March 11, 2009 at 2:15 pm (good things, money savings)
Tags: cheap, family, free, life, money, saving money
This should be every bodies new favorite game, how many free or cheap things can you name?
Any category, the field is wide open.
I’ll get you started with some of my favorites.
Drying clothes on a clothes line. Not only free, but a childhood memory.
Vinegar instead of laundry rinse. A cheap solution with a bonus, it actually helps clean the washing machine and water lines.
The Dollar Movie Theater. Yes they are still out there.
Free city services. Many cities offer free services at least one day a year. They range from the dump to parking to the rec center to the zoo.
And the mother load of free and cheap is the library. They have way more to offer than just books. How about the latest issue of major magazines. Or newspapers. Not just local either. Internet access and other computer applications like Word and Excel. And DVD movies. And the customer service is usually excellent.
Now that I got you started, how many free and cheap things can you name???
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February 27, 2009 at 10:04 am (energy, money savings)
Tags: energy, savings, temperature, thermostat
We got a new thermostat this week, finally. Our old one should have been a museum and certainly needed to be changed out long ago. It was the slide kind and was impossible to know what the thing was actually set at. And once it was set you didn’t dare change it because you’d never that temperature back again.
Our new one doesn’t have all the bells and whistles but it is digital with very clear numbers. It’s easy to know what the settings are and what the room temperature currently is.
The total cost was under $30. It took my husband under and hour to change them out and another half hour to read the setting instructions and play with it a little. Not a very big investment, but I am expecting us to save money.
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February 13, 2009 at 12:09 am (money savings)
Tags: energy, food, green, money, recession, waste, water
For all of us green geeks there is a green lining to the recession. It’s not that we would wish anyone bad fortune, but for many years we have been trying to convince others that this country wastes a lot of stuff. Finally, mostly because of the current recession we are being heard and even listened to.
So why now? It’s pretty simple, wasted stuff equals wasted money.
And people in the country waste an incredible amount of resources and stuff every day. Don’t believe me, just check your trash can, closets and cabinets.
It is estimated that 35 to 50 percent of all the food bought is later thrown out. Spoiled food before it was used and uneaten left overs are the two biggest categories of waste.
Look in your closet and drawers, do you wear everything on a regular basis? I know women that buy clothes and never wear them. They give things away with the tags still on them.
What about water and energy. If your home isn’t air tight your wasting energy. How much stuff is plugged in right now that’s not in actual use? You’ve got to know by now that your wasting energy. Water is wasted in alarming amounts. Do you brush your teeth with the water running? If you do your wasting water. And don’t even get me started on lawns, they are one of the biggest wastes suburban America ever came up with.
So yes, green geeks are finally happy that others are at least listening to us and even joining our band wagon. Were not real happy that it took a recession to do it, but sometimes you have to take the good with the bad.
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February 12, 2009 at 8:03 am (money savings)
Tags: cleaning supplies, energy audit, entertainment, food, meatless, saving money
Okay, so if you’ve read some of my saving green blogs, you probably realize that each one of us can cut some fat out of our budgets. Cutting spending doesn’t mean living a boring life in a cave if you use just a little creativity.
For entertainment go to the dollar movie theather, borrow a video from the library or have a game night.
Instead of buying cleaning supplies or beauty supplies look in the kitchen for the ingredients you need to make your own.
Change the way you eat, for the better. Go meatless one or two nights a week using beans or eggs instead. Shop carefully and use what you buy. Lots of food goes bad sitting in the frig before it is ever used.
Shop around for the best insurance rates for your needs. Also shop around for the best bank. Look for interest rates and free services.
When it comes to clothes and home furnishing think second hand.
And don’t forget the energy audit. Most people are shocked how much money they can save by doing just a few simple things.
Need more ideas, search the web. One of Denver’s local news stations has been doing a daily story on beating the recession. The have hundreds of great ideas.
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February 8, 2009 at 3:41 pm (money savings)
Tags: baking soda, beauty, economy, saving money
Beauty may only be skin deep, but most females spend a lot of money to achieve it. But we don’t need to.
Creams and cleaners, moisturerizers and scrubs, skin softners and foot soaks, the list goes on and on. I’m not suggesting you give up any of these, I’m saying look at other products that do the same thing.
During winter we all fight dry skin and hair. A deep conditioner for your hair can cost big bucks. Try full fat mayo for the same effect. That’s right, take several large spoonfuls of mayo, work it into the hair and cover with a shower cap for at least 30 minutes and wash out. For dry skin use olive oil after your shower.
Foot and body soaks feel so good and leave your skin so soft. Use baking soda and epsom salt for the same feeling for just pennies.
If you use a face or body scrub try mixing olive oil, sugar and coffee grounds and scrub as normal.
Saving money doesn’t have to mean going without your beauty routine. Shop in your kitchen to find products that can do double duty for a fraction of the cost.
