The Great Price Dilemma

There are dozens of great environmental websites out there and we are thrilled about that. One thing that I have not seen very often is fair warning about the Great Price Dilemma. If you haven't faced it yet, you soon will and you'll face it often.

Enough already, what is the Great Price Dilemma? If you are on this site and you are reading this we know that your heart is already in tune with the whole environmental thing. Otherwise, you would be on you tube watching some bulldog skateboard. (all jokes aside - that dog is awesome!)

But let's be honest with each other, our heart's don't make buying decisions. When you see a cute puppy in a store window, your heart says "buy it" but your logic says otherwise.. "I don't have the money", "I have enough responsibilities". So you walk away.

Logic plays a part in all of our buying decisions. Last night, I was at a major retail store to pick up a spare set of sheets for our guest bed. To much of my delight, this store offered an all in one organic sheet set. So I grabbed it and walked away, right? Wrong! The organic sheet set was $39.99 and included two sheets, two pillow cases, the works. And wouldn't you know that there was a similar, non-organic, made in china, sheet set right next to it that was only $29.99.

It is in my DNA, and probably yours, to go for the cheaper price. So there I was, face to face with the Great Price Dilemma. Luckily, I beat down that old logic and went with my heart and new logic. I know that by buying the organic sheet set, I'm getting a better product that won't release toxic chemicals, and I'm supporting companies that are trying. That to me is more than enough justification to spend an extra $10 bucks.

If you haven't already, you will start to face this dilemma almost everyday. Here are just a few quick tips on how to deal with this issue.

1. When comparing prices, don't just look at the price of the largest item, look at the price difference. In the example I gave above, $39.99 sounds like a lot for sheets. Instead, I looked at the difference in prices. The organic set was only $10 more then the non organic set.

2. Think big picture! By supporting green companies, you will make retailers provide more sustainable products. Plus, natural economics shows that if a product is successful other people will start making it and selling it. Competition almost always lowers prices. So next time you go to get that sheet set it just might be a bit cheaper anyway.

3. Feeling great! Don't get me wrong saving ten bucks feels great! Knowing that I did something to help change the world, feels much better.

You will be faced with these decisions a lot at the grocery store. Here are a few more examples:

Regular eggs  vs.. Free range, non hormone induced

-For an extra dollar or two you can buy eggs from a small farm, where chickens are free to run around and are not jammed into metal cubbies and injected with hormones to produce bigger eggs.

Lotions, Gels, Shampoos, etc.

-Remember there is little to no regulation when it comes to this particular industry. So just because it says all natural, does not mean that it is. Your best bet is to take a look at the ingredients and opt for the one that has the less chemicals.

The list goes on and on. If you have any questions on how to make better buying decisions, please let us know and we will try to provide more info.