Setting your Green Budget

With all the information, facts and hype about going green, more and more consumers are turning to the more energy efficient lifestyle. It sounds nice that you’re producing less waste, using less energy, and eating things that are better for you, but how does your wallet feel about all this?

Probably not very good, considering the national average price of a gallon of organic milk is almost double that of it’s regular counterpart. Organic produce, eggs and poultry are also significantly higher – more than 200% higher in poultry’s case. More than just food, green consumers are also worrying about issues like natural household cleaning products, recycled and sustainable furniture, and hybrid cars – all of which cost more than their regular counterparts.
To really make a difference and convert your life to the green alternative, you need to set a green budget aside for yourself. With the economy in recession, the price tag is all consumers look at when choosing which products to buy. In times like these, it’s more important that people aren’t penny wise and dollar stupid, but that’s what’s happening.
Because organic laundry detergents and other household cleaners cost more to manufacture than regular ones, their price is naturally set higher. That and retailers use their higher price to make the lower profit-margin look more appealing on better-known and less environmentally aware brands. Many green companies are still working with retailers to find the “optimum price point” for drawing green-minded customers.
For those using their green budget to buy a hybrid car, there are many points to consider. Yes, the car can get up to 50 miles per gallon, but hybrids tend to cost more. The manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the lowest-priced Honda Civic is 51% lower than the Honda Civic Hybrid, which is sitting at around $22,600.

To really put your green budget in effect, a more cost-efficient and energy-efficient solution would be to keep the old car and use it less. Over the course of a year, carpooling, biking, or walking when possible saves just as many fuel emissions as hybrid cars. The simplest thing you can do is not waste as much as we all do right and left in our daily lives.

Green budgeters should also consider which actions and purchases yield the highest return. Using colder water to wash your clothes, unplugging electronics like televisions, DVD players and Cell Phone chargers when not in use, caulking windows and doors to weather-strip them, and switching to fluorescent light bulbs are all efficient and easy suggestions. Although fluorescent lights are 450% more expensive than the less energy-efficient, they last for much, much longer. In the long run, they stretch the green budget further than almost any other purchase.
One of the criteria for energy efficiency is durability. If the product will last you longer and save you money or over time then it may hurt the budget but save you more down the road, thus leaving more cash in your pocket.

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