There is always room to stumble across new ways to save, in money, consumption, energy...anything...which i enjoy as well. Here are some ways that I have changed in my everyday living, some new practices, some I have done for a few years.
1. Line drying my laundry. It gets me outside in the sun...a quiet time, mostly done in the morning for me. Who doesn't like to start off their day outside listening to birds as the sun is shining on their face? Plus, dryers take up more energy than we think. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that an electric clothes dryer accounts for close to six percent of a households annual electricity comsumption! Line drying also saves the clothes. Dryers weaken the fabrics fibers faster than line drying them. I personally love when i can enjoy wearing my favorite shirt for three to four years (yes, i do find some joy in that).
2. Home Made Bread. I'm so thankful for the bread machine some good friends of mine recently gave to me. I really enjoy the covienece of it (kneading is not my favorite...the machine does it for me). There is even a timer you can set. I can, and have prepared the mix right before bed and i wake up to a wonderful warm loaf of bread. I also like knowing only a handful of ingredients makes up this loaf:
-flour -salt -water -honey -yeast
It comes out to about 70 cents a loaf. I usually make a medium size loaf or two a week, which a regualr size of flour can make close to five medium loaves! And a plus is the texture of the bread comes out so enjoyable.
3. Cleaning my face naturally. I recently had an allergic reaction to a face wash I switched to. Ironically, this certain face wash contained no chemicals, just herbs and herb and oil extracts. I found out my reaction was to the number of extracts as well as to certain ones. My face became dry, very red and burned. After talking to a friend about it, she shared with me a concoction of olive oil, caster oil and grape seed oil she had been using to clean her face. I then began to apply olive oil to face to heal it up, then following up with a 'facial steam', or a hot rag placed on my face to remove the oil. I now have been using the oil cleansing method to clean my face, and it's working great! i have pretty oily and sensitive skin, but finding just the right balance of olive oil and caster oil, my face has recovered greatly. And all these ingredients can be found at the grocery store. I would advise you to read more about it on my new favorite blog.
4. Cleaning my house naturally. White vinager and baking soda, and your favorite essential oil (right now i have patule mixed into mine). A great way to get rid of oder and a classic way to get rid of stains or to polish. $3 for the white vinegar, $2 for the baking soda....and i've been using it for two months and going....
5. Planning my garden. Owning my own home has brought much excitement to being able to plan my garden...which can approach faster than we think. I like to start my seeds indoors come February, and begin turning the soil come March. But right now composting can begin! It's a good idea to work in a few layers of autumn leaves to the compost bin, and the perfect time of year it is! I like the reminder that 'What grows from the ground can go back in the ground.' Composting over the years has somehow coincided in my diet containing a majority of produce. My trash comsumption is next to nothing, as the 'trash' of most things i'm eating just goes back to where it came from.
(eco-friendlymag.com)
6. Making your own broth. One thing i love about the cooler weather is how enjoyable soups are. Soups are also great on the budget, as making a big pot and eating off of it for the week, or freezing it for another time is very helpful. This is also where buying a majority of produce comes in handy, as it's very simple to make your own broth. If your compost is overflowing, or if you want to put it on hold for a while, just take all your veggie scraps and freeze them. Once you have a zip-lock bag full, or a few containers full of frozen veggie scraps, put them in the crock-pot for a night or day while your at work. Make sure you add plenty of water, and it's fun to add spices in that would go well with the soup you're planning on making. Once it's soaked for about 8 hours, drain the liquid and now you have a great quality vegetable broth to use in a soup.
We'll end at six, but for more ideas for making your life more frugal, i reccommend these blogs/websites:
Simple Mom (no, you don't have to be a mom to find this site useful.)
Mother Earth News
Design*Sponge
What are your favorite ways of being frugal?
3. Cleaning my face naturally. I recently had an allergic reaction to a face wash I switched to. Ironically, this certain face wash contained no chemicals, just herbs and herb and oil extracts. I found out my reaction was to the number of extracts as well as to certain ones. My face became dry, very red and burned. After talking to a friend about it, she shared with me a concoction of olive oil, caster oil and grape seed oil she had been using to clean her face. I then began to apply olive oil to face to heal it up, then following up with a 'facial steam', or a hot rag placed on my face to remove the oil. I now have been using the oil cleansing method to clean my face, and it's working great! i have pretty oily and sensitive skin, but finding just the right balance of olive oil and caster oil, my face has recovered greatly. And all these ingredients can be found at the grocery store. I would advise you to read more about it on my new favorite blog.
4. Cleaning my house naturally. White vinager and baking soda, and your favorite essential oil (right now i have patule mixed into mine). A great way to get rid of oder and a classic way to get rid of stains or to polish. $3 for the white vinegar, $2 for the baking soda....and i've been using it for two months and going....
5. Planning my garden. Owning my own home has brought much excitement to being able to plan my garden...which can approach faster than we think. I like to start my seeds indoors come February, and begin turning the soil come March. But right now composting can begin! It's a good idea to work in a few layers of autumn leaves to the compost bin, and the perfect time of year it is! I like the reminder that 'What grows from the ground can go back in the ground.' Composting over the years has somehow coincided in my diet containing a majority of produce. My trash comsumption is next to nothing, as the 'trash' of most things i'm eating just goes back to where it came from.
(eco-friendlymag.com)
6. Making your own broth. One thing i love about the cooler weather is how enjoyable soups are. Soups are also great on the budget, as making a big pot and eating off of it for the week, or freezing it for another time is very helpful. This is also where buying a majority of produce comes in handy, as it's very simple to make your own broth. If your compost is overflowing, or if you want to put it on hold for a while, just take all your veggie scraps and freeze them. Once you have a zip-lock bag full, or a few containers full of frozen veggie scraps, put them in the crock-pot for a night or day while your at work. Make sure you add plenty of water, and it's fun to add spices in that would go well with the soup you're planning on making. Once it's soaked for about 8 hours, drain the liquid and now you have a great quality vegetable broth to use in a soup.
We'll end at six, but for more ideas for making your life more frugal, i reccommend these blogs/websites:
Simple Mom (no, you don't have to be a mom to find this site useful.)
Mother Earth News
Design*Sponge
What are your favorite ways of being frugal?
4 comments:
thank you for the tip on cleansing the face with oil... i'm going to try it. was it the desert essence thoroughly clean that turned your face red? i bought a travel size and just use it every now and then. i love the smell and how clean my face feels after i use it. but i also notice tha the more i use it the drier my face gets and i noticed it turning red just a little bit last week too.
yea, it was the same wash you have. the tea tree oil is pretty harsh on my face after a while. maybe it's the same for you? i like the face wash i make because it's a moisterizer as well. it's very simple to make, but if you don't feel confident enuoug, i can help you make your first batch!
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