May's Change Challenge - Decreasing Household Waste

 Photo by engnr_chik

I have one more post to finish up April's Change Challenge to Read the Ingredients, but I'm not quite finished with it yet, so it will have to wait 'til next week.  But, I wanted to go ahead and introduce May's Change Challenge since we're already half way through the month.  I wanted this month's challenge to be pretty simple and straightforward, as well as something that I have written about before, and because I just went to a composting workshop earlier this week, May's challenge is to decrease your household waste. 

The composting workshop I went to was interesting for a few reasons.  Obviously it was interesting to learn about composting, and now I feel like - I can do that! So, look for some posts in the future about how we set up and began our compost pile.  (Exciting, I know!)

It was also interesting because the presenter (from the St. Joseph Co. Soil and Water Conservation Dist.) talked a little about landfills and waste and what happens to our waste when it goes to the landfill.  Basically, he described landfills as giant Tupperware Bowls were garbage just sits, without actually rotting or decaying.  He said that there were scientists that did studies of landfills and found newpapers that were 30 years old and still legible, and carrots that were still edible! I wasn't quite sure if I believed him, so I did a little digging myself, and found The Garbage Project which is based at the University of Arizona and studies people's garbage and excavates landfills.  According to this article, what he told us at the workshop is true, and one thing he said has stuck with me, "When things go into a landfill, they don't go away!"  That really changes my view of the waste that we as a family create and throw away - it doesn't actually go away, it just moves from my house to a place where it will sit unchanged for hundreds, maybe even thousands, of years. 

Almost a year ago I did a Garbage Inventory by keeping track of the waste that created in one day.  It was interesting (and kind of gross) to see the garbage that we threw away on a typical day. It was also really helpful to know what kind of garbage we were throwing away so we could find areas that we could improve in. 

So, I want to encourage you, over the weekend or sometime next week to do a garbage inventory at your house too! Just collect everything that you throw away in one central bag.  I also wrote things down as I threw them away because I really didn't want to go digging back through the garbage bag just to see what was in there. You can weigh it and look over your list at the end of the day to see how much and what type of garbage you created.  It really doesn't take that much extra time, and it is a great first step to identify areas you can make changes to decrease your waste!

Did you realize that trash in landfills doesn't really go away?  Have you ever done a garbage inventory?  Do you know how much and what kinds of waste your family creates on a day-to-day basis?  
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This is the first post in May's Change Challenge - Decrease Your Household Waste.  Last month's Change Challenge was Read the Ingredients! You can catch up on all the Change Challenge posts here.

Are you brand new to being frugally green? Be sure to check out my Frugally Green Fundamentals.

It's the Little Things

It's the little things in life that turn the everyday into something special.  I cut these flowers from a bush outside and they are brightening up my kitchen and making it beautiful in the midst of dirty dishes leftover from last night.  I love flowers and this time of year is a great opportunity to bring a little of the beauty that's everywhere outside, into our homes.  What little things in your life brighten your day and make your everyday extraordinary?

Green Cleaning with Kids

For me, one of the BEST things about green cleaning is that I don't have to worry about cleaning my house with my kiddos around.  I don't worry that they're inhaling toxic fumes from my spray cleaner.  Or that they'll touch something that was cleaned with chemicals and then put their hands in mouth.  I don't have to wait until they are sleeping and then spend those precious, quiet minutes cleaning - all you mamas know what I mean! :)  

In fact, I have been able to encourage my daughter to "help" me clean as I let her do things alongside me and teach her about doing chores. I have to take advantage of the fact that she actually wants and likes helping me at this age!

I recently started including her in different cleaning activities that I do throughout the day.  She helps me dust or wipe down the tables with a microfiber cloth and my multipurpose spray.

She helps me wipe the sink and the edge of the bathtub when I'm cleaning the bathroom.  She is learning how to fold her wipes that we use in the kitchen.

She helps me load and unload the dishwasher and the laundry.  And Brenden is always right there with us too, either in the sling or his exersaucer happily bouncing away.  Here she is "vacuuming" the rug that's sprinkled with baking soda while B watches.

I love that I am modeling and teaching my daughter (and son, although he's still a little young!) :) about responsibility, as well as valuable skills that will (hopefully) make my life easier as she gets older and able to help more on her own.  She is a great little helper, I am always so impressed by how serious she is about doing her job well, and how much she actually enjoys helping me.  None of this would really be possible if I was using chemicals and other junk to clean my house. 

Do you include your kids in your cleaning routines?  In what ways do they help you around the house, or what chores are their responsibility?

