About Me
Created by cami on 05 May 2007 | Tagged as: Uncategorized
I’m a twenty-something frugal Environmental Science graduate student that probably has too much free time. I’ve been struggling to save money and resources as my awareness of personal finance and ecological impacts grows. This blog is a way of looking at the day-to-day successes and failures that I experience while trying to make good green decisions. As I struggle with finding the balance between environmental sustainability and frugality, which often don’t overlap, I hope others may be able to learn from my choices and teach me as well. Yeah, and I like to rant.
I’m not a professional and nothing here should be taken as professional advice including comments. I hope you enjoy the site and if there’s anything that you’d like to see or discuss drop me a line.
Email can be sent to: cami at greenmindedwallet dot com
Congrats on the launch of your blog!!!
I don’t have a blog of my own, but had been thinking of starting one to talk about ethical/eco-conscious budgeting. And then I read your insightful response to my post about renting vs. buying, click your name and you appear to have such a blog! Excellent!
Your points were helpful, too–I live in NJ where the market is quite hot even now and never really deadens, but other states may have very different conditions. I still think it makes sense to own, though. I did get a nice tax credit this year for helping my nice small efficient house because more efficient by getting some new low-E glass windows. =)
Two more things, too–by owning my own home, I am able to choose to use green power for my house, which I love.
And as I am a landlord too, I can say that there is a bit of a problem with tenants in terms of wasting energy–if heat is “free”, i.e. included in the rent, tenants can be so wasteful as to have the heat blasting and windows open. One tenant has the gas dryer running constantly because, well, hey, it’s freee, why not dry one towel at a time? It’s very sad and I try to correct these habits, but there’s only so much control you have. I think that responsibility for one’s own electric and fuel consumption can help people to be more energy conscious overall, even if it is primarily budget-driven.
I think homeownership gives one a sense of investment in the local community which can help develop a sense of responsibility about such things. Just a hunch, though–I’ve no data to support it.
become more efficient, I meant. Forgive my typos.
Robin,
Thanks for your comments. I do agree that when we make things a flat fee it is easier for people to not think about how much it truly costs. Perhaps I will do a post about this later on. Have you made a lot of green modifications to your home?
As far as community goes, I think it has more to do with people than with whether they rent or own. I have friends who’ve owned homes in fancy subdivisions for years, that have never gotten to know their neighbors, whereas I grew up in apartments and knew my neighbors very well. Even though we live in different places, my family is still in contact with some of our old neighbors to this day. I might have to see what I can dig up on that.
I’ve made a number of green enhancements to my home, though more are on the way. Beyond replacing old, leaky windows and doors, I’ve added insulation to rooms which didn’t have it (my house was built in the 1950s), planted plants which bear fruit and herbs and others which are good for local pollinators like butterflies, bees and hummingbirds (too many green lawns and not enough milkweed and other plants are really hurting the migration of creatures like the Monarch butterfly).
Our best enhancement is going to happen within the next few years–my house is maybe 800 sq feet of living space now, sufficient for myself and my boyfriend but a bit tight for when we start a family, so we’re going to build a second floor, but instead of building up, build down, making the basement living space. We gain tons of energy efficiency by doing so, natural insulation and cooling via the earth. I’m thrilled about this, though construction has just started. We’re doing it ourselves.
There is a bit of a battle over whether to have a composting toilet in the new basement bathroom. I want it, bf think it’d be bad for resale. We shall see.
I switched to green power, mostly wind power, early last year after investigating getting solar panels and finding it too expensive. This is very easy to do in NJ and most states. If more tax breaks became available in future, though, I’d do the solar, because really its affordability depends on how long one plans to stay in one’s house. I would love to be as off the grid as possible. Granted, I live in a packed little suburb, so I’m a bit unusual, but I hope to set an example.
I also belong to a local CSA, and in the spring through october, 85% of my food comes from local sources. It’s an important part of my lifestyle, and anyone who comes to my home gets to share in the bounty.
About community, I wasn’t referring so much to knowing one’s neighbors as an overall sense of permanence, of, I suppose, ownership in a place. It does certainly have to do with a person’s individual inclinations, but it is when they become a homeowner that I tend to see people take charge of their property and their resource consumption. I’ve been thinking a lot about what I might do to help educate the rest of my community and build awareness of the many resources available for living a greener lifestyle.
Robin,
Composting toilet huh? Would you mind sending me an email (cami at greenmindedwallet dot com), so I can ask you a few more questions about greening your house (maybe I can do a post or two about it)? Since I’ve never owned my own home (I’ve yet to settle down) I don’t have much first hand experience but I’d love to know more.
Sure, will do.