Category — Save Money

Today started off nicely by the dogs allowing me to sleep in until 8am!!!  Oh my goodness, I have not slept past 6:30am in over 3 years now.  The dogs are on a schedule, I suppose.  Then we got ready and went to a local Farmer’s Market where they had some lovely Colorado products.  We first browsed around to scope out what we wanted to buy, then we went for it!  We ended up leaving with a bundle of fresh radishes (yummy), a pound of pickling cucumbers (to make my great grandpa proud), apricots, Jalapeno hot sauce, soy-based sauce, an avocado for our sammy’s, and some homemade and freshly-poured Root Beer!!!

I think the best part of it all for me, was when the guy poured the root beer from the barrel it was made in, into brown bottles and topped them off with a cork!  How lovely!

Now I’m spending the day updating the blog and shop.  I think I’ll take a stab at pickling tomorrow or Wednesday.  I’ll let you know how that goes   Happy Sunday!

RL

I stumbled across this adorable Coffee DIY Stencil at How About Orange and I think it would be a nice touch on Valentine’s morning, don’t you?!  Info on how to accomplish this is found here.  How About Orange also shares a link to Amazon where you can order coffee stencils if you’re not up to making your own!  This would probably wok well with hot chocolate too.  Fun!  Let me know if you have tried this or if you do try it.  Thanks!

Each year for the Holidays many of us scurry out to buy gifts and wrapping paper to hide them in without ever thinking of where that paper goes after we rip into them.  Well, this year is a great time to change that.  This is just another area of our lives that can be “greener” and it’s super easy to make that change!  If you have wrapping paper or tissue paper from last year, use that before you buy more.  If you have to buy wrapping paper, make sure that it’s made from recycled content.  This way you can recycle it again.  Avoid buying metallic or foil wrapping paper because that cannot be recycled.

After you rip into the gifts on Christmas morning, be sure not to wad the wrapping into a ball, lay it flat to keep it in tact and use it for some of the following:
1.  To wrap gifts next year or depending on the design, you can wrap gifts all year around
2.  Cut paper into 6 inch squares for origami {http://socyberty.com/holidays/10-ways-to-recycle-christmas-wrapping-paper/}
3.  Cut into small pieces and place by the phone to write messages or shopping lists on the white side {http://socyberty.com/holidays/10-ways-to-recycle-christmas-wrapping-paper/}

Also, save all of those greeting cards and bows too and either recycle them in your bin, or be creative and reuse them for next year!  You can also wrap gifts in other ways to be more green and creative.  For example, if your buying tools for someone, wrap them in a toolbox.  Or, use fabric scraps and ribbon to wrap a gift for that crafter in your life.  The possibilities are endless.  Visit this site for these and other great ways to wrap gifts this year!

There are many other ideas on how to reuse wrapping paper and greeting cards out there, so Google away!  In the meantime, check out these sites to get you started on the right path to a “greener” life!
1. www.inhabitots.com - Recycle and Reuse Your Wrapping Paper
2. www.ocrra.org - Holiday Recycling (Green gift ideas and green gift wrap ideas too!)
3.  www.socyberty.com – 10 Ways to Recycle Christmas Wrapping Paper

As you already know, I just love animals and love to make them happy.  Now that it’s getting cold (in most areas), what better way to help out our little feathered friends, and furry ones too, than to set out a healthy snack?  That’s why I thought a handmade bird feeder would make a great Humpday Tutorial!

This is a great GREEN project to do inside with the kids and it’s very inexpensive to make.  Here is what you’ll need:

• Pine Cones
• Peanut Butter
• Bird Seed
• String/twine
• A bowl for the seeds; a plate for the Pine Cones; and a spoon for the seeds and a knife for the peanut butter

Visit makeandtakes.com for the complete instructions and a how-to video!

Images via makeandtakes.com

1. Dust and vacuum those “forgotten” places like the ceiling, corners, along the baseboards, behind doors, light and fan fixtures, behind your desk and computer, etc.
2. Re-organize that bookshelf you’ve been meaning to get to.
3. Paint a room for an instant update!
   
4. Pull out those dusty candles and turn off all of those lights for an Eco night in.  It’s relaxing and it saves you money on your electricity bill.
5. Change your air filter (every three months) to ensure that your air stays clean and your heater won’t short out on you this winter due to getting clogged up with dust bunnies.
6. Bundle up and take a family walk for some quality time.
7. Sort through that mail pile and separate into “file and keep” or recycle.
8. Rearrange a room.
9. Do you have a fireplace?  If so, call that chimney sweep and prepare for the cold!
10. Start planning that Thanksgiving menu.
11. Go through your closets and drawers to donate unwanted items to those who need them.  Coats and jackets would be great for this time of year!
12. Who says that you can’t mix-n-match your sheet and bedding sets?!  You’ll be spending more time indoors this season, so spice things up!
13. Buy some flowers that are on discount at you next grocery run and display them on you dining room table to brighten your space up.
14. Give yourself a mini mani and pedi when the kids are napping.
15. Dust behind the washer and dryer to prevent fires caused by those little dust bunnies.  This would also be a great time to get all of those loose socks and change that has fallen back there.
16. Update those picture frames with more recent photos!
17. Collect all of those wire hangers and return them to your dry cleaners for re-use or recycling.  DID YOU KNOW: “It takes over 100 years for wire hangers to break down in landfills, according to Bob Kantor, CEO of Hanger Network.”
18. Collect all of that loose change and put it into your child’s piggy bank!
19. Grow you hair out this Fall and Winter then cut it and donate it to Locks of Love to make wigs for children with cancer.
20. Make a cup of hot tea, coffee, or coco and site back with you favorite magazine or book.  Relax.
    

Totally stumped on what to write today, I was talking to a good friend of mine and she didn’t really know what to do on this fine Friday night.  Well, with her husband having to get up early for work tomorrow and a 3 month old baby boy at home, she said she’d just hang out.  Well, I thought, “Why not make it a special Date Night at home for him when he gets home?!”  She liked the idea so she might rent a movie and get some sodas, popcorn, and other great snacks.  Maybe you can try a At Home Date Night tonight!  There’s no rule that you have to get all dressed up, get a babysitter, and go out!  If you do something fun tonight, please share!

• Next time you’re at the grocery store, take a list and grab a basket instead of a cart.  You’ll buy less, avoid impulse buys, spend less, and burn more calories!
• Don’t toss the sterile cotton from the tops of vitamin or pill bottles – save it for cosmetics or first aid, and that’s one less purchase to make.
• Save all of the paper packaging that comes your way that can be used one more time before recycling.  Put it all in a central location so you can find what you need later.  Bubble wrap, corrugated cardboard, gift bags, cardboard from shirts and tights, tissue paper, etc. can all be used again for gift wrapping or arts and crafts time with the kids!
• Save paper by shrinking your margins to fit more words per page.

All of these tips are from Page-A-Day Calendar: www.pageaday.com and the image is from http://gopalshenoy.files.wordpress.com

I’m sure you’ve seen the commercials and all but I thought I’d still put the word out there that the United States Postal Service (USPS) is offering Flat Rate Shipping boxes in various sizes and prices.  What this means, is that if you can fit it in the box, up to 70 lbs., they will ship it for a flat rate!  I know, it’s amazing!  You can find more info on their site.

Plus, a bonus is that this supports our ecomomy and can only help us pull out of this recession!  Happy Shipping!