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Extraordinary MoneySaving

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Eco-MoneySaving

Wed 26th March 2008

Tracey Smith, from Somerset, has gone green and has reaped the rewards. She and her family have cut out so many of life's polluting elements that they're not only showing their environmental side, they're showing their MoneySaving side too.

The average family spends around £24,000 a year on day-to-day living yet Tracey, husband Ray and their three kids Alex, Ryan and Abby only spend £10,000 a year – a £14,000 saving.

The Smiths have worked hard to achieve this in various ways. Tracey has a device to keep an eye on exactly how much energy the family use in their home so they don’t over-spend. She has a steam washing machine that she says uses 25% less water and 35% less energy than a traditional washer. She also uses wind-up torches and a wind-up radio.

To save on food, Tracey makes much of her grub from scratch and grows her own fruit and veg. She also car-shares with neighbours to buy what they need from the supermarket. When it comes to clothes, she buys from charity shops.

All of her children cycle to school and the family only have one car that they use for longer journeys, but she insists on there always being more than one person inside.

Tracy is now a writer and has set up a website called Downshifting Week which encourages other people to go green and save cash at the same time.

Further information on becoming an Eco-MoneySaver can be found on the Green & Ethical MoneySaving Forum board on MoneySavingExpert.com.