4 UNBC Life

Sustainability: Little changes go a lo

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Anya Richter Guest Contributor

A a sixth-year Uni student, I have come across a few tricks and helpful hints for saving money, living healthy and taking care of the environment! I have written down ten tips for you, my fellow students, to try out and maybe adopt and pass on to others.

First of all, it’s probably a fair guess that you don’t like the ends of bread loaves, but there is an alternative to just chucking them in the garbage; you can make bread crumbs! It’s really quite easy; stick bread ends in

the oven when it’s not being used. When they are dry enough that they easily snap

in half, stick them into one of those tough Ziploc freezer bags and crush them into crumbs via a method of your choice, rolling pins work well, if you have one. Here is a recipe for breaded anything! Season meat or vegetables with whatever spices you like, coat it in flour (I don’t know the purpose of this step, but that’s how my mother does

it so there must be a good reason for it), completely coat it in stirred egg — (one egg

is enough for one pork chop), and finally, roll them in in your bread crumbs and proceed to fry them or bake them (baked chicken legs take about 45 minutes at 375°)

Do you have a huge mess of tangled cables under your desk or in your drawer? Rather than buying twist ties (or stealing them from the bulk section at the grocery store), just fold those cords up nicely and stick each

one ina toilet paper roll! It’s easy, cheap

and a good way to keep organised. Your roommates will probably laugh at you but next time they have cables to untangle...)

Plastic grocery bags are versatile! They can be used as garbage can liners, lunch bags, or for wrapping open meat packages or bowls in the fridge! I always have one tied up in my backpack in case I need an extra bag.

If you do not live on residence and have long days of classes, make your own lunch! Grocery stores often sell boxes of granola bars at 5 boxes for $10, and loaves of bread are quite inexpensive as well. 1 make my lunch in the morning before I go to class;

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it takes me about 5 minutes, and saves me around $10 every day! Making your own coffee or tea before you leave your place is

a good way to save money as well. It saves you about $2 per day, meaning $10 per week, $40 per month and $320 per school year!

If you have a stain in your clothes, you do not have to buy bleach or stain remover. As long as the stain is relatively fresh you can wash it out using lemon juice or vinegar. Just dribble some lemon juice over the stain, rub the cloth together for a while, rinse it out and voila, it should be gone! If the stain is really tough, you can use regular bar soap to get

it out after the lemon juice has loosened it.

Another handy resource that is often overlooked is old tissue boxes! If you cut

the top off, you can use them as organisers for your desk, kitchen or bathroom drawers (cut one in half, take the plastic off and push one half inside the other so that only a small opening remains, it makes a perfect little house for a hamster or other small critter).

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Clothes pins are another useful thing

to have around the house. You can use them to pinch shut open bags in the kitchen, as well as use them for other things such as holding curtains open, or, of course, hanging your clothes to dry.

Don’t throw away your yogurt, margarine or sour cream containers! Wash them out and use them instead of plastic containers; they work just as well. The same goes for empty pasta sauce and other such jars; they are great for storing food and other things, as glass is easily cleaned and microwave safe.

If you printed the wrong thing or your printer screwed up, don’t throw the ruined paper away! Cut it into quarters (or tear it using a ruler) and, using the backsides, you will have a nice little stack of note papers.

I hope you find these tips useful and helpful, and please share other tricks you know for cheap, healthy and sustainable living with those around you! Have a good school year everyone!