The belief that green living is expensive is not always so. Sure there are some green products and processes
that are very expensive, but green living does not always constitute a lot of money. There are MANY ways to live naturally and green AND save money.
Grow Your Own -If you love to get your hands dirty, starting a garden will save you enough money to go on a small weekend getaway by year’s end. With the price of food and gas today, if you have a garden you have your own fresh produce to cook with. A garden filled with herbs, grains, fruit, and vegetables will keep you from weekly trips to the store because you can make your own dressings, seasonings, and even items like bread, cookies and cakes. With a garden, your trips to the grocery store are limited to meat purchases and staples that you can’t make at home. Cut meat out of your diet and think how much more you will save. There is no need to run to the store and waste valuable fuel and time. Just go to your backyard with your reusable grocery bag and fill it up with fresh produce. Doing this is also a source of fun and exercise for the whole family.
Buy Second Hand - Many people miss the huge savings in purchasing used. Thrift stores and yard sales are a treasure trove of items that you would pay five to ten times more for in department stores. Items like clothes, books, dishes, linens, and furniture can all be found in your local thrift shop at your neighbor’s yard sale. Sure not everything is in great condition but for the most part the items are in decent to good condition; sometimes you can even find items that have never been used before. Most thrift stores also have special half off days and on those days you can add more change to your savings account.
Go Virtual - What about managing your financial affairs in the virtual world? By doing things like getting investment reports and paying bills online, doing direct deposit, and opting out of receiving catalogs in the mail, you can save $150-200 per year because you are not using checks or stamps; and you even avoid those dreaded late fees. You can also buy music and movies online and watch them right on your computer.
Clean Green - The average U.S. household spends approximately $600 per year on household cleaning products. By learning to use inexpensive items like baking soda, vinegar, lemons juice, essential oils, and borax to clean your home, you can cut the cost by about $500. Add to that a savings from using only cloth rags instead of paper towels and you have saved a bunch. Your home will be naturally clean and you will feel better knowing that you have a safer home with some cash in your pocket.
Natural Beauty - You can make natural beauty products and toiletries right at home for cheap. Make your own toothpaste, lotions, deodorant, diaper rash creme…the possibilities are endless and the solutions are just as good as what you pay top dollar for in a store.
Cloth Diapers - This option has gone mainstream and for good reason. Cloth diapers are a superior product, they are safer for children, and they save a lot of money. Parents will easily spend thousands of dollars on disposables diapers for just one child…but a nice collection of cloth diapers will usually run from $300 for the minimalist to $800 for the snazzier diapers with bells and whistles AND they cloth diapers can be sued for one or more subsequent children or sold. The used cloth diaper market is huge. I cloth diapered two kids and LOVED every minute of it.
Green is Healthy - Using green and safe products and eating sustainable, organic foods often translates into health. Think about all the doctor visits and prescription drugs you can avoid because you are living healthfully. Let me just give you an inkling of what I mean. My bad choices in years past resulted in cancer. Conventional treatment was oh so modestly priced at $7000 a week, every other week for 6 months. Add to that what I spent on natural and homeopathic products and treatments and you can see why I wish I could have avoided it altogether.
Long Term Savings - Even the so-called expensive green investments like solar panels or energy star appliances are not really more expensive in the long run. You save money on lower energy costs every month for the life of the product.
There are many ways to save money living green. That is a good thing. However, the benefits of going green far outweigh the amount of cash you have in the bank at the end of the year. It is about helping your family to get healthy. It is also about the longevity of an Earth that is more than good to the people who dwell in it. Do you part and save money while you help the Earth.
Now it is your turn. How has going green saved you some green?
译文:
环保，省钱
绿色生活并不总像人们想的那样需要花费很多钱。当然有些绿色产品和工艺是十分昂贵的，但是绿色生活并不总是意味着花大把的钱。许多方式可以让你生活得自然，环保，而且省钱。
自己耕种-如果你喜欢自己动手，就辟一块地，种些果蔬，一年下来，能为你省下不少钱，这些钱足够你度一个周末短假。现在油价粮价暴涨，如果你有自己的花园，你就有新鲜的果蔬。拥有一个满是香草，谷物，水果以及蔬菜的花园，你就不必每周光顾商店因为你可以自制调料，调味品甚至面包，饼干和蛋糕。拥有一个这样的花园，你只需到杂货店购买肉类以及不能在家自制的主食。试想，不吃肉能省下多少钱啊。你不必驱车前往商店，浪费宝贵的时间和油。带上可重复使用的环保袋，到后花园去采集新鲜的果蔬吧。对家人来说，这也是一种乐趣，一种消遣。
买二手货-许多人不懂得买二手货来节省大把的钱。旧货店和二手市场是个好地方，那里的商品比百货商店的便宜得多，价格低80%到90%。像衣服，书籍，碟子，棉织品以及家具之类的物品都可以在邻居的家庭旧货市场上买到。当然，并不是所有的物品都很完美，但是大部分都不错。有时候，你甚至可以买到一些全新的物品。许多旧货店有特殊的半价日，在这期间，你可以省下更多的钱。
网络理财—如果在虚拟的空间理财会怎样呢？在线获取投资报告、缴纳各种费用，电子存款，不订阅邮递商品，这样每年可以省下150-200美元因为你没有使用支票和戳记。同时你也不用担心逾期滞留金。你也可以在线购买唱片和影片，然后在自己的电脑上欣赏。
使用环保的清洁用品-大多数美国家庭每年清洁用品的花费大约为600美元。利用一些便宜的物品如苏打粉，醋，柠檬汁，精油，硼砂来清洁房屋，可以省下大约500美元。还有用碎布代替纸巾，这样就可以省下不少钱。你的家自然会很干净，而你也会感到高兴因为不仅屋里干净了，钱也省了。
自制美容产品—你可以在家自制美容产品和洗漱用品。自制牙膏，护肤液，除臭剂，尿布疹护肤膏…这些都可以自己动手做，而且跟你在商店花大把钱买的并无二样。
使用尿布—使用尿布已经成为一种主流趋势。尿布是一种高级产品，对小孩更加安全，而且省钱。单单一个小孩，父母为其买一次性尿片的钱就多达几千美元。然而尿布系列的价格通常较低，普通尿布为300美元，高级的带铃铛的尿布为800美元。之后弟弟妹妹还可以使用这些尿布，或者将其出售。用过的尿布有着广阔的市场。我的两个小孩都使用尿布，而且非常喜欢。
绿色的生活方式更加健康—用绿色产品，吃绿色有机食品能让你更健康。试想，如果你很健康，你就不必去看医生，不必吃药。我举个例子说明一下。过去几年，我的不良饮食习惯导致了癌症。传统治疗方式的费用一般为每周7000美元，每两周一次，持续了六个月。加上我在顺势治疗的花费，你就可以理解为什么我希望能省下这些钱。
绿色的生活方式更加省钱—从长远来看，即使是所谓的绿色投资，如太阳能电池板，能源之星产品并不比同类产品昂贵。相反，你每月的电费都会减少因为这类产品耗能少。
很多方式既环保又省钱。这当然很好。然而绿色生活远远比你一年的储蓄让你受益更多。绿色生活能让你以及你的家人更加健康，而且绿化地球，让居住在地球上的人们获益。贡献你的一份力，绿化地球，同时又省钱。
现在该你行动了。绿色生活怎样有助于绿化环境呢？