Part of making money is saving money, right? Everyone knows that a penny saved is a penny earned, and I don't know anyone who blatantly wants to overpay for things. However, looking for good deals can be confusing. How do you know you are getting a good deal? How do you know when is a good time to buy? Where do you go to find amazing deals? Well, lets try to demystify some of this...
I am a firm believer in the principle of "never pay full price" (aka NPFP). I think it comes from my crafty side. If you are crafty, you probably know that you never go to Joann's or Michael's without a 40% off coupon AT LEAST. 30% off is maybe acceptable if you have to have it right away, but if you can wait, there will be a 50% off coupon or sale coming up at some point. So hold out and look for the deals. Why do I know this? Well, I shop there frequently, and I am familiar with how their ads work and I know the inventory they sell intimately. I also know there are other shops around and if I can't get it one place I can get it another. I also know when an unbelievable deal comes around, and I buy what I need then. I shop a lot, so I know what a good or a great deal looks like.
If you aren't shopping craft stores, these principles still hold true. If you buy groceries a lot, you may notice that milk coupons come out about every two weeks, and when one store has one, usually they all do. If you are like my family, you can't go 2 weeks without buying milk, so I hit up more than one store to use my milk coupons or I go to somewhere like Walmart that takes competitors coupons, and I stock up ahead of time. Milk expires, but not THAT fast, and I know we will use it. I also know that once in a while my local store has amazing deals on canned goods. I buy as many as they will let me (or usually a case if they have no limit) because I know I will go through them, and they have a long shelf life. If you wont drink that much milk or use that many canned tomatoes before they go bad, don't fall into the trap of buying up on it only to throw it out. Know your household needs, and buy the things that work best for you.
So how do you find out what a good or a GREAT deal looks like? The answer - do your research. For things like groceries, you need to do it a lot. For larger items, you need to do some shopping around. Get yourself comfortable with pricing and asking questions. Ask sales people if there are any promotions coming up, and also ask about ones that just ended that they can still sneak you in on (sometimes it is easier to get them to cut you a deal if they know they will get a sale on the spot). Talk to others about it and see what they are seeing and spending. Look online for sales. Even if they are not in your area, you may be able to get an idea for what a good sale price looks like and then wait until one comes up by you.
Next, how do you know when to buy? Well, first of all, don't be in a hurry. If you wait to purchase something until you need it right away, you don't have time to wait for the good deals. Plan large purchases as much in advance as you can. For many those large items you only buy once in a great while, like appliances, cars, or electronics, there are certain times of the year that are better than others for buying. Most consumables and durable goods have a cycle, meaning they come out with a new model around the same time. There are tons of guides out there from consumer organizations and budget or shopping bloggers that can help you figure out when items are going to be clearanced out to make way for incoming stock or to clear space as the seasons change. As long as you don't mind having last year's model of washer and dryer or waiting until summer is over to get that larger grill you have had your eye on, this is a great way to save. Save even more by buying floor models. A few dings and dents can save you a bundle! This also applies for smaller things like clothes and food, but you may be less likely to wait when the payoff isn't as big, and I don't blame you! Decide what your needs are and wait only when it makes sense to you.
Over time, I found myself wishing I had a coupon for 40% off for everything. I went to the grocery store, and I wished I could pay less for the meat or flour I was buying. I went to get a new computer after mine died, and I swear I felt physical pain paying sticker for it. Buying Christmas presents, I wished everything went on sale as much as I wanted, and even if it was on sale, I wanted a better deal. Our last question was, where do you find amazing deals? You can go to flea markets, garage sales, outlet stores, and more, but this is kind of a trick question. The answer is, don't find them, make them. When you go to the store to buy a new fridge, knowing that you are buying at the time when the new models are coming out and you have your eye on the floor model, let the sales person know that you saw a similar fridge at a competitor's store for less and ask if they will match the price, or ask if you can get a % off discount because there is a large scratch on the door, or ask if they can apply the promotion they are using to clearance their stock on the floor models, too... Don't be afraid to ask for a good deal. There are about a million ways to talk a price down, and generally, you will be successful. Be creative, and most importantly, don't be shy. Bartering is a skill that many cultures nurture from birth, but us Americans seem to have missed the boat. Haggling over price makes us so uncomfortable, we would rather pay way more than necessary to avoid doing it. Its a bummer that it makes us so uncomfortable, but that has some bonuses, too. People you are buying from are also so unused to people asking for a deal, they rarely say no. Use the social awkwardness to your advantage and make yourself a GREAT deal! You should still attempt to find those great shops that always have a good deal or hit up craigslist and local garage sales for things, but never miss the opportunity to haggle, even in a retail store.
Do your research, shop around, look for the right time, ask for a deal, and buy up when you find a GREAT deal. You could be pleasantly surprised, and your wallet might be, too!
A note on haggling: This can be a slippery moral slope. Many people view haggling as dishonest or rude because you are "cheating" someone. That is simply not true. Garage sales and craft fairs are a few examples of when people expect to haggle, but even your local chain store has a large markup they can come down on. I take the opinion that it is the seller's responsibility to stay firm on a price. The seller always retains the right to decline a sale. That said, I may argue my case, but I will never manipulate someone into doing something they clearly are not comfortable with. Bottom line: if it feels slimy and wrong, don't do it.
Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label green living. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Monday, February 24, 2014
Reusable Nursing pads
This is a super old project that I never posted on because, well, let's just say I am busy... Hence the not posting for 7 months. Oops. Anywho, I loved these little lifesavers and they saved me a bundle since I didn't have to buy nursing pads for the year and couple months that I breastfed.
