Going Green AND Keeping Dave Ramsey Off My Back

My husband and I completed Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University in May of this year, and we are currently on a strict budget and moving with “gazelle intensity” toward paying off some major school debt. It is a very intense process, but worth it when you can see those payments getting smaller and smaller. Being the neo-hippie and wanna-be green goddess that I am, it has also been a serious process trying to figure out how to REALLY save money while being a greenie. Now I know there are about 1.5 million books and web articles out there on “going green on a budget”- but to be quite honest, they are useless. I’m not sure who wrote these books and articles, but I picture a not-too-broke New York urbanite, sitting up in their 2500/month Soho loft surrounded by exotic air-purifying plants and life-sized cutouts of Al Gore. This is not going to work. So, I decided to submit my humble (but tested and tried) tips for those of us who are truly just trying to get ahead in life, without destroying the planet in the process. These tips are part saving money, part saving the earth. Sometimes, yes sometimes, you can do both at once.

1. Join a CSA, or shop for your veggies at the Farmer’s Market.
Seriously, you WILL save money doing this, especially with the ever-increasing cost of grocery store food, and if you can save up to pay the CSA upfront for the entire season, you can pick up your weekly deliveries without having to bring any cash or check. Buying local will not only save you money, but it will drastically reduce your carbon footprint, since you will no longer be shelling out money for food that has traveled over 1000 miles to get to you.

2. In the summer, turn your thermostat above 75 when you are not home during the day, and above 80 when you go on vacation. This seems pretty obvious.

3. Instead of going to Target or Pier 1 for another house decoration item that you NEED, go into your attic, storage closet or garage, and see if you can find an old “gem” that you can be creative with and recycle for a new season. There have been several times that simply rearranging a room, or digging up an old vase and dressing it up has worked well for me. And trust me people, I am no Martha Stewart, so this is possible for anyone. (I must give some props to my original wedding registry here- it pays to keep some of those gifts that you never think you will use at first!)

4. Shop less. I know this is a tough one, but I find it easier when I take a few simple precautions:
- stop comparing myself, and my stuff, to others
- watch less TV ads, and TV in general (with the exception of LOST, of course)
- stay far, far away from the mall
- remember that there really are more important things in life that I could spend my money on.
NOW, please don’t get me wrong, I have my moments of shopping insanity like any woman. But doing these things has helped it to happen less frequently, and subsequently, helped me to save more money.

5. If you MUST shop, specifically for clothing, check out a thrift store or a “gently used” store. Also, if you can, please try to buy “sweat free” clothing. More information on this here. (P.S. This rules out Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic). Sad, I know. I will pause here for a moment of silence.
P.S. NEVER trust a site that advertises “cheap” organic and eco-friendly clothing. They do not yet exist. You will only feel worse about yourself, and your apparent lack of ability to save the world by buying INSANELY expensive clothes.

6. I have a really hard time with this one, but I try to use as little disposable paper and plastic products as possible, including paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, plastic cups, plates etc. You obviously can’t recycle these, and they are certainly not cheap to replenish. Any disposables that you can’t recycle due to food contact are definitely filling up those landfills fast.

7. Recycle. This doesn’t cost anything (at least in Nashville), except a weekly trip to the bins, and that is only if you don’t have roadside service. We have a small trash can next to our regular one, and we simply throw everything in there. No need to separate until you get to the dropoff point.

8. Instead of taking an expensive flight to a far-away land (who can afford that anyway?), plan a road trip to a local spot that will be a day or weekend-long adventure. You would be surprised what’s just outside of your town if you do a little research, and it will inspire you to be a bit more creative in your planning. For example, the hubby and I went yesterday to an awesome state park, where we cliff-jumped, hiked, swam, stood under a raging waterfall, and ate an awesome $3 cheeseburger, and all it cost was the gas and the cheeseburger. (Oh and $3 water shoes from Wal-Mart. Totally worth it.)

9. When you are brushing your teeth, turn the water off. You’d be surprised how easy it is to forget! Save on your water bill, and conserve a most precious resource.

10. Carpool whenever you can. This goes without saying, since we are all cracking under the current gas prices. But it is amazing what a little extra planning can do to save you money on transportation. And you make some friends in the process.

NOTE: One area where I simply cannot seem to save money is skin and body care products- getting all natural items without parabens, etc. just isn’t very cheap. But you have to splurge sometime right?
P.S. My favorite product line is Dr. Hauschka. AMAZING STUFF. Plus I have an affinity for Germans, so it’s a good fit.

I hope these tips have been helpful, and I welcome any feedback and questions. One book that I do recommend, since it give you many practical ways to start and doesn’t pretend that retro-fitting your plumbing system to recycle grey-water will be cheap, is The Green Book. Hopefully, when all of our debt is paid off and I have reached true “green goddess” status, I can breathe a sigh of relief, and say along with my man Dave Ramsey, “I’m doing better than I deserve.”