Going green ??? Could be cheap???

My grandparents were very influential on me as a small child. While they were very wealthy, both had come from destitute backgrounds and lived through The Great Depression. For me, reusing is a way of life. Not drying clothing, saves energy, money and extends clothing life. Etc. For years my friends were stunned on how frugal I am. Even to the point of, "But you have money. Why are you doing XYZ?" I kept trying to explain it isn't about the money. Money is here today, gone tomorrow. Can't be relied upon. That there are moral issues as well. Now, the same friends are pestering me for more tips and laughing as things I've said over the years are now being touted as the way to go by such magazines as National Geographic's Green Guide. When we marry frugality with green, it is a beautiful partnership. I think both are important. But I will always put frugality ahead of green. Just how I am.

This year I've decided to buy almost no "new" things (with the exception of toiletries, food, etc). I buy very little and sell or give away the things I don't need. I try to reuse or recycle pretty much everything. We have to pay for our trash but recycling is free...which I think is a good idea. I buy bulk foods when I can at the store to reduce packaging. I make some household cleaners which is cheaper and less toxic. I drive a lot less and bike or walk everywhere I can...which saves gas and is good for the environment.

I do a lot of things like you do that are "accidentally" green. We were green before green was cool, I guess. :) Some things I reuse: Wrapping paper, junk mail (for notes and lists), newspaper in dozens of ways, glass and plastic jars for storage, clothes in quilts and rugs and so on. I put out about half a 30 gallon trash can each week and sometimes less than that. I buy second hand things as much as possible because I'm frugal, but that's also "green." I don't waste water or drive an SUV or fly in a private jet or have a huge house... my "carbon footprint" is very small because I don't waste anything if I can help it.

i also try to recycle most of the things.unfortunately recycling is not very in demand in india.and like you said said i too reuse things.have a good day.happy mylotting.

We recycle as much as we can. We are planning to build a new house and I intend to do it as green as possible. I also have been making a lot of my own cleaners and I have canvas bags that I use when I shop. We save our pop cans and recycle them in order to get a little money back too.

Buying Energy Star appliances and bulbs is one way to do it. Although the products cost more upfront, the money they save over time is crazy! We reuse plastic bags, definitely recycle as much as possible...a lot of towns charge like $1 per bag of garbage so the incentive to recycle is huge. Also composting and gardening your own vegetables saves a lot of emissions and also tastes better.

Before reduce, reuse and recycle, my motto was, "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." I had very frugal parents and grandparents. Most of the time they were frugal out of necessity (no money), but putting money into savins was part of their budget. I have done everything from washing and reusing Ziploc bags and glass jars (good for grease), recycling aluminum and plastic bags, buying used clothing (to use for clothing and craft projects). When I have a drippy water faucet that I can't get fixed right away, I put a plastic gallon jug under the faucet to catch the water. I then use it to water the dogs and/or plants. I pile on blankets in the winter so I don't have to use the heater and peel off layers in the summer so I don't have to use the a/c. I use envelopes from junk mail for grocery list organizing. I write my list on the back of the envelope and put my coupons inside the envelope. Works great! I was a devout follower of Amy Dacyczyn, who wrote The Tightwad Gazette. I received her newsletter every month and devoured it from cover to cover. I would suggest checking her books out of the library. You'll find tons of frugal and green ideas!

We recycle as much as we can. We use things that we might have thrown away in the past so that we dont need to buy the items later. We use every last bit of food and waste as little of everything as possible. It does often save money to go green. We also make cleaners where we can. Vinegar is a great cleaner.

here where i live going green can cost MORE than just throwing things away! you get no discounts and they are quite picky in what they take. i do recycle everything you mentioned and clothing two (i have 2 girls) and also shop at thrift stores. buying green products also tend to be more money in my neck of the woods so, while i want to go green, i cannot always afford it!

We haven't really changed anything we are doing, apart from washing the cars at home due to water restrictions. I've always been a recycler, and reuse everything possible. I hate throwing things away - not to save money or to be green - just because I hate waste. I guess I'm lucky that recycling is now considered cool! LOL

My husband and I are going green too - we collect cans, re-use plastic bags, re-use glass Jars, Use left over food as fertilizers, (cheaper than buying branded ones). We dont buy expensive stationery to write on to - we prefer recycled cheap but pretty ones. I am planning of using the big cans i have to plant some flowers instead of buying a pot. let us all do our share to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle and save our mother earth :)

I think it's funny, too. I started buying things like flour and sugar in bulk, not to reduce packaging, but because it's cheaper and better to make my own bread and baked goods. I stopped using chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides one year because I couldn't afford to keep up with the spraying. Things looked a lot better, so my gardens have been organic for years.

The company that I work for...actually helps you to convert your home to save money and to make money. Their products are all green. It's awesome. You can convert your entire home for $199 to a green home...safer for your children. If you sign up today....sign up 4 under you by the 20th the company will double the money you make! I am trying to so I can get that $900 by the 20th! I have the link on my Squidoo lens....it's tip #41 I think for saving money at home. I have other money saving tips on there! http://www.squidoo.com/dollarsaved If you are interested after taking the company tour then call me at the contact info I left on my lens!

We have been green for a long time. We recycle everything we can. When we are away in our motor home we even have a compost bin. I buy a lot second hand. I swap books with friends. We use bio diesel in our motorhome. I always reuse gift wrap. When we are away I use a bucket and a sink plunger as a washing machine. When I do use a washing machine I use an eco friendly wash cycle and washing liquid. I use as much eco friendly products as possible. These products clean just as well as bad products and you do not use so much so it works out cheaper. If we all did our bit we would all be better off. Both money wise and environmentally.

My wife does things like you do. She reuses plastic grocery bags by packing my lunch in them. She re-uses plastic containers. Things like that. She also tries to use overflow water from the kitchen sink to water her plants. I can certainly help cut costs if you find ways to use things rather than throw them away.

That's what we do here in the house. We basically reuse things. We have loads of plastic bags and food containers and scratch papers. It can make us save some PHP and by using scratch papers instead of buying new ones, we are able to save some trees. :)