My breast feeding experience included a lot of leaking. My milk supply is shall we say... Ample. To give you a nice TMI, if I didn't nurse or express frequently enough, I was likely to shoot your eye out. As a result I burned through breast pads pretty quickly. I didn't want to use disposables since I was trying to be eco friendly, and the reusable pads I found didn't quite work. The store bought ones were itchy, the handmade ones seemed really expensive, and ones that didn't have the drawbacks above couldn't dried in a dryer. I laugh thinking about hanging up or laying out billions of tiny little fabric rounds. People already thought they were coasters all the time. So not working for me.
So, of course, I decided to make my own. I made some burp cloths and swaddle blankets so I had lots of scrap flannel lying around. I didn't trust layers of flannel to be absorbent enough so I cut up towels to layer between two pretty flannel pieces.
Reusable Nursing Pads
1) Make a cardboard template. Find a circle to use, like a coaster (haha) or bowl, or draw one with a compass (or use the string and a pin method). Mine was about 4" in diameter although a bit bigger might be nice for larger breasted mommies. I am rather small busted, so adjust as you see fit.
2) Use your template to trace circles on your flannel and your old towel. You can use a sharpie for this as you will be cutting them out, and if you have a serger, you will be trimming off the ends. For each pair you need 4 flannel circles for the outside and 2 terry cloth (towel) circles for the absorbent layer.
3) Cut out the circles and stack them up flannel, towel, flannel. Make sure the pretty side of the flannel is facing out. Line up the edges the best you can.
4) Serge the edges, going slowly enough to keep the round shape and all the layers even. Make sure the layers don't bunch. If bunching is a problem, baste the layers together in an x before serging. This should help. If you don't own a serger, you can turn and top stitch. It will take longer, but is still really cheap and easy!
Some people say to use PUL (a waterproof material) for the backing. I'm a little afraid to use waterproof material because it's not breathable and can encourage yeast growth which causes thrush.
Don't want to make them yourself? Check out my Etsy shop to buy a few pairs!
My breast feeding experience included a lot of leaking. My milk supply is shall we say... Ample. To give you a nice TMI, if I didn't nurse or express frequently enough, I was likely to shoot your eye out. As a result I burned through breast pads pretty quickly. I didn't want to use disposables since I was trying to be eco friendly, and the reusable pads I found didn't quite work. The store bought ones were itchy, the handmade ones seemed really expensive, and ones that didn't have the drawbacks above couldn't dried in a dryer. I laugh thinking about hanging up or laying out billions of tiny little fabric rounds. People already thought they were coasters all the time. So not working for me.
So, of course, I decided to make my own. I made some burp cloths and swaddle blankets so I had lots of scrap flannel lying around. I didn't trust layers of flannel to be absorbent enough so I cut up towels to layer between two pretty flannel pieces.
Reusable Nursing Pads
1) Make a cardboard template. Find a circle to use, like a coaster (haha) or bowl, or draw one with a compass (or use the string and a pin method). Mine was about 4" in diameter although a bit bigger might be nice for larger breasted mommies. I am rather small busted, so adjust as you see fit.
2) Use your template to trace circles on your flannel and your old towel. You can use a sharpie for this as you will be cutting them out, and if you have a serger, you will be trimming off the ends. For each pair you need 4 flannel circles for the outside and 2 terry cloth (towel) circles for the absorbent layer.
3) Cut out the circles and stack them up flannel, towel, flannel. Make sure the pretty side of the flannel is facing out. Line up the edges the best you can.
4) Serge the edges, going slowly enough to keep the round shape and all the layers even. Make sure the layers don't bunch. If bunching is a problem, baste the layers together in an x before serging. This should help. If you don't own a serger, you can turn and top stitch. It will take longer, but is still really cheap and easy!
Some people say to use PUL (a waterproof material) for the backing. I'm a little afraid to use waterproof material because it's not breathable and can encourage yeast growth which causes thrush.
Don't want to make them yourself? Check out my Etsy shop to buy a few pairs!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Bleach pen shirt for the cotton anniversary
This is another t shirt craft that I made with a ruined shirt. Somehow it managed to get some bleach speckles on it - nothing huge mind you, but ugly nonetheless. Hubs wears these as undershirts anyway, so it stayed in rotation for a good long time, but I finally got tired of seeing him wear it NOT as an undershirt and cringing at the orangey-brown bleach marks. So I on-purpose bleached the heck out of it! Stylishly of course...
I made this do double duty as an anniversary gift for Hubs. I am trying to do a handmade gift every year that corresponds with the traditional list of anniversary gifts (year one is paper, year two is cotton, year three is... well we haven't gotten to 3 years so I don't know yet haha). Last year I made him a photo book on Blurb.com that was a fairytale starting with how and where we met all the way through our son's birth and so on. It spanned about 6 years, so there were lots of great pictures and it was both sweet and funny. This year, I took his shirt and wrote the lyrics to "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Bleach pen shirts are all over the interwebz, so I wont go over board on the instructions, but I will share some of my experience with you.
You will need:
a Clorox bleach pen (don't get the color safe one!)
a dark colored t-shirt, preferably a ruined one :-)
several pieces of cardboard that fit in the sleeves and across the whole center of the shirt
latex/rubber gloves
a printed out sheet of your lyrics, poem, whatever
a large work area (I used my floor, but the kitchen table would have been easier)
A full bottle of hydrogen peroxide
A sink or tub for rinsing
a load of whites in the washing machine
Step 1: Arrange your cardboard inside your shirt under the area you want to write on first. Make sure you slip it between the front and back unless you want bleach bleed through. I guess that is a look if you want to go for it, but the bleach will soak through unevenly, so beware. Figure out how you want your writing to look. If you want, start below the collar to write straight, or you can write on a diagonal across the whole shirt, or you can do a spiral or something else cool - use your imagination. The song I liked has an interlude by both singers, so I wrote one on each side of the collar then the chorus started across the whole middle.
