routine. You grow a strong bond with your home.”


Securing a much smaller dwelling


than what we originally had designs on can lead to a lifetime of savings. With less space to furnish, heat, cool, light, clean and maintain, we can enjoy greater financial freedom, less stress and more time for fun.


2. Deciding Where to Live Urban, suburban or rural, where we


LIVE GREEN, SAVE BIG


Five Eco-Friendly Life Decisions


that Can Actually Save Us Money by Crissy Trask


E


very pivotal life decision, from choosing where we live to eating healthier, can support our best


interests environmentally, as well. The good news is that it is possible to afford a sustainable way of life. Eco-friendly choices for housing, vehicles and food— generally perceived as expensive for the average individual or family—often are not only attainable when pursued in a thoughtful way, but can actually save us money compared to maintaining the status quo.


1. Buying a Home When considering a move to a new


place, we often find out how much house we can manage and then pro- ceed to invest to the hilt. But if hitting our spending limit will leave a deficit in the amount of green and healthy home features and furnishings we can achieve, we could end up with a resi- dence that makes neither financial nor


16 NA Twin Cities Edition


ecological sense, and isn’t good for our health. A solution is to scale back on costly square footage. Spending 25 to 40 percent less than we think we can on a smaller home provides more possibilities when planning the renovation budget, enabling us to create a home that is more deeply satisfying. Nicole Alvarez, an architectural designer with Ellen Cassilly Architect, in Durham, North Carolina, who blogs at IntentionallySmall.com, says that if we value quality over quantity, place over space and living more intentionally in every aspect of our lives, we are ready for a small home. Occupying less space has profoundly influenced her daily life and happiness. Alvarez has found, “When space is


limited, everything has a function and a purpose. Everything has to be inten- tional. Over time, as you grow in the home, you make small modifications to personalize it more to adjust to your


natwincities.com


live incurs long-term repercussions on the natural environment. Choosing an established community within or close to an urban center tends to be more protective of air, water and land quality than living in a distant, car-dependent suburb, yet many families feel either drawn to or resigned to the suburbs for the lower housing prices.


But as Ilana Preuss, vice presi-


dent at Washington, D.C.-based Smart Growth America, explains, “There is more to housing affordability than how much rent or mortgage we pay. Trans- portation costs are the second-biggest budget item for most families. In loca- tions with access to few transportation choices, the combined cost of housing and transportation can be more than 60 percent of the total household budget. For families with access to a range of transportation choices, the combined cost can be less than 40 percent.” In most suburbs, where the only


practical transportation choice is a personal vehicle, dependency on a car takes a toll on us financially and physi- cally. Driving a personal vehicle 15,000 miles a year can cost about $9,122 annually in ownership and operating expenses, according to AAA’s 2013 Your Driving Costs report, and hours spent daily sitting behind the wheel being sedentary is eroding our health. Lack of transportation options is a lead- ing detriment to the nation’s collective wellness, according to the federal agency Healthy People. Sustainable cities provide many


transportation options, including public buses and trains, car-sharing services and all forms of ride sharing; and perhaps most importantly, they are bike- and pedestrian-friendly. Choosing communities that make it possible to reduce driving and even go car-free


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