Not Quite on the Same Page

I don’t know how it is in your homes, but in my home I am the one who is green. I am the one who doesn’t use paper towels anymore. I’m the one who is recycling. I’m the one who is looking into other ways for us to be more green.

My husband on the other hand isn’t quite there. He’s getting there but some things are so ingrained in him that his habits are hard to break.

For example:

• paper towels. He still reaches for the paper towels to clean up a mess so he can easily toss it into the trash instead of getting a rag to clean it up. Sometimes he’s frustrated that we don’t have paper towels so I offer to buy a set just for him to use but he ends up changing his mind.
• Re-usable bags. I have re-usable bags that I keep in the trunk of the car so they are always available. Yet when he goes to the store he will bring home more plastic bags. We re-use the bags so it’s not all bad but it would be nice to not have to mess with them.
• Cleaning Products. He is a bleach guy through and through. He also loves Fantastic so that’s what he uses when he’s cleaning up. He also loves Comet. I on the other hand have been using baking soda to clean with and have found that it works just as well as my other cleaners. (We do agree with moping our floor with vinegar and water.)
• Recycling. If it were up to him, only the coke cans would get recycled. He forgets that we can also recycle tin cans, paper, magazines, plastics #1 and #2, glass, and cardboard. He throws away stuff that we could easily recycle. He likes the fact that we are recycling but forgets to actually do it.

Don’t get me wrong. This post isn’t complaining about my husband. My husband is wonderful and supportive. He likes that I am looking for ways to save money, be green, and have a better lifestyle. He has also noticed that our trash consumption has been reduced by half since we started recycling. He also likes that for our children they will grow up doing this on their own, they won’t have to change their mindsets.

Habits are hard to break especially when you are consciously trying to change. Every change takes time and although I am starting the change before him, he does agree with what I am doing. For that I am thankful.

Someday we will be on the same page but right now, we are taking each step a day at a time.

Photo credit: honky_tonk89