Green Giving Guide What to Get Others

Hello there all,

it is that time of year where you are frenzy for gift ideas, and it can be stressful to buy a present for someone. However, I have some tips that might make it a little easier, and it will help you be a little bit more "green" at the same time. Double Bonus! Wait, we have a triple bonus! These items are usually the best on the wallet.

When contemplating a "green" present, there are 8 main categories.
1.) Experiences
2.) Edible goods
3.) Reused
4.) Repurposed
5.) Donation in kind
6.) Getting them what they asked for
7.) Purchasing from local companies
8.) Made from sustainable materials


Let's get into this further:

1.) Experiences- These are the gifts that don't require you to buy a material object (which reduces the material waste and it eliminates any energy waste to create/transport that object). You are not gifting a physical item, and therefore, you are decreasing the amounts of goods created. Experience gifts are things like: restaurant gift card, museum admission, etc. This is often times the gift that keeps on giving past the holidays, and it gifts one of the most precious things: time with another person. This is also the perfect present for the person that already has everything.

2.) Edible goods-The elimination of physical products is still evident in this gift. However, it is a present that the receiver doesn't have to travel to and therefore they don't need to  use fuel/ By gifting some noms to someone, you are giving them a gift that doesn't have any waste packaging, isn't another physical object to hold onto, and it is something that can be so diverse depending on the receiver. If you know that the person is a busy lady, it might be wonderful to give her one of those meals in a jar that have been circulating the interwebs like here (freeing up some of their time in the future), or you can make that delicious batch of fudge for the sweet tooth in your family.

3.) Reused- You have heard me say time and time again about my love for thrift store shopping. Although, I realize that this is not everybody's cup of tea, you can still buy items that are brand new at thrift stores that would have been thrown away from major department stores. For example, Target is constantly donating things to Goodwill that are brand new. These items were just going to be thrown away, but you saved them from the trash. Some have issues with used clothes and all that but items like picture frames have not been harmed by being hung on another person's wall, and there are so many other items in that category. These items have not been destroyed by being used once or twice from another family.

4.) Repurpose- Some items that you find at the thrift store can be given immediate new life, and if you are on the Pinterest scene, you can see how someone can make something like 2 clothespins into a car. Okay, maybe not quite that extreme, but there are loads of ideas of things to make with old/unwanted items. One thing that I do for presents is I rescue jewelry/beads from being thrown away and reuse them to make prettier pieces of jewelry. It is something so simple, but it just needs a new eye for a new use.

5.) Donation in kind- For the person that has everything, it is wonderful to give a donation to a cause the receiver cares about/is involved in. It is a personal present where you need to pay attention to what they care about, and it eliminates any excess presents/junk.

6.) Getting them what they asked for- I am guilty of not wanting to give someone the present that they asked for because I have felt like it is impersonal to just ask someone what they want. However, if you think about it, you are giving them exactly what they want instead of giving them a piece of junk that they are unhappy with, and they will still probably buy the item. They'll be stuck at home with 2 more things instead of just the original idea.

7.) Purchasing from local companies- Yes, this is great for the local economy AND for the environment. By keeping it local, you are minimizing fuel costs for everyone involved, and you are more likely to address local items made from local products instead of items made in a foreign country with foreign goods.

8.) By purchasing/making items made from sustainable materials, you are investing in another individual not using a material that is good for the environment. For example, when you buy wood toys, these can eventually biodegrade instead of toys that are made from plastic.


-Autumn

DIY: Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hello there all,

There is something that I love about this whole homesteading movement that is sweeping around. We are almost regressing and going back to the way things our grandparents did things. I love that because we are recognizing the purpose of why past generations did what they did: it worked. We are losing some of the craftsmanship and quality by our recent streamlined processes. Additionally, we are being horrible to our bodies, our wallet, and the environment.

One way that I have been embracing this homesteadiness culture is that I have been making my own homemade laundry detergent for the last couple of years. Yes, I know how granola I sound right now, but it legitimately works! Also, it is waaaaay cheaper than laundry soap which can get expensive.

You only need three ingredients and a couple of kitchen utensils. These ingredients can be found at any grocery store, and you can use the Borax and Washing Soda in a million different recipes for homemade cleaning products.

                                      

Ingredients:

• Borax
• washing soda
• 1 bar of soap (I usually use bars of soap that I find in the health and beauty section which smell delicious to give my laundry a nice smell, but I have read multiple people suggest Fels-Naptha which can be found in the cleaning aisle with laundry soap).

