A Being Green Update

A year ago I was aiming for updates on this on going project about every 3 months.  It's been over 12.  So that's going really well!  But, we really have been working on making changes, some have really stuck with us and seem just second nature now!  And there are still many more I'd like to make!

In September I read Don't Be Trashy: A Practical Guide to Living with Less Waste and More Joy: A Minimalism Book by Tara McKenna. It's the first book I've read in this genre in a few months and while there wasn't anything shockingly new, it did help renew my energy towards continuing this lower waste journey we're on.  I've found that it's very help for me to read one of these a few times a year just to be reminded of what changes we can make and how they do, slowly, make a difference.

I've long been trying to throw away less and yell at other people to recycle more (more than one person has told me that they recycle more and throw away less because of my efforts!  Yelling works!) but really digging into this zero-waste movement started in the spring of 2021.  That's when I had read enough related books on the subject to really make me reconsider things we could and should be doing.  Prior posts on the subject:

{4} Books I Have Read That Have Changed What I Thought About Being Green (May 2021)
{10} Green Changes We're Making (May 2021)
More Green Changes, Three Months Later (September 2021)

Now, ideally, companies would make their products much more compostable, recyclable, reusable, easier to repair, and have much less packaging.  It often feels like my little changes like switching away from foil wrapped tea bags to loose tea really have much of a difference compared to changes that could be made by big companies.  However, just because we can't make the biggest changes doesn't mean we can't do anything.  We still use some single use plastic but we have greatly cut back.  We are more conscious about packages and my kids know, as long as we stay in environments where the tap water remains VERY drinkable...they better not even think about touching a bottle of water, much less drinking it.  (Matt & I ran a 10k at the start of the month and we took our own reuseable water bottles in our gear checked bag so we wouldn't have to take one of the plastic bottles of water at the finish line.  Although I was very thirsty and tempted!  And then Matt drank his free beer before any water...)

Following up with changes I wanted to make a year ago:

1) Online Shopping and Shipping Materials
We have cut our online shopping a bit with largely giving up Amazon, we pick up items at Target or Lowes or the auto parts store or something instead.  That helps.  I am still a VERY frequent shopper at Target and LOVE drive-up.  It saves me so much time and money.  Still trying to figure out a balance between the plastic bags I get at Target drive-up vs. the time/money I save by not going in the store (as if I never make impulse purchases through the app...)  But I am conscienous of items that are hard to ship like candles or picture frames and only try to buy those in store or via drive-up, to save on A LOT of packaging.

2) Taking My Own Containers to Stores
This is one I have been doing, to local stores at least.  I got glass, sealable, storage containers that I take to the meat market for our ground beef.  The biggest one I have can hold 3 pounds, for the rare times we throw a party and need more we do end up getting it in a plastic bag, but for our usual suppers, we've greatly cut back on packaging there!  Plus, you don't have to worry about the meat juices leaking all over the fridge when it's being thawed!

I also have been buying my loose tea leaves from the same shop where I get my bars of soap (without packaging!)  I've been taking my own glass jars (ones I already had!) in to have them filled.  The owner has been great about weighing it out for me and that saves a little more packaging!  

We could take containers along to restaurants for leftovers (I almost always have leftovers) but this isn't one I've ever remembered to do.  Some day!!

3) Silk Floss
Don't Be Trashy mentioned that silk floss breaks easily but this is still one I would like to try.  Really, I'm being the most green by rarely flossing but that's probably something I should change.  And Matt is a regular flosser.

4) Bamboo Scrubbers
I haven't done but this I am still interested in them!

5) Giving Up Microwave Meals
I have successfully given up my microwave meals, haven't bought those in nearly a year!  I've been freezing big batches of soup (although I just broke FOUR colored mason jars by overfilling them, one of many stupid mistakes I've made lately).  I eat A LOT of soup in the fall/winter/spring and making a big batch on days we are home really helps for the mornings we aren't!

6) Reusing Water
This is another one I'd still like to try but, really, I'm mostly just impatient for the water to cool.  I think I need to look for a small bucket I could put under our bathroom vanity to at least collect some of the water from warming up the shower. And then maybe I just need to learn to be patience with water from making mac n cheese or other pasta.  Although it would also involve getting out ANOTHER pot to wash so...that's my other excuse.  Plus, we don't water our outside plants in the winter, a season we are fast approaching.  But we are a "if it's brown flush it down, if it's yellow let it mellow" family and pasta water or such could be used for times when the toilet probably needs flushed.  

New changes I'm interested in!
1) Homemade deodorant
My sister almost has my talked into making my own deodorant and using that, saving on gobs of packaging, I'm sure.  I still have quite a few sticks of Secret in the cabinet that I'd like to use up but the fall/winter when I'm hardly running and it's not hot enough to sweat much seems like a good time to make the switch.  I am tempted.

2) Safety Razor
These are razors where you just switch out the blade and then can metal recycle the whole blade.  I am a bit nervous because I read somewhere that these are easier to cut yourself with and I seem to do a pretty good job of that with the plastic razors I'm currently using.  However, it seems like a fairly easy swap to make.  The razor with replacement heads I had been using for 10+ years has run out so now I'm going through fully disposable razors I've had, once I've used everything up I'll probably replace with one of these.

3) Natural Loofahs
I forget exactly what these are called but my sister was just telling me about these gourds (??) she is growing where they have a natural loofah when dried out?  She said she accidentally grew a ton so I am interested in trying those once they are ready!

4) Bar Dish Soap
My local soap shop just started selling these so we are trying it out!  It hasn't been as sudsy as the liquid we had been using but I think it's still getting the dishes clean!  From what I can tell!

5) Metal Toothpaste Tubes
My niece-in-law introduced me to some we liked but then Target stopped selling it.  I found it on Amazon for just a little more than Target so I bought 6.  The idea is that you can metal recycle the tube once the toothpaste is gone...but we've been using this for over 6 months and I have yet to clean out any of the tubes...but I still have them all!  (It was Hey Humans! - affiliate link)

Those are some things we are working on, thinking about trying, more small swaps we're working on making!  Even if it's slow and small progress, we're still plodding along!  

I'm curious if you have any other swaps or ideas that intrigue you!  Let's throw less away together!

More Green Changes, 3 Months Later

There are always many projects I have percolating at any given moment.  Besides my usual reading, reading aloud to the boys, fair weather running, parenting and general household management, I usually have some sort of home decorating project going and lately I'd added become closer to Zero Waste to that ever growing list.

Since I wrote a post in May about {4} Books That Have Changed What I Thought About Being Green and then followed it up with {10} Green Changes We Are Making, I thought it was due time for a follow-up.  Also, I read another Zero Waste book that I really liked and wanted to talk about it more.  I intend to do an update on this topic about every 3 months because they are not quick switches and it's an ongoing process.  I have learned through my years of blogging and in person inspiring (nagging if I'm being a bit more honest) on recycling that one person CAN make a difference.  