Going Paper Towel-less

How I Haven't Bought Paper Towels in Over 6 Months
As part of the Change Challenge series, I want to tell you a little bit about how I do things on a day to day basis at our house.  Not that I think that how I do things is the best or only way to do things.  I just  have been getting lots of questions lately from friends and family about how I do some of the things that I do.  So, I thought maybe my blog readers would have similar types of questions. I think sometimes the idea of starting to do something like not buying paper towels is overwhelming to people and they don't even know where to start, or what it looks like to not use paper towels on a daily basis. Since we're tackling changing our cleaning this month, I'll start with how I handle cleaning cloths around my house. 

My mom was just telling me the other day about how my grandpa used to rinse out his paper towels, hang them to dry, and reuse them, so I guess it's just kind of in my genes!  But I've taken it a step farther by not buying paper towels at all. 

To begin with, you can read this post, where I explain what I use for different tasks around my home that others may use paper towels for.  By using these different types of cloths, I haven't bought paper towels in over 6 months.  I bought a package when we first moved into our house for the original cleaning that we would do, and haven't bought another package since then.  I also don't buy paper napkins or tissues.  The only paper product that we use in our home is toilet paper.  

My Kitchen Cloth Drawer

Recently, I had a friend tell me that she doesn't like to clean her kitchen with a rag because usually it's been sitting on her counter or sink for a few days and she thinks it's gross (which it probably is), so she uses paper towels.  Basically, I use several fresh, clean rags every day around my house.  I grab a clean washcloth to wipe K's face after breakfast every day, and if it's not too dirty, I rinse it out to reuse it for after lunch.  I use a clean dishcloth every day for washing dishes, and a clean washcloth for wiping the counters and table.  I don't reuse cloths that have been sitting around for longer than a day.  I have lots of all of the different kinds of cloths that I use, so I never run out before I've done a load of laundry.  I think that's one of the most important things - if you always have a cloth on hand, you won't be tempted to reach for a paper towel.

We also only use cloth napkins, even when we have company.  Our home group for our church comes over every Tuesday night for dinner, and I only offer cloth napkins.  I'm washing a load of rags every week anyway, it's really not a big deal to add 8-10 more cloth napkins to the load.  

Every night I gather up the used, dirty rags, usually there's a small pile on the kitchen floor by the door to the basement, and I throw them down the stairs into a mesh hanging laundry bag.  In the mesh bag they are able to air out and not get smelly or moldy.  

I would say I wash rags at least once a week, sometimes twice.  I have bleached my rags in the past, but am trying not to use bleach anymore, so I wash my rags in hot water on the heavy duty cycle with detergent and Oxyclean and an extra rinse.  

I do have some rags I could use and then throw away for really gross stuff, like if our dog throws-up.  They're usually Jer's old t-shirts that I have cut into rags and I'll use one of those to clean up a yucky  mess and then just throw it away.  

Also, it's important to figure out a system that works for you for storing your clean cloths.  I have almost a whole drawer and part of a cupboard in my kitchen dedicated to kitchen cloths.  I have a whole shelf in my hall closet for cleaning rags.  And I live in a small house with limited storage space - I have made room for what is important to me. 

Using cloth instead of paper towel has really just become so second nature to me around our home.  I don't miss paper towels at all.  It did take a little getting used to at first, but there has not been a time in at least the last 4 months that I've thought, "I wish I had a paper towel for this."  For me, I see no reason to throw away a paper that was only used one time when I can easily wash and reuse rags over and over and over again.  Not buying paper towels will save you money and save the earth at the same time. Using rags and cloths around your home instead of paper towels is definitely frugally green!

What do you think about using rags and cloths in place of paper towels?  Is it something you do, or could see yourself doing?  What steps can you take toward going paper towel-less this month?  

Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom

January Change Challenge - Homemade and Green Cleaning

Photo by Ernst Vikne

Welcome to the Change Challenge for January - Homemade and Green Cleaning!  I hope that you are ready to get started with cleaning your homes in more natural, safe, frugal and yet still effective ways!

Making your own homemade cleaners is a great first step to take towards becoming frugally green!  If you are new to this journey and just starting out this new year, this is one of those things that I think is pretty essential and foundational to being frugally green.  It's easy and cheap and doesn't require a ton of effort or commitment.  If you try it and don't like it (which I can't imagine you would) you can always use the items you bought for cooking and baking!

I challenge you to make the change to homemade and green cleaning this month! 

To begin with, there are a few different levels of homemade and green cleaning, so if you are ready to accept this challenge, first figure out which step you are on. Take baby steps and start out with just one or two and once you get the hang of those, you can move onto other areas.

• Baby Step #1 - Vinegar and Baking Soda - If you still have all commercial chemical cleaners in your home, this is the place to begin. 
  
