Frugality, the environment, and time

[rachelMcK]

I've been thinking alot about being environmentally conscious. There are many things that i would love to do in order to do my part, however, I can't bring myself to do them, either because they are too expensive (eating organic, vegetarian etc), too time-consuming, or just plain too complicated...

Has anyone experienced this? I would love to free myself from endless junk (for mind, body and planet) as well as do the best I can to help change things...

I need advice because I feel this is the path i want to take, I love the earth and would like to save it, and I hate capitalism just as much. I've tried to find websites but none give cheaper alternatives to this problem.

Thanks for your help!!

[kabin63]

My offering here is that maybe just trying one thing at a time until you find what works best for you. I wouldn't expect to change everything at once, and only change those things that matter most to me. One step at a time.

[Backtoreality]

Rachel, I do know what you mean. I would love to go totally organic and beside what I grow I can not afford it. I'm in healthcare so I know it is better for you and the environment, but honestly I just can see paying 2x the price.

So I do what I can, like using less energy, gas, etc. Doing homecooking, more canning, less convience food, etc. My opinion, do what you can and maybe change the other things slowly.

[QuilterMom]

Check out the Natural Living forum here on FV - http://frugalvillage.com/forums/foru...c&daysprune=-1 There are so many past threads with links to great online articles plus discussions we've had, etc.

Do you have a Wild Oats, Whole Foods or Trader Joe's near you? They all run sales - take advantage of the sales and start introducing yourself into the world of organics that way. Walmart (SuperWalMart) also is carrying a LOT of organic products now for really good prices (if you don't mind shopping there).

Take baby steps - that's the most important. In time you'll learn the best prices and be able to have lots of organic products in your life.

Ask around about a co-op near you or check on Yahoo Groups for one listed. That's another great way to save on organics. I finally found one near me (not advertised in any way - I overheard a conversation in the library or I would have never known it existed). Or, if you know several other people interested in a co-op, check into starting one yourself.

[QuilterMom]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is to try some organic gardening yourself. Start small and venture out from there. Check out Organic Gardening's website - www.organicgardening.com

[lottaLove]

I agree that you have to do what you can. Save on gas by taking public transit, car pooling or walking/riding a bike. Buy a water filter, and drink your filtered tap water instead of buying bottles of water or juice. Recycle and compost absolutely everything you can, and try to avoid buying items such as styrofoam cups and plates that cannot be recycled.
Instead of buying cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals, use more natural products, such as baking soda and vinegar.
I try to buy organic fruits and vegetables as well if I can afford them. In the summer there are always farmers selling their produce out of their driveways and on the sides of the highway, and we try to buy from them as well. If you buy regular produce, make sure you wash it well. If you can, invest in a bar of good quality natural soap to wash all of your produce. This way you are reducing the amount of pesticides that you consume, while avoiding the perfumes and chemicals that you would put on your produce if you used dish soap.
I've heard of other natural things you can do, like using vinegar as a conditioner or as a fabric softener, but haven't tried these myself. Good luck, and congrats for wanting to save the environment!

[Neeley]

I agree with doing one thing at a time. My first step was to cut meat out of my diet. This was over a year and a half ago. This was quite difficult. I had quit smoking a year earlier and it was easier for me to quit a 2 pack a day habbit than ending my love affair with meat. But, I woke up on March 1, 2005 and said "that's it, no more meat". I have not even had a single bite since. Over the past few months my cravings have completely gone away.
Once I knew I had beaten the meat habbit, I was ready to concentrate on a new area. I have since become an avid recycler (sp?). I have not completely converted my family yet, I still have to dig in the trash to get glass jars out or cardboard. We do not purchase any form of paper plates or disposable cups. I do not like paper towels or paper napkins, but we are still using them for now.
All of our fruit comes from the Farmers Market, as do a good bit of our veggies. We have also converted to cooking from scratch, rather than buying prepackaged items. Our grocery bill is a lot lower since. I can control what goes into our bodies instead of consuming all of the preservatives and additives and other scary stuff most of us cannot even pronounce.
We clean our bathroom and kitchen surfaces with a baking soda and fresh lemon combo. Kids love this because when you squeeze the lemon over the baking soda it causes a chemical reaction and bubbles up. Great way to have them clean a tub without complaining.
I also agree with above post about a water filter. This is huge to me. Bottled water can be too costly and to me the filtered water is the healthiest way to go.
Take it one step at a time. You will be surprised at how fast everything will snowball and the next thing you know, your whole life is changed for the better.

[Telephus44]

I also agree with taking baby steps. Another thing that I have found helpful is just to declutter a lot of "stuff" - once you don't have so many material posessions lying around, it becomes a lot easier to have a more environmentally friendly mindset.

