Being a Vegan can be amazing as we rely not upon animals for food or other items we consume, along with products which have been tested on animals. This leaves open plant-based options, but also products using man made materials including plastic and plastic derivatives. However, any items made of plastic or any petroleum-based product, while Vegan, may not be the best for the Planet or any of its inhabitants. This is where the Eco portion comes in. We must be mindful of choices to ensure they are “earth friendly” as is the cliche way of putting it.
What is Eco Friendly?
Eco friendly are items which include materials which can be composted at the end of their life cycle. These are also things which conserve resources during the production and produce little to no greenhouse gases, or other impacts on the world we live in. Included in this are items which are deemed “sustainable” and those which not only do less damage to the planet, but also ensure the people making those items are appropriately compensated for their work. This can be a juggling act, as products will have a different mix of all those things than make something eco friendly.
What do you mean by Frugal?
Frugal is a term that has been seen as being the same as cheap or low-cost. I offer an alternative in the way you can look at the word frugal. For me, frugal means quality over price. One cannot, or at least should not, simply look at price in a vacuum and choose product A over product B because product A costs less. We need to factor in things like the total cost of ownership or TCO for short. Will Product A last longer, cost less to maintain than product B. Does product A have replaceable parts and how over do those parts need to be replaced. Are those replaceable parts costly and can they be easily obtained, either from the manufacture or 3rd party sources?
Putting it All Together
So first and foremost, is something Vegan. This will be the starting point as I am above all else, Vegan. Is this product considered Eco friendly? Then from those items, which offers the most value for the price, with this part being completely subjective based on what you (or I) consider to be the best quality.