8 Easy Ways To Go Green!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Today is Earth Day— To celebrate  I am giving you 10 easy ways you can go Green!  Not only is going Green better for the environment, it also can be a more frugal way of living!

• RECYCLE

When Earth Day rolls around, a lot of us are reminded to recycle. So, what can you recycle? Well, a LOT.

1. Cans— Not only can you recycle cans, but most of the time you can take them to a nearby recycling center and actually get PAID for bringing in your cans (along with other aluminum waste).
2. Paper— Newspapers, magazines, books, christmas cards, etc.
3. Plastic— Grocery bags, cleaner bottles, water bottles, shampoo bottles, yogurt containers, etc.
4. Cardboard— Boxes, milk cartons, pizza boxes, etc.
5. Electronics— Cellphones, computers, keyboards, hearing aids, televisions, microwaves, washing machines, etc.

**For a more detailed list of what you can recycle and how go to Recycle Now.

** There are several places online to sell and/or donate your used cellphone. I suggest checking out the few sites below.

Cell Phones for Soldiers

Sell Your Cell

Wirefly

Recycling for Charities

Alright, onto our list of 8 easy ways (besides the obvious recycling) to go Green!

1. Stop using disposable bags! I can not stress this enough. Keep some reusable bags in your car, purse, by your front door, any place that you can remember to grab them on the way to the market. You can find them at almost any store for fairly cheap. You can also make your own as a weekend craft project with your children.

Here are a couple of places that I’ve seen giving away FREE reusable bags!

Tobacco-Free WNY

Target  (Only available TODAY, on Earth Day!)

For a few ideas of how to make your own for FREE, check out TLC’s 13 Ways to Make Cool Reusable Bags for Free article.

2. Plant a garden! It is great for the environment and also makes for cheaper grocery bills. I understand that some people just don’t have the time to mess with a garden, so instead support your local farmers! It’s cheaper than it is at the store and has less of those harsh chemicals on them. Another great way to have a “mini garden” is to plant some herbs indoors to use when you cook and check out my post about how to keep green onions growing indoors. 

3. Make your own household cleaners and hygiene products! You can find so many homemade recipes online for things such as shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, laundry detergent, dish soap, deodorant, etc. Not only will this save on money, but you will be using reusable containers.

4. Wash your laundry in cold water and line dry! You will save a lot of energy by using the cold water instead of warm or hot. You also will save a lot of energy by allowing your clothes to dry outside on the line. May take a few extra minutes of your time to line dry, but your energy bill will be thanking you at the end of the month.

5. Skip the bottled water! Instead of wasting your money on bottled water, find a reusable water bottle and keep that with you and fill it up at water fountains. You can also buy water filter pitchers that you can keep in your fridge and keep refilling, or a filter that connects to your faucet to filter as you use.

6. Cancel your newspaper subscription. Most newspapers these days will allow you to check the news that is printed in the newspaper online. Even for all you coupon-lovers, you can cancel your subscription and just go buy one at a machine for the Sunday coupons! Or better yet, find the coupons you want (for free) online and print them out! It’ll save time and money! Another way to get all those coupons is to go to your local recycling center and ask for them. If you go on the right day, they’re all lying right on top of the newspaper bin!

7. Donate to- and shop at- local thrift stores! Donating those clothes, shoes, bedding, kitchenware, etc, that you’ll never use again is a great way to help the community and feel better about yourself. If you’re low on cash, have yourself a yardsale, or sell your items online. What doesn’t sell, then donate to the thrift shops or charities.

8. Upcycle! There are so many articles online that talk about how to upcycle certain items. You can turn an old suitcase into an adorable pet bed, turn old records into bowl decor. (I’ll be doing a tutorial on this soon.) Go online and check out all the different items you may have lying around that you could upcycle into something beautiful. You can make it for yourself or even sell it online at places like Etsy.

There you have it. 8 EASY ways to Go Green and save a bit of money in the process!

Stay Tuned: Next article will be EARTH DAY FREEBIES!

Egg Shells Are Great For Gardens!

5 Ways to Use Eggshells in Your Garden

 

Photo credit: Darny / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

 

1. You can add crushed eggshells to planting holes. (Especially good for tomatoes, peppers and eggplant because they are susceptible to blossom-end rot because of calcium deficiency. Although at times, blossom-end rot is do to improper watering, putting egg shells in your garden will give them the calcium they need and nourish your soil and plants.
2. Wash out your eggshells, then use them as seed starters. After breaking your eggs and cleaning it out, place back into egg carton and fill with soil and plant your seed. When they begin to grow, just put the whole starter in the soil– eggshell and all.
3. Crushed eggshells are known to deter slugs, snails, and cutworms. Because of these pest’s soft undersides, the sharp eggshells will deter them from bothering your plants.
4. Add your eggshells to your compost. This will add calcium to your compost and will be great for your garden!
5. If you have bird feeders in your garden, put some crushed eggshells close to the feeder. Female birds, especially those about to lay eggs or have just laid eggs, require extra calcium. They will love you for it!

 

 

Added bonus–

If you boil eggs, use the water you boiled them in to water your garden. The water becomes enriched with calcium! Why waste the water when your garden would love it!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Green Onions are MAGIC!

After spending what seems like the majority of my day on Pinterest, I found several links about Green Onions (aka Spring Onions, Scallions) and how they have a renewable energy and will keep growing! I decided to try it out for myself a few weeks ago and let me tell you something… it WORKED and QUICKLY!!

Next time you buy green onions and use them, try this new trick!

When using the green onions, only chop them down to about where the white starts–close to the bulb.

• Grab that old spaghetti sauce jar you kept, and washed that’s just been taking up space, and fill it half way with water.
• Throw those bad boys greens in the jar!
• Sit next to a window (or some say in a  fridge will work).
• In a day or two, you’ll begin to see them growing!

I’d say…

NEVER BUY GREEN ONIONS AGAIN!

But… after doing some research, many individuals say that this process only works between 4-6 times before they will stop growing.

However, you will save some money in the process and the kiddos love watching them grow!

And while we’re on the subject of green onions and how amazing they can be… let me tell you a little more about their benefits!

• They are available year round. 
• They can be eaten raw, grilled, or any other way you’d like to use them.

According to Suite 101 they can also:

• Lower blood sugar
• Decrease high cholesterol and blood pressure levels
• Reduce the risk of developing colon and other cancers
• Reduce inflammation

So, buy those green onions– keep them growing, and continue enjoying the benefits of these delicious greens!

Oh, and check this out: