Wow, lots going on in the financial world. At this point I am glad I did not have my bathroom remodeled or buy that new digital camera. Looks like things are going to get tougher and tougher.
A lot of “green” products come with a higher price tag than cheap, made in China products. So how is one supposed to do their best to take care of the environment and be healthy when money holds you back?
1) Remember that there are many things you can do to be green that don’t cost anything…and may even save you money. Things like keeping your heat turned low, using low-flow shower heads and washing laundry with cold water will help the environment and you.
2) Consider alternatives to pricey products. I really like Method and Seventh Generation products…but there are plenty of recipes online for homemade cleaners that are VERY inexpensive. National Geographic’s Green Guide has some here.
3) Keep an eye out for sales and clearances on natural/green products. I have never paid full price for Tom’s of Maine toothpaste or any natural deodorant. Lesser known products such as these tend to be clearanced more often. I bought Tom’s toothpaste at CVS for 75% off and Kiss My Face roll-on deodorant for $2 at Target…which leads me to:
4) Stock up. This is a tricky one, though. You want to make sure the products you buy won’t go bad AND that you really do need them. CVS has tons of great extra care bucks deals, but most of it is stuff I don’t use. But when you find something that you use everyday, buy in bulk. I have enough Tom’s toothpaste to get me through most of 2009 :)
5) Seriously consider carpooling, public transportation or biking. If none of those are an option (I’m personally out of luck on all three), be conscious of combining trips, choosing efficient routes and keeping your car in shape so it doesn’t use more fuel than necessary.
6) Cook your own food. Processed food isn’t as healthy as your own. While some may argue that it is more expensive, I’ve found with a little planning and awareness of sales, I can cook for my family much more cheaply than buying frozen dinners or meals-in-a-bag.
Those are a few ideas off the top of my head…do you have any good tips?
Christine Plumer is a 30-something mom, wife and art teacher. She writes about her attempts at frugality while living green and eating healthier at Living Cheap and Green.
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I actually took your advice today and bought an extra tube of Tom’s of Maine Whole care toothpaste because it was WAY on sale at my grocery store!
Hi, Christine. Excellent, excellent ideas! My family is trying to live frugally and green, too.
A few additional tips to your already great ones–
1. If you can, grow your own foods. I’m the farthest thing from a green thumb, but my husband and I were able to grow tomatoes, carrots, and lettuce this year for the first time. It cost very little and really didn’t take too much time on our part.
2. When you stock up, think toward the future and nutritional value. To that end, we invested in a canner and bought peaches when they were on sale and went to a local apple farm and canned some 21 pints of applesauce. Yes, it takes longer and the instructions can be kind of time-consuming to read, but you can get the fruits and veggies you love during the off-season (which makes them cheaper).
3. Think of “trash” in a new way. Call me a trashy person (ha-ha), but I once (and I’m definitely not an artist) made one of those plastic cake icing tubs into a pen-and-pencil holder by covering it with old newspaper. I still use that thing! My mother-in-law tells of reusing (in the 1970s) the glass baby jars (Gerber, etc.) as cups for the little ones, though I haven’t tried that yet. It’s up to you how far you take this “repurposing” passion.
4. My husband is really mechanically/electronically inclined, so when clothes get beyond their use to us (or for charities), they go into a “rag bag,” for lack of a better word. Then we don’t have to buy as many shop towels to clean up a spill of, let’s say, auto oil.
5. This is a weird one, maybe, and can sometimes be quite a long-shot, but enter local (or smaller national/regional) contests. Let’s say your local paper sponsors a contest to win free tickets to the symphony. All you have to do is mail in your entry form. Yes, stamp costs are rising and it is paper waste, but you mail that in. Et voila, you just might win something that you need (or want, too) and your family can’t afford. And if you are able to enter online I’ve won sporting event tickets, an iPod, expensive sunglasses, CDs, books (one autographed by a famous actor I love), cookbooks, a stepper, and more this way, all of which are cherished and used time and again or can be given as gifts (the new sunglasses).
6. If you can’t afford to go solar and/or get off the grid completely, at least try to use the power (or telephone or other utility) companies to your advantage. Seek out citizens’ utility boards (perhaps available through your state FCC Web site or other avenues), who can point you toward cheaper services or different companies. Know when the kilowatts or therms are cheapest, be it night or day, and try your best to do your laundry, dishes, and showering then. Use natural light and heat whenever possible for the daytime (especially in the winter) and use shades in the summertime.
I can’t wait to go read your blog, Christine. Thanks again for the helpful tips!
Isn’t “cheap, made in China products” a bit of an overgeneralization as the opposite of “green” products? As you wrote in your article http://thegreenmomreview.com/2008/04/10/lets-party/, China has skilled handcrafters, too.
I live in south China in a community where almost every woman does beautiful hand embroidery, sews clothing, and most impressively, makes hemp by hand (from plant to fabric!) I hope that the western world’s fear of the label “made in China” won’t prevent these women from being able to sell their labor-intensive goods to a wider market in the future.
@ Lori Ann
I think “cheap, made in China products” refers to just that—cheap goods that are cheap because corners have been cut and safety has been compromised. This doesn’t mean all things from China are bad but clearly the author isn’t referring to anything made by “skilled handcrafters.”
And frankly, after the past few years, I think consumers should scrutinize anything they buy that comes from China. Their health and the health of their families may depend on it, as evidenced by China’s most recent deadly incident wherein they put toxic melamine in baby formula. It was bad enough when people’s beloved pets died—now children are dying.
Plastic bottles are a growing problem in our landfills and oceans. We felt that something needed to be done……and now.
We felt that plastics made from crops that could be producing food, wasn’t the answer. Many reports indicate that in addition to causing our food process to rise, the equipment and chemicals used to produce food based bio-fuel may be increasing pollution.
We knew that there wasn’t going to be one “fix it all” answer and began to wonder if anything was ever going to be done. The problem was growing every day, more bottles were being manufactured and more bottles were accumulating in places where we didn’t need them.
We were wondering if “Earth Friendly Bottles” would ever be available?
That’s why we decided to do our part and started ENSO Bottles. We are partnering with other companies to offer a PET plastic bottle that will biodegrade, compost or recycle.
Our bottles can be produced in a clear or colored version, however, clear version isn’t quite as clear as current PET plastic bottles but then again that’s one way to identify our earth friendly bottle.
ENSO is trying to achieve sustainability with our plastic bottles. Our goal is to make bottles that won’t have the adverse impact on our environment and are made from non food bio-fuels.
We haven’t started making them from bio-fuel but that’s high on our agenda and hopefully will be something we can offer in the future.
But for now, we offer a plastic bottle that is earth friendly…it’s just one step but if we all take just one step toward improving our planet….we will make a difference.
Now all we need is for a lot of beverage companies to start using earth friendly plastic bottles.
Max