Sunday, June 13, 2010

Living Green and Thrifty

Hi there.  Shellie here on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon, getting ready to blog.  I had a phone call recently from a good friend in California (my home state).  She and her husband are trying to tame their budget but value living as environmentally friendly as possible.  I've found our family in a similar boat.  Sometimes it seems difficult to live frugally and maintain that standard of environmental awareness.

Fortunately, I've been reading over a couple books that tackle this very subject.  I was pleased to see that we had already made some of the shifts that the books call for (cooking at home, buying in bulk, making our own green cleaners).  But it was nice to get more ideas.  Here are the titles that  I have been using and will pass along to my friend as she starts her "living frugally green" journey.

Be Thrifty: How to Live Better with Less by Pia Catton and Califia Suntree  This book is a great go-to guide with a little bit of everything.  It has great simple recipes for both entertaining company or just packing a healthy lunch.  It also has easy recipes for making your own green household cleaners that cost next to nothing.  This book is wonderfully comprehensive and will get you on the path to living better on less!

Shift Your Habit by Elizabeth Rogers  This book is interesting because the author actually recruited real families to make shifts in their living and spending habits.  She includes their stories throughout the book.  Her chapters include:  Home and Garden, Kids, Pets, Work and many more.  It's also very helpful that she shows you how much you save per year with each "shift". 

I loved the "Be Your Own Barista" tip.  Coffee chain cappuccinos were one of the first things that I gave up when we started watching our budget.  How thrilled was I to see that we are saving hundred of dollars a year by this simple change?  I totally gave myself a pat on the back!

Hope these are as helpful to you as they were to me.  I know for sure that I will be referencing both titles in the months to come. 

We have an awesome section in the store called:  Sustainable Living and it's filled with enviromentally friendly titles.  Come by and check it out!