I read an interesting article in USA Today last week called “Grandma’s greener than you.” The gist of it was that even when you think you’re being environmentally friendly and living a “green” lifestyle, your grandparents have you beat hands down. The Great Depression taught them all about using up, making do, and going without […]
Gross National… Happiness?
I read this interesting NY Times article a little while back about how the government of the tiny country of Bhutan in the Himalayas is being judged by the happiness it produces, not the economic benefits. The prime minister of the Buddhist kingdom blames the current worldwide economic catastrophe on “insatiable human greed” and insists […]
Welcome Frugal Girl readers
I know a lot of you are new readers who were referred to me by The Frugal Girl and I just want to welcome you here. I am always happy to have new readers, because it means more ideas and interaction. The more the merrier! Every day I’m learning so much about simple living, frugal […]
How much do you need to live on?
How much each of us needs to live on determines a lot of the choices we make in life. And I would argue that how much we THINK we need to live on determines them even more. Which brings up an interesting paradox in this economy: the more money you make (and think you need […]
Stay married and save the planet?
I couldn’t help noticing that provocative news headline yesterday. So how does being married help save the planet? According to Senator Steve Fielding from Australia, staying married is better for the planet because newly single people lead more wasteful lifestyles, so divorce makes climate change worse. He says that when people separate they need more […]
Am I unpatriotic?
George Bush infamously asked Americans to go shopping to show their patriotism and jumpstart the economy after 9/11. This morning the AP ran a story titled “Americans save just when economy needs their money.” And I have been thinking about this whole question of how economies work and whether I’m going to be contributing to […]