Frugal living and green living have a lot in common, and it is easy to take steps in “going green” to be more of a cheapskate than you already are. However, the devil is always in the details, and when you get carried away with going green, you may find yourself spending more than what you initially thought. To avoid getting carried away, this article will tell you when to stop being green in the name of frugality.
Frugal living needs a lot of DIY. Buying cheap pieces and putting them together takes away the cost of labor – plus you end up with a really cheap item. You can also buy bulk or wholesale with various produces and you can cook them yourself; allowing you to skip going to a fast food restaurant and spending too much just for a month’s worth of lunch money.
In the green DIY, the first thing that comes to mind is building your own renewable energy source, which is good, but there’s a catch. In “green” terminology, there are phrases such as “carbon footprint” and carbon offsetting. Carbon footprint is the amount of carbon that you release into the atmosphere that contributes to global warming. Carbon offsetting, on the other hand, is the act of, say, planting trees to make up for your bigger carbon footprint.
In green DIY, the ability to get rid of your electric company is often advertised; as long as you build enough solar panels, wind turbines, or whatever. As good as it may sound, it rarely gives anyone enough electricity to be totally rid of electric bills. For one, every appliance these days run on electricity. How much time do you spend in front of your computer, for instance? To run the whole house with just solar energy, you may need to build solar panels that fit in an area twice as big as your lot – not to mention the amount of sunshine in your area plays a big role as well.
Simply put, if you want to be frugal you can reduce your carbon footprint; but carbon offsetting is not necessary, as it will only give you a ton more expenses.
Another common link between frugality and being green is that you sometimes have to buy something to reduce expenses and to be “greener”, respectively. For instance, in going green, you have to buy kitchen faucets with WaterSense labels on them, or you have to buy batteries and solar cells for creating your solar power system.
On the frugal side, you may have to purchase a bigger refrigerator or freezer so there’s enough space for produces that you buy in bulk. You may have to purchase a rice cooker or a bread maker so you can have either rice or bread in your meals to cut down on meat consumption, thereby making your stocked meat last longer and negating the need to run off to the grocery in the near future.
It’s not that hard to spot the difference between going green and frugality. For instance, buying a hybrid car isn’t being frugal. It is simply showing off that you are willing to spend money for the sake of the planet. Besides, frugality leans more towards limiting the use of the car – or completely turning it into a front yard ornament – and not buying a more energy efficient car.
All of this isn’t to say that you should abandon going green in favor of saving a few bucks. I’m simply pointing out that if you’re starting to live frugally, going green can show you some pointers; but getting carried away can defeat the whole purpose of trying to get into frugal living.
Comments on this entry are closed.