Green, Fit, and Frugal Wedding Planning Challenges

Being of green, fit, and frugal mind, I am in the process of trying to plan a wedding with these factors playing a major role. Is it working? You be the judge.

As far as the fit part goes…well, let’s just say that the holidays and my wedding planning demands are currently very much in the way of me being in top shape for this grand event. However, I have five months, and I have never had more of a reason to act on some New Year’s Resolutions. (Perhaps I’ll do a post on this later…)

For the other two, I am having even more difficulty being both green and frugal.

In the wedding world, there is no such thing as “budget”. You might hear this term muttered by parents shelling out their life savings or brides and grooms forking over paycheck after paycheck, but I am starting to wonder how many brides actually stay within the budget they started out with. I sure haven’t. And guess what comes into play next? Sacrifice. Oh, and the green part.

I had every intention of making this an environmentally-conscious event. I wanted to use paper products that are all recycled/biodegradable materials with soy-based inks, use natural (if not living) items as favors, and choose organic and minimal carbon-footprint menu items. Guess what? Those are the things that drive up the cost of this whole thing.

How do I justify another $800 for special ink printing versus printing on my laser jet at home? Or another $3 per invitation for special recycled paper that only comes in white, off-white, and brown? I did contemplate using the seeded papers so everyone could plant flowers once the piece completed it’s role in my wedding…but you can’t read anything printed ON it so it still needed a blank piece of paper to accompany it in order for people to know who is getting married.

Mini-trees and seed packets for favors? It’s a nice idea, but not if 70% of your guests are from out of town and will need to lug those things on the plane. Assuming they even take it with them and it doesn’t get left on the table to be thrown out by the venue staff during cleanup.

And the menu – have you tried finding a location you are in love with that doesn’t require you to choose “menu option A, B, or C” that does not include anything locally grown or organic, let alone vegetarian? (“It comes with vegetables on the side, doesn’t that count?” No, it doesn’t.)

So far the FRUGAL is dominating my GREEN and FIT, and at this point I think I am doing a great job with several do-it-yourself type projects for centerpieces, invitations, etc.

Have you found any easy solutions to reach goals in any (or all!) of these categories? Suggestions welcome!

This is subject to change. Stay tuned!

GreenFitnFrugal Gift Giving Guide 2009

It’s that time of year again. No, not tax time. Not Arbor Day either. OK, I’m doing a poor job of masking the obvious. Of course it’s getting closer to that time of year when you spend way too much time trying to find a parking space at the mall than planning those sentimental words you will write in a card for your dry cleaner. (I know you just sign your name.)

For all of you readers who appreciate a green, fit, and/or frugal lifestyle, I thought this would be a great time to kick off the holiday season with some gifts relevant to each of those lifestyles, if not a combination of them all.

In addition, if there’s more to your gift-giving plans than just these categories, I have partnered with several other travel-related blogs that are providing gift suggestions for other niches in our lives, so hopefully you will check them out too. After all, who knows where you’ll find that perfect gift that will keep the back-packing hippie cousin in your personal fan club for the next twelve months?

Gift Categories and Partner Blogs:

Holiday Gifts for the Adventure Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Guy Traveler
Holiday Gifts for Women Travelers
Holiday Gifts for the Sports Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Budget Traveler
Holiday Gifts for the Travel Writer

And here are my recommended goods:
Go Green with Gifts for the Eco-Conscious Companion:

• CamelBak BPA-Free Water bottle ($8-24) – Not just for gym enthusiasts, these bottles will keep you hydrated wherever you go, and you won’t have to worry about Bisphenol-A contamination.
• Eco Coffee Cup ($10.99) – That friend who can’t live without their Starbucks? Help them out with this reusable and microwave-safe coffee cup that looks just like their landfill-destined current option.
• Energizer Rechargeable 15 Minute Battery Charger ($28.98) – This set of chargers works at home, in your car, and at the office to charge AA and AAA batteries within 15 minutes.
• Suncast Recycle Bin Kit ($49.96) – It’s a lot easier to get on the recycling train with these bins helping you sort your recycling materials. Who do you know who could use a little assistance in this area?
• Kindle Wireless Reading Device ($259) – Besides being handy, portable, and instantly able to access over 360,000 books, an electronic reader like this Kindle is the more environmentally-friendly option over paper after only seven books!

