If you’re making over your budget for financial reasons, why not make it over to be greener as well? Some easy steps to greening your budget…

Bank and invest responsibly: Especially with a big tax refund coming (hopefully) now is the ideal time to think about socially responsible investing and green banking. To learn about which banks offer the most green for your green check out the Socially Responsible Investing Basics for Individuals guide from the Social Investment Forum. To learn about eco-investing you can order Co-op America’s Green America’s Guide to Socially Responsible Investing.

Stop and think: Being a green consumer, and thus a green budget rock-star, means you stop and think before you buy. Ask yourself if you really need the item, or just kind of want it, and if so, why? Other things to consider about purchases – is the product recyclable, ethical, will it make your world a lot better? Learn to flex your green purchasing power for a better planet and a more substantial savings account.

Get yourself a green budget bible: Big Green Purse is a good budget-minded book if you happen to be female, a shopper, and green. My personal green budgeting bible is Your Money or Your Life, which isn’t meant to be green, but it did kind of turn out that way. It’s about simple, and simple, to me, tends to translate nicely into green.

Green your friends: You know how when you’re on a diet it sucks to see your pals dig into that chocolate cake? Well, much like that, it’s hard to be green and on a budget when your pals could care less. It’s hard to make that eco sensible choice when your friends are saying, “Oh, socially ethical banking is not that big a deal.” Convert folks you know into thinking about budgeting green, investing green, and saving some green. Yes, this can take time, but the more serious your friends and family know you are, the less whining they’ll do. Also, who knows, maybe you’ll change a pal’s life for the better.

Change over your budgeting routine: If you haven’t gone totally paperless, now would be a great time. Why get paper bills, use stamps and envelopes, and use up the gas on the mail truck if you can pay your bills online? You can track your budget on the computer, get rid of annoying checks, and have an easier and tidier life sans paper trails by going green.

Oh, and PS, on a related note, Co-op America has a killer budget minded piece up right now, 7 Solutions from the Green Economy. Check it out.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

As another way of celebrating our first anniversary, Jennifer and I are compiling our fave posts of the past year. As many of you longtime readers know, I joined Tree Hugging Family in February. So, while I haven’t been here the entire year, I’ve at least been a Tree Hugging Family reader for that long.

It’s been a wonderful experience.  I have the dedicated community here to thank for that. And, of course, my fun green co-blogger Jennifer who got this blog off to such a great start and keeps it going that way.

Here are my 12 favorite posts of the last year. They don’t belong to a particular month. I jumped around the categories a bit. We write so much, it was difficult to choose. So, please chime in if I’ve left out your favorite post! :  )

Candied Flowers — I love both flowers and candy, so this idea is just awesome to me. Thanks to Jennifer for putting the directions together for us.

Hug This Tree: The Chocolate Tree — That’s right. I’ve been fascinated with cacao for years now. I just adore the sound of the word, and the taste of chocolate. Yum.

Moving on from the sweet theme . . .

Used for the New Year — This was my very first post for Tree Hugging Family. I was a guest blogger then. If you missed it, please ponder just what’s so wrong with “used.”

CleanWell’s Kid-Safe Hand Cleaning Products — This one may seem strange, but I loved receiving CleanWell to review. While I decided not to purchase the soap, I’m on my third installment of the natural hand sanitizing spray.

Hug This Animal: Bonobo — Of course, the bonobo is my favorite primate. I think. I really like them all, but if I had to pick in a pinch I’d say I admire the bonobo best. And we still have a lot of work left to do to protect them.

One Small Step: Please Don’t Feed the Animals — I want to say this to the “crazy duck lady” who empties out bags of bread each day, but I don’t have the heart.

Green Wedding Idea: Wedding Cake Toppers — I’m not a huge fan of weddings, but I found these cake toppers to be very redeeming! And cute. Too cute.

Meatless Meals: How to Cook Everything Vegetarian — Well, I still think this cookbook rocks, so by extension, I like this post as well. I need to make naked tamales again soon!

Green Book Review: Big Green Purse — My favorite green book of the year!

Cats and Climate Change: Greening Feral Cats Too — Don’t forget the feral kitties.

Biodegradable Resting Spots — Sounds morbid, but it’s important to think about.

Eco-Friendly Birthday Theme Cakes — Jennifer picks her favorites, beautiful! And interesting.

What are your favorite Tree Hugging Family posts?

Image via Weddingbee.

Click here to learn about all the current contests, themes, and green challenges going on at Tree Hugging Family in September 2008

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Thank you everyone who entered the book giveaway for Big Green Purse. We enjoyed reading about your favorite items to shop for! I’d also like to thank the publisher for sponsoring this contest.

The winner was randomly chosen via a number generator. I included her response below as well.

Congratulations Susanne!

“My favorite to shop for… scrapbook supplies!”

-Susanne

If you didn’t win this book, but you still want to give it a whirl, visit BigGreenPurse.com to order. It’s a very worthwhile green shopping tool. 

Image via BigGreenPurse.com.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

Bestselling environmental writer Diane MacEachern explains how you can make a difference for the environment by using your spending power to send manufacturers a message via the products you choose. Many areas are covered, including cosmetics, cleaners, food and transportation. Read my full review.

The publisher is sponsoring a contest to give one lucky reader a free copy of Big Green Purse. We’ve also linked to Bloggy Giveaway this week, so go there to see what else is going on in the blog contest world.

Here’s how to enter:

•Leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite item to shop for.
•Enter only once per household by midnight CST on Saturday, April 26.
•The winner will be announced on April 27.
•Contest is open to US residents only.

Good luck, and have fun thinking of that favorite item to shop for!

Book image via BigGreenPurse.com.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

My favorite thing about Big Green Purse is that MacEachern doesn’t just suggest which items to buy and which to avoid, but she also explains the why behind everything. And she motivates the reader by explaining which steps to take first. The book doesn’t overwhelm, but encourages. The author doesn’t come across as a finger pointer, but rather as an effective environmental counselor willing to help those who seek to make change happen for the environment.

Some of the topics covered in Big Green Purse include:

• Cosmetics and personal care products
• Coffee, tea, cocoa and chocolate
• Fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, poultry and seafood
• Cleaners, scrubs, polishers and fresheners
• Clothing, accessories and jewelry
• Lawn, garden and patio
• Baby and kid food, gear and toys
• Lights, appliances and electronics
• Furniture, paint, flooring and fabrics

Why is MacEachern talking so much about how we spend our money? To quote the author:

“By intentionally shifting our spending to products and services that offer the greatest environmental benefits, we can use our purse like a bright green ring threaded through the nose of the marketplace bull — and pull that bull in a greener, more eco-friendly direction.”

Since Big Green Purse is so throughly researched and comprehensive (411 recycled pages), it can easily serve as a big green bible for anyone looking to live a greener life. More resources are also available online. At BigGreenPurse.com, you can take the pledge to shift just $1,000 of your annual spending budget to green products.

Next week: Check back for your chance to win a copy of Big Green Purse. Details to come in a separate contest post.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family

The bestselling environmental author intends to help women (since they make most purchases) harness the power of their money by making spending decisions that will best help the environment.

She targets 20 areas where women can have the most impact in their spending. Some of these include cleansers, coffee, food, cars and appliances.

I don’t have a copy yet, but I plan on at least breezing through it at the bookstore. I’m especially interested to read her reviews of products that are marketed as green but really aren’t worth the bucks.

So, if you’re a weekend bookstore cruiser, check it out. Or go to the book’s website to learn more.

Post from: Tree Hugging Family