I do not hide my conservative philosophy nor my Gnostic beliefs and neither do I hide that I live a frugal life. Oddly, being frugal (my husband says cheap )
happens to be, also, often environmentally wise. I thought I would share some my thoughts on how to live in harmony with the environment and in the 21st century at the same time. I do not have the liberal fascination with the past - the past was a hard, painful place to live. I like technology.
Our house is only 1000 sq. feet. It is a small house. We have gas heat and burn wood only when we must, 1 toilet. The first step in both frugality and environmentalism is to have a smaller foot print on the earth, the first step is not to own a large house that demands more energy to heat, more water, more of everything.
We do not use chemicals on our lawn - the weeds grow happily, which makes the birds happy. I mow during the spring but I allow the lawn to die in the dry summer. It saves the effort of mowing and the lawn mower pollutes. I do water my herbs, flowers and roses. I use no chemicals on my herbs and flowers but I do use some on my roses. Recycle yard waste and broken limbs. Look in the telephone book or here on the web for local recyclers, or, if you are lucky, the same people who pick up your garbage will also pick up yard waste. Do not burn yard waste; it may be illegal and it pollutes the air.
I work at home. This saves an immense amount of money. I do not spend money on my hair, clothes or on a second car. My clothes are either handmade or bought at Walmart and sometimes, T.J. Maxx. - My 'style' is American typical ! I never buy fabrics or yarns that can not be washed. Dry cleaning is not only bad for the environment, it is an expense that is mostly unnecessary.
We have only one vehicle which my husband drives, a 250 Ford truck. Owning such a truck enables us to save money shopping at Costco, buying large amounts of certain supplies. (which is also good for the environment. ) I do not drive. (never quite got the hang of driving, I like day dreaming too much.) He uses it to go to work. We use it for chores, shopping far from home and for one pleasure trip a week, on Saturday morning, usually to go out to lunch. I usally only see the inside of the truck ONCE a Week ! We run all our errands at once, consolidating all of them, and then park the truck.
We do not go on vacations. Again, this is to save money but it is also environmentally wise. We go out to lunch, make meals at home, 'hang around' and enjoy each other's company. Our vacations rarely cost more than 300 dollars. I see no reason for vacations and I love being home with my husband and cats. I do my crafts and enjoy life.
We have been using the compact fluorescent light bulbs for many years, since they first came out ! They are less expensive to use and last a very long time. I just threw out our first generation of bulbs 2 years ago. Try them, you may find you like them better than the traditional ones. Try the Ott light if you do crafts and needlework, they are wonderful. The L.E.D. bulbs are still very expensive and not practical because of cost, quite yet. I suggest keeping an eye on their price and trying them when you find them on sale. We already are using them for our Christmas decorations but I am not quite fond of their cool colors and dull luminosity. I love a tree bathed in the warmth of the mini lights of the past. I may experiment with mixing the two kinds in the future. They are very cheap to use (after the original cost) and they will improve as all technology does, this also saves energy.
Christmas note: do not use colored flocking. Natural trees are the best, Recycle them with the season is over. Recycle your wreathe, also. You may want to make your decorations, so many are badly made imports that are made in China. I have used recyclable gift wrapping paper over the years but to be honest, I like the glossy kind that can not be recycled.
Wash your clothes and dry clothes in the late evening and the very early day. This prevents the need to build more power plants. Peek time for energy is in the mid morning and early evening when people are cooking dinner.
Home cooking is not only tastier, it is less expensive and is, also, better for the environment , and better for the family. Prepared foods fill our land fills with waste plastics. I personally LOVE cooking and it is a great hobby.
Eat LESS meat and less take out.
We turn the temperature of the house down during the day and in the late evening - usually to 60 degrees.
We walk everyday, at least a half hour - its for our health and I joke that our doctor gave us the choice to walk or die, so we chose walking but it is also a very environmentally friendly thing to do. We walk to the local stores, the library and some of the local restaurants. We buy fresh vegetables and meat every day at the local grocery stores. Anything that we can carry and is sold near by we usually make a walking chore.
My husband owns a motorcycle - a Harley. He uses it to go to work in the summertime. It saves money and GAS to do so.
A lot of Crafts also save money and are environmentally friendly. Recycle everything you can, Not only the usual paper, cans and glass recycling. Save glass containers and use them for candles and (use the right kind of wax!) storing kitchen, craft and sewing supplies. Send clothes you don't use to Good Will or the Salvation Army. Find out if your local authorities offer recycling depots for large appliances and wood. Look in the telephone book or on line to recycle computer hardware. Give books to the library when they are no longer wanted, they either sell them or add them to their collections.
So why do I choose this kind of life, frugal, simple, conservative ? It is because I believe that materialism of all kinds is wrong-minded. Frugality is another name for saving money. The money is being invested in our retirement funds. So many today seem to think that a bigger house, more things, indoor pools and the rest will make them happy. It isn't true. Possessions and wealth will never bring true happiness. Happiness comes when I live a meaningful life. Service to others, Love, friendship, kindness, simplicity, lack of desires (a hard thing to achieve!) and creativity.
Although, friends, I would really, really like a bit more space and a second toilet !
So any and all who read this ... think about my words and see if you can include these ideas into your life.
I apologize for all the smiley faces. Just noticed them and I thought I would add them !
