Are you green or are you frugal? Some people would have you to believe you must buy this and try that to be "green" because the would is going to come to an end if we don't. Our children will "suffer" because we all didn't buy 100 percent recyclable materials, solar panels, or hybrid cars. Lets be real. This world will end when God says it will and the enormous debt that we as a people have is what is really going to cause our kids to suffer.
Over the last couple of years, I have learned a lot about being so called green (mostly due to my financial struggles brought on by huge debt). God calls us to be good stewards of the earth, and our finances, and our families. It is so funny how all of this works together.
If we work hard to manage our finances always looking for a cheaper, better way to save, we will not be buying into the overly consuming lifestyle that so many do. For example if we want to better manage our heating bill, do we go out and spend upwards of twenty grand on solar panels or do we just turn the thermostat down in our homes?
Here are some green/frugal ideas from our home.
-BUY USED SAVE THE DIFFERENCE. This is our families anthem.
-Turn your thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer. Let your body get use to the adjustment. It will, I promise.
-Use ceiling fans, they can lower your homes temp by several degree and use way less energy than a air conditioner.
-Turn lights out when no in use and learn that you don't need to have a light on just because you are in the room. While watching tv, turn the lights out.
-Turn the computer off when not using it. I was surprised to learn how much electricity my computer uses when left on.
-I wash all of our laundry in cold water except diapers and bed linens. The laundry will be clean.
-Air dry your laundry. My favorite chore!!!! Dryers is one of the biggest users of energy in your home.
-We use only natural cleaners in our home. Do we go out and spend a fortune on them? NO! We make our own. There are a ton of recipes for this on the web. We use vinegar and water for an all purpose cleaner. Baking soda and borax work great for tough bathroom stains. A small amount of olive oil will shine up any old piece of wood and we even use it to shine our hardwood floors. We also make our own laundry detergent. The laundry detergent doesn't irritate our eczema and it is way cheaper than those dye free brands in stores.
-We grow our own garden every summer as well as fruit trees and various berries. All organic, heirloom varieties.
-We also have our own chickens for organic eggs. Better for us, better for the environment, and better for our wallets.
-Cook from scratch and save a ton on packaging.
That is just a small sample of some of the green/frugal things we do to try to lower our expenses and our carbon foot print.
