The choices we make and the judgements we receive

This post has no point. I’m just rambling.

I guess I feel frustrated that it seems like we don’t make enough of a difference for the super green, but making too much of a difference to not be considered ‘normal’ by others, like being caught in limbo.

That, and I probably feel guilty as well.

We feel like we’re in limbo!

We’re so in the middle with everything — being green, minimalist, not eating meat all the time, being frugal but not cheap, owning a car but not driving it very much, but there doesn’t seem to be a spot  for us moderate folk.

I’m even moderate in my choice of a PC or a Mac (I own and like both, but for different functions).

It’s like there seems to be a camp of “one or the other” in choices like that.

I also hate the idea that it means people are better than others by the choices and sacrifices they make, like owning a PC makes you feel superior because you can play with numbers in Excel or owning a Mac makes you feel superior (BF I am looking at you!) because “it just works”.

We’re pretty frugal, I think, but we do NOT hold a candle to some frugal people out there.

We don’t use plastic baggies, but if we did, we probably wouldn’t wash them out (my mom does that). (We use Tupperware for everything.)

We don’t try to scrimp and save with coupons, because we rarely buy anything that needs a coupon for it, but we wouldn’t say no to even $0.10 off!

I mean yes. We all make choices to be better people, to buy or not buy certain things and whatever but it almost feels like people are silently saying: if you aren’t with us 100%, you cannot be as good as us.

The newest?

I feel like eating meat, is  the new smoking of cigarettes!!!!

I do agree that we need to cut down on the meat, which is why I’m trying to eat less meat and eat more vegetarian/vegan at least twice a week, and I’ve enjoyed it!

But sometimes I feel like being green can be so self-righteous, which is funny for me to say because I consider myself to be eco-friendly.

People like us, meat-eaters who drive a truck and an old car (although not often, by the way), being good with keeping electricity down, not wasting water, switching to more simple items, trying to go more natural with less processed foods or products… but it doesn’t seem like it’s enough.

Maybe one day I’ll turn completely vegetarian or vegan, own an electric car (or none at all), but right now, I feel like our choices are being judged singly, rather than looking at what we choose to do as a whole.

Meat eater? NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *shun shun shun*

I’m sure we could do more but being in a modern country, it’s so difficult to avoid these things if you live a modern life. You can make choices but only to an extent because I still want to buy electronics and do other modern things that make us feel guilty as greeniacs.

And I do love eating meat. 🙁 I have a love for it, and while I wish I didn’t, it’s what I like.

I wish all I craved was raw, fresh, meatless meals like Gena of Choosing Raw, but I’m not that person.

(Interesting note: BF told me he lived like a vegan for a while just to see what it was like and went back to eating meat and dairy. He likes to try everything to judge for himself. He also doesn’t eat much meat in general — mostly tomato pastas during the week and only meat-y meals on the weekends.)

Feeling helpless in a modern society

I feel as though the only way to live “off the grid” with a super low carbon footprint is just to move to a country that doesn’t have anything modern.

Like living in Thailand on the beach, growing our own veggies and living in a hut somewhere. We could live off the land and just live simply forever, but we don’t want that.

All we can do is try to keep our carbon footprint down, using handkerchiefs, limiting water and electricity, driving less,  choosing to use cloth diapers with our future kids. In general, we’re trying to make the best choices, but we have modern lives here.

We have worker bee 9-5 jobs when we’re on contract.

We like living modern lives with modern amenities..

It’s kind of like being judged by other minimalists or frugal people for loving to spend money and to have so many clothes and accessories, or loving our laptops and the internet.

Ok I’ll shut up. Really, I’m just rambling, but not ranting at anything or anyone in particular except myself.

Thanks for listening. 🙂

About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.