The book I read most recently was 101 Ways to Go Zero Waste by Kathryn Kellogg.  Reading a book on this topic every couple months has been a good reminder of more things I could be doing (or not doing) and a refresher on things I am kinda working on.  What I appreciated about this one was about how realistic she made it.  She said a few times that your health comes first and you shouldn't compromise your health to be zero waste but think about it in smart ways.  Also, she mostly said make-up is hard to zero-waste so do your best and Terracycle (I've been collecting that for a few years) which I appreciated because the idea of zero-wasting my make-up was overwhelming.

This book had many doable ideas and things I have probably read before but was just in the right frame of mind to implement more of them.  She also talked about using up what you have because it's not zero-waste if you are throwing something out just to replace it with something more sustainable.  A problem I've had with other books in the past is that they seem to encourage sending items to the thrift stores and then replacing with bamboo kitchen utensils or something because plastic is bad.  Well, if plastic is bad for you, it's bad for whoever is shopping at the thrift stores so it seems anti- zero-waste if you are getting rid of things just to replace them with a more sustainable option.  It's important to use up what you have unless it is detrimental to your health or safety.

Anyways, so much of what was in this little book spoke to me and it really lead to me make some changes to our life and routine.  It's certainly an ongoing project and we are not where I'd like to be yet in terms of zero-waste (we're never going to hit ZERO) but we are making steps and I hope I can encourage and inspire you to make some changes of your own!  Every small changes make a difference (Please stop buying and using bottled water unless it's an emergency...it really is the worst.)

All the things I wrote about in my May post still stand true.  Cloth napkins, very very rare paper towels, reusable water bottles, etc.  I've also been primarily using reusable bags for over a decade, when I go into stores.  

More Recent Changes:

1) Bamboo Toothbrushes
Currently three of us have switched over to these (Matt still has a perfectly usable plastic toothbrush) and they work just fine.  When they are done we'll break off most of the handle to compost and just trash the bristles.  Easy change.  Luke's been using his the longest, maybe 6 weeks, and it's been working just fine!  Sam and I switched more recently.

2) Detergent Sheets
We've been using these for a few months now and they are even easier than the powder I had been using the previous 2 years.  Sam especially takes great delight in getting out 1-2 sheets and throwing them in the washer with a load.  Another very easy change.  I linked the exact ones I have on subscription!

3) Refusing Freebies
We haven't been offered too many lately but when 3 of us went to the dentist last month I did tell them we didn't need any toothbrushes or little toothpastes (we have PLENTY for travel purposes) and we didn't need the little plastic bag.  One kid got away with a prize but it was just a pencil so I suppose that is ok (although caused a little tension with the kid who earned but didn't get a prize).  And when the whole family did races last weekend (the "final mile" for Luke's kid marathon which we all ran together with Sam in the stroller and then Matt & I did a 10k together the next morning), we avoided taking any of the offered plastic water bottles at the end by taking our own (especially easy on the kid marathon because we had water bottles there in the stroller). 

4) Loose Tea Leaves
I was very excited to make this switch but then it took me awhile to figure out where to buy loose tea leaves!  I stumbled upon some at a local soap shop and used a whole bag before going back for 2 more.  I kept track of how many servings I got from that tea and it came to 13 cents a cuppa instead of just under 12 cents SO...essentially the same.  I can pay an extra $3.65 a year for my tea.  I did buy a tea infuser from Target which cost a couple dollars but should be metal recycled when it breaks beyond repair.  I've been composting my tea leaves forever but now I'm not throwing away the little foil wrapper every day!

5) Switching to Bar Soaps
I bought bar shampoo but am still using my usual commercial shampoo from Target until it runs out.  I also bought a shave bar that I will use once my bottle of conditioner is used up AND a face wash bar I will use once my face wash bottle wears out.  These bars are all from the same store and come practically zero waste since the owner just puts them all together in a small paper bag (yes, I should take my own).  I needed to have these all on hand so the switch would be easier once what I have runs out and I'm not fumbling through a last minute Target pick-up to get shampoo.  I also need to figure out how to store all of these bars in the shower far away from a certain 3 year old who might like to try to empty a whole bottle of soap into his bath and would DEFINITELY take the opportunity to use up a whole soap bar in one bath.

6) Using Own Straws and Utensils
We become somewhat regulars at the sno-cone place over the last month and started taking our own extra cup, metal straws, and plastic spoons (that we had probably gotten there in the first place and since washed and reused).  We usually buy 3 sno-cones and all share some with Sam so instead of asking for an empty cup we take our own.  Then tell them we don't need any straws or spoons and I take cloth napkins too.  Maybe next summer I'll ask about using our own cups for all so we don't have that waste but I want to make sure the sizes are the size of the ones we buy.

I tried to convince Matt we should get bamboo travel utensil sets that we could take with us when we go places we'll be eating but then he pointed out we have A LOT of plastic utensil that we've accumulated since I NEVER throw them away when given (until they break) and just keep reusing and washing forever.  So, I need to put together little packs of those to take with us places when we might be given new sets.  Use what we have first!

7) Stopping my RA Med Delivery
I am NOT stopping taking my meds but I have one injection that I do every other week that needs refrigerated.  We had been accumulating the styrofoam coolers that they were being delivered in and then recycling or reusing some but that started to be a lot of coolers.  So I asked when they called to set-up my next delivery, asked if Matt could just pick them up since he not only works at the hospital the pharmacy is at but he works ONE DOOR DOWN.  SO, Matt now picks up my meds and we no longer have all the coolers and freezer packs coming into our home!

8) Handkerchiefs
I made these almost 6 years ago and used them constantly for awhile.  I'm not sure why I stopped (laziness, probably) and then I spent nearly 3 years pretty stuffed up (the amount of phlegm that came out of me every morning was astonishing) but now that's finally mostly cleared up and I've started using these again!  It's amazing how much more empty our trash cans are just without my constant tissues.  These are also very helpful because I always would take a tissue on my runs because my nose tends to run then but they would be pretty disintegrated by the end, my homemade ones don't have that problem!

9) Homemade Facepads
I have been using these for toner application for years but have also started using them instead of cotton balls to apply hydrogen peroxide to cuts.  They are a little strong for my eye make-up clean-up (post homemade remover) but I use those cotton balls many days before throwing them out. 

 A few just general sustainability, not necessarily zero-waste:

10) Using our Rain Barrel!
We finally got this set-up over the summer and have been draining it nearly dry between many rain showers (which have been pretty infrequent lately).  It's back by our garden so perfect for watering all of that without dragging out the main hose extra far or hauling watering cans back.  I feel so self-sufficient using our rain water. 

