Thirteen Thursday

Happy Earth Day! In celebration of today, I've included 13 ways you can do something for the Earth, as well as your wallet.

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1. Recycle and Reuse. There are so many easy things that people can do to reuse every day things. Keep your glass and plastic cans from pasta sauce, coffee tins, etc. Organize you’re grains, pencils, little knick nacks that get tossed around the house.

2. Buy thrift instead of brand new. Sometimes you have to, like underwear. But other times, instead of buying a $50 pair of jeans from a brand name store, try your thrift store. They have so many different styles and sizes at a couple of bucks per item.  Even better, have a clothes swap with your friends, the clothes that you never wear can be definitely used by someone else!
3. Swap or Buy used toys. Kids look at the things and then go onto the next. You get them a million dollar item from the toy store, and three weeks later it’s buried in their closet. Try getting things that interest them but older kids no longer use.

4. Save Water. A lot of people don’t know is that third world countries don’t have drinkable water. It’s a luxury to them but common here within the U.S. Take shorter showers, purchase energy efficient washers and dishwashers. It’s a tax deductible too!!

5. Do not litter. I’ve seen personally people throw entire McDonald’s bags out the window on the highway.  It’s so easy just to find a freakin’ trash can. (sorry, little peeved about this one).

6. Turn to Eco friendly cleaners. A little story: I was stupid cleaning my bathroom with scrubbing bubbles and a window cleaner. What happened? Two different chemicals combined and I got extremely sick. My son’s father had to come home and I nearly had to go to the hospital with chemical poisoning. Ever since then, I changed. Imagine your kids dropping a piece of food on the table  and eating it again, what else are they eating that you cleaned the table with? 

7. Turn off the lights. Not only are you saving some money with your electric bill, but your saving some energy also. Keep your lights off during the day and then only use a couple at night. Ourselves personally, have a little two bedroom apartment but this actually saves us a lot of money each month. Our electric bill is only 50 bucks.

8. Try the Farmers Market or even a farm. If you live close enough, try driving down a road that you know farms are. In the summer, especially on the weekends, farmers sell their own fruits and vegetables roadside. If you live in the city, try the Farmer’s Market. The carbon footprint of a drive of 10 minutes is nothing compared to the semi-trucks of hundreds of miles to bring you fruits and veggies from the other side of the country.

9. Shut off your heat. I’m dead serious. It’s 53 degrees outside and inside is 65. We shut off our heat. The amount of energy that will save is tremendous, and did I mention the lower gas bill.

10. Switch to energy efficient bulbs. One, they last longer. Two, they take less energy than a normal light bulb. A small investment that will save you money.

11. Purchase a metal water bottle. In the day and age of water in a bottle, we can’t help but wonder, what’s next? We have fresh water out of the tap, relatively clean water. If you still don’t trust it, get a home purifier. They’re cheaper than the $20 a week you buy 20 bottles of water with.

12. Walk instead of drive. Sometimes you can, it’s so much easier. Instead driving down to the store that’s a couple miles away, get the kids and take a walk. You’ll buy less at the store considering you’re thinking how much you need to lug back.

13. Stop Printing. There is no need to print anymore, with Blackberrys, ipods, ipads, kindles and everything else in-between, you need to read or research something, just look it up online. Don’t print off anything at home other than what you really need. Go paperless with bills. Print coupons online instead of clipping them so you’re really using what you print. As a former worker at a printing press, some people have no clue how much energy and waste it takes to make a simple newspaper wrap.