Frugal and Green
Going green, doing what’s best for our Earth and saving money go well together. I’ve already talked about using natural cleaning supplies like vinegar, baking soda, etc.
I have a few other favorites that help to save us money around here. I don’t use the “heated dry” option my dishwasher. I dry dishes by hand. I try not to use the dishwasher, dryer and washer between the hours of 10am-6pm. This doesn’t work every day, but most days I’m able to get my dishes and laundry done before and after those hours.
Don’t leave computers running. Employ a sleep mode if you don’t want to constantly turn your computer off and on. (If anyone has advice about how to get my wireless adapter to “wake” after my computer has been asleep, I’d really appreciate it. Vista glitch, maybe?)
Compact fluorescent light bulbs! ‘Nough said.
August 21st, 2007 at 9:30 pm
My computer did the same thing, and my bf downloaded some kinda Vista patch thingy and now it works. So, my advice is to find someone good with computers and get them to fix it…it is totally fixable! (Sorry I can’t tell you exactly how to do it. I’m horrible with computers.)
Another frugal “green” tip - save you plastic grocery bags and find a place that pays you to return them. I’ve seen places that pay as high as $.02 per bag, which isn’t a LOT, but it is something, and it’s good for the environment!
August 22nd, 2007 at 5:58 pm
I have a Vista laptop, and it takes about a minute to reconnect to the network after being closed or hibernated. I’m generally good with computers but haven’t seriously researched that yet.
As far as the dishwasher goes, I just let things sit and dry for a while before emptying. Of course, the downside is that the dishwasher is occupied, but if the dishes are started in the evening and emptied in the morning, it’s no extra hardship to go without the heated dry.
(And as a side benefit, I can wash all sorts of things that normally are “top shelf only” wherever there’s space.)
August 24th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
This program is awesome for shutting down your computer to save energy. It actually shows you how much CO2 you’ve saved with the program. works wonderful with Vista. You can set the time for how long your away from the computer before it goes to sleep. with just one press of your mouse and your back to where you left off.
August 24th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
http://co2saver.snap.com/
November 22nd, 2008 at 12:45 am
Excellent content and style…keep up the good work!
January 14th, 2009 at 1:28 pm
hi! love the blog!! i think a great move for a frugal, green woman to make is to stop using conventional feminine hygiene and start using menstrual cups! there are a few brands out there; my personal favorite- and the one i use- is the diva cup. i wouldn’t have thought about my monthly cycle making a difference in my eco footprint until i realized the amount of waste i was adding with the discarded product and packaging and the carbon emissions from schlepping to the store every month! PLUS i’m saving dough! granted, it was a $30 investment, but i recovered that the first three months so the rest is now money i can spend- or save! if anyone wants to check out diva, the website is http://www.divacup.com. i bought mine at whole foods, but i think there must be many other places where they are sold. small changes for big changes!!