• Baby Step #2 - Multipurpose Cleaners - Start making some different homemade multipurpose cleaners. 
• Baby Step #3 - Other areas of cleaning around your home

Baby Step #1 - Vinegar and Baking Soda
It doesn't get any cheaper or easier than this! 

First, get yourself some white vinegar and some baking soda, as well as an empty spray bottle.  (I bought a pack of spray bottles at Sam's, can't remember how much they were, but definitely cheaper than buying an individual bottle at Target or Meijer). And the next time you use up your parmesan cheese, save the container and wash it out.

Now mix vinegar and water in the spray bottle 50/50.  You can add essential oils to help it smell better if you want, but I don't bother.  Then fill up your parmesan cheese container with baking soda.  You could add essentials oils to the baking soda too, but it makes it a little bit clumpy.  You're all set to start cleaning!

Sprinkle the baking soda on any hard surface that you want to scrub - the toilet bowl, sink, bathtub, counter tops, cook tops, etc.  Use a rag, microfiber cloth, or one of those green scouring pads and scrub away (or your toilet bowl brush if you're cleaning the toilet, no need to use a rag on that! Yuck!) - no paper towels please!  You may need to get a second rag wet to wipe away the residue on the counter top or cook top, but in the bathroom you can just rinse it away. 

Or start spraying your vinegar and water anywhere that needs to be wiped down - sink, bathtub, mirror, counters, tables, floors, etc. (don't use vinegar on porous surfaces like granite). And again use a rag or microfiber cloth.

It really is that easy!

Baby Step #2 - Multipurpose Cleaners
Start making some different homemade multipurpose cleaners.  Make sure you label your bottles well, so you know which one your using.  You may find that you like different cleaners for different uses.

Here's a multipurpose cleaner that I posted previously.

And a new one that I have been using alot and loving recently: Water, Castile Soap, and Tea Tree Oil.
Fill a water bottle with warm water and add a few squirts of castille soap and a few drops of Tea Tree Oil. You don't need much of either, they are concentrated and a little goes a long way.  Use for all types of multipurpose cleaning.  I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Mild castile soap for this, which is unscented.  I'm not sure how a scented castile soap would mix with the scent of the Tea Tree Oil.  If you try a scented castile soap with this and it smells good, let us know! You can find both Dr. Bronner's castile soap and Tea Tree Oil at Target (the TTO is by the vitamins)!


Baby Step #3 - Other areas of cleaning around your home
Try making one of these homemade cleaners:
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent
Homemade Laundry Detergent
Homemade Spray Starch
Homemade Disinfecting Wipes

Take a baby step toward homemade and green cleaning in one of these areas this week!  And check back here over the rest of the month for more tips, tricks and how-to's for frugally green cleaning!

Have you made the switch to using homemade and green cleaners around your home?  Do you have a favorite homemade cleaner recipe to share with the rest of us?  Any encouraging words for those just starting out with green cleaning?

This post is linked to: 
Tackle it Tuesdays at 5 Minutes for Mom
Frugal Fridays at Life as Mom

Before and After: Living Room

I know I promised before and after pictures of our new house a long time ago. We are feeling very comfortable and settled, but of course there are always more projects to work on, like better organizing the guest room/office, or painting the kid's room upstairs.
But anyway, here are pictures of the Living Room.

Before - and yes, the fruit stained glass lamp is still hanging, it's just up a little higher and more out of the way. Jer says he likes it, so I guess we keep it for now.

After - It's amazing to me how a room can actually look bigger when you put stuff in it. We were pretty impressed with how we could fit most of our furniture from our old house into this house, which is significantly smaller. I think we did a pretty good job. :)

Back in Action from the New House!

Okay, so it's been over a month since I posted - sorry about that!! We moved into our new-to-us house two weekends ago and have been busy getting unpacked and settled. We still have some boxes to unpack and projects to get done, but it is home, and we are loving it here!

Here's some "Before" pics that Jer took on the day of the inspection. I will post "After" pics soon, as the rooms come together. We have painted, hung stuff on the walls, arranged and rearranged our furniture, and I'm excited to share what it looks like now with you! I'm hoping to post more regularly again as we continue to get settled and get ready for our new baby. I'm due in just 3 weeks!

Front of House

Front PorchLooking from Dining Room into Living Room and front door

Don't you love the stained glass fruit lamp!!!

Dining RoomKitchen

Our BedroomKaelyn's Bedroom in the upstairs converted atticBackyard

Great News!!

We made an offer on a house on Thursday and over the weekend, after a little bit of back and forth, our offer was accepted! We have a "new to us" house! Here's a picture from the listing.


It is actually an older house, built in 1939. It's in a great area with lots of cute older houses, close to parks and the zoo. We are very excited!

