycling.

The savings can really add up, especially if soda is the preferred beverage in your household or you throw a lot of parties. It costs about 20 cents to make a liter of seltzer and a quarter for the equivalent of a 12-ounce can of soda.

If you buy 10 two-liter bottles of seltzer, you’ll spend around $25, compared to making your own for around $8. It costs about $20 to buy two 12-packs of soda. Making the same amount of soda will cost you $6.

Water filter

Drinking bottled water is an expensive habit that’s worth breaking, especially when you consider that experts say tap is the best choice for those who live in the U.S.

The New York Times estimates that it costs about $1,400 a year for people to get their eight glasses of water a day from a bottle, versus about 49 cents for an annual supply of tap water. That puts the potential monthly savings at around $116 a month per person. Calculate your own cost for drinking bottled versus tap.

Drinking from the tap is also your greenest option, since bottled water has many negative environmental impacts associated with making and disposing of plastic bottles. Which filter you choose largely depends on what you’re trying to achieve so here’s advice on finding the best filter for your tap water.

Eco Friendly Cleaning Kits

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