It’s Earth Day! And while the world celebrates, it’s important for us to strive to protect the environment, tackle climate change and green the planet. This is home. The only one we have!
Meanwhile, there are plenty of lessons we can takeaway from the planet this Earth Day – most of which we can apply in our personal financial plans. Be it sowing investments, planting savings or harvesting funds, the Earth is the best teacher to plan our finances.
Start at home
Focus on how you run your house. Reduce how much you pay for electricity by adjusting your thermostat a few degrees warmer in the summer or cooler in the winter to cut down energy use.
Tiny steps make a difference. Turn off lights when you’re not in the room. Use appliances conservatively. Refurnish your home to allow more light in and add insulation.
Using your home equity is a cost-efficient, affordable way to pay for these projects and make energy-efficient updates. What you save each day will go a long way in not just going easy on your bills but also help the planet.
Don’t pollute your finances with bad habits
Taking care of our environment from the harmful effects of pollution is critical. So is curbing bad habits in our personal finances. Eliminate unnecessary spending, save more. When you are tempted to dip into your savings or go over your budget, remind yourself of how much harm it can do to your financial environment.
Green banking
Move to electronic banking. Manage your money online anytime and anywhere which not only saves you trips to the bank, it also helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions from your car.
Using e-statements will mean there are less trees being cut down to make paper. Trees are the lungs of the planet as remove carbon dioxide from the air and release clean, fresh and vital oxygen into the atmosphere.
Go on an adventure
Discover new forms of investments that can help diversify your personal finances. Stay updated on market trends, new policies and fresh investments you can dabble in – be it stocks, bonds or mutual funds.
This creates a positive environment for your money to grow and you to reap rich benefits.
Shop local, save global
Go to your local market. Farm-fresh stock is usually grown locally. This reduces environmental impact on the food supply chain and costs usually less than what you will shell out at the grocery store
Do away with disposables
Reuse, Reduce and Recycle. Take your own shopping bag, carry your own water bottle, use your own containers for food. This will reduce plastic burden and you will automatically see the cost savings in your monthly budgets.
Green your investments
Nurture your investments. Give them the attention and care they need – whether its just growing your savings, building your retirement money or cashing in on emergency funds for a rainy day. Make every penny count.
Track environmental changes
Track changes to your financial environment. Sustainable development takes place when the habitat is carefully studied and changes are tracked. Similarly, follow economic trends and study how the financial climate changes.
Then you can reach out to a financial advisor to assist you in understanding these changes and react accordingly with financial decision making.
On Earth Day, set aside a cent, help the community, do something nice for the Earth and make a difference.
