Buying Stuff

As I read more and more blogs on simple, green, and frugal living, I see more and more things I want to try.  However, I’m always torn between wanting to do something greener or something that will be more frugal in the long run, and needing to buy stuff to do it.  This week, for example, I’ve been reading a lot about homemade soap.

Getting started is really overwhelming.  To make soap using this recipe by Bad Human, I would need to buy or find some new stock pots specifically for soap making, coconut oil, lye, hydrogenated oil, something to weigh the ingredients, essential oil of some kind (although that’s optional), and probably some kind of molds.

So the most frugal and green option would be to try to find as many of these things second hand or locally as possible, but probably not the simplest.  I love the idea of buying things secondhand.  Love, love, love it.  But I’m not much of a shopper to begin with and get frustrated very easily when I can’t find what I’m looking for.  I just don’t understand how people have enough time to go to thrift stores all the time to look for things that they want.

I think my solution is going to be to keep a running list of things I’m looking for and simple make it a higher priority to go to the thrift stores on a regular basis.