Readers, new or regular, know or can guess that I’m a green, eco-conscious type of person. While I deal with fatigue, the unpredictability of my career, and more, I need focus. My focus for the time being will be small changes on the pennywise-frugal and green fronts.

Here’s a weekly round-up.

Litter boxes cleaned:

• Used plastic shopping bags for the garbage (I use my own bags – how did we get this huge crate of plastic?) – frugal and green
• As always, used biodegradable litter – green, similar cost to other products
• Found the “lost” litter boxes under a pile of snow – we must have left them out to rinse in the rain when the last snowstorm surprised us. Is this green, frugal, both, or neither?

Home thermostat:

• Changed heating program by dropping the temps two degrees all day. I’m the only one home most days; I can dress in layers if I feel cold. Both frugal and green.
• If I open windows, I turn the heat off. This is frugal, but it can backfire; I must remember to turn it back on at night when the temperature drops toward freezing.

• The heavy items all hang on dryer racks until they’re merely damp: jeans, sweats, heavy sweaters use much less energy to dry, but the clothes still come out soft. Frugal, somewhat green.
• Anti-static dryer balls! I rarely buy fabric softener. The only time I need it is in the sweater load. Frugal – very frugal.
• Washing everything on warm or cold, never hot, saves shrinkage as well as saving money.

Garden:

• I put together the Ultimate Greenhouse set of shelving.
• Now it’s time to take inventory of seeds and plan the layout for both plots.
• Then I can start a few seeds so they’re ready for planting when the frost danger is gone.
• Green? Of course. Frugal? When we’re harvesting bunny food and making our own salsa, the grocery bills will go down.