11) Biking/Walking More
We've put an even bigger emphasis on biking and walking more and driving the car less.  Matt still has to drive to work 4 days a week and I drive to work once a week and the grocery every other week BUT I did manage to go a whole week without driving to school drop-off and we've walked (or run or biked) to pick-up every day this school year.  We still drive but have been really working on driving less.  (I feel rather superior to the people lined up for a different school pick-up who are 75 minutes early AND RUNNING THEIR CARS WITH WINDOWS SHUT THE WHOLE TIME IN 75° BEAUTIFUL WEATHER, as I am walking to get my kid from school.  I don't fault them for driving, I'll be driving once the weather is cold (hard to push a stroller through snow) but maybe if being in AC when it's perfect outside is so important to you, you shouldn't be 75 minutes early for pick-up.)  

12) Balling Up Aluminum Foil One of my books about recycling/zero waste said you should collect all your foil (after cleaning and reusing as much as possible) and ball it all up so the machines at recycling facilities can actually pick it up.  So when we use foil and the foil from all my precious dark chocolate has been accumulating into a ball under our sink for awhile.

Things I need to work on:
1) Online Shopping and Shipping Materials
The same week I proudly showed Matt how I was now using loose leaf tea instead of tea bags, thus saving the little foil wrapper from the trash...I got a Target order in the mail with A LOT of plastic packaging.  It was a little disheartening because that was MANY MANY years of tea wrappers worth right there.  We do often shop local and try to do that before defaulting to the internet but it feels near impossible to completely give up internet shopping.  It's an easy place to find zero-waste products (I have another browser window open for some right now!) at a place that's not Amazon!

There is also my STRONG reliance on Target drive-up.  I love Target drive-up, I've averaged one pick-up a week there for probably 2+ years.  It has saved me a lot of time and money not going IN the store, pandemic or not.  However, I also have accumulated A LOT of Target bags from these, bags I wouldn't get if I was going in store since I always take my own.  It's hard to weigh the time savings vs. the plethora of plastic bags.  Although, they are most of our plastic bags since we use reusable or skip the bags nearly every where else.  I do 99% of the time choose drive-up instead of having things shipped if they are available locally because that seems like the least wasteful option of the two and is at least employing local people.  But it still weighs on me a bit.

2) Taking My Own Containers to Stores
We've been pretty faithful users of reusable bags for a decade but now I've talked to a few local stores about taking my own containers to fill-up.  I haven't actually done this because I had to get some glass containers and haven't needed to go back since BUT...I am excited to do this once I need to.   

3) Silk Floss
I don't floss nearly as often as I should (I *think* the dentist recommends more often than 5 minutes before your check-up every 6 months) but Matt is a very dedicated flosser and Luke is becoming one (I feel like it's a bedtime stalling technique?) and I like the idea of compostable floss.  I don't know how Matt feels about this and we do have quite a bit of free floss to use up first.  

4) Bamboo Scrubbers
I'm looking at bamboo dish scrubbers that can be composted when they are too beat-up to use any more (those are the browser tabs I have open right now).  I really like the idea of having something I can compost instead of just throwing something plastic away.

5) Giving Up Microwave Meals
Lunch has been a struggle with me almost the entire 8 years I've been home with kids.  Some days there is a single leftover serving left, not enough for the family but just enough for me.  That's perfect.  But other days I really struggle to figure out what to eat.  I decided last year or something that I could have a microwave meal once a week, on the day when I work.  After working a whole 3 hours (and all the running around I do to get kids where they need to be while I work) my brain is a bit fried and I give myself a lunch break with a microwave meal (I have a handful of Lean Cuisines I really like).  BUT...there is the plastic tray those come in and the box which might not be recyclable since it's coated with something to keep out freezer burn.  I am thinking about making big batches of soup to freeze individual servings of so I could thaw one for the days I work especially and then not have to think about lunch but also not have the waste.  I hope to try this soon-ish.  

6) Reusing Water
This was a tip from my aunt I need to think about more how to implement.  She said you can reuse water from things like cooking pasta and when you are just waiting for the shower water to get the right temp.  Can't say I had thought about those things!  When we were redoing our bathroom 7 years ago there was a many week period we didn't have the toilet tank hooked up so we could flush, the sewer was connected, but we had to pour water into the toilet so it would flush.  During this time I was pretty religious about saving the water from Luke's little tub (he was 15ish months) and scooping all the dishwater out of the sink, saving all of that to use to flush the toilet.  Our bathroom was under construction so a 5 gal bucket of water in the bathroom wasn't a big deal.

Now, for a variety of reasons, I don't want a 5 gallon bucket of water sitting my bathroom (we'll start with drowning hazard followed by MESS with two kids and then, small bathroom) but I would like to figure out a system for reusing more water before just letting it run down the drain.  Another not zero waste but general sustainability!

Those are some changes we've been making and some things I've been thinking about in regards to zero waste and sustainability.  We have made some steps in the past 3 months and I have ideas of more we can make!  It's exciting to think about having less to throw away and a bit of a game to find new things we can stop adding to the trash.  It's a very exciting project along side a 30+ frame decorating project I am also working on!  We can have many interests!

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{10} Green Changes We're Making

On Tuesday I wrote about 4 books that had changed what I thought about being green (actual title of that post). But reading a book doesn't do much unless there is change.  Reading a book about minimalism doesn't make me a minimalist, getting rid of stuff and buying less does.  Same with this, it's all well and good to think differently but unless I am taking real steps to change our habits, reading doesn't mean much.  (And I say that as a person who puts GREAT STOCK into reading.  Reading to change things you think can also be important but in the case of this type of book, I needed to make some changes outside my brain.)

These aren't easy steps to make overnight and we certainly have a lot of things we could still improve upon but these are some changes we have made, are making, or plan to be making soon.

1) Cloth Napkins
We did this one years ago but it is still relevant and I've heard it mentioned many times lately.  I bought a set of cloth napkins from Target a long time ago, maybe 9ish years with somewhat of the intent of turning them into throw pillows (an idea I'm pretty sure I got from Young House Love and I DID with a different set of cloth napkins, throw pillows that are still around our house although they've been restuffed and recovered since).  I have a biscuit nearly daily and I always pull one out of the freezer before my workout and wrap it in a napkin on top of the fridge.  By the time I pull it down hours later it is no longer frozen.  I eat my biscuit, shake out the crumbs, and put the napkin away for tomorrow.  

We do have a stash of paper napkins that we've accumulated from the occasional fast food stops and I'll pull those out when we have a party sometimes, if napkins seem needed but otherwise we just use our cloth ones, wash them (or not, in the case of my biscuits) and reuse.

2) Rags instead of Paper Towels
We use paper towels at the lake but haven't used them at home for anything beside grease in maybe a decade.  We have a healthy supply of rags in the kitchen, largely worn out socks and hand/dish towels that have gotten too thin.  Use them, wash separately from the rest of the laundry, and reuse.

3) Reusable Water Bottles
We all have at least one reusable water bottle (or, in the case of Luke and I, 3 each).  I despise bottled water except in cases where it is actually needed (natural disasters, contaminated water supply, etc.).  My water bottle goes nearly every where with me (even stays in the car during Mass, we had a weekday Mass last fall where I had a tickle in my throat I couldn't get rid of so I ran out to my car and got some water to settle it down, especially crucial since drinking fountains are still taped off every where I've seen).  I have absolutely no problems drinking our tap water (we also have a filtered pitcher in our fridge) and it's saved us money and a ton of waste.

