"Frugally Green"

I figured it was fitting to share my new direction for my blog with you on April 1st, for the new month, the spring time and also to celebrate Earth Day coming up on April 22nd.

I've done a few posts recently about how I am learning to be more frugal and the ways that I have been trying to save money. While I think being frugal is a good thing, I have also become increasingly more environmentally aware, thinking about how my actions and our family's actions affect the environment and our earth. And I have been thinking about these two ideas together lately, being frugal and being green. I truly believe that we are to be good stewards of the resources that God has entrusted us with. And I have come to understand that that includes both our monetary resources, as well as His creation and the natural resources that He has provided for us.

I love following the frugal blogs that I do and hearing about great deals and how others meet their needs on such low budgets and seeing the way that they are able to stretch a dollar so much further than I have ever been able to - it is inspiring to me. But, at the same time, sometimes I think to myself, when I see stockpiles of disposable razors that were bought for "free", or bottles and bottles of shampoo or lotion, or boxes and boxes of individually wrapped granola bars, "How much is too much?" What price is the earth paying for all of the packaging and material that is going to the dump just so that one never has to pay for a razor? And at what point, when one gets home from the grocery store or the drugstore and takes a picture of their great finds, does one start to "live for" and revolve their life around all of that stuff? I don't want my life to look like that.

Also, I have been frustrated lately with the cost associated with "going green". It seems that many things that are more green may save money in the long run, but require a larger, or at least some sort of, initial investment - re-usable grocery bags, CFL lightbulbs, kitchen cloth like napkins, towels and rags, etc. When you are on a tight budget, you don't always have room for that initial extra cost, even if it could save you more money in the long term. Or sometimes products that are pushed as green products - like organic clothing or bedding, or items made from "sustainable" sources, require that you purchase something new and dispose of your old un-green item - which kind of seems to defeat the purpose to me.

I started looking for blogs that were about being frugal and being green, environmentally aware and responsible, and didn't really find much. Most are either all about the deals and saving money at any "cost", and others are just about different ways to go green and save the earth, but don't have much to do with being frugal.

So, I decided that I am going to embark on a journey to learn to be "frugally green" and I plan to record and share my journey here. I hope that you will follow along with me - hopefully I can encourage and inspire you along the way. I would love to hear any thoughts/ideas you all have about being frugal and being green as I begin my journey.