Economic uncertainty is shaping up to be the financial theme of 2025. Inflation, unemployment, tariffs and unpredictable interest rates make it difficult to plan with any confidence. Today’s post features 10 ways sustainable living can help you weather uncertain economic times.
The Climate Change Collective is an initiative where the blogging community unites behind a common goal. This month, it’s my turn to write the lead post. Thinking about the current uncertain economic times made me consider the many money-saving opportunities I’ve realized by adopting a sustainability mindset. Collectively, these small changes have made a huge difference in my day-to-day finances.
Weathering uncertain economic times through sustainable living
A 2023 global survey by Deloitte found personal economic conditions significantly shape the breadth and depth of sustainable behaviours. The report discussed the impact of a “green premium” as a barrier to sustainable living.
The green premium may be an issue when it comes to big ticket purchases like electric vehicles or home heating upgrades. But as far as day-to-day living costs, I have found the opposite to be true. Since adopting a greener lifestyle, I spend less, produce less waste, and feel more in control of my life.
10 way sustainable living can help in uncertain economic times
Let’s look at 10 practical ways sustainable living can reduce spending and help you manage in uncertain economic times.
Being more intentional
Out-of-control consumption is one of the biggest contributors to our environmental crisis. It is also a huge barrier to developing positive financial habits.
At its very core, sustainable living involves a mindset shift from mindless consumption toward more intentional habits. Living intentionally leads to a better understanding of wants vs. needs and an increased awareness of how much you consume. It also opens your eyes to the impact of paid influencers who make money by convincing you that the product they’re pushing is the key to happiness.
Buying less and shopping differently
The most environmentally friendly product is the one you didn’t buy.
Joshua Becker
The decision to live more intentionally immediately triggers a shift in shopping habits. Applying mindful shopping habits involves asking a few simple questions before buying anything. It’s surprising how often those questions will lead you to remove an item from your shopping cart. Visit Mindful shopping tips – Save money and simplify life to learn four questions to ask before any purchase.
In addition to what you buy (or don’t buy), a green living mindset also results in changes to where you shop. Shopping at thrift stores and choosing local small businesses over big box chains and online giants can save money while reducing your footprint. And taking advantage of refilleries and bring your own container programs saves money, while cutting food and packaging waste.
Supporting the sharing economy
The sharing economy is another excellent way to avoid unnecessary purchases. In this economic model, goods and resources are shared by individuals and groups in a collaborative way.
I have found our local Buy Nothing group to be an excellent resource to find new homes for items I no longer need. Sharing items in this group keeps things out of landfill and saves the recipient money. And it always makes me feel good to know my old stuff is making a difference to someone who needs it.
The sharing economy can also be a way to earn extra money from a side hustle. And you can reduce spending by borrowing items you may only use once or twice instead of buying.
Repairing instead of replacing
Our disposable mindset and desire for new shiny things means we rarely repair anything these days. But finding a local tailor or appliance repair service can save you a lot of money while reducing the amount of waste in landfill.
Avoiding waste
My green living journey started with wanting to reduce plastic waste. This quickly expanded to reducing other types of waste. My desire to waste reduction focus means I use items until they’re empty, or until they wear out or break. And before throwing anything away, I consider ways to reuse or upcycle it.
Check out these posts for tips on how to reduce costly waste in your household:
- 12 practical ways you can cut food waste
- 10 ways you can use less water
- Do you know the 5 Rs of waste reduction?
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
Using less energy at home
I hear a lot of complaints about high electricity and home heating bills, so this is an area where green living has the potential to make a huge difference in your budget.
Adjusting the thermostat, hanging clothes to dry, and turning off lights when you leave the room are quick and easy changes most people can make. For more ideas, visit this post for 20 home energy saving tips that will add up.
Driving less
North Americans love cars. All that driving adds up to a big environmental impact and a lot of money spent.
Opting for greener transportation options can have positive health and financial impacts. Consider walking, biking, carpooling, or taking public transportation instead of hopping in the car. If you must drive, save time and money by planning and combining your errands on one trip rather than making multiple trips.
Eating less meat
My husband shops for most of the meat in our household so I rarely visit the meat aisle in the supermarket. When I do, I’m aways shocked at how expensive meat is these days.
In addition to cost savings, eating less meat has environmental benefits and health benefits. Even if you’re not ready to become vegetarian, check out Giving up meat won’t save the Earth…but it might help for ways to cut your meat consumption.
Adopting a DIY mindset
Every time you opt for convenience, you’re paying someone else to do something you could do yourself. I’m not suggesting taking on major home repairs, but there are some simple DIYs that can save you a lot of money.
Here are some ideas to get started…
- Cook your meals at home instead of eating out or getting takeout.
- Make your own coffee or tea.
- Grow some of your own food, even if you only have a small outdoor space.
- Learn how to make simple clothing repairs like buttons and hems.
You can learn how to do pretty much everything on YouTube these days. Why not give it a try?
Choosing greener leisure activities
Finally, we can’t ignore the environmental impact of our leisure activities.
With an increased focus on sustainability, you might find yourself prioritizing spending time in nature at local parks or trails, choosing local events that don’t require travel, or swapping some overseas vacations for staycations.
For experiences that are kinder to the Earth, visit 6 ways to reduce the environmental cost of experiences.
It’s safe to say that our current uncertain economic times will likely last for a while. Making some of these changes now can help you weather the storm and will create more resilience for the future. What have you got to lose?
About the Climate Change Collective
The Climate Change Collective started after I left a comment on a blog post by Jamie Ad Stories. Jamie and I wanted to find a way to keep the climate change message top of mind for everyone, so I put out a tweet to see what kind of interest there would be in a climate-change-related blogging collaboration. The Climate Change Collective was born!
The members of the collective take turns writing a monthly blog post sharing their unique perspective about climate change. After the post is published, the rest of the group keeps the conversation going by sharing a link to the post on their blogs along with their thoughts and ideas.
If you’re a like-minded blogger and would like to join our collective, please get in touch. More voices joining the conversation means more attention to the problems plaguing our planet!
More Climate Change Collective posts
The Climate Change Collective series has been going strong for over two years. See Two years of the Climate Change Collective series for a recap of the posts we published in the first two years.
Recent posts in the series
- Is Climate Change Overlooked in Schools? – Jamie Ad Stories
- Highlighting Useful Ways to be Sustainable This Winter – Transatlantic Notes
- Carrot or stick? Which works better to reduce our environmental footprint? – Boomer Eco Crusader
- Why Food Waste is a Big Deal and How to Prevent It – A Sustainably Simple Life
- Global Warming: What Surpassing 1.5°C Means for the Planet – Transatlantic Notes
- Tips for productive climate conversations – Boomer Eco Crusader
- 3 significant climate agreements and their impact – A Sustainably Simple Life
- Let’s Talk About Pollution Rather Than Climate Change – Jamie Ad Stories
Do you have other examples of ways sustainable living helps us weather uncertain economic times? Tell me your ideas below.
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I love these reminders, Michelle, to be more thoughtful, mindful about what we purchase — especially right now with uncertainty galore. Good, good stuff! 🥰
(and P.S. — I dunno what’s going on with WP but your posts aren’t populating in the Reader for me…I found this one by looking you up…same thing’s going on with posts from Brian Hannon. Sigh.)
Thanks, Vicki. Yes! Anything we can do, no matter how small, to gain a feeling of control is a good thing right now.
And what the heck WP!!! No wonder my views are down. It makes me wonder what I’m missing.
I think a lot of people assume that adopting a more sustainable life is too expensive or out of reach. Your post shows how we can do certain things—often fairly simple things—to be environmentally conscious while also saving money. Great post!
Exactly! People think about the big things but small changes make a big difference. For me, the biggest a-ha in my sustainability journey has been the mindset shift. Instead of immediately thinking, “I need this!” when I see something, I stop and consider the impact and realize my life is just fine without it. Even more important, I’m happier and less stressed than I used to be.
Great considerations. I think making greener choices regarding transport is the biggie. If more people used trains and trams, our urban areas would be so much cleaner, like in Copenhagen and other cities trying extra hard to reduce air pollution.
I agree, Jamie. I just wish our governments in North America would open their eyes and invest in transit infrastructure rather than continuing to promote car culture. Our Ontario government is REMOVING bike lanes in Toronto to supposedly reduce congestion. It will cost them more to remove them than it cost to put them in. It’s so frustrating.