4) Composting
We've been composting to varying degrees of success for over 10 years.  We throw in all fruit/veggie scraps (besides peach pits, I dug though 10 years of compost and those still hadn't decomposed), bread scraps when those exist, weeds and such from the yard, dryer lint when I remember to take it out from the basement, coffee grounds, and my used tea bags.  I've changed my mind on our system a lot in the past 6 months and I still don't exactly know what we're doing with it going forward but I HAVE turned our compost completely over twice in the past 6 months which is 2 more times than I had done it in the previous 10 years.

5) Stop buying string cheese
Cheese is a staple in Sam's diet and him and I used to each have a string cheese for our morning snack.  Well that's a lot of wasted plastic and it was more expensive per ounce than the cheese blocks.  For now I've been buying an extra half pound block of cheddar and slicing it up for snacking purposes.  This still has the waste of the block's wrapping but is much less than all the individually wrapped string cheeses.  I need to be buying my cheese in bigger than half pound blocks so there is even less plastic but that would also involve going somewhere besides Aldi so I have to figure that out.

6) Shopping Local
I started a new project on Instagram where every Tuesday I highlight a local business I've used and enjoyed.  This is obviously most relevant if you live in the same area as me but if not, I hope to at least inspire people to do more shopping local wherever they are.  That's not to say we never ship stuff, I am about to place a Target order with some shipped items (although I do drive-up pick-up for everything that I can even though THAT has netted me a TON of plastic bags from that so it's not perfect either) and we have some Amazon orders we are waiting on.  Very nearly all the books I buy come from either The Bookshelf (an indie in Georgia) or Thriftbooks (affiliate link there, we both get points if you buy something) so those are all shipped too. BUT, we are really working to shop local more which means less shipping materials and all that transportation to get things to us.  Baby steps.

Those are changes we've made years ago that are very easy for anyone to incorporate.  Now moving onto things I plan to do soon!

7) Bamboo Toothbrushes
I like these because you can break off the bristles and compost the handle so just the bristles and the tiny bit holding them get thrown away.  I just (literally just, writing this post motivated me to finally complete the order) ordered these exact ones from Etsy so we'll see how they work!

8) Stop buying individual yogurts
Matt and the boys are pretty regular yogurt eaters.  I have one the one morning a week I work.  But that's a lot of wasted plastic that really isn't recyclable so I am trying to move us all to a bigger tub of yogurt that we then flavor ourselves.  I am getting resistance on this and it's still plastic that maybe isn't recyclable.  I once made yogurt pretty regularly but nobody liked it besides me.  Maybe I need to try a new recipe or in the Instant Pot.  For now, we're going to the bigger tub.   

9) Detergent sheets
I believe I heard about these on the Minimalist Mom podcast.  I know I was listening at work because I immediately paused the podcast, did a google search, and e-mailed myself the link to these from my work e-mail.  I haven't bought them yet because I had just bought more our of powder detergent but I plan to when we need more.  The idea is the detergent is a sheet that disintegrates in the washer and then all you are left with are the box that is fully recyclable.  I buy our powder in a waxy-coated cardboard box which doesn't seem very recyclable so these seem like a better option for nearly the same price as I had been paying.

10) Shampoo Bars
My niece-in-law has been talking to me about these for awhile and I finally decided I need to give them a try once all the shampoo & conditioner I have on hand finally runs out (I might have a lot).  I've been very resistant because I feel like I FINALLY have figured out what products work with my hair and I hate to screw that up BUT...what I use isn't even in the recyclable plastic bottles so it's really not great and a lot of people have raved about the shampoo bars so I at least have to try them. 

These are the steps we've been making or plan to make soon.  A lot of people making changes that feel small can make a big difference but I can also make a difference just by making changes around our household. And once we've adjusted to these we'll change a few more things!  A little bit at a time!  

I'd love to hear if you've been making any swaps like this, I'll be looking for my next set of steps!

{4} Books That Have Changed What I Thought About Being Green

Being "green" is something I have been interested in for awhile, probably going back to my parents' very careful recycling when I was a kid.  We rarely had curbside recycle pickup so we'd dutifully sort it all in the garage and then about once a month my Dad would fill the back of the van to make a big drop at a recycle center in a Sam's Club parking lot.  We didn't just recycle but also did a lot of reusing (my Mom, to this day, sends us home with leftovers in butter tubs) and they've composted my whole life.  

I've written various posts on the subject over the years, often relating to cloth diapering (something I am so glad we did, the more I've been reading lately, but that's easier to say when I'm not currently cloth diapering).  A lot of my posts have been about recycling because I have often seen people NOT recycling, which is super easy where we live because we have a giant wheelie cart for recycle and another for trash.  In the city we have no choice but to pay for trash AND recycle pick-up.  We pay for it, they give us the tub, there is no reason not to do it.  Few things raise my blood pressure like people throwing recyclables in the trash (there are a lot of other things that can make me mad, but this one is SO EASY NOT TO DO).

It tracks that I would read books about being green and living a more sustainable life.  It's something I am very interested in and a big reason I have only volunteered in the school cafeteria a handful of times - the waste they generate is staggering and that's just ONE school in a city with dozens.  I KNOW it's a project I really should tackle but it just seems so overwhelming.  Also, COVID so we parents haven't been allowed in the school all year.  

Just in 2021 I've, somewhat accidentally, have read 4 books that really made me rethink a lot of our shopping and consumption patterns.  Simply recycling something isn't good enough although that's better than throwing it in the trash if it's recyclable.  We, the big whole world WE, need to reduce our consumption, especially of one-time use plastics, to help save the planet.  I don't care if you believe in global warming or not, we've got one planet and we need to take care of it. 

If you are looking for some inspiration or ways to change your life, try one of these:

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Can I Recycle This? A Guide to Recycling Better and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics by Jennie Romer, illustrated by Christie Young
Yes!  There are illustrations in this one and they are adorable.  This is the one I read the most recently and in one single day, maybe 2 hours.  It's a very low commitment book that taught me a lot.  She goes into pretty good depth of a standard recycling program, what they actually can accept and what they can't.  Obviously, there are hundreds of different programs in America and they all probably vary just a little so, of course, follow local guidance.  BUT, I still learned a lot about how ours probably works.   A good half of the book is just going through specific items like light bulbs, batteries, face masks (hello, COVID world), straws, and so much more, telling you if they are recyclable or how to recycle them or how to dispose of them. 

I learned to leave my lids on bottles that we are recycling because the lids are too small to be picked up otherwise.  That most plastic sorting machines can't pick out black plastic so it's not really recyclable.  That cereal boxes are very recyclable.  That foil, like yogurt lid tops and candy wrappers, etc. should be balled up all together or the magnets won't find them.  That despite having a recycle symbol, that those little yogurt containers aren't really recyclable.  AND MORE.  Like I said, this was the final of these 4 that I read and really drove home even stronger the drive to make changes in our lives.  Sorry boys, no more little yogurt containers!