Fit & Healthy Help for the Fitness Fanatic:

• Women’s Health Magazine, 1 year subscription ($14) – With new studies and reports being published daily, a healthy magazine is a necessity for keeping the exerciser in your life on top of the latest and greatest in workouts, products, and news.
• Quick Dry Towels ($16) – Great for the gym, for travel, or in your bathroom, these towels are great for soaking moisture from your skin to keep your complexion healthy and help you continue with your workout.
• Nintendo Wii Fit with Wii Balance Board ($94.95) – Complimenting your Wii game system, this board helps you perfect your poses all in the privacy of your own home, tracking your progress and monitoring your personal improvements.
• FitFlop Women’s Inuk Boot ($189-199) – This line of calorie-burning shoes continues to expand past flip-flops, and these boots are both stylish and useful.

Frugal Finds, Deals and other Stocking Stuffers for the Cost-Conscious Friend:

• Purse Size Deluxe Coupon Holder ($6) – For those of us who cut coupons (and we all should!), this coupon holder makes saving money more stylish, aside from keeping you organized.
• Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom ($6.99) – Stephanie Nelson runs an interactive website on grocery shopping secrets, and this book will share those and other useful tips for helping you stretch your household dollar.
• Eagle Creek Nylon All Terrain Money Belt ($14.95) – Your uncle has spent so much time making sure he gets the best deals. Help him secure those dollars when he’s on the move with the secret compartment in this everyday belt.
• Target Gift Card ($50) – Can’t decide what to get the penny-pincher? A cash gift is sure to be allocated to bills, but gift cards? More likely to be spent on something fun – especially at Target!
• Quicken Deluxe 2010 ($80) – Know someone who has trouble staying within their budget? This software makes it easy for anyone to know their net worth at a moment’s notice.

Not finding the perfect gift yet? Check out my full list of ideas and recommendations here. Happy shopping!

Salvage that Trash – and Your Sanity

The last thing I prefer to think about is my trash. There are probably at least twelve other things that should be on my mind before taking out the garbage, and only then do I think about it because it is overflowing enough to encourage my dog to ignore her years of obedience training.

However, lately I find myself wondering what I can do to put less in the trash and more in the recycle bin, for reasons other than just delaying the process of taking it out. I have been lugging the green bin out to the curb for several years, but I have also noticed that depending on where I’m living, what goes in that recycling bin varies from street to street. I decided to look into my recycling options, to make sure I am making the best of what I waste.

The best way to recycle is of course to help someone else recycle: reuse something they no longer need. Craigslist is my favorite place to get a great deal on just about everything. (Just remember to engage those bargaining skills – the bigger the item for sale, the more likely the seller just wants to throw it out for free but doesn’t have the energy to do it themselves. I know this because I have sold many pieces of furniture for this very reason.) This obviously will not work with everything…no one wants that tree stump in your backyard. (Though it would make great firewood.)

Below is your one-stop-shop for knowing what you can and can’t recycle, and how to do exactly that.

First – What the Numbers Mean

That mysterious single-digit inside those glamorous recycling arrows helps identify the type of plastic it is stamped on. It is also your key to determining how you should recycle it – and please do!

Type 1: PETE (Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET)) – Soda & water containers, some waterproof packaging.

Type 2: HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene) – Milk, detergent & oil bottles. Toys and plastic bags.

Type 3: V (Vinyl/Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)) – Food wrap, vegetable oil bottles, blister packages.

Type 4: LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene) – Many plastic bags.  Shrink wrap, garment bags.

Type 5: PP (Polypropylene) – Refrigerated containers, some bags, most bottle tops, some carpets, some food wrap.

Type 6: PS (Polystyrene) – Throwaway utensils, meat packing, protective packing.

Type 7: OTHER – Usually layered or mixed plastic. No recycling potential – must be landfilled.

