Oil, Along With Every Commodity, Hits New Record

Oil shot up to a new record Thursday, topping hitting $102.59 for a barrel of light, sweet crude.

And it's not the only record. Gold and other precious metals, wheat and other food crops, even coffee, have all neared or exceeded records on commodity trading markets.

Part of that is the weak dollar, the weak U.S. economy, and the fact that a weak U.S. economy and weak U.S. dollar don't command the clout they once did on the world market. China and other developing nations are gobbling up raw materials and natural resources at such a rate that flagging U.S. demand doesn't do anything much to decrease prices for the key ingredients in our food and products.

Add to that inflation the stagnation of the economy, and you have the stagflation that sunk the economy in the 70s and threatens to do it (if it hasn't already) again.

What to do? Go green.

You might not think of saving the earth as the first choice during tough economic times, but going green is often a money saving proposition.

Start with the old mantra, reduce, reuse, recycle. Reducing how much you buy saves resources and money. Reusing saves resources and money. Recycling, well, throw in one just for the good of the planet.

Reduce electricity use, save resources, prevent pollution, save money. Reduce the miles you drive, save resources, prevent pollution, money.

Going green amounts in many ways to being thrifty. The higher aim is to be thrifty with the world's resources, to live within the planet's means. A good way to start is to be thrifty with your wallet's resources, and to live within your own means.

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