jugglerHere at Frugally Green I am on a mission to connect personal finance with sustainable living, but oftentimes I notice that in my quest to grow in both aspects, I slide back and forth from one extreme to another.

It’s easy to find yourself focusing on one side of the equation and neglecting the other side that is just as important.  What good does it do to save and earn as much as you can if you’re not also leaving yourself an environment that you can enjoy once you’ve reached your financial goals?

On the other hand, as noble as it may seem to shirk financial gain in favor of saving the world at all cost (forgive the pun), how many people can really sustain such a life?

I think most people with multiple goals have a natural tendency to create a hierarchy for them.  I certainly do it.  Even though I strive daily to put my sustainability  goals on the same playing field as my personal finance ones, I just seem to have a stronger natural draw towards frugality.

One path to two goals

Maybe you’ve noticed yourself leaning one direction or the other?  In the past, when I become aware that I’ve focused too heavily on frugality and begun to neglect my green-oriented goals, I’ve had a tendency to over-correct, sending myself into the ditch on the other side of the equation.

This eventually leads to the same problem with the same, ineffective solution.  So how do I get myself back on track and maintaining a healthy, sustainable balance between these goals?

Well, I’ve noticed that simply forcing myself to shift my perception a little has helped quite a bit.

If I’m constantly looking at frugality and sustainability as two mutually exclusive goals, then it’ll be impossible for me to truly succeed in achieving them.  Real success will only come when both goals are being met simultaneously.

The most helpful thing I have done to overcome this paradox is to simply be more aware of my decision making process. It takes a little practice to really pay attention to all your passing thoughts, but now I can recognize when I am creating an unnecessary adversarial relationship between goals in my mind.

If you’re committed to multiple causes, achieving success in one should never stifle success in another.

Focus on the big picture

One of the major perception shifts I’ve had to make, but has paid off extraordinarily, has been getting myself to recognize that the least expensive option is often not the best option when it comes to being green or when it comes to being frugal.

Now, this may seem like a pretty simple concept to some, but it has tripped me up for a long time. Subconsciously, I know that buying the cheapest option is almost never the best bet, but there is always something alluring and exciting about the possibility of getting an amazing bargain.  Problem is, you have to endure 9 sub-par purchases in order to get the thrill from that single great one.

When you look back on what it took to get that deal, it’s easy to see how much time, money, and resources have been wasted.  All of a sudden, that bargain doesn’t provide the same satisfaction it did before. Bummer. Keep the big picture in mind.

But marketing is so good these days.  It seems the advertising industry has truly perfected the art selling snake oil.  How can you tell the difference between the quality products and the ones that are only pretending? Hard as it may be, it can be done.

Know what you need

Don’t waste time comparing products that don’t have the features you’ll require or the ones with all the bells and whistles that you’ll never use.

Just eliminating those will keep you from 1) paying too much for something you don’t need and 2) buying again when you realize what you picked isn’t up to snuff.

Note: This strategy requires that you do your homework and anticipate features that you don’t need right now, but likely will in the future…but be realistic! This is an easy way to up-sell yourself to something that you won’t utilize.

Hold the items in your hand

Try ‘em out.  Feel ‘em up.  Most times, the cheapest option will feel the cheapest, too.

Am I really saving any money on that widget if I have to buy it four times to get the same use out of it? Doubtful.  And I can be very sure I’m not doing my poor planet any favors.

Now, this isn’t always possible since so much commerce is done on the internet these days so read reviews.  It’s hard to find independent reviews that say how great something is since people usually only write them when they’re  upset enough to tell the world about it, but take the time to read them and see if anything stands out.

It’s easy to see patterns among reviews that can steer you toward or away from something based on what you need it to do.

For extra green points, if something is available locally, at least give the shop an opportunity to price match for your business.

Borrow it!

This is what friends are for. No need to accumulate things you won’t use often if your friends or family have things that you can borrow.

If we all knew our neighbors better we could save so many valuable resources.  There are neighborhoods in my city, Portland, that collect a small fee from willing neighbors to maintain a fully stocked tool shed/wood shop.

If 25 people living within a couple blocks of each other only need to use a chop saw twice a year, why should each of them own one?  Leverage your friends and neighbors.  Let them leverage you.  You’ll come out ahead in the end.

Wrapping Up

Balancing goals can be a tricky juggling act, but with a little thought and planning, you can make great strides in finding the synergies between them rather than fighting to achieve each one on it’s own, and you’ll get there in half the time!

My examples above relate directly to my own problem trying to be both frugal and sustainable at the same time and I’ve shown how shifting my perception has helped me see the opportunities to achieve both, but this concept could apply to any set of goals that you’ve decided are worthy of your time. 

Focus on the details when you have to, but make sure you step back once in awhile to get a bird’s-eye-view.

What are some of your goals?  How do you balance them?  What tips and tricks do you have that could help someone else in the same situation?

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Juggler image by JPhilipson.

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