Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I can't help but think that the state of the US economy is driving all these new markets that I see popping up and maybe resurrecting some old ones.
Many companies are all-of-a-sudden are concerned about appearing 'green'. And not just the automobile industry - online the Google Store is hawking recycled and non-polluting items, eBay is on the bandwagon with their new World Of Green marketplace.
And in the real world, grocery stores are limiting the use of those plastic bags and they all have their own (branded of course) re-usable tote as an alternative. I read about WalMart opening a slew of new energy-efficient stores (like WalMart needs to open more stores).
Sears, Home Depot - they all have some sort of Green / energy saving marketing campaign. Even CNN news network sported a green logo for Earth Day.
Secondhand and Thrift Stores are now cool. Retro rocks. Vintage now incldes the 1960's era (oh gawd, I'm vintage ).
And then there is the sudden influx of DoItYourself shows on TV. Extreme Makeover Home Edition makes a new home each week, and each home is heavily advertised as energy efficient and cost saving. The DIY network is exploding just like the Food Network did a few years ago.
Now don't get me wrong - I'm not complaining. Green is good! Just ask Al But I'm wondering how far it will go. Do you guys think it is just a fad and it will blow over when the economy gets itself straightened out? Or do you think it has legs and it will open up a whole new market and trample all over the 'old' market. Are the old 'throw-away' and 'disposable' habits gone for good?
So, what do you all think about this latest marketing phenomenon? And (this post is becoming longer than I intended, sorry) . . . What - or who - do you guys think still needs improvement?
For a lot of us it's not so new! Granted we've purchased new furniture before and "some" new clothes. But as far as what we wear everyday (underwear and socks excepted) I'd say 95% of it comes from resale shops. We're also huge recyclers, been using canvas totes at the grocery for about 3 or 4 years (no, I don't live in Berkely!). Back when we had a lot of rental houses and still did a fair amount of "flips" we bought much of our materials from yard sales, re-HAB (Habitat for Humanity), our local ones sell much more than building materials.
Some of my better deals were'
I always bought any partial can of paint that was white to off-white, would mix up enough to paint an entire interior in one of my 5 gallon paint cans (at one time I had 20 or more of those in my attic), paint the house and then leave the "unique" paint at the house for touch up when I sold it. Any odd bits of paint that I gathered up that I couldn't use I would donate to our local community theatre, someone there will be able to make any color or shade out of whatever is on hand!
2. Whenever it was approaching "nice exterior painting season" I'd start paying particular attention to the "ooops" paint at HD, I always looked at it anyway but would snap something up if it would work and I knew I needed it in the next few monts. IIRC it's about $5/gallon.
3. I've put in a couple of 1/2 baths by careful shopping at yard sales, $2-$5 toilets, $1 for towel racks etc. Particularly true in upper end neighborhoods, people tend to replace REALLY GOOD, STYLISH stuff even though it's not falling apart, LOL.
4. By the same token "leftover" ceramic tile is usually pennies on the dollar and it's always enough to retile and entry foyer, or small bath.
5. I've bought leftover roof shingles on craigslist for about NOTHING. Shingles are cheap anyway though so be careful on this one. Also if the paper wrapper is torn off they are a PITA to haul and carry to the roof.
BTW, Mrs. golfgod and I use an average of 1,000-1300 gallons of water a month and 400-500 KWH of electric. 2700 square foot house. We put out ONE CONTRACTOR SIZE heavy duty bag of trash about EVERY THIRD WEEK, but we fill one of those 85 gallons totes with recycling every other wekk, more often when I'm really judicious about picking stuff up that others have thrown out!
Love the idea about the Oops paint at Home Depot! I have seen that in passing but will pay more attention in the future. We just painted my office and it was about $35.00 for a gallon. $5.00 sounds much better.
Thanks for your thoughts golfgod. Sounds like you've been green for years!
(Or, ON the Greens)
(Sorry - couldn't help myself )
I'd forgotten about craigslist. I expect it is another company that is experiencing a surge with the new Frugal/Green mindset.
I saw a economic forum the other day on terlevision. All pointed out that without a strong and growing economy green industry is real a dead issue except for those things that will mean very little in reality.
DIY shows have been popular for a good 5-6 years. When HGTV started putting shows out like Designing on a Dime, Shabby Chic, etc, every SAHM I knew got caught up in the decorating thing. For awhile it was almost like a contest to see who could make the coolest home accent.
I do agree that the idea of being frugal and going green are really starting to catch on. I have always been frugal, but stepped it up a notch about two years ago. It really isn't hard to do. The easiest things are to cook at home instead of going out and shop the sales instead of impulse purchases. Buying bulk and repacking it into smaller amounts that won't go bad sitting in a paper bag on a shelf, etc. Planning your menu for the week or month saves time, money, and the hassle of figuring out what to cook. Most of time I just have to run to the market for milk and fresh veggies in the winter.
I also buy things from thrift stores and estate sales. Why spend $45 for a snow sled when I can get it for $2 at a yard sale. I also sew, bake, garden, dehydrate fruits/veggies, can food, etc. If the food network, DIY, or HGTV would put out some frugal tv shows, I would watch again. They tend to replay the same shows over and over for years. I want to see new shows about gardening, canning your own food, and more sewing shows. The gardening and sewing shows they do air have been replaying for years. Time to update!
But the best frugal resources are grandparents. My grandparents were small kids during the depression and remember how few meals they ate during that time. They know the meaning of being truly frugal. My grandma has the best recipes for jams, marmalade, bread, etc. Grandpa has tons of ideas for gardening, shopping, using/fixing anything you come across, etc. They are truly a goldmine.
The only real green things we do are composting for our garden, buying the energy efficient light bulbs, recycling glass, etc.
It's almost like there are 2 kinds of Green.
(what I call) the 'Hollywood' Green - which is to spend big bucks on Hybrid cars, donate your leather jacket to Coats For Kids (photo op included of course), and sink millions of dollars into renovations of a home or studio or whatever.
Then there's the 'Regular Folk' Green which is more about reducing waste, paying attention to your carbon footprint, recycling, keeping a garden, and generally being frugal.
Along the lines of what golfgod and inthesierras posted.
texdave brings up a good point. Sometimes going green can be just too expensive. I bet we start to see it redefined into more of a Reuse/Recycle meaning.
It's almost like there are 2 kinds of Green.
(what I call) the 'Hollywood' Green - which is to spend big bucks on Hybrid cars, donate your leather jacket to Coats For Kids (photo op included of course), and sink millions of dollars into renovations of a home or studio or whatever.
Then there's the 'Regular Folk' Green which is more about reducing waste, paying attention to your carbon footprint, recycling, keeping a garden, and generally being frugal.
Along the lines of what golfgod and inthesierras posted.
texdave brings up a good point. Sometimes going green can be just too expensive. I bet we start to see it redefined into more of a Reuse/Recycle meaning.
I think you are right about the differences between Hollywood Green and Regular Folk Green. I would love to have solar power for my home, but we have a young family and it doesn't into our budget for the next few years. Then if we could afford it, we would have to find a company willing to travel to our rural area to install it.
Another green issue is rural areas that have planning departments that aren't familiar with newer systems and deny permits. A church in our little town wants to install a new heating/cooling system that would save them thousands of dollars each year. But our planning commission is either unwilling or afraid to try something new. The church is fighting it, I hope they win.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
).
But I'm wondering how far it will go. Do you guys think it is just a fad and it will blow over when the economy gets itself straightened out? Or do you think it has legs and it will open up a whole new market and trample all over the 'old' market. Are the old 'throw-away' and 'disposable' habits gone for good? 
)
