Two recent events have me pondering my energy efficiency.

Well, actually, one event hasn’t happened yet, but it will in August.

The first event happened over the weekend, when my washing machine malfunctioned. It stopped draining, the result of some kind of pump problem (don’t you love my use of technical terms and doodads?).

I asked my stepfather about it, and he said that’s usually when people replace their washing machines. I’m fine with that — I don’t like the one currently living in my laundry room — but now I have two problems.

First, I have to find an affordable replacement that doesn’t use a lot of energy or water. Second, I have to get rid of the grungy, malfunctioning beast.

Honestly, I think getting rid of the old one will be easier. Because — surprise, surprise — the energy-efficient washing machines at HomeDepot.com are too expensive for my budget.

So either I go for the energy-efficient machine, blow my budget and become unable to pay some bills that are about to come due, or I buy the cheap one that may or may not cause me to use more water and electricity.

Luckily, I don’t have to make that decision alone. It’s a big enough purchase that I need to get my boyfriend involved.

But it is a dilemma for people like me who are in debt up to their eyeballs, or for young adults who have just gotten their first jobs. Save the Earth or pay your bills?

Oh, I mentioned another event, didn’t I?

Later this summer, my mom and stepfather are moving back to her home state of Iowa. They’re tired of the heat in Texas.

I can’t say that I blame them — those 100-degree days depress me, too — but my mom is one of my best friends, and I have gotten used to seeing her at least once a month.

Soon she will be about 870 miles away. Or about 1,740 miles round-trip.

The question: Do I drive to go see her, or do I fly?

Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have to ask that question. Driving wouldn’t cost less than flying, and I had the added bonus of seeing the countryside.

Let’s see: 1,740 miles. My car gets about 400 miles to the tank. So that’s about five trips to the gas pump. Last time I filled up cost me $50, but the cost will go up outside of Texas. So I’ll low-ball it and say it will cost me $60 each time I fill up. That’s about $300.

So assuming that my boyfriend and I go to Iowa, drive up there in one day, pack our own food, stay with my mom, have her pay for all our food and abstain from buying any souvenirs, and we’re looking at a $300 trip.

Travelocity.com is listing flights from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Neb., for $240 per person.

So if I were traveling by myself, it would make more sense to fly. On the other hand, if my boyfriend were to join me, it would be cheaper to drive.

Which is the lesser of two evils? I honestly don’t know.

My musings come in the wake of Earth Day, and my mom’s sermon at her church in Stephenville last week, in which she laments the places and bits of nature she loved that no longer exist. I feel a touch of guilt — as I am sure many of us do — when I realize I could do more to help the planet.

Got any advice that can reconcile my dilemma — saving money versus saving the planet? Send me an e-mail at catkinson@wacotrib.com.

Catherine Atkinson is the Tribune-Herald Brazos Living editor.