Sustainable Minimalism: Embracing Zero Waste, Build Sustainability Habits That Last, and Become a Minimalist without Sacrificing the Planet by Stephanie Marie Seferian
Minimalism is something I am very interested in and have read many books on the topic in the past ~6 years but I haven't seen many other books that tackle being a minimalist in a zero-waste kind of way.  Really, the two teachings go rather well together.  The less that comes into your house the less you have to figure out how to dispose of.  This books combined both of those in ways that felt doable and not overwhelming.

I've read other zero waste books but this is one that really got me taking actionable steps towards living zero waste.  There are many items we've been doing for at least 10 years - cloth napkins, rags instead of paper towels (we have paper towels solely to deal with grease, since it's a bad idea to throw grease soaked rags into the washer), and reusable water bottles (I spend more time in close proximity to my water bottle than I do to my husband).  This book gave me some ideas, many I had heard before but this time they just seemed to stick better.  It helped me see how I can live like a quasi-minimalist (I don't think I'll ever have as little as I'd like as long as I have a husband and kids in the house and I'd really like to keep them around) as well as really reducing our trash.

Living Without Plastic: More Than 100 Small Swaps for Home, Travel, Dining, Holidays, and Beyond by Brigette Allen and Christine Wong
This one is exactly what the title says - more than 100 small swaps to live without plastic.  Very practical and helpful for very specific ways to have less plastic, especially one time use plastic, in your house.  Now, I haven't done NEARLY all of these, there are a lot of potential changes and some of them are easier to do than others (I have never seen milk sold in glass jars in my life and would it even be affordable for the amount of milk we drink (~4.5 gallons a week) if I could find it??).  It did give me some good easy changes to make though as starting points as we move away from what we've always done to things that are better for the environment.  I've read many an article or book on the topic but then quickly become overwhelmed and not know where to move forward.  This gives the steps forward, easy to pick and choose which are easiest for you to do!

Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade by Adam Minter
It is easy to remember what I learned from this book because it is completely different from the others but still gave me so much to think about in terms of what we consume and how we recycle.  It is about the business of recycling, as in what happens to our recyclables after our bins are picked up.  I have thought about how much I'd like to see our local recycle center, to see what actually happens but this goes beyond that.  How do all these items actually get recycled?  For years the answer was China.  They were shipped to China where they were dealt with in ways that were harmful to the environment and the people who were dealing with them. 

This book is 6 years old and things have changed with China in the meantime but it was was still so interesting.  I can't say it's the most riveting book I've ever read but it was WAY MORE riveting than I expected a book about trash and recyclables to be.  It's a world I never imagined.  It largely dealt with electronics and metal recycling but there was a fair bit about plastics and other items too.  I liked that the local metal recycle place where Matt takes our stuff was mentioned and in pictures (even if it called our skyline "modest" which might be true but it didn't need to be pointed out).  I don't know that I made any concrete changes to my life yet from reading this but it gave me a lot to think about, especially when I followed it up with all the books listed above.  

So where to go from here?  On Thursday I plan to share a few of the changes we have make/plan to make (some things need used up before they can be replaced with some greener!) as we work on reducing the plastic in our lives, particularly of the single-use variety.  I want to do my part to keep this planet being healthy and small swaps made by many people do make a difference.  We can all make a difference.  We just need to know where to start.

Cloth Diapering, Again

It's been a year since we started cloth diapering Sam; he was six weeks old.  And I was terrified.

We made the decision to cloth diaper Luke before he was even home from the hospital, maybe even before he was born.  I excitedly ordered 12 cloth diapers for $300 the day we brought him home.  I was scared to start cloth diapering but once we got into a routine with it I really did like them.  As much as anyone likes diapering. 

I packed up Luke's cloth diapers over two years before we got Sam, a little sad about it.  For almost Luke's whole life to that point we had been washing diapers about every 36 hours.  I thought about diapers probably more than disposable diaper parents because we always had to make sure we had some clean and switched the laundry loads.  It was a marker of how fast time passes when we packed those away.

Regardless, when Sam was six weeks old and big enough to fit in cloth, I was scared to start.  It had been over two years!  Was I going to remember how to do this?  Remember to switch laundry loads?  Spray out the gross ones?  Have diapers drying in the house very regularly?  Would he leak?  How was this going to work???

It was like I hadn't spent 2+ years already dealing with, surviving, and even learning to like all these problems.

So we started.  And it didn't take long for things to not go well.

We had a lot of leakage problems.  It was a frequent occurrence.  

Then within six months of starting almost all of our original diapers were in shreds.  I was DEVASTATED when the first one came out of the laundry like that.  They had cost $25 each and even though we had recouped our costs just using them with Luke, we had counted on being able to use them with subsequent kids!  I didn't want to buy all new diapers, I didn't know what the heck had happened to these, and I liked them!  And what do we do with cloth diapers that no longer function?  Throwing them away didn't seem right!

Luckily, my sister had a large stash, had stopped cloth diapering her own kids, and sold me 11 for a good price.  They were the same brand we had bought originally but a different style.  We had also been gifted two new cloth diapers when Sam was born and had one diaper that Luke had used.  Bringing our stash to 14.  I went through a slightly reduced level of fear of starting new diapers but it all worked out.  Bonus, these new ones dry faster!

And that's where we've been for about seven months now.  Leaking hasn't been a problem for months. We are still using cloth diapers 80% of the time.  Disposables for overnight at home, for sitters, and any time we are away from home overnight (i.e. vacations, lake trips).  We've sprayed out so many that the lever to flip to the handheld sprayer in our shower (which is close enough to the toilet to use as our diaper sprayer) just broke last week, but is still usable.

It feels like cloth diapering should have been easier the second time around.  It was not.  Or maybe we just expected to snap back into a routine when it still took some adjusting, some figuring things out.  But I am glad we are cloth diapering again.

A big reason we did the cloth diapers in the beginning was the cost savings.  We knew we'd be buying formula and figured we could make up some of that cost by using cloth diapers.  And I still do like saving money but I think the bigger issue for me now is keeping stuff out of the landfills.  We've switched to many reusable products like cloth napkins, reusable shopping bags, and I always wash plastic silverware to use again (even though I don't buy any, we still, somehow, end up with a lot).  Cloth diapers fit right in with those.  It feels like we throw so much away and I'm always looking at ways to reduce that. 

We spent $427 on diapers in Luke's first year.  Over 75% of that was our initial cloth diapers.

We spent $145 on diapers in Sam's first year.  50% was our second stash of cloth diapers.

Will these diapers last for a next kid?  I'm not counting on it this time but it sure would be nice if they did!  Either way, cloth diapering, for over three years total, for two kids, has saved us a lot of money and saved the Earth a lot of trash.  I am glad the me of six years ago decided to try them.
  

