Go Green Tip of the Day: 5/19: Tip of the Day: Go frugal, go green

Use it up, wear it out, make it do and do without!

Going green is not about buying green products. Sure, instead of buying non-green products, it's an improvement. But really, going green and going frugal are almost the same thing. On the individual level, much of our problem is that we are using vastly more resources than our grandparents or even our parents did. Our houses are bigger, our cars are bigger, we are buying more toys and clothes and changing our house furnishings more often than ever.

And while we do all of this, we are also spending a lot of green, causing us stress.

While we can all dream about living a "simple" life, that is easier said than done. Most of us can't quit our jobs and go move off the grid and that is ok. Start by taking action right inside your own life. If you're not motivated only by the environmental crisis, then do it for your wallet. So many of the actions that are being promoted as green, are also the simple ones that save you money, that people have been doing forever. Actions like:

• Turning down your thermostat, putting on a sweater.
• Being cautious with your grocery bill, cooking from scratch more often.
• Not buying prepared foods.
• Reducing your meat consumption.
• Not buying more house than you need.
• Searching out the secondhand shops in your area, especially for children's clothes and toys.
• Getting a library card.
• Planning out your holiday spending carefully and sticking to the budget.
• Being wise with appliance usage.
• Unplugging those electricity vampires.
• Buying quality items that will last.

For more inspiration, check out the Story of Stuff and some frugal living blogs like Frugal for Life, Stretcher and Frugal Village.

While you can do lots of fancy calculations on how many pounds of carbon that didn't get released because of your actions, you might even find that you are more motivated by watching your bills grow lighter and your wallet grow heavier.