Save money with environmental protection

Your most important goal is probably to save money or increase your income in order to manage your debts. They worry about seizures, banks, credit agencies and debt collection. That doesn't leave much time or energy to think about an ecological footprint.

Over-indebted people should never feel guilty about their carbon footprint. People with little money are often forced to live more sustainably than people with a lot of money. An economical lifestyle therefore already contributes to active climate protection on a small scale. Large companies and political decision-makers in particular need to take decisive action in order to initiate major changes.

However, there are also situations in which sustainable behaviour can actively save money and for precisely those people who do not want to lose sight of the issue of sustainability, we summarise the experiences of our advice seekers and advisors here and share with you various ways in which you can also save money through environmentally friendly behaviour.

Combining environmental protection and debt settlement

1. Electricity and heating

2. Cars
3. Bus and train

4. Second hand shopping
5. Swap and donation markets
6. Food banks
7. Food sharing

Debt settlement means change. People who may have previously been intimidated by their creditors and would have agreed to unrealistic payment plans learn their rights and change into strong negotiators who work out repayment plans themselves. The situation is similar with climate and environmental protection. Those who know more, who consciously engage with the topic, also change their own attitude and decision-making patterns. Ultimately, the following applies to both areas: it is worth making the big adjustments in order to bring about real change. And it's worth doing the maths.

There is a persistent image that electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro is more expensive than gas or coal-fired power. If you compare the tariffs, however, it becomes clear that most green electricity tariffs are now cheaper than the basic supply of gas or coal-fired electricity. However, if you want to buy environmentally friendly energy but have debts, it is often not so easy. This is because electricity providers often ask their customers about their creditworthiness before agreeing to switch tariffs. However, not all people with debts automatically have a poor credit rating. Credit agencies collect information that is publicly available or comes from your contractual partners. It is therefore worth checking the creditworthiness of the credit agencies before switching providers. This is easy and free of charge online. You can find the links to the individual credit agencies on our debt sorting aid page.

In many cases, heating in particular is not yet climate-neutral and has also been a significant cost factor for many households since the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. To reduce consumption, the consumer advice centre has ten good energy-saving tips.

You can also save a lot on electricity by switching appliances off instead of on standby. There are often individual "power guzzlers" that you may not even realise are there. To check this, Caritas offers a free Energy saving check.

Have you already received a high electricity bill and don't know how to pay it? Here you will find information on energy debts.

Mobility is often associated with driving and people are quick to talk about electric cars or combustion engines. But for people who are in or over-indebted, this question usually doesn't even arise. They worry about whether they can afford their car or how they can protect it from repossession – not whether they can buy a new electric car to replace the combustion engine. In another article, we have already summarised climate-friendly and favourable alternatives to the car.

Travelling by bus and train also consumes energy. However, the railway advertises that it offers the "most climate-friendly mobility in Germany" – i.e. that it primarily uses green electricity for long-distance transport. But above all, the railway also offers favourable saver fares for journeys in Germany and throughout Europe. With this mode of transport, you don't have to calculate, but above all plan ahead. This is because saver fares are limited and very popular, especially during peak holiday periods. In the DB saver fare finder you will find favourable offers.

If you have to travel by train more often, the Deutschlandticket is probably worthwhile. In some regions, this is even available as a subsidised ticket. In another article, we have already shown you how to get the Deutschlandticket even with a negative credit rating.

Flixbus also offers low-cost long-distance travel options by road and rail, which are also more environmentally friendly than travelling by car. 

In many cases, clothing can be bought cheaply second-hand. Furniture, sports equipment and children's toys are also offered second-hand in good condition. To find a second-hand shop near you, you can visit the website www.second-hand-shops.com or search on the internet.

Alternatively, there are also online providers such as kleinanzeigen (formerly ebay Kleinanzeigen) or vinted where you can buy second-hand items directly from other people. But be careful on these platforms: they also attract scammers. Ensure you use secure payment options. The consumer advice centre in Hamburg has already reported on the usual scams on classified adverts. 

"Used instead of new" has another advantage: Not only can you think about saving, but you also have the opportunity to get rid of things you no longer need for a little extra income.

With kleinanzeigen there are also free offers of items that would otherwise just sit in the cellar or be thrown away. There is also www.free-your-stuff.com a site that is solely focussed on giving items away for free. Some cities even organise their own swap and donation markets. Here, too, it is worth searching online with search terms such as "Sample city exchange market" or "Sample city swap meet". In some cases, there are also local communities for swapping and giving away items on social media.

Food banks receive food donations from supermarkets that would otherwise be thrown away due to their short shelf life. It is intended for people who are receiving government assistance or basic security benefits and are therefore struggling to make ends meet. The food offered by a food bank is not always free, but at least it only costs about a third of the price in the supermarket. Here you can find food banks in your neighbourhood.

The aim of food sharing is to avoid food waste and thus conserve resources. For example, there are "Fairteiler" via www.foodsharing.de. These are boxes or containers in public spaces in which excess food purchased shortly before the best-before date is placed and collected by others. One business provider is Too good to go, whose app can be used to collect surplus goods from bakeries or restaurants for little money.

But the most important thing for the environment and your wallet is to try to avoid wasting food in your own fridge and use up fruit and vegetables before they go bad. Plan ahead here, too. Meatless meals also avoid CO2 and additional costs. On the market, seasonal and regional products are cheaper than others and also avoid the CO2 caused by long transport routes – so even some organic products can be affordable.