Other Cloth Diapering Posts:
A Big Cloth Diapering Post (June 2013)
Real Expenses: One Year of Formula & Diapering (April 2014)
Cloth Diapering - Two Years In (May 2015)
So Long, Farewell...Cloth Diapers (February 2016)

When Recycling Isn't so Easy

Recycling is a pretty big deal for me; I probably got the bug from my parents.  We didn't have curb-side recycling for most of my growing-up years but we would dutifully sort our recyclables into 5-7 categories in the garage and then my Dad would take it all to the semi trucks in the Sam's Club parking lot about once a month.  It could fill the back of the Astro van.  8 people = a decent amount of recycle.  It would have been easier to throw it all away (which was picked up at the street) but we recycled because it was the right thing to do.

Of course, it's better not to consume in the first place because recycling can still place a burden on the planet and it's resources (Don't even get me started on bottled water.  SO UNNECESSARY to most of the developed world.) but it's (almost always) better than throwing it in the trash.

What it boils down to for me is not wanting to destroy this planet that God gave us.  As far as we know, this is the only planet that can sustain human life.  We shouldn't cover it with garbage.  It is our duty not just as Christians but as humans.  (Get me on a soapbox and I could go on and on about this.)


I will fully admit to yelling at people for not recycling (generally just people I know...not strangers) but, you know what, more than one person has told me that they recycle because of my yelling.  Because I started it at my former office.  Because they hear me yelling at them every time they try to throw a beer bottle in the trash can.  Matt started recycling cans at his work (which we then get to cash in, woo-hoo!) which got a coworkers to start using her curbside bin at home.  Yelling at people (or even just nicely encouraging them) can make a difference.

We have a pretty good curbside recycling program here that takes care of most of our basic plastics, paper, cans, jars, etc.  All the standard recycle stuff.  I'd very heavily encourage you to use whatever resources are available in your area for all that basic stuff.  Ours is as easy as throwing all recycables together in one giant bin that is next to our giant trash can (you can guess which one needs put to the curb every pick-up day...it's not the trash bin).

But then there are plenty of things that we consume that they DON'T take and this is how we recycle those things.  We could still do better and I am somewhat anxiously awaiting the day we get curbside compost pick-up (It's a thing!  I want it!)  This is by no means a comprehensive list and I encourage you to use a site like Recycle Nation or Earth 911 to look-up how to recycle odd items in your area.  We are all living on this planet, we have a obligation to take care of it, and to teach our kids to do the same.  (And please don't drink bottled water unless you are in a place where the tap water is truly unsafe to drink...reusable bottles are your friend!)

Batteries - regular and rechargable batteries can be dropped off to Batteries Plus, usually free of charge

Electronics - Best Buy takes many dead/outdated electronics, many for free.  Wipe your hard drive, monitors cost (please DO NOT throw electronics away!).  Staples also has an electronic recycling program.  Also, check locally, Matt has recycling various computer pieces and monitors at the same place we take our metal recycle. 

Ink Cartridges - Matt takes the toner cartridges from work to Office Depot and gets some reward for them but we've never redeemed them...  Also free bins at Target and other stores. 

Plastic Shopping Bags - I take ours to Wal-Mart because I've found they have the largest boxes for them (and we need large boxes) but Target, Kroger, and other stores take them too.

Scrap Metal - We take all of ours (ALL, down to beer caps and scrap nails) to a local scrap metal place.  And get money for it.  The payout usually isn't much but we can easily fill the Jeep once or twice a year with scrap metal and it's better than all of that ending up in a landfill. 

About a year ago one of my brothers-in-law told me about Terracycle which has programs you can sign-up for to recycle what I always thought of as really un-recycable things.  I couldn't get Matt to go for a Zero-Waste box (and at $367 for a box we could easily fill in a month...I kinda see why) but I have signed up for multiple different programs where I collect things and then send them in a few times a year.  I get points based on weight and those points can be redeemed as a donation to a non-profit of my choosing.

I collect for the following programs:

Baby Food Pouches (squeezies)
Oral Care Items (toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, floss containers)
Personal and Beauty Care (make-up containers, hair care bottles/tubes, more)

I can't find a way on their site to find people collecting in your area so I realize this isn't much help unless you know somebody who is or start collecting on your own (and paying to ship it to me, even if I wanted to share my address with the internet, so I can ship it for free doesn't seem like the best idea).  BUT, I'm pretty excited about not having to throw away any of the items above and keep bins in my basement to sort them all out.  I don't really care about the money I've "earned" (and it hasn't been much yet) but it is making a small impact on what goes into our trash bin.  I'm always working to get that less.

We aren't perfect but I do think it's worth going the extra step beyond what your region might easily provide.  I doubt I'll see major sustainable life on another planet in my lifetime and I don't want to leave this one filled with trash for my kid.  Please do your part.

I'd challenge you to find one thing you'd normally throw away and instead figure out how to recycle or properly dispose of it.  I have a collection of spray paint cans, empty paint buckets, and expired/no longer needed medications in the garage, all of which I need to figure out!  And I welcome any suggestions or tips on other places and things to recycle!  I truly do!

(If you want to feel inadequate, no matter how much you recycle, read Zero Waste Home.  I mean, I'm not making my eyeliner from burnt almonds soo...fail.)

So Long, Farewell...Cloth Diapers

We had a big day recently.  I did a final strip and wash of our cloth diapers and packed them away for "brother/sister". (If you ask Luke if he wants a brother or a sister he says "Brother! Sister!  Both!" so he's  fully on board with this twins thing too.)  It's crazy to think that stage of our lives is over for now, over for Luke.  And it was surprisingly a little bittersweet!

We really started potty training last fall, when Luke was 2½ and since then we've only done diapers for sleeping: nap and bedtime (because he most definitely still naps, I refuse to let him give those up yet!).  (If you want to completely freak yourself out about potty training, read Oh Crap!.  I did and I was terrified to start, but we did survive.  And haven't done diapers for any awake time since we started.  So there is that.) We tried to do cloth for both nap and overnight, once our disposable stash ran out (which included emergency diapers from our cars and many in a size 2 below what he should have been wearing).  That worked for naps (when he had been wearing them anyways) but not for bedtime for a variety of reasons.

He recently insisted on wearing his underwear for naps and I kept these out for about a week, just in case, but it's gone well about 75% of the time and I didn't want to have a crutch anymore so it was time to pack them up.

I ordered our main stash the very day we brought him home, while he napped in the bouncy seat next to me.  It took us another month to start, until he was big enough and I mustered up enough courage.  For months we were washing diapers about every 36 hours.  Washing diapers was a big part of my life.  I mean, I was doing that every other day.  We've had this view hundreds of times by now:

More than a few times we'd forget to switch them from the washer to the dryer and one of us would be out of bed at 11:30, when we finally remembered, to do so.  I will not miss those times.  Not one bit.  But as I was getting the tubs out of the attic to pack these up, I had to move aside some of his old baby gear: baby bathtub, johnny jump-up, parts to his booster seat, the napper, boxes of clothes he's outgrown, and it's just another reminder of how old our baby is and how fast it all went.

