If I had a lot of money I would do everything I could to make my house and life green. I'd buy all natural and organic everything.
Since I don't have a lot of money, I'm making changes here and there. Nearly every time I go grocery shopping I buy one or two of those cool reusable grocery bags that are everywhere. I have about 8 now. I even got 5 cents off at Target for using my own bag the other day. Sweet! They are actually WAY better to carry groceries in.
I just tried another thing today. I love those disposable swiffer dusters but they are rather expensive. My aunt, who cleans homes for a living, says that she uses squares of fleece for dusting. I went to JoAnn Fabric today at lunch and purchased a large strip of fleece for less than $1.50. I tried it out today and it works AMAZING. Doesn't snag, doesn't lose the dust. And best of all, it's washable and reusable! Be sure to get the thinner fleece and not the super fluffy kind so you can avoid snags. The square worked really well to wipe off pictures and all those cute little Precious Moments I keep on my piano. (Gag, I really don't have those).
I am now using an all-natural bathroom cleaner. It's pretty cheap and I don't even have to use gloves. I like that. And I use vinegar and water to clean my floors. Makes them super shiny.
What are you doing to be green? Got any really good garden or cleaning tips?
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
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5 comments:
We've been on the same journey in our house. AWESOME tip on the fleece! I'm going to stop there tomorrow night on the way to a date with Mike. :)
Do you purchase your bathroom cleaner or make it? I've been making mine out of vinegar/soda/water but I'm just not sure it quite does the trick. I use the same recipe on my vinyl floors.
Organic: I've got a great list of the 12 most contaminated foods and the 12 least. On the 12 most (the dirty dozen) we've gone organic. (see list below) The greatest bargain discovery of organic food is Trader Joes. They have organic fruits/veggies at prices cheaper than non-organic @ Super Target or Cub. They also have a lot of GOOD and original non-produce food. I have a lot of fun shopping at Trader Joes (so does Simon...he came with me one time and LOVED the kiddy carts! ;-) ). The bummer is that it is a drive for you. There is one in Maple Grove and one in St. Louis Park. However, if you are ever in the area, it's worth the stop!
The Dirty Dozen (12 most contaminated foods):
Peaches (highest pesticide load)
Apples
Sweet Bell Peppers
Celery
Nectarines
Strawberries
Cherries
Lettuce
Grapes (imported)
Pears
Spinach
Potatoes
12 Least contimated foods:
Onions (lowest pesticide load)
Avocado
Sweet Corn (Frozen)
Pineapples
Mango
Sweet Peas (frozen)
Asparagus
Kiwi
Bananas
Cabbage
Broccoli
Eggplant
HTH!
I am planning to start using reusable bags but I still use my plastic bags (I know, with disaposable diapers I am not helping the environment but what to do??). I did discover the tip about Target taking 5 cents off your grocery bill for every bag of your own you use and do plan to start doing that.
As for other tips, not sure I have any other than the tip I learned today at a kid concert at Aquatore Park today that talked about recycling. she mentioned using real napkins that can be reused vs. disposable ones and I am thinking about the possibility of doing that... Also, using rechargeable batteries was another tip that I'm thinking about. We use sooo many batteries.
Thanks Heidi for the tip on Trader Joes. I've always wanted to check it out, it's just such a drive to get there.
Kristie, you and I should go together. I LOVE TJ's. That's where I like to get wine. It's super cheap and really good. It is a drive, though, so we'll have to plan for it. :-) Make it a girl's night out. :-)
Heidi, I use the Green Works cleaner you can get at Target or Walmart. It has coconut extract in it so it smells great. I think it works great. Simple Green is also a good product but it's pretty expensive. That's what we use at work.
Battery chargers are amazing! They work great, and with the price of regular batteries, we have already saved a fortune!
We have switched to almost all energy-saving light bulbs. They are supposed to last longer, but it will take several years to know how long they actually last.
I have considered reusable grocery bags, but I already use plastic bags for another purpose. I walk or hike almost everyday, and they are small and easy to use for collecting garbage in the parks. I usually have a few plastic garbage bags in my backpack at all times.
And WATER bottles... We drink almost entirely bottled water ... because Arden Hills water tastes horrible. I hope to get a purifier to hook onto the faucet soon, but until then we buy the 2.5 gal water jugs and just refill Nalgene bottles instead of buying individual water bottles.
Love reading everyone's ideas! Keep them coming!
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