When does thrift trump health or greenness and vice versa

[Shelli_wnj]

Basically just that! LOL If your household, when do you choose thrift over green and healthy, and when does the health benefits far outweigh any cost difference? For example, it's thriftier to buy box mixes if you coupon, but I prefer for health reasons to make our own even though the ingredients never go on sale. However, milk is almost $2 more a gallon for organic, and we go through about 3 or so gallons a week - we just can't swing that! Usually thrift and green go together, but I just discovered a dishwasher detergent recipe that is just about the same cost, if not a little more expensive, however it's all natural and we have well water - a definite concern. Also, I recently looked into milling grain. It seems to me that the cost is far greater than buying flour from the store, I know there are great health benefits but we just don't have the extra money. It makes me feel bad, though!

So how 'bout you?

[sunshine]

I seldom have to choose -- as in our area, usually the healthier and "greener" choices are also the cheapest. . .

Nearly everyone gardens organically, so either home grown or farmer's market produce is cheapest, and greenest and healthiest.

Whole grains are cheapest -- I can generally buy wheat, oats, rye, directly from the farmer -- and it's cheap ($2 or less for a bushel of wheat) . . . then grind in my mill (purchased years ago, and used LOTS)

Cleaners -- vinegar, bleach, ammonia -- cheap and relatively green. . . plus lots of hot water. . .

The bigger concerns come from buying things like clothing, etc. . . hard to find cheap, green, clothing.

[frugalwarrior]

Sometimes here the bottom line is the bottom line. We are feeding teens. Pasta is necessary as filler. More meat and more organic produce would be nice but I have a budget and everyone needs to be full. I recycly but can't spend all my time doing it. So short answer-Time and Money. Finite resources.

[Karen1]

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

Mix together equal parts Borax and Baking Soda.

Use 2 T per load. May need to add additional Tablespoon for hard water.


I have seen recipes that just use the Borax alone, same usage levels.

My sil uses 1/4 cup white vinegar to the rinse cycle of her dishwasher instead of an additional rinse agent like Jet Dry.




This stuff works great! Very Very rare I use my dishwasher. Only 3 of us and I don't cook alot, but if I have inlaws over for dinner, then I might use the dishwasher if plates pile up. But when I do use it, I use this and it is fabulous and super cheap!!!!

[Karen1]

I never feel bad about having to opt out of buying something cause of price. I do what I can. I do "priority" food in the house and spend my money there.

Like I pay for fresh fruit that we don't grow on the farm.
I buy fresh veggies I want and don't grow myself.
I do not buy organic milk cause of price and we drink very little milk here. We drink water..LOL

Tony loves a few of the Hamburger Helper meals. While I won't touch them, I sure buy them for him. That night I have a big salad and he eats that stuff...LOL---works good for me, cheap meal at a good price saving.

Always remember if you change up one small meal into a healthier meal at any time, you are still accomplishing alot. Alot of people out there live and survive on junk foods. I don't know how they do it...so any and all steps we take toward better is a monster plus and we are doing very well!!!

It does come down to time and money like frugalwarrior said and we can't change that mostly. So be thrilled with what you do for your family and just try to find small ways to improve upon it if you wish.

[frugalfranny]

Until much of the 'green' comes down in price it will be trumped by thrift for me.

The green clothes are super expensive, when compared to what I normally pay. I don't buy organic milk due to cost. I will buy other organic produce if it is close to same cost of other. I often go to the orchards and pick/buy, as many of them are organic and it is fresher.

We now have a wonderful groc. store that has lots of bulk items and I buy lots of those. Before this store came in here this year, I bought just the regular packaged stuff from the store. Fred Meyer carries bulk items but I bought some stuff that was rancid one time and said "no more'.......didn't buy another thing from them. Also found out that you have to watch the way the bins have to be filled......IE: filled from the top and it comes out a 'spout' on the bottom.....or you scoop it out which means that they dump on top. Don't buy when it is getting low.

[mauimagic]

As far as clothing goes, recycling is a valid option - especially children's clothing - they grow so fast. For adults - I'm sharing my clothes as they get too big for me with a friend who is larger - we're both happy.

IMHO - do the best you can and be happy with what you are doing. We could all be doing more - that's not the point - concentrate more on what you are doing.

[Shelli_wnj]

Thanks for all the wonderful responses, guys. I have tried that dishwasher recipe, but I have hard water and it leaves a film of borax on the dishes - I can't see rinsing the dishes out of the dishwasher. I was told that if you add citric acid to the mix that it will help rinse it all off. A little pricey, tho. I do use the vinegar as a rinse aid even with my commercial dishwasher detergent.

We are doing a lot (and a lot more than we were), I just read about what others are doing and want to do that, too! LOL Every time I read about a new "green" or healthy thing I want to try it. Oh, and I used to LOVE the hamburger helper meals, but since I have been cooking from scratch, I can't stand them. Still make them for hubby, tho - just like Karen

[geckoace]

for dishwasher-why dont you get some of those lemon juice crystals instead of citric acid itself,,, they are just lemon or simple lemon or something... also i have heard lemon kool aid works because it actually has some lemon juice in it

but i do what i can afford, there is a list of the top 10 things you should buy organic, and i make my efforts there, and save the rest for when we can afford it. i buy like safer cleaners but they cost about the same. for milk you van find some stores like trader joes and even there non-organic store brand milk has no growth hormones or antibiotics so its a regular price.

personally i am not milling flour but i also dont garden or mop so im not the best to speak on this LOL

[bumplett]

I would consider purchasing clothes/house hold items from yard sales/thrift stores as "recycling" - so even if it's not "organic" cotton, it's still 'recycled' cotton.

there are so many times when thrift = green, and green = thrift. I'm not sure that for me, any one trumps the other.....

I'll save money by making my own cleaning products (baking soda & vinegar) so I can spend money on organic milk.

It all equals out to me.

[shoiji]

I have been trying to get rid of all the plastic that I have. Unfortunately it seems as if everything is made of plastic. I try to store food in as much glass or ceramics as possible. I did buy some recycled aluminum foil when it was on sale. I would buy more organic fruits and veggies but the price is usually way out of reach. So I purchase the regular produce. I can taste the difference though.

Right now I do what I can as far as being green. My computer and TV are both energy star products. Clothes are purchased most at the thrift store. Books at the second hand store. I dont' make my own cleaning products. But I try to buy products that will have the lower impact, like Dawn, windex, oxi-clean. I do want to try more vinegar and baking soda recipes.

With the economy the way it is right now I just try the best I can do. I also use cloth rags instead of paper towels and hankies which has lowered my tissue usage.

[Momof3girls]

For us, hormone free milk and pesticide produce are two splurges completely worth it.

[madhen]

Unfortunately, the high price is a self-fullfilling prophecy. Until more people choose the environment over "cheap" costs, none of the larger manufacturers will bother to spend the research and money involved in creating a "greener" product.

I do try to buy organic as much as possible, even for the animals. The few exceptions are when I just can't find what I need - bulk food items are a difficulty for me. Very few organic manufacturers sell their product in bulk, and I buy POUNDS of frozen corn for the chickens. I buy environmentally-conscious cleaning products, and I try to do my part by composting and recycling.

I think there is a false economy in buying cheap (i.e, mac n' cheese) and saying that you can't afford to buy real food, because mac n' cheese (and other such food items) provide calories, but no real nutrition. Don't get me wrong - I love mac n' cheese on occasion, but I don't fool myself that it is providing anything other than fat and calories. I have seen, over and over, people who convert over to food that is actually identifiable as such in its natural state, say that their grocery budget actually goes DOWN.

I am VERY lucky in that I live in an area where fresh fruits and veggies are pretty much a given, year-round. Also, because I live in an area of California where people tend to be more health-conscious, there is a competitive market for organic foods. What I can't grow myself, I can buy, and the variety is fantastic. I WILL spend $1.99/lb on organic peaches at the farmers' market when the next booth over has non-organic for .69/lb, because I know that if I buy the "cheap" peaches, what I'm not paying in money, I'm paying in negative impacts to my environment, and I'm fond of my environment and don't really want to ruin it!

[Dancing Lotus]

I do what I can when I can. I figure it's better then nothing.
You can't worry about not doing it perfect, that will never happen.
In the end frugality always trumps going green. But the best is when you can have it both ways. Like buying used instead of new

[ladytoysdream]

Because of our tight budget, it all comes down to cost here.

We are trying to get back to basics. We have the chickens and even though their feed costs make the eggs expensive, to us it is worth it.
Eventually we should have enough hens laying so we can sell the eggs and hopefully break even on the feed $$$.

We have a good size garden and next year hopefully we can make it even bigger. I am planning to can and freeze what we can't keep up with daily.
I am also looking into getting a dehydrator. Doing my homework now

Most of our clothes are bought used. Again cost is a big factor.

We recycle everything that we can.

We burn wood in a outside wood burner. The cost was significent to set up, but worth it to us. It will be a slow payback because we have to buy our wood in log length and then hubby cuts it smaller.
All the hot water and then some in the winter. And the warmest this house has ever been. We fiqure a savings of $ 600 per year in the heating costs, and about $ 30 a month less, for the electric bill, in the colder months when the furnace is running.

Health benefits.......less stress on me when trying to keep the budget going.