There are so many ways to be green and simple ways to save money that most people have not even thought of…such simple things we can do with every day things. By doing little things we help the environment and if we all pitch in that can make a huge difference.
Some simple things I personally do:
1. Pillows/Old Blankets, Sheets, & Comforters : most people throw them out once they are done with them, then they lay in land fills to deteriorate. Why not do this instead: if you have a dog they love to use them as beds, you can put it in their crate or even on the floor and they will lay on it. Or if you do not have a dog most local shelters accept these items so they can use them in the dog kennels so that the dogs are a bit more comfortable. So pillows, old blankets, sheets, and comforters can go a long way even if they cannot work for us anymore.
2. White Vinegar: Did you know that household cleaners have harsh chemicals in them, well vinegar can clean just about anything! Use it in laundry as a bleach alternative, clean your kitchen sink out with it, scrub your litter box with it every so often to take the strong urine smell away, so many things you can do with vinegar! There are many websites on this…I believe one is even called 101 ways to use vinegar! Do you realize how many products you can eliminate and how much money you could save just buying 1 gallon of vinegar?
3. One of the biggest things we do is FREECYCLE! Do you have old clothing, old furniture, just about anything you do not want in your home you can list on FREECYCLE! Freecycle is a great organization worldwide and in every state in America. Don’t throw your old items in the trash to fill up land fills, give them to someone who can use them. List them on freecycle, everything listed has to be offered or received for FREE! You list them and you pick a person in your area to come pick it up. And other people are offering too, so you may find something you need J Its all about reusing & recycling! Check out www.freecycle.org to sign up and find your state and county to join!
4. Borax: did you know that if you have pets, that you can use Borax in your home to get rid of fleas? It works, we have used it for years, and it is natural! No harsh chemicals, no having to worry about covering your furniture to put a bug bomb in. Alls you have to do is buy borax, roughly $3-4 a box and sprinkle it on your carpets at the end of summer beginning of fall (when flea season starts since they come in when its cold), leave it set for 5 minutes and vacuum. Make sure you empty your sweeper immediately and take the garbage outside just incase one lived. But what the Borax does is suffocate and kill the living fleas, and it also kills their eggs. We have even used it on our furniture, but depending on your material you may not want to do that. But if you think about it, this is worth it...pet meds for getting rid of fleas is EXPENSIVE...not only that, bug bomb, collars, all that can really add up. So if you stop them before they come in think of the savings!
5. SwapTree: do you know how many books get thrown aside each year…A LOT! People buy books and read them just to set them on a shelf and never touch them again, a lot of paper gets wasted, so why not recycle those old books, and not only your books, your cds, DVDs, video games….as long as they are in good condition you can trade them with other people at www.swaptree.com it is a great website that I use myself. The only money you spend is sending your item to the other person, but you trade items so you get a movie, book, cd, or game in return. It is a HUGE trading site and a great way to make sure the books, cds, games, and movies you don’t play anymore don’t end up in a land fill, but someone else can put it to use and you can in return get a new item for yourself as well and most the time you spend less that $3 (most mine cost about $1.75 media mail with delivery confirmation) on shipping depending on the size of the item. So check it out!
Until next time:
Mom of Many
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