A happy medium in environmental care

Because I love DIY stuff for the home, I read a lot of blogs that offer suggestions on living the natural life. Most of the time, the blogs give great advice and wonderful ideas on how to cut costs by doing it yourself. Unfortunately, I often find that they are also very ... extreme in their views.

I appreciate that there are those who have the time, energy, and money to live a very pro-biotic lifestyle. I think it's amazing that they dedicate that much of their lives to avoiding anything they believe to be "unnatural", and I applaud them for it. But I gotta' say, I just couldn't do it.

Sure, I love to make my own laundry soap, but that's because I'm cheap, not because I worry about chemicals, dyes, or scents. I mean, it's great that my laundry soap doesn't have much if any of that, but it's a by-product of my frugality, not the goal of it. I normally make an effort to make healthy frozen meals that I can bring for my lunches, but again, that's because I'd rather spend $1.25 for it than the $5 I'd pay at the grocery store for something less tasty and more salty. That doing so results in less packaging garbage is a happy bonus.

As a working mother of four teenagers and the wife of a full-time student, I just don't have the energy to worry about whether the meat my family eats is completely grass-fed and antibiotic-free. I don't have the time to run to three different stores to get the healthiest, safest, most eco-friendly things for my family. My shopping trips tend to be an hour of sheer hell, often-times spending over $200 a week on just the basics. (Did I mention that three of the teenagers are boys?)

We recycle, but I don't cry if a bottle ends up in the trash. We eat healthy whenever possible, but yes, cans are often opened when dinner is being made. I enjoy making my own bread, but the store-bought stuff has a special place on top of my fridge. I have far too much stress already in my life to fret over these kinds of things, and I think it's unfair of me to impose this on my family, too. As a family, we have to decide what works for us.

I'm a firm believer in doing the small things to make whatever difference you can. Be smart and simplify when you can, but don't kill yourself to do it. Don't run the water while you're brushing your teeth, but take a bath every now and then if you want. Recycle if you can, but don't freak out if it just doesn't work for your family. Buy a hard water bottle to carry with you, but if you forget it, don't worry about buying a single bottle of water every once in a while.

At the end of the day, the reason people are panicking over our environment is because so many aren't bothering to even worry about the simple, easy things they can do every day. You don't have to go to the extreme on either side. A happy middle can be just that... happy.