Supplies:

• Food processor or grater (I recommend a food processor if you can because the grater kills my hands)
• measuring cups
• Airtight Container for storage
• Bowl (optional)

The steps:

1.) Break your bar of soap up to put into the food processor and pulse it until the soap chunks become broken down into finer pieces. If you are using a grater, grate away your bar into a bowl.

2.) Measure out one cup of Borax and one cup of washing soda.

3.) (Optional) Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl.

4.) Put all ingredients into your airtight storage container. I pour all ingredients into my airtight container and shake it around to mix it. Who wants to mess up more dishes? Plus, this gives me a reason to Salsa Dance with my growler.

5.) Store the container wherever you prefer. When it is laundry time, measure 1-2 TBSP of the detergent for each load. 

What homemade cleaning products do you make? If not, what has been stopping you?

-Autumn

Listy Listiness: Thrift Store Shopping

Hello there all,

Most who know me are aware of my undying love for thrift shopping. Growing up, I was always afraid of others knowing that I thrift store shopped because I felt like their were negative connotations associated with thrift store shopping. I didn't want others to think that I wasn't as call as they were. However, these days, I LOVE to thrift store shop, and I don't care who knows it. The truth is that thrift store shopping is such an amazing resource that I love sharing the practicality with others because I think that it is a smarter way to shop.

Why thrift store shop you ask?

1.) Treasure finding- When you go thrift store shopping, you find those diamonds in the rough. You find those things that have such wonderful potential and you save them from a doom. One man's trash is another man's steal :). You also have the opportunity to have something that nobody else haves. Many items that are found in thrift stores are vintage pieces or handmade items that you are not going to find at a department store. These are the items that have character and that bring some fun to your home and wardrobe.

2.) Bargain Hunting- I cannot count the amount of times that I have found something that I wanted at a thrift store for a fraction of the cost that I saw it at a department store. The amount that you can save on items when purchasing it at a thrift store is remarkably low. Shopping at thrift stores just makes sense financially.

3.) A Way to Live Greener- The American society is so disposable, and it is a bit unnerving. However, this is a way to save items that could be thrown away. You are saving items from landfills, and you are getting items at the same time. SCORE! It just seems crazy to walk through a store looking for something like picture frames when I know that there is a plethora of them at thrift stores waiting for a home. If I buy them at a store, I am just creating a demand for more manufactured goods instead of keeping the used items in circulation.

4.) The Adventure- You never know what you are going to find and that is part of the fun! You may not have known that there was a Jackalope penny bank out there, but you definitely need it! Shopping at thrift stores creates constant adventures because the selection is never the same.  There is a remarkable amount of ugly items, and it is also fun to see how eek worthy some things are.

5.) Keep the Creativity Flowing- There are infinite amount of tutorials of things out there calling for new uses of things that you find at thrift store. You also encounter things that with a bit of sprucing can be a beautiful item. It may just need a bit of paint, cleaning, or ingenuity to create something new and functional for you. Yes, it can be difficult to visualize certain items into new uses, but it is a creative process which can be very fun.

6.) Community- Many thrift stores are in collaboration with a non-profit that may assist your community. By shopping at this thrift store, you are also assisting the organization that it supports and in a way giving back to your community. You don't get that at department stores.

What do you love about thrift store shopping?

-Autumn

Homesteading: Coconut Coffee Exfoliator

Hello there,

I hate throwing things away. This expands to anything. I love finding new uses for items, and the idea of throwing away useful items makes me cringe. It seems especially awful when it is food waste. After all, how ungrateful does it seem to throw away food that so many would love to have? Therefore, I try to find ways to eliminate food waste by composting, using peels in cleaning products, etc.

One of these victims of my agonizing scrutiny is coffee grounds. We've been using coffee grounds in our compost bin for awhile, but our compost bin can only break down so much at a time. After reading this article, I found a new use for our coffee ground, and I made a coconut coffee exfoliator.

It seemed like a nice use for the coffee grounds because I have obscenely dry hands that need constant attention. I work in the healthcare field, so my hands are being washed obsessively. It can be brutal to my hands, so I thought that it was worth a shot.

The recipe is just two ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of dry coffee grounds (use them first to make some coffee and then let them dry up for a couple of days)
• 1 cup of softened coconut oil

What to do?

