Creative Re-Use of Food Containers

Reduce, reuse and recycle these words have been used often when talking about how to go green. It keeps items that don't breakdown into usable material or that cannot be turned into compost from taking up room in our landfills. There are a multitude of food items that come in containers that can be reused not only saving money by not buying other plastic storage items. Living in the desert southwest where critters can be a problem both four legged and crawling ones I store a lot of items in closed containers. Pretzels come in large containers at most bulk food clubs and the containers make great storage for pasta, sugar, tea bags, gravy mixes and much more. Peanut butter is another food item on most of our staples list and comes in many types of reusable containers. I store powdered and brown sugar in these as well as Kool aid packets, spices, nuts and more. I can easily see what I have on hand and now I save time when making out a shopping list.
There are many ways to save money and in our house we have started taking lunches from home. I was buying baggies to pack sandwiches and snacks in but now I buy lunch meat in the plastic containers and as they come in two sizes packing lunches is a snap. Sandwiches and snacks don't get mashed and they stay fresher longer. What a great way to save money and if a lunch does not make it home once in a while no problem grab another one off the shelf. These containers are also top shelf dishwasher safe and they stack perfectly in the cubboard!

So go green and save money get creative with how to reuse items that you purchase.

Organic Vegetables...Why They Are Better For You

When buying your groceries, remember the four Ns.
Choose food that is NATURAL, (meaning no pesticides have been used and it is as minimally processed as possible), NAKED (as little packaging as possible), NUTRITIOUS and NOW (in season).

Buy your food locally whenever possible.
Most cities have farmer’s markets where you can purchase produce, meats, breads and baked goods from local vendors. Not only are you supporting your local economy, but these are usually fresher and healthier options. You can also talk to the seller directly to find out their practices when it comes to the use of pesticides, hormones and preservatives. An added bonus is thatthe food wasn’t trucked in which means less fuel usage and fewer emissions.
Buy organic and all-natural products. In response to consumer demand, a lot of
manufacturers are now making products that are organic or use all-natural materials such
as bamboo. From clothing to hardwood flooring you can find almost anything that has
been created in a more environmentally friendly way. Although you may pay a little
more, it is worth the investment to know you are helping the planet with your choice.

If you have the space in your yard starting a small herb or kitchen garden can be very rewarding. Growing your own vegetables can be a great family project.

Getting Rid of Mice Humanely

The other day I went to the store and bought the old fashioned mouse traps, even tho I don't like them I was having a problem with the little critters getting into the house. We have chickens and have feed stored outside which is a big drawing factor. I was really desperate. When I got home from the store I put the bag down and was doing other chores when I realized that one of my gerbils got out of his cage and was running around the house loose. I tried and tried to catch him for an hour or more, finally I said a little prayer "Dear Lord please help me get my little critter back to his cage and I will not use the spring mouse traps. Well....not ten minutes later my husband yells that my little critter just went into the bathroom, so I run in and was able to scoop him up and get back to the safety of his cage. Now I cannot use the spring traps!!! So how was I to get my problem under control? So off I go to research less torturous means of catching and removing my mouse population.
One of the products I found and have used before was the Havahart trap and I have used them before to relocate pack rats that are prevalent here in the desert southwest. While that trap is good for the larger pack rats it was not helpful for the little guys that escape through the mesh. So I invested in some live capture traps as I will not use a glue or any type of trap that is not humane. Then my sister-in-law that has a hardware and feed store in East Haddam CT. sent me an electric unit that plugs into a wall socket and emits a sound that cannot be detected with the human ear. I am using that in my kitchen as the little guys soon found my pantry irresistible and moved in.  She also sent me this product that smells like peppermint and has other things that mice do not like. Well I put a packet in my pantry and I really like the smell and it really works!!! Now my kitchen and pantry are mouse free and I feel really good that I am not snapping or gluing the critters inhumanly. What a win win situation for this Arizonan.

The Challenge Is to Save Money When We Have So Much Less Money

2011...whew here it is. I will not ask what else can go wrong because it always can get worse. Last year was a real tough one on our family, but so have the last three years been. The outcome of the past is that now my hubby is considered a cancer survivor having survived Esophageal Cancer for that we are truly blessed. He is back to work and doing well only to have faced a layoff and a new job in the same industry starting out with less than 30% of his previous salary. I was laid off in December of 2008, and was able to collect Social Security that started the week after I was finished with all my extended unemployment benefits. After being laid off and my husband so sick I decided to start a business investing all my 401K monies in a home business that I could earn an income while taking care of my husband who is going to need me in the years to come, due to incurable Hepatitis C that he was diagnosed with in 2000. Who knew then how far the economy would fall! I lost my shirt so to speak, but ironically not my will to succeed. We may be facing bankruptcy this year, we are teetering on the edge right now. So how the heck do we go green when we can barely stay in the green; literally!
We unplug everything that is not in use. Even our computers which I used to leave on when I was away. Clocks come on nearly every small appliance from coffee pots to microwaves and they all use electricity even when we are not using them. How many clocks do we need anyway? I happen to have a battery operated clock in the kitchen and that takes no electricity and it is the one I look to most actually. So Unplug. It will save you dollars in the long run.
Using coupons is a great way to save. I was never a coupon user, I figured it wasn't worth my time. WRONG it is worth your time and they are easier than ever to obtain thanks to numerous coupon websites. I found I could save on my coffee creamer by going to the manufacturer's website and joining an email club for extra coupons. I save a lot of pennies that way and pennies do add up.
This year I hope to find one new way to save each week; just one a week, I can do that.