5 Ways to live green without breaking your piggy bank

by Wendy Withers

Being a hippie doesn't have to be a dirty secret any more. Living green is a solid worldwide trend, opening up a new world to people who believe it's possible to combine their big-city 'live more want more' life with eco-friendliness and thriftiness. Check these five basic suggestions for green living on a budget, then check out our green-living articles below.

1. Reuse.

This is more important than recycling. Instead of sending in your garbage to the recycling center or trashing it, try to find a new use for it. I usually use bottles as vases and take my lunch to work in old salsa jars. My mother goes even farther; she uses flimsy bakery boxes to store food and has a closet full of plastic grocery bags, just in case. She also has a shelf full of used TV dinner plates. If that seems a little extreme, give your old clothes and possessions to charity or consignment shops. That way, they'll stay out of landfills and make someone else's day delightful as they find your exciting castaways.

2. Compost.

This is reusing, just applied to food. There are scores of options out there for the home composter. And, a lot of questions. Should you use earthworms? Should you buy a compost bin for your kitchen, or would it be better to build a DIY version outside? Composting will cut down your kitchen waste dramatically, and it will come in handy on another money-saving tip: the vegetable garden.

Good resource for future composters: http://www.compostguide.com

3. Grow your own vegetables, or at least keep some plants inside.

Face it. Prices are going up, especially on fresh produce. Just growing a few staples like your own tomatoes and zucchini in season will help quite a bit. If you don't have enough room, grow your own potted herbs or a few stalks of bamboo and some ivy inside. It will help the air quality in your home and lift your mood.

4. Eat real food.

Forget about the local burger joint, boxed meals, and TV dinners. Not only does real food taste better, it also costs less. Think about how much making you own chicken and yellow rice costs compared to take-out. (Hint: the former will last you multiple meals and is easy to freeze in Tupperware or zipper bags.) Plus, the boxed meals and TV dinners contribute to waste, and don't get me started on Styrofoam cups and boxes. We were built to live off of fresh foods, not pastes and chemicals.

5. Limit the unnecessary packaging you take home.

Take your own bags with you when you go shopping, and leave the cheap plastic hangers at the store. Also, shop with ease in mind. Don't expect to wear a blouse that has to be dry cleaned four times a week. Instead, look for wrinkle-free clothes. They will keep you from bringing home plastic dry cleaning bags and their cheap hangers. Scientific meddling isn't always bad. Also, shopping at thrift stores and pawn shops can be good, seedy fun and keep you off the buying grid and will save you some major cashola.

About the author

Wendy Withers is a freelance journalist living in Florida. Both her nonfiction articles and her short stories have been featured in numerous print and online publications around the world. She is currently working on her first novel and has a BA in editorial journalism from the University of South Florida. You can catch her on her blog at wendylbolm.blogspot.com or her Myspace at www.myspace.com/howlokitty.

More Mookychick articles on going green

Guide to guerilla gardening(planting as an activist statement in unused or wasted land near you)

Guide to dumpster diving (checking skips and dumpsters for recycled goodies)

Guide to green recycling

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