We will close probably sometime in May, no later than May 15th. We are hoping it will be as soon as possible so we can get in and get all settled before the new baby comes. I am just so excited that we know where we are going to be, and where we will be bringing this baby home to. I am ready to nest!

One Door Closes

We closed on our house this morning and are officially no longer homeowners.

Essentially we are homeless. It is a strange feeling. We knew it was coming, and had tried to prepare ourselves, but it's still strange. Even though we knew we had to sell our house, we are still sad about it. I was actually pretty emotional afterwards, but I'm blaming that mostly on the pregnancy hormones. :)

We are staying with Jer's parents until we figure out where we are going to live next. We are hoping to figure it out soon because I would like to be somewhat settled before the baby arrives in June.

So, as one door closes, hopefully another will open and welcome us home.

Wow!

The past two weeks for us have been a little crazy, so I have some catching up to do.

To begin with, last week we finally SOLD OUR HOUSE!!! I'll have to write the whole story later, but we have a contract with a buyer to close around mid-March/early April. God is good!

Also, we found out yesterday that we are having a baby BOY!!! Jer and I both thought that this baby was a boy, and we were right. And the best part is that he is a healthy boy! It was so amazing to see him on the ultrasound screen, to watch him move and see his little hands, arms, legs, heart and brain. Wow, just wow! It's unbelievable to me that I have a little person growing inside me. Thank you God!!!

Here's a pic of our little boy. We are so excited to meet him in around 4 months.

It's late, I'm tired, but I just had to share all of our good news! More to come soon!

Beautiful

I love fresh flowers. We have had fresh flowers around the house for open houses and showings since we put our house on the market. We had a showing this past weekend, and Jer picked up some flowers and they absolutely brightened up my week while it has been cold and snowy and gross out. Here are a few pics (and my feeble attempts at being a little bit artsy) - I hope they brighten your day too.

Here are some tulips that Jer got and here is a little tip you probably don't know. The florist shared with him that if you put a penny, just one, in the bottom of the vase that it will make the tulips stand up straight instead of bending over like this. Here are the tulips the first night when we put them in the vase.
And here they are the next morning - standing up nice and straight. And a week later, they are open and beautiful and still standing up straight.

Green Cleaning

I've been doing the "green" cleaning thing for a while now, since before Kaelyn was born. I decided that I didn't want to be using all kinds of chemicals around her and I also read some different things about how those chemicals don't necessarily make things any more clean.

Now, the main things I use for cleaning are vinegar and baking soda. In addition to not using harmful chemicals in my home, I am also saving money because commercial cleaners are pricey$$! Vinegar has natural disinfecting properties, and some things I have read say that anti-bacterial products are not the best things to use because they remove the good bacteria that we need and the bad bacteria is changing to become resistant to it. I read somewhere (I'm sorry I can't remember where) that kitchens cleaned with anti-bacterial cleaners were actually dirtier than those that were uncleaned. This is a pretty good article with good information and tips for green cleaning

One of the things I like the most about this change is that I don't have to have a dozen different products for every different type of cleaning job. I now clean the bathroom with vinegar and water, and baking soda. Everything from top to bottom gets sprayed with vinegar and I don't have to have glass cleaner, sink cleaner, tub and shower cleaner, toilet cleaner, floor cleaner, etc. This makes cleaning a lot simpler and actually faster because I don't have to waste time switching from one product to another. I also use it everywhere in the kitchen. It is my all-purpose cleaner.

One issue with vinegar that some people (including my wonderful husband) might have is the smell. It is not a pretty, pleasant smell, and it is not a chemically/bleachy smell. I have heard some people say that if it doesn't smell like chemicals they don't think it's clean. I now think, if it smells like chemicals think about what you are breathing into your lungs, getting on your hands, putting in your mouth, etc. Personally, the smell of vinegar doesn't bother me at all. It dissipates very quickly and it actually neutralizes any lingering odors there may be (like in the bathroom). I have tried to make the vinegar & water combo smell better by putting a few drops of essential oil in the bottle, but then I felt like it was making things greasy. So, I mostly use it when my hubby is not around and plan on buying either Seventh Generation or Clorox Green Works cleaner for him to use (waiting for them to go on sale!).

We have also switched to trying to use less paper as in paper towels and paper napkins. We use rags and bar mop towels in place of paper towels, and cloth napkins in place of paper napkins and paper towels.

Going "green" around the house is actually easier than you might think, and I am always thinking of new ways that I can reduce the amount of chemicals that are in our home as well as reduce the things that we use and then throw away. If you have homemade "green" cleaners that you use, or ways that you have reduced your trash, please tell me about it! I love hearing and sharing ideas!