• Mix together.
• Rub a little bit on your hands, wash away the gunk from your hands.
• Enjoy the new softness of your hands.

This feels absolutely delicious on my hands and for a short while it makes me feel like my hands are back to how they were before working in the healthcare field. I've also used this for a lip exfoliator, and it also left my lips feeling nommy. You could use this as a full body scrub, and it will leave all your bits feeling just as delicious. If you are going to use this in a shower, those coffee grounds could get awfully cray in the drain. You've been warned!

However, a little note that you need to keep your mixture in a relatively cool place otherwise your exfoliator will separate and you will have two different layers (like shown below). This doesn't mean to store it in your refrigerator because it will become too hard, and you won't be able to use it. Just find a nice comfortable temperature (try to steer clear of 85+ degrees).

Enjoy your new delicious skin :).

-Autumn

"Green" Living: Grocery Shopping

“Green” is such a overused/trendy word to use, but I am going to jump on the cool kid bus and throw it around to earn trendy points. Here are seven ways to shop “green” at the grocery store. Trust me, I know that it can be difficult, and it is impossible to reach perfection. I can't follow every single one of these protocols everyday, so I am not judging you! However, I challenge you to just pick one or two tips to try to focus on, so you can improve your earth conscious grocery ways.

1.) Use reusable bags- Yes, we have heard this a million times, and it is still insanely difficult to remember. Living in Portland has made this a little bit easier. It is illegal to use plastic bags in the city limits, so we remember to bring our bags out of fear that we are going to accumulate more paper bags. Anything but that! Additional bonus is that some stores offer discounts for using reusable bags, helping the earth and saving money? Win.

Along with this, keep in mind that using reusable bags should expand past your grocery bags and you should try to remember to reuse the produce bags as well. It is helpful to label your produce bags, so you don't have a taste cross contamination. You don't want you carrots tasting liking broccoli.

The Mister and I leave bags in the car at all times, so we always have them on hand.

2.) Buy products with reusable/recyclable options- When you're wondering if you should buy the bag of spinach or the plastic box, you should definitely take the box! You can recycle that box, and you can reuse it for other packaging (it could also be a great indoor greenhouse when starting your seedlings in the spring)! The key is to really push yourself to think outside of the box.

Another example of this is buying pasta sauce: the great debate of whether to use can or jar. Jar is heavier than the can, so it uses more carbon emissions to arrive at the grocery store. If this was the only factor, I would definitely say choose the can. HOWEVER, we always reuse our jars for storage options, giving gifts, etc. Yes, cans can (tehehehe) be converted into art projects, but I feel like glassware has a higher overall usefulness in our household.

Pay attention to the packaging and wage what you could use it for.

3.) Less packaging-If you are debating on which product to get and they are fairly identical, you should try identifying which item has less packaging. I am constantly mortified about the amount of packaging on everyday objects. Great example: gum! You have the option to buy individual strips of gum that are wrapped in foil, in paper, in more paper, or you can choose the option with all of the pieces of gum thrown together in one big recyclable package of earthy gum goodness.

Buying in bulk assists in less packaging. If you buy a billion rolls of toilet paper, you only have that plastic lining around the outside instead of around each set of 4 rolls. Double bonus is that this is often cheaper. Who says greener has to be more expensive?

4.) Local foods- You have heard this a time or two already, so I won't babble. However, local foods=less carbon used which is better for our environment. It just makes sense.

5.) Organic foods-When food is organic, it is absent from pesticides that disturb the ecosystem where the food is being grown. Shopping organic enables an existence of pesticide free zones.

6.) Shop at the closest grocery stores to your house or the ones that are in route of everyday tasks-You end up using less gas if you stick close by. If you are shopping at a grocery store across town that has organic food, you aren't being as green as you may think because you are putting all of those carbon emissions out into the air. Make sure to weigh your options.

While you are there, be conscious of buying all of your items at once, so you do not have to make multiple trips and therefore waste more gas and more of your time.

7.) Do your research- Create a list of products/companies that you purchase from and research what they are doing for the environment. Many companies have official statements on what their stance is, and you can learn about their food making process. Learning these things can enable you to make better decisions about who you support and what you are putting into your body.

I hope this is a nice little reminder of what we can all do to be a little more environmentally conscious. They don't have to be major life changes, but these little changes make a major change for the environment. I know that sounds corny, but it is true!

-Autumn