Frugal and Green

Frugal: simple and plain, costing little.

Green:  not harmful to the environment.

It’s odd how these two principles go hand in hand. It’s been easy for me to be green because I was raised in a frugal family. For example, my grandma used to sew my well-worn books together with twine so I could go on reading them.  As an adult, I haven’t sewn books back together, but I have prolonged the life of books by gluing fabric on their spines and covers. I used to use packing tape, but prefer fabric.

Today I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom floors using a mixture of half water and half vinegar. This was greatly facilitated by my Swiffer. I don’t buy the manufacturer’s Swiffer covers, but use cheap washcloths instead.

I bought a bundle of washcloths for about the cost of a package of Swiffer covers. After using one, I put it in the laundry. When they’re all dirty, I run a load of my Swiffer washcloths and start anew.

Sure they are all stained with dirt, but who cares? Their only purpose is to clean the floors.

There are many ways to practice green frugality. Take those plastic produce bags the grocery stores provide for example. Why throw them away after you remove lettuce or oranges at home? I just put them back in my cloth shopping bag and use them again the next time I shop.  

I don’t buy plastic wrap either, but use my supply of gallon-size zip-lock bags. I just slip the bowl of food I want to store into a plastic bag and stick it in the refrigerator.  These plastic bags  are easy to wash for reuse. This gadget from Amazon makes drying them easy.

So that’s the idea: save money and protect the environment in one fell swoop.

Copyright 2017 by Shirley Domer