Step 2: Put on your gloves and begin writing. Use the narrow tip end of the bleach pen and GENTLY squeeze as you write. To get it started you may want to dab at a piece of scrap something to get the tip of the pen wet with bleach gel. You don't need a lot of bleach to make it work, and the less you get out the less it will run and get "blobby" so a thin layer is best. Just make sure it looks a little wet. Don't worry overmuch about your penmanship as it will look cool and stylized and nothing like your actual writing, but do leave a little extra space between letters so they don't run together. Mine is only barely legible, but I like it that way. Make your letters as big as you want to fit your words well in the pattern you have chosen. I did a mix of cursive and all caps to lend emphasis and style. If you want, you can write in chalk first and then trace your letters with the bleach, but I am not that patient, so I went for the big time right away.
Step 3: Write fast. No, seriously. You can really damage your shirt if you go too slowly because just like when you get highlights, the bleach is blowing out proteins in the fiber of the shirt which removes the color, but can create holes if you leave it too long. As you move down the shirt you can skooch the cardboard down with you if you don't have a piece big enough to cover the whole thing, so you aren't bleeding through. You run less risk of bleed through once you are done writing on the section unless you have saturated the fibers with bleach, which I already told you not to... just sayin.
Step 4: If you are concerned about taking too long to do the whole shirt, take the shirt to the sink and wash out the excess bleach. Leaving your gloves on, run some water over the shirt and quickly rub out the bleach under the stream. Work from the top to bottom (or from the words you wrote first to the ones you wrote last). If you work reasonably quickly and rinse well you wont bleach out the background by rubbing the gel over it. Squeeze out the excess water. Pour a little hydrogen peroxide over the lettering until the shirt is saturated, let it sit for a minute or so, then rinse it out. This will counteract the action of the bleach so you don't continue the chemical reaction blah blah blah. I used vinegar for mine, but apparently that is super dangerous as the leftover bleach and vinegar can create an INCREDIBLY dangerous gas, so don't do that. I read up on it since and supposedly peroxide is much safer. I'm no chemist, so if you injure yourself, please don't sue. I'm just doin my best here folks :-) I think I rinsed mine well enough to not run any risk of the chemical reaction, but please be safe. The gas is so dangerous we are talking one good whiff and you are DEAD. Double Plus Ungood.
The downside to all this is that you will want to let your shirt at least mostly dry out if not totally before you go back to working on it. Remember how impatient I am? But the upside is that you will end up with a much more consistent text color rather than having super light at the top and super dark at the bottom, and the top will be less likely to develop holes over time as you wear the garment. Again, that whole less damage to the fibers thing.
Step 5: When you are totally done, rinse out the bleach as described in step 4, peroxide it and let it soak for a few, then rinse thoroughly. Toss in the washer with whites that can handle the bleach (no silk undies) or in an empty washer but shame on you for wasting water, and run a full cycle on hot with two rinses. I added vinegar to my fabric softener container so it would rinse with vinegar and stop that chemical reaction some more, but again, its up to you to determine the safety factors. Dry as usual. For the next few washes you may want to avoid washing with darks that may be damaged by bleach, but by this point with all the chemical neutralizing we have done, you are probably pretty safe.
Bottom Line:
shirt: free for me, but a new one runs maybe $5
peroxide: $1 from the dollar store, maybe less.
Bleach pen: about $3
Total - for me, $3. Not bad for an anniversary gift!
If you have to buy everything, $9 (depending on how much writing you do, you may have enough bleach pen to do more shirts, too!)
Time: with no stops for rinsing, about 30 minutes plus washing and drying. With stops for rinsing, about 2:30, maybe more if its a humid day.
I plan to play with this for more shirts that have been ruined by stains, bleach, etc, to give them a cool new life. I also want to try the spray bottle bleach with a stencil method as that seems like it would go faster and has different options for graphics and large images. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and the hubs says he will totally wear it, so hooray! Happy anniversary baby!
 |
| Stupid bleach spots... I'm gonna cover you! |
I made this do double duty as an anniversary gift for Hubs. I am trying to do a handmade gift every year that corresponds with the traditional list of anniversary gifts (year one is paper, year two is cotton, year three is... well we haven't gotten to 3 years so I don't know yet haha). Last year I made him a photo book on Blurb.com that was a fairytale starting with how and where we met all the way through our son's birth and so on. It spanned about 6 years, so there were lots of great pictures and it was both sweet and funny. This year, I took his shirt and wrote the lyrics to "Lucky" by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Bleach pen shirts are all over the interwebz, so I wont go over board on the instructions, but I will share some of my experience with you.
You will need:
a Clorox bleach pen (don't get the color safe one!)
a dark colored t-shirt, preferably a ruined one :-)
several pieces of cardboard that fit in the sleeves and across the whole center of the shirt
latex/rubber gloves
a printed out sheet of your lyrics, poem, whatever
a large work area (I used my floor, but the kitchen table would have been easier)
A full bottle of hydrogen peroxide
A sink or tub for rinsing
a load of whites in the washing machine
Step 2: Put on your gloves and begin writing. Use the narrow tip end of the bleach pen and GENTLY squeeze as you write. To get it started you may want to dab at a piece of scrap something to get the tip of the pen wet with bleach gel. You don't need a lot of bleach to make it work, and the less you get out the less it will run and get "blobby" so a thin layer is best. Just make sure it looks a little wet. Don't worry overmuch about your penmanship as it will look cool and stylized and nothing like your actual writing, but do leave a little extra space between letters so they don't run together. Mine is only barely legible, but I like it that way. Make your letters as big as you want to fit your words well in the pattern you have chosen. I did a mix of cursive and all caps to lend emphasis and style. If you want, you can write in chalk first and then trace your letters with the bleach, but I am not that patient, so I went for the big time right away.
Step 3: Write fast. No, seriously. You can really damage your shirt if you go too slowly because just like when you get highlights, the bleach is blowing out proteins in the fiber of the shirt which removes the color, but can create holes if you leave it too long. As you move down the shirt you can skooch the cardboard down with you if you don't have a piece big enough to cover the whole thing, so you aren't bleeding through. You run less risk of bleed through once you are done writing on the section unless you have saturated the fibers with bleach, which I already told you not to... just sayin.
Step 4: If you are concerned about taking too long to do the whole shirt, take the shirt to the sink and wash out the excess bleach. Leaving your gloves on, run some water over the shirt and quickly rub out the bleach under the stream. Work from the top to bottom (or from the words you wrote first to the ones you wrote last). If you work reasonably quickly and rinse well you wont bleach out the background by rubbing the gel over it. Squeeze out the excess water. Pour a little hydrogen peroxide over the lettering until the shirt is saturated, let it sit for a minute or so, then rinse it out. This will counteract the action of the bleach so you don't continue the chemical reaction blah blah blah. I used vinegar for mine, but apparently that is super dangerous as the leftover bleach and vinegar can create an INCREDIBLY dangerous gas, so don't do that. I read up on it since and supposedly peroxide is much safer. I'm no chemist, so if you injure yourself, please don't sue. I'm just doin my best here folks :-) I think I rinsed mine well enough to not run any risk of the chemical reaction, but please be safe. The gas is so dangerous we are talking one good whiff and you are DEAD. Double Plus Ungood.
The downside to all this is that you will want to let your shirt at least mostly dry out if not totally before you go back to working on it. Remember how impatient I am? But the upside is that you will end up with a much more consistent text color rather than having super light at the top and super dark at the bottom, and the top will be less likely to develop holes over time as you wear the garment. Again, that whole less damage to the fibers thing.
Step 5: When you are totally done, rinse out the bleach as described in step 4, peroxide it and let it soak for a few, then rinse thoroughly. Toss in the washer with whites that can handle the bleach (no silk undies) or in an empty washer but shame on you for wasting water, and run a full cycle on hot with two rinses. I added vinegar to my fabric softener container so it would rinse with vinegar and stop that chemical reaction some more, but again, its up to you to determine the safety factors. Dry as usual. For the next few washes you may want to avoid washing with darks that may be damaged by bleach, but by this point with all the chemical neutralizing we have done, you are probably pretty safe.
Bottom Line:
shirt: free for me, but a new one runs maybe $5
peroxide: $1 from the dollar store, maybe less.
Bleach pen: about $3
Total - for me, $3. Not bad for an anniversary gift!
If you have to buy everything, $9 (depending on how much writing you do, you may have enough bleach pen to do more shirts, too!)
Time: with no stops for rinsing, about 30 minutes plus washing and drying. With stops for rinsing, about 2:30, maybe more if its a humid day.
I plan to play with this for more shirts that have been ruined by stains, bleach, etc, to give them a cool new life. I also want to try the spray bottle bleach with a stencil method as that seems like it would go faster and has different options for graphics and large images. I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and the hubs says he will totally wear it, so hooray! Happy anniversary baby!
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Bigger box is not always better
Also, you have this cool membership card that allows you access to all these great deals on bulk items! Who doesn't like being part of an exclusive club that saves money?!
What a great package!
Almost.
I love Costco and its other big box companions up to a point. Don't get me wrong, I shop there from time to time for things like rice, flour, sugar, and canned goods (I go through an ungodly amount of these cooking from scratch all the time), but I always have to do some serious math while shopping because not everything is a good deal. I am a huge bargain shopper, and I can tell you off the top of my head how much general canned goods, dairy of various types, and meats should cost, on sale, at least for my part of the country. That serves me well, because I can calculate how much the items at Costco are costing me per unit and compare to my grocery store deals. And guess what. Costco is often NOT cheaper. Not by a long shot.
Here's the rub. Costco carries name brand products. Buying in bulk means they don't carry a wide selection of items. Sometimes they also have their Kirkland store brand, which is often times cheaper, but if not, you are stuck paying name brand prices. Grocery stores carry name brand, store brand, and off-brand products. Especially with store brand stuff, they can deeply discount and still make a huge profit margin because they don't have distributors to pay or minimum prices to meet as set by the company. Therefore, you, the consumer, can pick them up for cheap on sale. Costco stuff doesn't go on sale. Costco prices are lower than regular grocery store prices on brand name items. But don't go blindly assuming that you can do better at Costco than at your local grocery store.
When you add in the cost of the membership, unless you are buying big ticket items like electronics, are doing a lot of catering via their deli, or buy a LOT of things in bulk, its hard to justify doing much shopping at Costco. You have to save more than $50 per year to just break even. I also think people go bulk happy and get overly excited about buying 6 tons of canned beets, so maybe some of the purchases are a little unnecessary. Its hard to ignore all the cool stuff, especially when you are "saving so much!"
However, Costco has its place. It does offer cool stuff like organics and uncommon items like quinoa, bulgur, etc. It does offer a break on things that seldom go on sale, like flour, sugar, some produce items, etc, and buying those in large quantities really does beat the grocery store prices, if you use it all up in time. The Kirkland brand stuff is good quality and you can save a bundle over the national brands. If you already buy a lot of brand names and packaged foods, you can save some money. For things I don't like to sacrifice quality on, such as toilet paper and paper towels, I like the Kirkland brand because it is still reasonably priced.
Some tips for getting out with your wallet in tact?
1) STICK TO A LIST! Costco is very alluring, but unlike the grocery store where an impulse buy may cost you $5, Costco can easily hit you at $20 or more.
2) Know your prices. If you know how much a sale price for cheese or meat is before you shop, you can make the best selections and skip the not so great deals. Keep a calculator handy if you need to!
3) Shop with friends and family. I piggyback off of my in-laws' membership so I'm not out the annual fee, otherwise I don't think the savings would amount to much. We also split large boxes of some stuff so we can cut the cost in half and are less likely to waste items that have gone stale or spoiled.
4) Only go periodically and buy products you know. I wait till I am out of several items before I make a Costco run. I come home with less unnecessary items if I go less frequently, plus my grocery budget has a chance to build up before I drop $150 on one grocery trip. Also, I try to avoid lots of new items so I am not stuck with a huge case of something I don't like.
Well, there you have it! Big box stores can be a great way to save for your family, but be careful and compare prices. These tips also apply to dollar stores, so know your prices, stick to a list, and you will be okay! Happy shopping!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Wazoodle
I like great companies. I love small businesses. I feel good about buying US made. I like crafting supplies. I seek out good prices. I demand good customer service. I am impressed by sincerity.
Dear reader, this may not interest you in the least, but I felt obligated to tell you about the new and improved wazoodle. It's a website that sells cloth diapering and other supplies to the general public. Let me take a moment to disclaim: I don't work for them I get no money from them and I get no stuff from them unless I pay for it. Which I do. And will continue to.
Anyway, if you are into making your own cloth diapers or accessories, you may have heard of them. They used to be a Canadian based company, but after scathing reviews because of poor customer service and slower than slow shipping, they went up for sale. It is now run out if New Jersey and the new owners seem so awesome! They have scads of new products, all made by the same factories to keep the product quality high (that was the one good thing about the old wazoodle), but such a better attitude. The prices are great, shipping is much more affordable, and I don't have to feel guilty buying from a foreign company (business? In NJ. Products? Manufactured in the states. Yay!)
I get my PUL there, barrel stoppers, drawstring cord, and various other items. They have a great selection of organic fabric, including tons of bamboo. It is a great resource for natural diapering options, especially. Looks like they are carrying KAM plastic snaps and presses, too. I used KAMsnaps.com for that, but who knows?! I may switch! Anyway, this may not affect you at all, but I felt moved to shout to the world that a crappy supplier of great products is now a customer friendly, US company. They deserve a second chance. My newest order is placed. Hooray!
Dear reader, this may not interest you in the least, but I felt obligated to tell you about the new and improved wazoodle. It's a website that sells cloth diapering and other supplies to the general public. Let me take a moment to disclaim: I don't work for them I get no money from them and I get no stuff from them unless I pay for it. Which I do. And will continue to.
Anyway, if you are into making your own cloth diapers or accessories, you may have heard of them. They used to be a Canadian based company, but after scathing reviews because of poor customer service and slower than slow shipping, they went up for sale. It is now run out if New Jersey and the new owners seem so awesome! They have scads of new products, all made by the same factories to keep the product quality high (that was the one good thing about the old wazoodle), but such a better attitude. The prices are great, shipping is much more affordable, and I don't have to feel guilty buying from a foreign company (business? In NJ. Products? Manufactured in the states. Yay!)
I get my PUL there, barrel stoppers, drawstring cord, and various other items. They have a great selection of organic fabric, including tons of bamboo. It is a great resource for natural diapering options, especially. Looks like they are carrying KAM plastic snaps and presses, too. I used KAMsnaps.com for that, but who knows?! I may switch! Anyway, this may not affect you at all, but I felt moved to shout to the world that a crappy supplier of great products is now a customer friendly, US company. They deserve a second chance. My newest order is placed. Hooray!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
slimming down my life
I just finished reading a book that changed the way I look at the world and at life. 7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess, by Jen Hatmaker, is just that, an experiment. Written journal style, she goes through 7 months of reduction in 7 areas, one for each month. Things like stuff, stress, media, food, and more... things we all probably have too much of. It made me look at life in a completely new way. And I really mean that. I look around my home and see all the stuff on all my shelves, the food in my pantry and my fridge, the leftovers in the garbage, and I cannot bear to have it there any longer. I feel like such a hypocrite. I see all the need around me in my immediate community and in the global community, and I say that I love these people, that I care, that I wish I could help, and yet I hoard my things, comforting myself with the material, and feeling empty and hollow inside. I don't know if this will fill the emptiness and discontent in my heart, but I do think it is a first step in the right direction.
I have decided to get rid of some stuff. Things I like but don't need. THIS MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE. I am taking baby steps. Please don't judge me too harshly. I am just learning to let go. The first thing on the chopping block is surprising to me. Its something I LOVE. It is what made me feel part of a group in high school when I was too terribly awkward to fit in anywhere. It is my manga collection. I know, I know, I am a closet nerd. Manga, for those who are unfamiliar, is the term for Japanese comic books. Its the print companion to anime, Japanese cartoons. It is all in english, but it doesn't come cheap. Each volume ranges from about $10-$20 a piece, and there are often 10, 20 or sometimes more volumes per series. And I have like 8 different titles. THAT IS A LOT OF MONEY. I rationalize saying I got good deals from going to conventions and buying them from half price books, which is true, but even half of that is a crazy huge amount of money. And I do think that most of them I bought brand new at full pop...