The days can be long.  Really really long (I write this in the middle of a horrible week which included an extra doctor's visit and midnight 911 call with 7 different medicines on the counter and too little sleep for all 3 of us.  As well as 10+ hours of overtime for Matt.) But the years are so short.  There are blog posts all over the internet and pins on Pinterest reminding parents of young kids to enjoy it all because it goes so fast and you never get these years back.  And that's true.  But also hard to remember and enjoy when you're spraying a diaper for 5 minutes or telling your 2 year old not to turn up the music and then see him look right at you and do it anyways (and that's just the tip of the iceberg.  Hello, terrible twos!).

So it's not so much I'll miss cloth diapers but more what they represent.  I have countless pictures of Luke's first summer, when it was hot and he wore onesies almost exclusively, of these diapers sticking out the bottom.  The picture I have from the first time he was up on his hands and knees you can see one of these.  They make appearances in many of his monthly pictures (until he started wearing his monkey suit all the time...we were just reminiscing about that!)  We started these with a baby, 6 weeks old, and ended them with a toddler, getting too close to 3.  When we started and were in the middle of it, it was hard to imagine a time where we wouldn't be diapering.  But now we are (basically) there.  Almost three years in a blink of an eye.  I feel like I could turn around and he'd be headed to kindergarten (which we are closer to than we are to when we started cloth diapers).

We used to talk about how many more we'd buy if we got another baby before Luke was out of diapers.  That part is a little painful, our kids having a bigger gap than we would have liked.  But I have to say, there is something pretty wonderful about being mostly diaper free.  And it's not just getting my dining table back.

I have only very occasionally regretted cloth diapers and those were probably all times the diaper sprayer or the hose was needed.  As long as we debated it, I know we made the right choice for us.  These have held up wonderfully, not a single snap missing and very little visible wear.  They aren't quite as white as when we started but many days of drying in the sun has kept them whiter than I ever expected.

I know we'll pull these out again.  And when we do I'll probably be so thrilled at having kid #2 (or #2 and #3! Just continuing to put that out there...) that being back in diapers won't even be a big deal.  Pulling these out will almost be like seeing an old friend again.  Well done, diapers.  Well done.

(Original cloth diaper posts if you would like more information (especially how much money they have saved us!):  A big cloth diapering post, Updates on diapering, Real expenses: one year in, Cloth Diapering - two years in And, as always, I welcome any and all questions about cloth diapering!)

Homemade Handkerchiefs

In my continuing quest to reduce our trash, I thought we could stop buying tissues and I could make handkerchiefs. My husband had differing opinions on this though and tissues have, so far, stayed in our house.  However, I knew I could at least reduce the tissues I threw away by making some handkerchiefs.  Even better, I cut up a sheet (our favorite sheet!!) that had recently worn some holes in it.  We got 9+ years out of it though so I guess it got plenty of life as a sheet before it was reduced to cleaning up my nose. 

These were super simple to sew and used the same general process as the face pads I made a few weeks earlier.  Because it was so similar to the face pads I didn't take step-by-step pictures but it was easy enough to figure out.

1) Since I was using the fitted sheet, I first cut out the elastic and then the sewn corners that made it a fitted sheet.  The elastic we kept for tying up camping supplies and I composted the seams.  Then I laid out my sheet and cut rectangles about 9" x 18". 

2) I folded the good sides together (so they were inside out), pinned, and sewed around 3 full sides and about half of the last side. 

3) Flipped them right side out (soooo much easier to flip these than the little face pads!), pushed out the corners with a pencil, tucked in the unsewn part, and than sewed around the whole edge, about ¼ inch in, with colored thread.  That was it!  It was a great way to practice my sewing and use up a bunch of random bobbins. 

I made about 12 handkerchiefs but could certainly use more!  I didn't use nearly the whole sheet but it never hurts to have extra, free, fabric around!  These are great for little sniffles.  And softer than tissues!  And don't leave that tissue dust all over your purse!  For $0 and about 2 hours of work, I'm very happy with them.  I'll probably make more so I don't have to resort to using tissues at all for my next cold!

You, like Matt, may be wondering where I'll draw the line on reusables over one time use.  Toilet paper.  I don't see myself ever switching to something besides throwaway toilet paper.  I do have some standards.

DIY: Facewashing with Basics

 I made the homemade face pads and now needed something to use with them.  I was interested in making some beauty items after switching to mostly homemade cleaning supplies and really liking buying less and knowing better what goes into each item.  With cleaning supplies, I mostly buy a handful of items that can make all the cleaners I need; I like things that can be used multiple ways because it's less to buy and store.  It's also generally cheaper to make than buy.  I'm always looking for ways to cut back on our spending and so finding cheaper, easier, and simpler ways to wash my face definitely interested me.  Having things like apple cider vinegar have multiple functions around the house is pretty great too.  One bottle to buy and store but serves many purposes.

This is my nighttime face wash routine, I have a homemade scrub I use in the shower that I will be sharing later in the week.  Once I had the pads made finishing up this new process was pretty simple.

What You Will Need:
-homemade face pads

-2 bottles (mine are from the travel section at Target and were $1 each)
-apple cider vinegar
-witch hazel
-tap water
-eye make-up remover
-mesh bag for washing face pads
-moisterizer

Astringent
-roughly 50/50 mix of water and witch hazel

Known as a natural astringent, it can help remove excess oil and dirt from pores as well as help shrink pores and prevent future breakouts. 

Toner
-roughly 2:1 mix of water and apple cider vinegar

Works as a natural toner to help close up pores and brighten skin.  Also feels nice and cool!

My Routine:
1) Use a face pad soaked (not completely but enough) of the witch hazel astringent all over my face.  This also works as a make-up remover.  I rinse this in water (to help remove the make-up) before tossing in a mesh bag hung on the side of our bathroom vanity.

2) Rinse face with warm water.  Dry.

3) Use a face pad soaked in apple cider vinegar all over face and let dry.

4) Use the back side of the toner pad (usually isn't soaked through) or a cotton ball with eye make-up remover around my eyes.  Toss face pad in mesh bag.

5) For now I use a commercial face moisturizer but certainly open to trying some homemade ones eventually!

6) The night before or the morning of laundry day I zip and toss the whole mesh bag of dirty face pads down the laundry chute (literally inches away, you can see it in the picture).  I wash and dry them all in the bag and stack back in the bathroom cabinet.  Takes about 30 seconds. 

That's it!  Mostly with homemade components and only take a few minutes to wash my face at night.  On my nights to give Luke a bath I do this while supervising him which makes my own pre-bedtime routine go just a little bit faster!

Coming tomorrow, the aforementioned homemade face scrub.  Been using it well over 2 years and I still love it!