Types of Materials That Can Be Recycled

Material	Details	How to recycle
Unbroken glass containers	Clear is the most valuable. Recycle lids with metal. Ceramics contaminate glass.	Sort by color. There is no need to remove labels or bands from cans and bottles. Clean only enough to prevent odors. Try to reuse as much as you can.
Clean, dry newspapers & newspaper inserts		Pack newspapers tightly in large brown grocery sacks or tie with natural twine. Keep dry.
Empty metal cans, caps, lids, bands & foil	Metals can be recycled again and again.
Plastic stamped with #1, #2 and perhaps a couple others*	Even a small amount of the wrong type of plastic can ruin a melt. Much recycled plastic ends up as low grade plastic lumber. Much plastic collected for recycling is actually landfilled.	Try and reuse as much as you can. *Check with your local recycling department for which numbers they accept. #7 will never be collected.
Grocery bags, clear plastic bags		Try to reuse what you can; take the rest to your local grocery store.
Bubble wrap, bubble wrap envelopes
Mixed paper: junk mail, magazines, photocopies, computer printouts on white or colored paper, cereal boxes, shoe boxes, phone books	Paper fiber can be recycled about 7 times before it gets too small. Plastic window envelopes are ok. Staples are ok.	Check the inside of the phone book for recycling location information – glue types vary.
Corrugated cardboard		Break down flat. Some curbside pickup, otherwise try your local grocery store / high volume businesses.
Scrap aluminum (lawn chairs, pots, window frames)
Aseptic Packaging (Drink boxes, soy milk containers)	Made from complex layers of plastic, metal and paper. Recycling is expensive and awkward, with few locations. All milk cartons have plastic laminate on the inside.	Call Coca-Cola at 1-800-888-6488 for locations.
Motor oil	Never dump into storm drains. Never mix with anything. Never place in a container that has contained other chemicals.	Pour used oil into a plastic milk jug and clearly mark it “used motor oil.” Call your garbage company, local quick-lube, tire shop or call 1-800-MOTOROIL.
Tires	Improperly disposed tires tend to rise to the top of landfills, breed mosquitoes, transit disease when traded globally, and burn when stacked in large piles.	You normally must pay a fee ($1-5) but it is worth it.
Automotive and sealed led/gel batteries	Though many aren’t actually recycled, all should be collected and not thrown in the trash. Your old car battery may be worth money, if not, trade it in.	Take to an automotive or security dealer for recycling or trade in
Rechargeable batteries	Nickel-Cadmium rechargeable batteries contain toxins – do not throw these into regular trash.	Call 1-800-8BATTERY for information. Throw alkaline and heavy duty batteries in trash unless prohibited. Or try http://www.rbrc.com.
Laser/ink printer cartridges	Don’t bother with refill kits. They may save money, but they are messy, and you use as much plastic as a new cartridge.	Some forward-thinking companies, such as Hewlett-Packard, have been known to sell new cartridges with a postage paid mailer for returning the old one, especially for laser printers
Household chemicals (paint, oil, solvent, pesticides, cleaners)	The heaviest application of agricultural chemicals in the USA comes not from agribusiness, but rather from home gardeners. Indoor air pollution from household products is often found to exceed allowable federal outdoor quality rules. Do not dump into storm drains.	Call your garbage company for advice. Almost all areas have household toxics drop-off days or locations.
Computers, Eyeglasses, Household goods		Donate to charity. Give to a repair shop. Sell/donate via Craigslist.

What Cannot Be Recycled

Material	Details
Ceramics, pyrex, tablware, windows, lightbulbs, mirrors	Clear is the most valuable. Recycle lids with metal. Ceramics contaminate glass.
Newspapers or plastic bags with rubber bands, plastic bags, product samples, water, dirt, mold or other contamination
Full cans, spray cans unless instructed, cans with paint or hazardous waste.
Some plastic materials	Plastic types #7 and perhaps others – check to find out what is collected in your area. Caps are usually a different type from the bottle – toss if unmarked.
Stickers, napkins, tissues, waxed paper, milk cartons, carbon paper, laminated paper (fast food wraps, some food bags, drink boxes, foil), neon paper, thermal fax paper. Any wet or food stained paper.
Scrap metal with parts attracted to magnets. Non-metal parts.	Aluminum is not attracted to magnets.
Containers with traces of hazardous materials.
Compact discs, video tapes, computer disks	Mixed materials and cannot be recycled unless disassembled.

My Earth vs. My Worth

As I try to live my life as the type of person who Makes the Right Decisions, I am frequently faced with my own personal belief debacle. Although I would prefer hands down to go with the more environmentally-friendly option of anything, the financial cost of doing so is not always in my best interest. Organic or non-organic? Hybrid or non-hybrid? Recycled or non-recycled?

Let’s face it, right now the global financial system is a train wreck of bailouts, bankruptcies and all around bad news. The worst part of it all is that no one seems to be saying that it will be ending anytime soon. Therefore, even if I am fortunate enough to land my dream job tomorrow, who knows how long that will last in today’s economy? I don’t. And therefore “budget” needs to be my middle name.

In a perfect world, these choices would be one and the same. You could buy toilet paper that is 4-ply, soft, recycled and biodegradable – and the best price on the shelf. You could test-drive a Prius that is both earth-friendly and actually looks good. You could ride your bike to work and not need a serious shower when you get there.

But as we know, we’re not a big fan of perfect in this world. Whether we like to admit it or not, perfect is boring. Where is the challenge in that? What would keep us using these brains of ours? Thankfully there are plenty of people, and companies, and organizations out there who think about these challenges every day, and perhaps will be able to offer me a better option for how I am able to fuel my car.

In the meantime, I will continue to search for the answer to how it is possible to take a two minute shower. I still don’t believe it.

How do YOU make your own decision?