Money doesn’t grow on trees. These days, I find my self out of work, broke and thinking like a beggar.

by Sarah Miller

I’m getting desperate. So desperate I contemplate sacrificing some of my morals from time to time. Lowering my standards is quite possibly inevitable for success, however, I don’t think it will come to sleeping in my car, or on the street (like it has in the past) thankfully!

I’ve definitely been scared about my present and future lately and keeping my humor has not been all that easy. I like to tout my self as the “eternal optimist” so in keeping with this title, I’ve developed a list of ways that being broke is in fact being green. That in and of itself gives me some purpose, some hope and a reason to roll my eyes, all at the same time!

*Mono diets, pancha karma (PK) diets, veggies and rice, detoxing, simple foods, they all take on a new meaning when you are forced to cut the grocery bill. There is no going out for meals, buying sweets or splurging on a coffee. The nice part is that when you DO get a treat, it really feels like a treat.

*Rather than spending extra dollars drying clothes in the dryer, I’ve turned my entire apartment into a drying rack. With a little heat on, you can get several loads dry by the next morning and save your self and the environment from the extra electricity/energy.

*No TV, no movies = extra time for reading, making music and doing non-screen oriented tasks. (Must admit, this has NOT cut my screen time in front of the computer, however. I’m still an addict.)

*The obvious: walking and biking instead of driving. Definitely saves money spent on gas and of course the environment.

*More time to meditate, practice yoga and contemplate this existence. Hey, this is a full time job! If only I got paid for this one…..