The economy continues to battle through troubled times. Unemployment is near an all time high, wages are down, uninsured numbers are on the rise, housing prices continue to fall, and trillions of dollars in wealth has evaporated. On top of this, we in California are facing one of the worst droughts we’ve seen in years. The only bright stop is the recent rise in the stock market.
During these times, I’ve heard people are trading in being green for some extra green. When it comes to putting food on the table or keeping a roof over your head vs. buying products that have are green (and more expensive), it’s tough to argue which one wins.
However, keep in mind that being green often means living a smarter and more frugal lifestyle. For example, turn off lights and appliances when you’re not using them. Take shorter showers. Use cloth towels instead of paper towels. Combine trips when you need to go out and run errands. Bring a reusable shopping bag to the market – it doesn’t cost you a thing, and you may even get a little green back from the store. In fact, doing many of the things we’ve been discussing in ThingsThatMakeYouGoGreen will help you save green.
If you have ideas and tips on green things that save green, let us know. I can be reached at greenhl [at] ttmygg [dot] com. I would personally love to hear your ideas!
I think the fact that people are electing to stop going ‘green’ to save a little ‘$-green’ is probably quite stupid and expensive.
My family has been hit hard during this finacial recession, and we are ‘greener’ than ever. We have been making our own household cleaners with borax, vinegar, and water…and we are saving about $5 a bottle of the store bought stuff. Also by shopping every few days and getting fresh produce we are eating healthy and there is no waste in food since we only buy a few things to last just a few days. Last summer we never turned our A/C on and we live in a very humid/hot/urban part of the midwest; rather we closed the curtains and windows early in the morning before it got hot out, and open them in the evening/night. And as far as the heating bills this past winter we turned the heat way down when we were gone.
Hey last month alone I saved $200 off of what I would have spent a year ago and I have already begun planning green Christmas gifts and goodies, that should save be nearly $600 this year.
All I am saying is that going ‘green’ doesn’t really cost you the ‘$-green’, you just have to do a little research to figure out what is best.
K.Z.
Thanks for the great post and perspective. I agree that many things we can (and should) be doing to go green in fact save money. Even if the savings aren’t short term, you usually more than recoup your costs later.
I think it’s great you’re making your own household cleaners and reducing your food waste. Nothing makes me more upset than seeing people dump food that has gone bad, especially if it hasn’t even been touched. I’ve made quite a few changes in my lifestyle as well (such as limiting / eliminating the use of my A/C). A lot of the changes result in a healthier, more frugal lifestyle, which in these economic times, is a great thing.