Frugality and the environment: Balancing resources
Monday, July 21, 2008
Ever since I moved out on my own I have been doing a balancing act between my resources (money, physical energy, time), my values and my dreams. It has not always been pretty, I can tell you that. There are days I feel like I’m not doing very well at any of it and days where everything clicks along happily, but overall I feel like I’ve made some pretty good progress on all fronts.
The good news is that in many ways my efforts to live frugally and my environmental efforts go hand in hand. For example, not turning on the A/C is good for both my pocketbook and the earth. In other areas, like food, it requires a lot of compromise and a lot of incremental adjustments. Admittedly in some areas both frugality and the environment end up taking a backseat to some other priority, like my drives to the country to visit an elderly relative. Family is really important to me.
Things are getting tight for a lot of people right now. With the increased costs of just about everything lately a lot of people are feeling pinched. I know we are. We moved to a more centralized location this year and my husband got a nice raise, but all that extra money has been eaten up by increased prices. We live on one seasonal income so things were tight to begin with.
Saving money and helping the environment are on a lot of people’s minds lately. The U.K. government has even called for a return to wartime frugality. In spite of my family’s jokes that a return to wartime frugality wouldn’t affect my lifestyle at all, I’m feeling inspired to pinch my pennies a even little harder than I have been. I’m stretching my food a little further, trying to use less gas, growing my own personal “victory garden” and trying to squeeze more fun out of less money.
This series will combine my chronicle of my efforts to do more with less and also share with you a few things that have been working for me for a while now. Let us know what you are doing to save money and help the environment, or share your tips in the comments. We’re all in this together!
(image by Craig Hatfield via flickr.)
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Hi Stella, I love this post. And I don’t think you should feel bad about driving to see an elderly relative - that cannot be the point. There is only so much one can do as an individual in a system that is set-up in a way that doesn’t work anymore.
To me, part of the frugality you are speaking about is also looking at how I spend time and to do what I can with the time I have to work on changing the system.
I am really excited that the non-profit EnlightenNext, that I volunteer for here in MA just discovered, how much money we will be saving by installing solar and insulation in our buildings! It’s full speed ahead on all fronts!
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