Here鈥檚 some good news as the holidays wrap up: Many New Year鈥檚 resolutions people already make 鈥� eating healthier, saving money, getting organized 鈥� double as habits.
Whether you want to spend less, declutter or eat right, here are a few choices that could make a difference for you and the climate. Bonus: They鈥檙e all low-effort and low-cost.
Saving money on bills
If you want to save money, start at home. Electronics and appliances can continue drawing power even when they鈥檙e turned off. You can cut by unplugging items you鈥檙e not using, such as chargers and entertainment systems or using a power strip with an on-off switch.
Adjusting your thermostat when you鈥檙e not home can also reduce energy use and save money. The U.S. Department of Energy says that adjusting your thermostat by 7-10 degrees Fahrenheit (4-6 degrees Celsius) for eight hours a day can save up to 10% a year on heating and cooling.
Another simple tip: Washing your clothes on the cold setting and air-drying them when possible can help lower energy use and utility costs. Heating water is the biggest energy draw in laundry, and clothes dryers are among the most energy-intensive household appliances, said Matthew Gonzales, the vice chairman of the National Hispanic Energy Council, which advocates for affordable energy for communities of color. This can also reduce wear and tear on clothing.
Gonzales said other simple swaps include switching to LED bulbs, sealing drafty windows and replacing dirty air filters so heating and cooling systems run more efficiently. He also suggested using natural light during the day, opening or closing curtains and windows strategically to manage heat and turning off the lights when you don鈥檛 need them.
Savings vary widely depending on where someone lives, how old their home is and local energy prices. But he said households in high-cost states can see meaningful savings from small changes over time.
鈥淒on鈥檛 let perfect be the enemy of good enough,鈥� Gonzales said.
Eating healthier and wasting less
Cutting down food waste can also benefit your wallet, your diet and the environment.
costs U.S. consumers , according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and generates the annual equivalent to 42 coal-fired power plants.
One place to start is by using what you already have in your pantry before hitting the grocery store, said cookbook author Anne-Marie Bonneau.
鈥淚f you have fat and an onion and a couple of random vegetables 鈥� or even one random vegetable or some leftover cooked proteins or grains 鈥� you鈥檝e got soup in the making,鈥� Bonneau said. 鈥淚f you鈥檝e cleared out so much food that you don鈥檛 even have an onion and fat, it鈥檚 probably time to go shopping.鈥�
She also recommends preserving food before it spoils, including fermenting vegetables, which, she says, is easier than it seems. For example, you can make sauerkraut with just cabbage, salt and a glass jar. You can also make sauces from seasonal vegetables like tomatoes and freeze them for use later in the year.
Using a multicooker to make things like apple sauce, yogurt, stews and beans can also help with meal prep while reducing energy use.
As a general rule, Bonneau added, eating fewer ultra-processed foods 鈥� such as sugary cereals, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and TV dinners 鈥� can benefit both your health and the environment. Those foods are often heavily packaged in plastic, which can shed into food and contribute to pollution.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l improve your diet, you鈥檒l reduce your waste and your food will come in less contact with plastic,鈥� she said.
Decluttering and buying less
Getting organized doesn鈥檛 have to mean buying storage bins or throwing things out. Often, it starts with using what you already have.
Spending even an hour organizing your space, spotting duplicates and rediscovering forgotten items can reduce impulse spending by helping people understand what they actually use, said Katrina Caspelich, communications director for Remake, an advocacy group for human rights and climate justice in fashion.
She said a 鈥渙ne-in, one-out鈥� rule 鈥� where you can only buy a new thing if it replaces an old thing 鈥� can be effective because it keeps wardrobes from growing and helps prevent clutter by encouraging more intentional purchases.
Unsubscribing from brand emails and sale alerts can also help. 鈥淢ost impulse purchases start with a notification, not a need,鈥� Caspelich said, adding that waiting 24 hours before buying something new often turns a 鈥渕ust-have鈥� into a pass.
For a more structured reset, you might try a no-buy challenge, pausing new purchases for 30 or 90 days while re-wearing, repairing, swapping with friends, or, if you can’t commit to buying nothing, instead of new. 鈥淭he key is flexibility,鈥� she said. 鈥淔raming it as an experiment rather than a strict rule makes it feel empowering instead of restrictive.鈥�
Remake that someone who takes part in a 90-day no new clothes challenge can save about 3,900 liters (1,030 gallons) of water, avoid roughly 300 kilograms (about 661 pounds) of carbon dioxide emissions, and keep around 9 kilograms (about 20 pounds) of clothing waste out of landfills while saving an average of nearly $300 by pausing new purchases.
Zoom out and the scale becomes clearer: Americans generated about , most of it clothing, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
For anyone overwhelmed by the advice, the takeaway is simple: You don鈥檛 have to do everything, and you don鈥檛 have to do it perfectly. Starting with one habit you鈥檒l actually keep can make a difference for your budget, your routine and the climate.
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