By: Lisa Paris

To me, the idea behind green living means, straight up, special treatment. I love this. It is a beautiful moment when you stop settling on things simply because they're there in front of you. It's not pretension so much as it is simply setting a standard for your lifestyle.

I don't consider myself "spoiled" but there is definitely a little couture wearing, mafia princess within me, and she needs some attention too. Setting standards for what you eat, where you put your money and how you spend your time pampers the mafia princess or inner baller/shot caller that is within us all.

Know that you deserve the royal treatment. Not the off brand, 49-cent instant noodle treatment, or the fumy toxic cleaner treatment, or the two-dollar bottle of wine treatment. You deserve much more than that. You're a total baller, remember?

Granted, your wallet may not be of equal baller status. Times are tough. Many of us have had to trade in the Bentley for a Mercury Sable, but that's ok. With a little shift in thought you can keep the glowing greenness of your life in tact.

There are an infinite number of affordable ways to live green- some can even save you money. For example, I sustain my dietary lifestyle by growing a lot of my own food and eating simply. This may not work for you but there are a number of options out there that will. Re-examine your life and figure out what you can do to enhance it.

The best things in life are free, but some other equally great things are not. One thing I can't grow for myself is chocolate, and if you know anything about organic, raw chocolate then you know; it ain't cheap. A small bar of the good stuff can cost up to ten dollars! Yes, you could probably get an entire vat of Hershey's syrup for the price of my six ounce raw chocolate bar, but do you really want the whole vat?

I don't need to eat chocolate everyday, I enjoy it every so often as a way to treat myself. Since this is a way of pampering myself, I don't mind spending the extra money and the little gangster heiress within me just loves it.

Remind yourself that you're worthy of something great. Splurge greenly, savoring every bite, and always recycle the wrapper.