Also, try and consider each action - there are lots of small things you can do everyday that aren't necessarily "big" but they add up. For example, I have my own silverware and plastic bowl at work for my lunch, rather than using the disposable plastic/paper goods. I keep a mug at work for water or tea rather than using the styrofoam cups. We re-use cardboard boxes we got for free from our warehouse store to bring up the groceries in. These things aren't as big as getting rid of a car or going all organic, but they do help.

[hollyhill]

Many frugal choices are very earth friendly....you can start with those....

-thrift shopping (buying used)
-gardening (organic)
-reusing anything and everything (plastic bags etc)
-hang drying your close
- driving less
- making do and doing without
-pick wild fruits and nuts

And I have found that buying organic is a lot cheaper (than 2 and half years ago) and getting more so. Many of the big Grocery chains are stocking Organic produce, meat and brands.....and they will have specials on organic products every week....so stock up.
Also, I rarely eat out and don't buy any coffee to go etc....... for the price of a few take out cup of coffees, I can buy my own fairtrade, shade grown organic coffee or tea....

[staceyy]

I also agree with taking baby steps. One thing will eventually lead to another. First I started cooking and baking from scratch which eliminated a lot of processed foods.Then I began Once A Week Cooking that saved me time and money. Next my community instituted recycling. Now I'm about to start vegetable gardening and I'm thinking about introducing some organic meats into my diet.

[Valerie in WA]

Everything that you do that saves you money (such as line-drying clothing or cooking from scratch) gives you a bit of extra money to put toward more expensive things, like organic food.

I have to tell you (the only thing I ever brag about) my food budget for our family fits the USDA guidelines for "Thrifty" - which is the lowest category - and we eat 75-90% organic! I shop carefully. Sure, if I went to non-organic, I could cut my current budget of $500/month (including HBA & animal food) to about $300/month. But I chose not to.

Instead, I line-dry our clothing, that we purchased from thrift stores, on our way to somewhere else (no extra gas). You get the picture, I'm sure.

I heartily agree with everyone who has said one step at a time. If, for example, you chose to start by line-drying your clothes, that saves 40c-75c/load. Multiply that times the number of loads you do each week and put that extra money toward organic milk or strawberries or spinach. And work your way on from there.

[Daisygirl]

I just noticed, Rachel, that you have gotten married! Congratulations and wishing you many happy years together!

I agree with what a lot of other people here have said. Many of the money saving things that you do are very environmentally friendly. I think that in an attempt to streamline our lives with the disposable, the quick and the easy, that we are destroying the earth. Here are the things that I do:

Line dry my clothing (saves elec.)
Use as little electricity as possible
Walk instead of drive when possible
Make one trip in the week to do all errands instead of lots of little trips
Cook from scratch
Buy in bulk (less waste)
Recycle things that used to be garbage (tin cans, plastic bottles, paper, etc)
Freecycle things we don't want or need
Reuse whatever I can (plastic bags, tin foil, etc)
Rarely use disposables (rags instead of paper towels, no paper plates, no stupid disposable toilet brushes or other cleaning supplies)
Repair instead of replace (yes I darn socks, mend hems, and use plastic bread tabs and a hot glue gun to do "plastic soldering")

These are all steps that do not really cost anything, and they will save you a ton of money. Organic has never been a priority in my home (probably should be, though) but not creating waste is huge for us. I talk about it to my kids all the time, and they come up with ideas too.

[ironmaiden]

Actually I think trying to live more frugally is being more environmentally friendly as a by product.

By living frugally, you are not consuming til you drop i.e. buying lots of stuff thus saving on resources plus fuel to transport all the stuff.

Every time you try to save money by combining errands or driving less, hanging a load of clothes, walking by a purchase etc. you are helping the planet.

My guess is that if you did look at what you are currently doing, you are doing better for the planet than the Joneses.

I know you are concentrating on the other aspects i.e. organics, but pat yourself on the back for what you are doing. And if you feel that organics just isn't in the budget, work on the other stuff and have a garden next year.

[redmaples]

Kudos to all you conscious living people!

Here is another thing that I try to do most of the time:
take canvas shopping bags to the store when I shop.
Last week I took a small tote along with 8 large canvas bags (they were .79 at the thrift store) . another one made in guatemala came from a yard sale is a woven natural fiber type. all the bags have flat bottoms & wooden handles so it is easy to carry lots.
Sometimes cashiers give me a funny look when I say I have my own bags. Sometimes they are very pleasant & compliment the bags & ask where I got them. BYOB cuts down on the amount of plastic bags we store up here.I always ask for paper when I don't have my own bags.

You all have many many good ideas for gentle living.

[ScrapMama]

I think that every little bit we do to reuse and recycle helps too. We wash all our dishes by hand, and honestly, I don't want a dishwasher anymore. We freecycle whenever we can, and I love paperbackswap.com. I am starting to cook from scratch daily instead of only a few days per week and I try to buy from the farmer's market whenever I can. I combine my errands and I'm trying get better about recycling.