Going Green On A Budget

July 20, 2009

Going green can be a very expensive undertaking. Between buying organic foods and new energy-saving light bulbs the expenses can really add up. Instead think of living green from the frugal perspective. Living green should be about conserving our precious resources, not buying a bunch of stuff labelled “green”, “all-natural”, or “organic”. Remember the three Rs – Recycle, Reuse, Reduce? Nowhere does it say the fourth R is Run out and buy “green products”.

Green Cleaning

Sure, now that going green is the popular thing to do, it seems every company is coming out with their own green alternatives. For example Clorox, Tide, Marcel have all released products that are supposed to be better for the planet. Not only that but everywhere you look new “green” companies are popping up with their own lines of cleaning products. Well here’s the good news. You don’t need any of these overpriced products. All you need to have a clean house is baking soda, borax, vinegar and lemon juice and you can clean just about anything in your home. Read for recipes on homemade cleaning solutions that will go easy on your pocketbook.

Recycling Clothes

Clothes made from organic cotton and recycled materials may sound better for the planet but making clothes, packaging clothes and shipping clothes takes energy – precious and non-renewable energy. Your best bet for green clothing is the same as your mother used to use, hand-me-downs. Or in this day and age, second-hand, thrift or consigned clothing. By buying used clothing you are recycling, reusing and reducing all at the same time. What could be better for the planet.

Saving Water

While this may only superficially apply to people who pay for their own water, saving water isn’t only about saving money. The world’s clean water supply is rapidly depleting. It’s likely that within our lifetimes getting clean drinking water is going to be a serious challenge. Obviously it is in every one’s best interest to conserve water. The biggest water-savers is to water your gardens or vegetable and flower patches with collected rainwater be sure to store the water in covered containers to avoid attracting mosquitoes. Learn more about saving water.

Green Gardening

You don’t have to drive yourself into bankruptcy buying all organic foods. Start a garden and grow your own vegetables and herbs and save the money for more important things. Container gardening is easy, inexpensive and doesn’t take up much space – in fact you don’t even need a yard. Anything you can grow in ground (in a smallish area, obviously no apple trees) you can grow in a large container. Be creative here, you don’t have to buy big planters any large container can by used once it is cleaned out. This is a good way to recycle large plastic containers. Another good green gardening tip is to make  and use your own compost instead of buying expensive organic fertilizer. Read about how to start your own compost pile. You can also use used coffee grounds to fertilize your plants. Again all the Rs are represented and our budget is still frugal friendly.

Posted in Green Family