Our Beginner's Journey to Going Green - A blog about newlyweds ...

It?s no secret that Eric and I really believe in going green? from being environmentally friendly to eating organically, we love it all.

However, the green lifestyle isn?t always as friendly on a budget. Which is why we?ve stumbled a few times. We dropped our CSA that we were so excited about and I gave up on organic products in favor for anything I could score for cheap and with a coupon.

I?ll spare you the research on why living an organic and green lifestyle is important, and instead I?ll just say that I believe there are a ton of chemicals in almost everything that is produced nowadays. Chemicals that have been created in the past 50-70 years to produce? things more cheaply and quickly and that human bodies (which have been around for thousands of years) do not yet recognize. Everything from food, to furniture, to cooking supplies, to clothes.

That being said, I would like to try and be green as much as possible without going radical. As in, if I want a Coke, I?m gonna drink a damn coke. But how often do I really drink soda? Probably about once every two months. It?s a very rare occasion. But every now and then, yeah I want a soda.

Whenever I think about the whole concept of going green, I get a little overwhelmed. So it?s easier to break it down into what we hope to accomplish:

• Buy organic produce if they?re on the Dirty Dozen List (Normal is okay for the Clean 15)
• Eat more whole foods (fruits, vegetables) and less processed foods
• Slowly eliminate cleaning supplies, make our cleaning supplies
• Make our own laundry detergent or stick to chemical-free detergent
• Switch to chemical free body products (deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, lotion)
• Switch to chemical free make up (eek!)
• Use low-VOC paint for any crafting projects
• Compost
• Garden and grow our own herbs
• Get rid of BPA as much as possible

There?s a whole long list of things to do. I?ve been using the book Easy Green Living: The Ultimate Guide to Simple, Eco-Friendly Choices for You and Your Home to help guide us in our new lifestyle.

It?s going to take us a few years to get us to where I want to be, but we?re slowly making these changes.

I have been making a consistent effort to shop at our local Farmer?s Market and supplementing with Whole Foods. We switched our deodorants to Tom?s and Kiss My Face. The paint we used for our turquoise bookshelf and mirror was low-VOC. We have started a garden (although we suck at it) and we are composting as well. This week, I?m going to attempt to make our laundry detergent too.

Slowly and steady, we?re going to make these changes. I?ll be keeping track and posting how much this is costing our budget as well.

Do any of you ?go green??

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Source: http://www.newlywedsonabudget.com/2012/07/our-beginners-journey-to-going-green/

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