So, here is the thing. I don't want to just give all my stuff away. After all, I paid really good money for it. And I feel that that money could go to a good cause. I picked Kiva as the organization I would like to give my Manga money to. That being said, I am going to sell them all at a STEAL (yes that means I haven't figured out how much to charge yet). But I want them to go to the right person if possible... Someone who will love them, someone who will enjoy them. Someone who maybe loves Japanese culture because it is the only thing that makes them feel a part of a group during an impossibly awkward point in their lives? So much to ask for, I know... So I am appealing to you, dear reader. Help me find the perfect recipient. I'm also posting them on Craigslist as a fail safe, but hey, I'd rather have a face and a story to go with it all... Post comments on this post if you know of someone. Thanks!
Oh and stay tuned. I may need your help. I think DVDs are next. Seriously, God help me...
So, here is the thing. I don't want to just give all my stuff away. After all, I paid really good money for it. And I feel that that money could go to a good cause. I picked Kiva as the organization I would like to give my Manga money to. That being said, I am going to sell them all at a STEAL (yes that means I haven't figured out how much to charge yet). But I want them to go to the right person if possible... Someone who will love them, someone who will enjoy them. Someone who maybe loves Japanese culture because it is the only thing that makes them feel a part of a group during an impossibly awkward point in their lives? So much to ask for, I know... So I am appealing to you, dear reader. Help me find the perfect recipient. I'm also posting them on Craigslist as a fail safe, but hey, I'd rather have a face and a story to go with it all... Post comments on this post if you know of someone. Thanks!
Oh and stay tuned. I may need your help. I think DVDs are next. Seriously, God help me...
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Green living: reduce, reuse, recycle
I grew up in Southern California. Not sure if region matters, but as a kid growing up I remember fun little recycling PSAs popping up between cartoons. The little diddy went: "Recycle, reduce, reuse! And close the loop." And the little logo was around a dinosaur named recycle Rex. So. Freaking. Cool. And so damn catchy it's still in my head twenty some years later.
So as I grew up, that is how I always see recycling. As a little PSA telling me to do my part before Ducktails.
Enter a dear dear friend who is much kinder to the earth than I. She said it reduce, reuse, recycle. Huh. Weird. She grew up here in Wisconsin. Maybe they had different little PSAs. And I dismissed it.
Well, one day we got to talking about stuff, and she said it again. Reduce, reuse, recycle. She continued on: the order is important. You do the first one first, and so on. You see, manufacturing items is a huge cost to the environment. Energy is used, meaning electricity and fossil fuels are spent; raw materials are used, meaning mined or cut down or drilled or whatever; the materials are then processed, which often takes a load of chemical reactions, so there are by products generated which are generally not Eco friendly; and there is transportation and packaging and warehousing and more transporting and and and.... So by the time it gets to you, the consumer, the worst what we do to the earth is done. Sure, tossing it in a landfill to not rot is a slap in the face, but simply recycling doesn't redeem that little yogurt cup in your hand. It's got a hell of a debt to pay off. And that doesn't even count the extra energy, chemicals, packaging, etc that t takes to turn the ten into something usable AGAIN. The recycling process is not as simple as sending all your pasta jars back to ragu to be refilled. They have to be broken down into usable components and reprocessed. And sometimes recycling has a worse chemical footprint because you have to get back to a raw material rather than starting there...
So back to the point: the order is key.
Reduce first. Consume less. But in bulk with less packaging or buy local with no packaging at all. Don't buy presliced or processed or packaged. All that handling costs the earth.
Next, reuse. Think. If you used every disposable item one time after its initial use, you would cut your consumption in half. I'll wait for that to sink in for you. 50% less across the board. Imagine what just that step would do for the earth. Makes you want to hang on to that plastic water bottle, doesn't it?
And finally, recycle. I'm not saying Dont recycle. We live in a world where packaging is almost inescapable. I can't buy underwear that isn't on 2 hangers and double plastic sealed for freshness. But before you just toss things in that green can in the garage, ask yourself if it is still useful, and rescue it if you can.
Okay, enough with the preachy and on to the practical. Here are a few RRR things I've done.
I (almost) never use plastic bags. I have a zillion little plastic containers that I use instead. And yes they require a quick rinse before reuse, but that's hardly the ecological impact of petroleum processing. I pack lunches with them, I store leftovers in the freezer, I put jewelry making supplies in them... I'm an equal opportunity container-er. And while I have my fair share of ziploc containers, do one better and save sour cream and yogurt containers to do the same thing. DISCLAIMER: not all plastics are safe for hot foods or microwave use. I transfer food when cold and reheat on a plate when using repurposed containers. This is important!!
I use old glass and plastic jars (labels removed) to store dry goods like rice, beans, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, and other weirdo foods so they stay fresh and I can have them out on my counter. I totally stole thus idea from "reuse first" girl. I love her. My kitchen has never been more organized. It's great for buying things from those big bulk hoppers at the store... Hint hint.
I also reuse baby food jars for storing my homemade baby food - I bought baby food on Craigslist just so I could have the jars... But that's a separate crazy lady story!
Buy in bulk instead of more packaged little things. I buy a vat of yogurt and put it in awesome little glass custard cups made by anchor hocking. Get stuff out if the aforementioned bulk bins instead of in jars or boxes or pouches. Buy the jug of juice and get a thermos. It's way cheaper that way, too. They charge you a convenience fee for all that marketing! I mean, packaging... Sorry bout that little slip... ;)
Use little plastic containers (and milk jugs with the top cut off) to start plants indoors, or for a kitchen herb garden. Wisconsin's growing season is like 6 days so many plants have to be started indoors and then transplanted. Poke Giles in the bottom, set them in their own lid, and voila you have a potted plant. Egg cartons work even better because you can just bury them in the soil and they break down. The downside is watering during the indoor phase gets... Tricky :)
Finally, I cloth diaper. Yeah yeah I know. I'm an incurable granola hippie type that doesn't live in the real world. Only I'm not. I am a stay at home mom and my kid doesn't have to go to day care, but more and more places are kosher with cloth. I assure you, it's MUCH cheaper than disposables and its not that hard to do. The diaper technology has come a LOOOONG way from our mother's and grandmother's diaper pin pricked, rubber pants wearing days. How about snaps, Velcro, and laminated diaper covers for starters? Okay enough soapboxing.
