Reduce, Recycle, Reuse! Paper use, especially computer paper use, is one of those areas where being frugal and being green easily align themselves. This may be old hat to some of you, but it is worth going over again.
First, to reduce look at what you are actually printing out. Do you really need a hard copy? If it is something from a webpage that you want to have available for reference can you cut, paste, and save it in a word document to refer to later? If you are printing from a website, do you really need to print “all” or can you just print the first page? Try cutting and pasting just the text into a word document-taking all those extra “frames” of advertisement off can really reduce the number of pages you need to print out.
Recycle is obvious, if your area recycles, then you should keep a box near the computer (and another near where ever you sort the mail/kids backpacks) for paper to be recycled. It doesn’t take any extra time to toss any paper into the recycle box. It might not be frugal, but as long as it doesn’t cost you any extra you should try to be nice to the planet 🙂
My mom was the original one who taught me about reusing paper. Anything that came home from school when I was a kid that had a blank side was either used for drawing or cut into 1/4 ‘s to be used for telephone messages and notes. DH now brings home paper from work that is only printed on one side (believe it or not the computer system at his job prints out a pre page and post page of just garbage numbers for any report that it printed out-even if the report is only one page long!). We use that paper for all home printing (and kids artwork). We buy approximately ONE ream of paper a year to take care of anything that needs to look professional.
I even sort through those “coupon paks” that come in the mail for local businesses, if the sheet (which is about the size of a business envelope) is blank on one side it goes into my note holder on the fridge. Those sheets are the perfect size for shopping lists and to-do lists. I occasionally use one of those envelopes that come with credit card applications to write lists on as well. I’ve heard of some folks online that take those envelopes, pull apart at the seams, turn them inside out and glue them back together. I’m not quite that ambitious.
So this week take a look at the paper in your lives-I know that there is probably plenty of it flowing in and out!
The hospital here generates a lot of extra paper also… anything that doesn’t have personal information on it is put in a box and one of the nurses brings it to the outer islands for the kids to use for drawing.
On a similar note about home printing… check your “Print Properties”!! Often you can choose to print “Draft Quality” or “Fast Draft” it uses less printer ink. Yeah, it comes out a little lighter and maybe with some lines through it… but usually OK for reference stuff. Also choose to print “reference stuff” in black and white or grayscale… save those color ink cartridges!!
we keep our paper recycling basket under a stool, where little people can go an hunt through for useful stuff. this is a great resource for the recent bout of scissor-practice going on around here! we would love to make our own paper from old paper and other things.
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One habit I learned from my mother and grandmother: Use the backs of envelopes for your grocery list, and put any associated coupons in the envelope. That way, I only take the coupons I need, no sorting at the checkout. Or, if you prefer to bring a coupon holder shopping, they can be moved into the envelope as you find the items.
I write the sale price from the ad on the envelope too, to remind myself that it’s on sale in case they forgot the shelf tag (my fave store forgets a lot).
Thanks, that’s a good idea.