Let's take a little trip to spend some money. After all, the common perception of going green is it is very expensive. It may seem just about everything one buys nowadays that is considered "green" is a wallet-emptying, purse-gutting way to spend all of your money just for the sake of saying, "I am going green!"
If you like to shop, but you love to be frugal, then you need to visit resale shops. They can be the well known ones like Goodwill or St. Vincent DePaul, or the small ones in your community like Reggies Resales or Second Time Around. Any of them have great goodies inside that not only cater to your shopping desire, but also firmly espouse the green concept of recycle and reuse.
Clothing can be expensive. Do you know what the current style is in jeans? Flairs or bell bottoms! These were the jeans of my youth, and they have been sent to resale shops around the country, where they can be purchased and worn again! I was shocked to see teens wearing this style and resale shops are the perfect place to get them. I almost exclusively shop at resale stores for all clothing, not just jeans. I save money and feel good about it.
That's only the beginning. Household appliances, especially retro types, are available for cheap. If you have read any of my articles about going retro in the kitchen, you know that a lot of cooking devices made way back when use less energy and cook faster than stoves or ovens. Things like George Foreman grills, covered electric frying pans, crock pots and grilled cheese makers all cost less to use than frying or cooking on your stove or your range.
You can even find items of furniture that may be scratched, but are structurally sound in every other way. Taking the scratches out is easy, and some of this stuff is solid oak, mahogany, and cherry, and all for a fraction of the price new.
Blankets, other bedding, towels, even dishes and table items like candle holders, are all inexpensive when bought at resale shops. Buying at these places is the perfect definition of being green. You are recycling and reusing, grassroots green from the resale shops to your home!