My point is, there are so many ways we can reuse what we have instead of consuming more. I'll admit, my post today was inspired by a book I am reading "7, an experimental mutiny against excess" by Jen Hatmaker. It's changing my life and I anticipate buying a copy for everyone I know. But today I started imaging a post-apocalyptic type world. What would I save if I knew there wasn't more just around the corner? Jars and lids and containers. Huge. Water? Not running down MY sink! Clothes? Only a few holes = stylish. The thing that got me the most revolves around my crafty nature. Would I EVER let a garment leave my hands without first stealing all the buttons? And the zippers?
Enter a dear dear friend who is much kinder to the earth than I. She said it reduce, reuse, recycle. Huh. Weird. She grew up here in Wisconsin. Maybe they had different little PSAs. And I dismissed it.
Well, one day we got to talking about stuff, and she said it again. Reduce, reuse, recycle. She continued on: the order is important. You do the first one first, and so on. You see, manufacturing items is a huge cost to the environment. Energy is used, meaning electricity and fossil fuels are spent; raw materials are used, meaning mined or cut down or drilled or whatever; the materials are then processed, which often takes a load of chemical reactions, so there are by products generated which are generally not Eco friendly; and there is transportation and packaging and warehousing and more transporting and and and.... So by the time it gets to you, the consumer, the worst what we do to the earth is done. Sure, tossing it in a landfill to not rot is a slap in the face, but simply recycling doesn't redeem that little yogurt cup in your hand. It's got a hell of a debt to pay off. And that doesn't even count the extra energy, chemicals, packaging, etc that t takes to turn the ten into something usable AGAIN. The recycling process is not as simple as sending all your pasta jars back to ragu to be refilled. They have to be broken down into usable components and reprocessed. And sometimes recycling has a worse chemical footprint because you have to get back to a raw material rather than starting there...
So back to the point: the order is key.
Reduce first. Consume less. But in bulk with less packaging or buy local with no packaging at all. Don't buy presliced or processed or packaged. All that handling costs the earth.
Next, reuse. Think. If you used every disposable item one time after its initial use, you would cut your consumption in half. I'll wait for that to sink in for you. 50% less across the board. Imagine what just that step would do for the earth. Makes you want to hang on to that plastic water bottle, doesn't it?
And finally, recycle. I'm not saying Dont recycle. We live in a world where packaging is almost inescapable. I can't buy underwear that isn't on 2 hangers and double plastic sealed for freshness. But before you just toss things in that green can in the garage, ask yourself if it is still useful, and rescue it if you can.
Okay, enough with the preachy and on to the practical. Here are a few RRR things I've done.
I (almost) never use plastic bags. I have a zillion little plastic containers that I use instead. And yes they require a quick rinse before reuse, but that's hardly the ecological impact of petroleum processing. I pack lunches with them, I store leftovers in the freezer, I put jewelry making supplies in them... I'm an equal opportunity container-er. And while I have my fair share of ziploc containers, do one better and save sour cream and yogurt containers to do the same thing. DISCLAIMER: not all plastics are safe for hot foods or microwave use. I transfer food when cold and reheat on a plate when using repurposed containers. This is important!!
I use old glass and plastic jars (labels removed) to store dry goods like rice, beans, lentils, quinoa, bulgur, and other weirdo foods so they stay fresh and I can have them out on my counter. I totally stole thus idea from "reuse first" girl. I love her. My kitchen has never been more organized. It's great for buying things from those big bulk hoppers at the store... Hint hint.
Buy in bulk instead of more packaged little things. I buy a vat of yogurt and put it in awesome little glass custard cups made by anchor hocking. Get stuff out if the aforementioned bulk bins instead of in jars or boxes or pouches. Buy the jug of juice and get a thermos. It's way cheaper that way, too. They charge you a convenience fee for all that marketing! I mean, packaging... Sorry bout that little slip... ;)
Use little plastic containers (and milk jugs with the top cut off) to start plants indoors, or for a kitchen herb garden. Wisconsin's growing season is like 6 days so many plants have to be started indoors and then transplanted. Poke Giles in the bottom, set them in their own lid, and voila you have a potted plant. Egg cartons work even better because you can just bury them in the soil and they break down. The downside is watering during the indoor phase gets... Tricky :)
Finally, I cloth diaper. Yeah yeah I know. I'm an incurable granola hippie type that doesn't live in the real world. Only I'm not. I am a stay at home mom and my kid doesn't have to go to day care, but more and more places are kosher with cloth. I assure you, it's MUCH cheaper than disposables and its not that hard to do. The diaper technology has come a LOOOONG way from our mother's and grandmother's diaper pin pricked, rubber pants wearing days. How about snaps, Velcro, and laminated diaper covers for starters? Okay enough soapboxing.
My point is, there are so many ways we can reuse what we have instead of consuming more. I'll admit, my post today was inspired by a book I am reading "7, an experimental mutiny against excess" by Jen Hatmaker. It's changing my life and I anticipate buying a copy for everyone I know. But today I started imaging a post-apocalyptic type world. What would I save if I knew there wasn't more just around the corner? Jars and lids and containers. Huge. Water? Not running down MY sink! Clothes? Only a few holes = stylish. The thing that got me the most revolves around my crafty nature. Would I EVER let a garment leave my hands without first stealing all the buttons? And the zippers?
