Happy New Year from Green and Frugal Living

Here's to 2011! Have you made your 2011 New Year's Resolutions? Are any of them Green and

Frugal? I normally create a list of at least 10 resolutions, something I've done for at least the last 10 years. For some reason, I decided not to do it this year. Instead, I'm focusing on having an attitude of gratitude -- appreciating what I have without having to continuously have more. I've found it liberating and much less stressful than having to focus on 10 goals all year.

However, if I did have to create 10 Green and Frugal Resolutions, here is what they would be:

1. Declutter -- go through anything I haven't used in a year and either throw it out, donate it or keep it and use it.
   
2. Reduce waste -- try and reduce the amount of garbage you generate through a combination of repurposing items, composting and recycling. If you pay for garbage disposal, you might even save some money.
3. Create a budget and stick to it -- do you know where you money goes each month? It could be interesting to see what you spend on certain categories each month.
4. Save your change and donate it to charity -- you may have read my post about how quickly change adds up. It can be a fun and painless way to give to your favorite charity or non-profit organization.
5. Grow your own food and/or eat locally grown food -- You'll be amazed at how much food a small garden can produce.
6. Use coupons -- whether it's in the grocery store or online, use coupons. Don't leave that coupon code box empty!
7. DIY (do-it-yourself) -- from home repairs and cleaning, to creating your own invitations and sewing, if you can do it yourself (or learn how), you'll save money and learn a new skill in the process.
8. Compost -- create "black gold" (aka rich soil) by composting your kitchen scraps (I'm trying to convince my husband that a worm composter could be cool.)
9. Take advantage of free entertainment -- visit the library, museums, go hiking, play games, hang out in a park -- find different ways to have fun without having to spend money.
   
   
   
10. Stay healthy by eating right and exercising -- it may not sound green and frugal, but keeping yourself healthy cuts costs in a number of other areas

I hope these inspire you. Have you created any resolutions? What did you include?