Sources: uses for witch hazel, apple cider vinegar toner

DIY: Homemade Facepads

I've been slowly working on reducing what we throw away, thinking about what fills our trash can and elminating as much as I can.  Unfortunately a large portion is packaging and that's a hard thing to reduce.  It's possible but takes some extra work.  So I'm starting with the "easier" things.  I've written before about cloth diapering and making cloth wipes.  We don't buy paper towels, paper napkins, disposable plates/bowls/silverware, or small baggies/ziplocs.  I'd much rather spend a little more for reusable items than one-time use (like cloth napkins or using rags instead of paper towels).

Since switching to mostly cloth wipes, the thing taking up the most space in our bathroom trash was disposable face wash pads.  I could do something about that.  I still consider myself a pretty beginner sewer but these were easy enough, even for me.  It took a few nap times to get the pieces all cut and sewed but those hours (and about $5 in fabric) are worth it save on some trash.  This might sound involved but I promise, it's really not.

Homemade Face Pads
What you will need:
-flannel fabric (I bought 1/2 yard each of two fabrics and have leftovers of both)
-batting (bought 1/2 yard and have leftovers)
-thread
-scissors
-sewing machine
-pins

Here we go!

1) Start by cutting out 3inch squares of all fabrics.  These will be three layers - a top flannel, an interior batting, and a bottom flannel.  I didn't have a super great cutting method: cutting out a 3inch square of cardboard and tracing around it before cutting out.  My squares weren't perfect but they worked.  I had 30+ of each fabric.

2) Layer the fabrics as shown:
   top layer, pattern in
   bottom layer (pattern facing top pattern, if there is one)
   batting

Pin.

I really struggled with this until I started to think about the batting and bottom layer as one piece.  You will flip these right side out as if they are one piece.

3)  Start sewing about 1/4-1/2 inch on one side and continue almost all the way around the square (remember, you want your pattern facing in here!),  You need to leave a big enough hole to flip right side out.  I also found it was easier to do the finishing stitches if my hole was in the middle of one of the sides instead in a corner.

Snip the corners, making sure not to cut through the stitching!

4) This will leave you with all three fabrics sewn together and read to be flipped!

5) Flip right side out, treating the batting and back layer as one (you'll flip between the two flannel layers). 

Turn out the corners as best as you can.

6) Finish with a 1/4 inch stitch all the way around, making sure the unsewn hole (from the flipping) is tucked in and sewn.  You shouldn't be able to tell where this was after this sewing.

7) Ta-Da!  That's it!

This took about an hour to cut out all the fabrics and maybe another hour and a half to two hours to sew everything together.  Really, not a bad time commitment for something I hope to use for many years!!

I'm planning a whole series this week on homemade beauty related things, mostly face washing related.  Next up is what I use with these pads to wash my face every night.  Get excited.

Source (with some modifications): Quiddity Quilts

6 Things to Save from the Trash/Recycle

I'm a big fan of repurposing items or reusing before they are tossed (trash or recycle).  We still throw away more things than I would like and obviously recycle a lot but if we can reuse things before they are tossed, that's even better.  Here are seven things we reuse around our house before the end up in the trash or recycle.

1) Food Containers into Freezer Boxes

I own few actual freezer boxes but most of my cooked beans, fruits, and veggies are frozen in used sour cream containers.  I easily have over 30 at this point and at some point in the late summer they are all full in the freezer.  They aren't quite as space efficient as freezer boxes (being round and all) but are "free" and still stack pretty great.

2) "Dope" Jars turned Jam Jars

In a similar fashion, most of my homemade jam (strawberry and apricot, separately, this year) is frozen in used dope (ice cream topping) jars.  Really any jar would work but these are nicely sized for jam and I like that they are tall and skinny.  Many of my jam jars come from my Grandma which I love.  She's the one that taught us about "dope" and we ate a lot of ice cream with her over the years.

3) Produce Bags Turned Dish Scrubbers

We try to eat mostly seasonal fresh fruit which means mostly oranges, grapefruit, and bananas in the winter.  I don't eat grapefruit but Luke and I shared at least an orange a day most of last winter.  That meant buying a lot of bags of oranges.  Which is also great because those bags are great dish scrubbers.  I usually roll up two together and would use them until they got gross.  I didn't feel as bad tossing them when they had served two purposes! 

4) Cereal Bags Instead of Wax Paper

This is another one I learned from my Grandma (she was a smart lady).  I cut off the seams and use these for layering between frozen baked goods (like cookies or muffins) or for covering my kitchen scale before sectioning out bun dough.  These work just as well as wax paper for those purposes.  I had to stop saving my cereal bags just because we go through cereal way faster than I do wax paper but once our supply dwindles I'll start saving again.  I don't think I'll have a need to buy wax paper again!

5) Dryer Sheets for Swiffer Cloths

This was a great tip I learned from my cousin the year I lived with her in college.  Commercial dryer sheets can be reused as swiffer cloths.  I use homemade dryer sheets now but still have a stash of used commercial ones that will last me awhile considering I usually only swiffer once a month (don't be grossed out, our bedroom is the only floor that needs it).  I attach them like normal and they pick up plenty of hair and dust.  I'm always shocked at how much hair is lurking on our floor, although, I shouldn't be because I am picking it off my clothes all the time. At my current rate of usage, we will probably move out of our house before I run out of dryer sheets to use.

6) Wine Bottles Turned Decor

We are not big wine drinkers.  If I'm not actively doing something it'll put me right to sleep.  Our wine drinking is mostly family holiday events although we do go through a few bottles a year on our own (we have a few favorites).  And when I do buy wine...I buy partially based on the color of the bottle.  Lucky for me, Aldi carries two sweet wines I enjoy, one sold in a pretty green bottle, the other in a blue bottle.  Each under $6.  Who says wine has to cost more than (vacation) milk? (#Friendsquote).  I save these bottles and use them in decorating around the house.  There are currently some in the kitchen, Matt's office, my office, and both halves of our front room (seen here and here).  And plenty more places I would use them if I had more.  They add great color and make for fantastic bookends.  And if I ever get really sick of them, into the recycle bin they go (but I won't.  I love blue glass too much for that).

7) Hardcover Books Turned Decor (BONUS)

I have a thing for buying books.  Both for myself and for Luke.  Not brand-new books I've never read (there is only one author I will do that for) but books I've read and enjoyed and can get for a couple bucks?  Sold.  Many times.  I'm a big reader and love checking out what books other people have on their shelves and also love displaying some of my own favorites.  In my office, our front room, and our bedroom I have hardcover books displayed, often with some of my fabric covered books.  They are easily some of my favorite, inexpensive, decor.  When I am enjoying a library book I check out the spine color to decide if it'll get to live in our house someday.  I do admit to literally judging books by their cover.  And I'm ok with that.  (I know this post is about reusing things before getting rid of them and I just admitted to buying books for this purpose...BUT I do read them all too...so I'm counting it.)

I know there are probably plenty more things we could do and probably even do do that I am completely blanking on.  What other things do you reuse before trashing/recycling?  I love getting new tips!