Sami Grover
DCL
Want to save the world? Spend cash. Really: it can help you cut your consumption and lessen your impact on the world around us.
Not long ago, I had the pleasure of catching a presentation by Abby Pons of Capella Financial, a local financial services company here in North Carolina. I'm not normally one for advice on financial planning - I've always tended to wing it when it comes to money. But the theme of her talk was cash - and how spending cash rather than writing checks, or using cards, can seriously change your buying habits.
In fact, Abby claimed, folks that spend nothing but cash spend, on average, 15% less than those spending with other means of payment - and that's even those of us who think we are pretty disciplined. It seems that those greenbacks mean so much more to us emotionally than a piece of plastic, or a check from a checkbook.
But what's this got to do with the environment? Everything. Matt already explained how buying nothing, doing less and being lazy is good for the planet, we know that thrifting is fun and eco-friendly, and freeganism is the ultimate in green, cheap eats. Basically, the less stuff you buy, the less crap you create. So what's good for your wallet is good for the environment too. (Although buying cheap plastic rubbish from China doesn't count!)
But how exactly does one go on a cash diet? Abby had the following tips:
- Figure out a budget
- Pay for all non-routine items (i.e. anything but bills, rent etc) by cash - that includes groceries, clothes, and anything else.
- Stick to it for at least three months
- Plan for big expenditures, such as vacations, and put that money aside. As money.
- Keep a spending diary
More on going green and saving green: eco-nomics.
Are you a green hipster looking for all things green and cool? Then you'll love actor and eco-activist Adrian Grenier and his team of environmental experts, who live it up with sustainable style on Planet Green TV's Alter Eco.
