Eco-Friendly Life Hacks to Help Animals and Save Money

Posted by Calvin on October 17, 2024

Think about how much waste we produce in our day-to-day lives, from plastic wrap to fabric scraps. Everything we throw away adds to landfills that spill over into animals’ homes. Having your home polluted with someone else’s junk that could choke or trap you? That sounds like a living nightmare. 😨

Animals shouldn’t have to deal with our mess, period. We need to cut way back on waste—and wouldn’t it be great if we could do that by making tiny tweaks that also save money?

Well, they don’t call ’em life hacks for nothing. 😉 Look through these eco-friendly ways to save animals and bolster your bank account at the same time!

Turn Stained Into Stylish

Got a stain in the middle of your shirt? Don’t toss it out—add some vegan dye and give it a cool patchy design instead. 😎

Make Paint Cups

After you’ve eaten the last of your delish vegan yogurt, wash the container and use it as a paint cup. Just make sure you’re using only vegan art supplies—you’ll be sparing insects, ferrets, cows, and other animals needless suffering.  

The ‘Old Socks’ Solution

How is it almost 2024 and we’re still dealing with the “old socks” problem? You can’t keep wearing them, but you can’t donate them, either. Here’s the solution: Go with secret option C and make them into cute hair scrunchies.

Make a Tug Toy From Old Clothes

Does your dog love to play tug? Got some old T-shirts lying around? Make your own toy by braiding the shirts into a tug toy instead of throwing them out. It’ll be such a fun surprise for your dog—a brand-new toy that smells like you. 😭

Sort Your Supplies

If you’re an artist, you know this fundamental truth: Art can be messy. 👩‍🎨 To make your process a bit less hectic, sort your supplies—or really any small items—in an old shoe organizer.

Measure With Jars

TIL some store-bought jars have hidden measurement markings. 🤯 Just peel off the label and use the now-clear jar to measure when you’re cooking.

Ditch Paper Towels

You’re gonna spill stuff sometimes, right? There’s no way around it. But using paper towels to clean up just adds waste to the planet and takes money from your wallet. Instead, mop up messes with old cotton shirts or towels, wash them, and reuse them.

Grow Plants in Jars

Wondering what to do with an old jar? 🤔 Try using it as a pot for a small plant. You can transfer a plant you’re already growing or start from scratch with seeds and soil.   

Leaf the Confetti to Nature

If you have a birthday, wedding, or school dance coming up, collect some leaves and use a hole-punch to make eco-friendly confetti. 🍂🎊 Heads up: Hole-punching takes a while, so it’s a great activity to do while streaming an animal-friendly movie.

Patch It Up

Don’t let a hole in your jeans or overalls kill the vibe. Patch it up using a sewing machine, an iron-on patch with an animal rights message, or hand embroidery—all three methods are actually really easy and fun to learn. And if your zipper keeps falling down? All you need is a safety pin and keychain loop to hold it up. 😁

Swap Out Plastic Containers

Plastic pollution is a huge problem—it clutters animals’ homes and can put them through painful, panicked deaths. 😰 The good news is that there are lots of ways we can swap plastic out for eco-friendly materials, like by using glass jars or containers to store food.

Lids Off, Pics Up

Even recyclable items, like sharp tin can lids, can harm curious animals. To keep animals safe, crush the open side of your empty can so that it’s as flat as possible and use the lid to hang picture frames. It’s srsly amazing how well this works.

Be Sew Sustainable

If you quilt or sew, be sure to save every single bit of extra fabric—you can make something bomb using just tiny scraps.

Vegan Wax Wrap > Plastic Wrap

Follow these super-simple steps and you’ll never have to buy plastic wrap again: Melt some soy wax, spread it over cotton fabric, and pop it in the oven for five minutes. You’ll have a thin, vegan wax wrap for snacks and sandwiches.

Make a Plant-Based Milk Carton Your Plant Base

After you finish some tasty vegan milk, turn the container into a DIY plant pot. Just cut it in half, rip off the outside label, pull down the edges, and bam! A perfect home for a plant. 😊

Reuse Water

If you’re boiling water for pasta or veggies, you can reuse the water for your plants after you’ve eaten the food. This water is completely safe for plants—and no, it won’t make them start sprouting spaghetti. 😆

Know What to Look For

Save yourself time, hassle, and $$$ when shopping by knowing which vegan materials to get and which nonvegan materials to avoid. Vegan materials include organic cotton, linen, nylon, hemp, and vegan leather. Nonvegan materials include leather, wool, cashmere, silk, and fur.

Experiences > Things

What are you gonna remember more about your life—what you had or what you did? Experiences tend to be way more memorable than things (and less wasteful), so prioritize going to an animal sanctuary that’s accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries or trying a new vegan restaurant instead of buying more stuff to clutter up your home.

Give Toilet Paper Rolls to Dogs

Once you’re finished with a toilet paper roll, put dog treats inside it. (You heard us right.) 🤯 Dogs love it when their treats are hidden in chewable obstacles, so a treat-filled roll will be a super-enriching gift for a dog in your life.

Save Newspapers for Wrapping Gifts

Use an old newspaper to wrap gifts for loved ones before recycling it. Opening a gift that’s wrapped with the comics page just hits different.

BYOM (Bring Your Own Mug)

If you’re getting coffee or tea, bring your own mug to fill up so that you don’t have to waste a plastic or paper cup each time. All those cups you’ll save from landfills will add up, especially if you’re a heavy coffee or tea drinker. ☕

Give Boxes to Cats

Cats and cardboard boxes are a match made in heaven. Next time an item you ordered arrives, save the box for a cat to hide and play in—they’ll def be grateful.

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Want the biggest life hack of them all to save animals, cut costs, and even improve your personal health? Go vegan! We’ll give you all the help you need—order a free “Guide to Going Vegan” for expert tips and tricks, and check out how you can lead a low-waste vegan lifestyle: