Does this set of ideas seem to be at odds in your mind? How can one be green and frugal? It is possible and in my opinion, they are often one in the same. Most of us know the three Rs of Reduce Reuse Recycle (I hope).

What does it mean to go green? Aside from the choices in your purchases, this can also mean to use all of your resources in an economic fashion. Instead of buying new items which are made sustainably why not use your items until they are completely worn or cannot be repaired further? This is the less flashy, less “sexy” side of going green but I feel it may be the most useful….or at least the more frugal.

Imagine a few generations back in your family. What would your grandma, or great-grandma, do with her clothes? Many, though not all, who lived through the Great Depression would wear an item until it fell apart. Let us consider the spend-thriftiness of that generation, while knowing that not all were of the same mind…just as any society is never of one mindset. But I digress…

So, spent-thrift grandma would wear her clothes until they were holey. She might even mend them and continue to wear them with patches. She was reusing before it was cool. The ultimate hipster (Go, Gram!). There are other initiatives that were “older” which some of us still practice or could revive in order to go frugal green. Here’s a short list of ideas.

Start a garden. I have no green thumb. No, really. I have killed more than one cactus in my life. But…. this is a great starting point if you can grow your own. I have been able to keep a basil plant going for a summer and that saved several purchases of fresh basil. Start your own garden, taking into account the costs of supplies. The first year you may break even but on the second or third year you could be saving substantially.

Compost. This isn’t viable for everyone. Not everyone in an apartment can compost and I get that. In fact I have been an apartment dweller and did not compost. Once we had our own house and started composting it made a significant difference for us. The compost feeds the garden after one year, and it saves us on our community trash bags. We have to purchase specific bags for our town to use for trash disposal and they are expensive! However, this expense forces us to be more mindful of our waste and to cut down on it when we can.

Reuse. How often do you throw away milk cartons, either plastic or cardboard? Most families use milk like water. I know we consume a lot of milk. Reuse the cartons for starting seeds for your garden or for kids crafts. Many items can be reused before they need to be recycled. Just use common sense here – no sharp cans for toys, please!

Take reuse a step further. Go to your local thrift store or consignment shop. Bring in your items to be sold, if consigned then you will make a little back or receive a store credit. Bonus! If you simply shop there once your items need replacing then you are still reusing, just reusing the clothing of others. Another bonus is that most of the time your money spent stays local, and in the case of a Goodwill or Salvation Army store the money spent will help others in their programs.

Do not buy a new car. Hear me out on this one. This is along three lines of the first R: Reduce. If you keep your car for its lifetime of use then you are reducing the number of cars which you are contribute to a landfill in your lifetime. With proper maintenance you can (make it easier to) maintain your car for many years. When your car is done with its life, I suggest donating it to a charity in your area. Many will haul it away for free and recycle the parts or even just the materials in order to benefit their programs.

This is really just a start to how to go green in your own way. There are certainly many more ideas and many more topics to consider. My request to you is to consider all expenses before embarking on a new “green” endeavor. If the expense is worth it to you, then go for it! If you save a few dollars on the way, that is a bonus. Happy greening!