Friday, November 16, 2012
Budget Friendly Living: Use less
Lately I have been a little fed up with the excess we are so used to (and EXPECT) in this country. But really that is not what this post is about. I am just taking a second to say that I will be hand making almost all my gifts this year, with a few exceptions that I got second hand over the summer. I urge you to read my post about charitable gift giving if you haven't. I know I posted it WAY earlier than people wanted to think about Christmas, but it corresponded with my birthday, so yeah. :-)
ANYWAY on to the meat of this post. My husband told me an interesting anecdote a while ago. The Tabasco makers were trying to figure out a way to increase revenue by 30%, and all the corporate execs were totally stumped. No amount of cutbacks, outsourcing, and the like would make that kind of difference. They had no way to squeeze blood out of this turnip. So they opened it up to all employees. And lo and behold, a factory line worker came up with the surprisingly simple solution: make the hole in the bottle 30% larger. WOW.
Aside from being a cute story (which may or may not be true), it exemplifies my point - businesses are in the business of selling their product. So when it says "lather, rinse, repeat" it may be less for the health of your hair than the health of their bottom line.
What?
Put simply, the manufacturers of soap, detergent, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, Tabasco, or any consumable good want you to go through their product faster so that you have to buy more. Often the recommended amounts they give are way more than you actually need. For example, your laundry detergent says "washes 100 loads" on the bottle. But when you read the back label, it says that for normal loads you only need to fill the cup 1/3 full. How many of us don't read it and just assume that 1 cup= 1 load? Most of us. Break that down further into what is ACTUALLY needed to get your clothes clean (and not have a ton of soap left in them after the wash cycle to boot) may be even less than the 1/3 cup recommended. My advice to you today: Experiment. Try using a little less of everyday things. I am not saying skimp and spread germs or don't get things clean, but do you have to have the water on full blast to rinse your hands? Or even worse, when you are lathering up? Do you need a full pump of soap to get all happy and sudsy? I know I only use about a half pump of liquid soap and it is still plenty, plus I use less water rinsing off all the excess. I know not everyone can get on board here, but I don't flush the toilet overnight. It started when I was pregnant and I got up at least 3 times a night to pee and it would wake up my husband when I flushed, so I just washed my hands quietly and snuck back into bed. And it kind of stuck cuz then it would wake the baby. And now we save water that way. I wash the toilets every week so it doesn't seem to make any difference in the cleanliness of the bowl, but hey, I understand if you're not on board. Everyone has their limits.
And don't just do it in your home, either. Think about how much soap and water and paper towel and toilet paper you use in public bathrooms (though I highly recommend flushing...). I saw a "bumper sticker" on a paper towel dispenser in a bar in San Francisco once that changed me. "Paper towels come from trees." That was it. And it totally blew my mind. I think about it literally every time I see a paper towel.
So now my challenge to you. I use less toothpaste, less soap, less shampoo, less water pressure, less laundry detergent, and less dishwasher detergent. What can YOU think of to use less of? I am totally up for new ideas to save both money and the environment. It's SUPER Green (and yes, that was an obscure nerd reference. Bonus points to those who caught it.)
ANYWAY on to the meat of this post. My husband told me an interesting anecdote a while ago. The Tabasco makers were trying to figure out a way to increase revenue by 30%, and all the corporate execs were totally stumped. No amount of cutbacks, outsourcing, and the like would make that kind of difference. They had no way to squeeze blood out of this turnip. So they opened it up to all employees. And lo and behold, a factory line worker came up with the surprisingly simple solution: make the hole in the bottle 30% larger. WOW.
Aside from being a cute story (which may or may not be true), it exemplifies my point - businesses are in the business of selling their product. So when it says "lather, rinse, repeat" it may be less for the health of your hair than the health of their bottom line.
What?
Put simply, the manufacturers of soap, detergent, shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, Tabasco, or any consumable good want you to go through their product faster so that you have to buy more. Often the recommended amounts they give are way more than you actually need. For example, your laundry detergent says "washes 100 loads" on the bottle. But when you read the back label, it says that for normal loads you only need to fill the cup 1/3 full. How many of us don't read it and just assume that 1 cup= 1 load? Most of us. Break that down further into what is ACTUALLY needed to get your clothes clean (and not have a ton of soap left in them after the wash cycle to boot) may be even less than the 1/3 cup recommended. My advice to you today: Experiment. Try using a little less of everyday things. I am not saying skimp and spread germs or don't get things clean, but do you have to have the water on full blast to rinse your hands? Or even worse, when you are lathering up? Do you need a full pump of soap to get all happy and sudsy? I know I only use about a half pump of liquid soap and it is still plenty, plus I use less water rinsing off all the excess. I know not everyone can get on board here, but I don't flush the toilet overnight. It started when I was pregnant and I got up at least 3 times a night to pee and it would wake up my husband when I flushed, so I just washed my hands quietly and snuck back into bed. And it kind of stuck cuz then it would wake the baby. And now we save water that way. I wash the toilets every week so it doesn't seem to make any difference in the cleanliness of the bowl, but hey, I understand if you're not on board. Everyone has their limits.
And don't just do it in your home, either. Think about how much soap and water and paper towel and toilet paper you use in public bathrooms (though I highly recommend flushing...). I saw a "bumper sticker" on a paper towel dispenser in a bar in San Francisco once that changed me. "Paper towels come from trees." That was it. And it totally blew my mind. I think about it literally every time I see a paper towel.
So now my challenge to you. I use less toothpaste, less soap, less shampoo, less water pressure, less laundry detergent, and less dishwasher detergent. What can YOU think of to use less of? I am totally up for new ideas to save both money and the environment. It's SUPER Green (and yes, that was an obscure nerd reference. Bonus points to those who caught it.)
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