6 foolish ways to go green - MSN Money A great article reminding us that we can go overboard attempting to do what is right! I really thought it was interesting about the connection of buying recycled paper products and the timber industary having to sell land to developers as an example. And it also mentioned the solar power and is it really worth the money or buying a new car vs. keeping your old car.

"Another example is buying a new car to get better gas mileage. The most environmentally friendly car you can drive is probably the one in your garage, assuming it's in good repair. Say your car gets 20 miles per gallon. You'd like to trade it in on a car that gets 35 mpg. The new car costs $15,000 more. At $3 per gallon, you'll save about 6 cents per mile on gas. You'll have to drive more than 200,000 miles before you break even. "

Well, my husband's '92 Jeep gets 18mpg and we'll probably get $2,500 for it. We're planning on getting a used Jetta for under $5,000 w/over 40mpg. We are trying to save our pocket book more than the environment! My husband drives 120 miles a day. We should break even.

I will add, thanks for the article!! You just have to do the math for your situation

This was a good article, Mel. Thank you.

Skimommy, your decision seems like a good one, as long as the VW is fairly new and in great shape. It's not like you're buying a brand new $30K car to replace your jeep. Your financial jump isn't that large. Peace of mind, to me, is priceless.

By the way, dh uses a Honda Civic for commuting (downsized from a Camry - blow to the ego, but good for the wallet), and gets 38mpg. The Civic is very reliable, too, so if you can't find a decent Jetta, Civics are good.

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Excellent article - good food for thought

I second that. We had a Civic for years and just loved it. DH wrecked it but my FIL fixed it and it runs really well - it has well over $200k miles on it and it's still going strong. We got great mileage with that baby too..

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You should see our Honda Civic! It's not pretty and I hate cramming all of us in it but dang that thing keeps running and the gas tank $$$ is a lot nicer than the Subaru!

What are they namely?

I read an article in Newsweek about "organic" clothes that said, "remember, the best clothes for the environment are the ones already in your closet." I try to remember that when I want to "upgrade" Of course that also helps with our quest to save money also!

Great article, thank you!

very good article.