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February 5, 2009 at 11:24 pm (good things, money savings)
Tags: baking soda, cleaning tips, green cleaning, save money, vinegar, vinegas
Baking soda, vinegar, fresh lemon and hot water. With these simple items you can clean almost anything in your house for just pennies. You also wouldn’t be exposing yourself and anyone else at home to some really nasty smells and fumes.
There are a slew of websites you can search for some exact cleaning tips but here are a few general tips.
Make a paste out of baking soda and water to clean just about any surface in the bathroom and kitchen. Rub the paste on the surface, rinse off with water and your done.
Throw out any glass cleaner you have and replace it with vinegar. Use the vinegar just like glass cleaner.
You really don’t need anything but hot water to clean all types of flooring. The hot water gets all the dirt off and you don’t have to worry about not getting all the cleaning stuff off the floor if you have pets or small children.
Use a fresh cut lemon to remove stains from many surfaces. And you get a true fresh lemon smell, not an artifical kind of lemon smell.
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January 28, 2009 at 8:51 pm (money savings)
Tags: entertainment, family, friends, games, nature
One upside of the current economy is that more people are staying at home with family and friends. Now is a prefect time to pull out the old board games and cards, blow the dust off and enjoy a game or two. Gather a few friends, make some snacks and you can play, talk and have fun for hours for almost free.
If you have kids there is another upside to games, education. Even if it’s not a traditional educational game. My mom taught me how to add quickly in my head by playing black jack with me. I learned the same thing playing dominoes.
If you luck into a warm day, chase everybody outside. There are countless things you can do in your own backyard. Have a nature scavanger hunt or play games like red rover or freeze tag.
Entertainment doesn’t have to be expensive. If you put some thought into it you can probably think of 20 things to do that are free. And the bonus is it’s more fun if you include lots of family and friends.
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January 26, 2009 at 11:40 pm (money savings)
Tags: eating, economy, food, freezer, garden, green, saving money
No matter how bad the economy is we all need to eat. But most people could cut their food bills considerably and save some green.
This week I’ve come across some interesting stats that point to the fact that people are rethinking how they eat. While restaurant revenues are down, cookware and cookbook sales are up. And people aren’t spending as much money on high end flashy appliances, but they are buying more freezers.
Here are some other good ideas for saving money on food.
First, watch the waste. Your not saving if your over buying and throwing food out. If the vegetables are at the end of their shelf live and you can’t eat them all now then freeze them. You can still use them later in soups and stews.
Second, go to the source. I buy all our bread at the Rainbow store. I can buy Sara Lee multi grain bread for $1.25 a loaf.
Third, if you have a freezer buy in bulk. We are getting ready to buy half a side of beef from the butcher. It’s cheaper than even buying in bulk from the store. If thats way to much meat for your family then split it with friends.
Fourth, grow your own food. Anybody can grow a few vegetables and herbs. I usually grow a large garden and enjoy the produce all year.
Everywhere you look today there are hints on saving on your food bill. It’s really not hard to do if you put a little bit of thought into “what’s for dinner tonight.”
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January 26, 2009 at 2:51 am (money savings)
Tags: bad exonomy, economy, green, save money, spend money
I have purposely avoided the subject of the economy for the last several months. There are more than enough blogs that are discussing the subject. However, it is a bit like ignoring the 800 pound gorilla in the room.
So I’ve decided to talk some about the current state of the American economy and how it can effect the efforts of people to be more green.
Actually a bad economy can be a good thing for the green movement. If people have less money to spend, they try a little harder to make sure that they are getting their moneys worth.
Over the next several posts I’ll try and break down some very specific ways that you can go green and save money. Basically if you are paying money for something now, there is probably a greener and less expensive option.
So instead of ignoring the big gorilla, because I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon, we might as well make friends with it.
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January 19, 2009 at 11:52 pm (good things, money savings)
Tags: economy, energy, environment, saving money, shopping
After checking out some of my stats, it seems that one on my oldest post is still one of my most popular posts, so I thought I’d do a recap.
Saving green is not only good for the environment but it’s also good for your wallet. I realize that the wallet is probably why people are looking at this post right now. That’s okay and maybe these simple ideas will carry over when the economy does get better.
But for now by changing a few habits and doing a few simple things you really can make a difference to the environment and your wallet.
I’ll do a quick recap of a few ideas and you can read many of my other posts for other ideas.
Get an energy audit for find out how to do your own.
Buy used, everything from books to clothes to furniture to jewelry.
Take your lunch to work in a reusable sack. Don’t forget to take silverware and use reusable containers.
Shop for the best deals on the web before you leave the house. Try to plan your errands so you cut down on driving.
Use regular dishes instead of paper at home.
This list is just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of things you can do that will save you money and help the environment.
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