TOP 10 PRAGMATIC ORGANIC WAYS TO RECESSION PROOF YOUR LIFE
RESOLVING TO GO GREEN? YOU CAN GO GREEN AND NOT BROKE!
1) Buy Local. It's better than online, keeps trucks off the road and your community working! And... you can bargain face to face. Hard to do with an automated check-out. Remember customer service? It feels good.
2) Brown Bag it. Did you know that most nutritionists underestimated the number of calories in a Tuna Sandwich by almost 2/3? YIKES. Control your spending and your calorie count in one shot! You'll get the hang of it. Lunch bags on the counter are cool.
3)Get Off The Bottle. Bottled water is a ruse and bad for the planet. Buy a filter and a reusable bottle or get a mug for your desk. You can do this. Almost $1000 a year. Yeah, I'm doing it.
4)Borrow and Barter. You know your friends have a great TV and you have the latest video. Add popcorn and viola! Bonus? You can't drink a great bottle of organic wine at the theatre. You can't stop the movie to hit the biffy. Everyone does something well. We barter everything we can from house painting to hat knitting ( yes people still knit and its very very cool) Borrow a book. Trade casseroles. We trade rarely used clothes for special "out of our climate trips" with our like-sized friends. New to you is so newly cool. In our house raising small children and over 1500 animals, it's just been necessary. Don't be too proud to trade with the Jones'. Open the door and see what happens. Pride is very expensive.
5)Learn to make GOOD organic Coffee. Buy a reusable coffee thermos if already don't have one. Get a grinder and some great coffee from The Organic Chef's grocery store. Be a barrister not a spoiled brat. Added bonus? Less gas wasted. Less time wasted. More money in your pocket and in my house MUCH better coffee.
6) Stay home. Remember lazy days of playing cards, listening to music, cooking and just "putzing around" the house as we used to say?
7) Use the library. They have internet, they have magazines, cool books and videos and its quiet. You can have everything- for free! How cool is that?
8) Keep a Calendar. Stop running around like mad. Last minute is largely expensive. Convience costly.
We keep a month long calender and pencil in everything including shopping lists and errands so we make ONE trip not ten and we buy in bulk when its on sale. Cross-town trips can be consolidated. Think before you leave. 5 minutes will save you mega bucks over the year. Call your neighbors and friends- "need anything while I'm here?" it's catching. See how much time you save and get your life back!
9)Parks. Remember picnics and swings? The price is perfect. Stop romanticizing the past and do it- it's all still there - plaid blanket and all.
10) Use it or lose it. All of the above.
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