Category Archives: Budget Environmentalism

10 Uses for Old Plastic Bread Bags

Bread is one of those products that is hard to buy outside of a plastic bag. You can sometimes get it in paper, or you can make it at home, but bread in plastic bags is by far the most common sort.

What to do with all those bags?

Plastic bread bags are highly reusable. They’re a great size for many things. Keep the little plastic fastener to have an easy way to reclose the bag when you’re reusing it.

1. Homemade bread storage.

If you sometimes buy bread at the store and other times make it at home, as I do, keep those bags and use them to store the homemade bread after it has cooled.

2. Short term freezer bag.

While bread bags aren’t ideal for preventing freezer burn, they are pretty good at holding some things in the freezer. Best is if it doesn’t matter too much if you get a touch of freezer burn, such as when you’re storing bones for making broth later on. They can also hold hamburger patties quite well. Just think of how they are packaged if you buy them at the store!

I wouldn’t recommend using them for long term storage as a general rule in the freezer simply because it’s too hard to keep them from letting air in. If you want to store something for longer, double bagging is probably a good choice to limit the chances for air to get into the bag and damage the food.

3. Taking the dog for a walk.

Yes, these bags work great for doggie doo. They’re easy to carry along and tie off when you’ve cleaned up after your pet.

4. Clean the cat’s litter box.

Yes, they’re a great size for what kitty does too.

5. Trash bag for the car.

Going on a road trip? Sometimes you know you’re going to be generating a bit of trash while on the road. Once again, the compact size of a bread bag makes it a fair choice for keeping in the car to keep the trash under control.

6. Taking food scraps to the compost pile.

Sometimes the compost pile isn’t as convenient as you might like. You can buy a kitchen compost bin, and dump that periodically into the outdoor compost bin, or you can use something like the old bread bag.

The advantage the bag has is that you can just shove it into the freezer if you like. It only uses up the space the scraps require, plus a tiny bit more. This means you don’t have to worry about food scraps stinking up the kitchen until you can get them outdoors.

7. Store other stuff.

Using plastic bags you already have can be a great choice for storing small parts around the house. This is especially true if otherwise you’d be using a bag you had to buy for storing things. While they’re not especially strong, they’re not going to tear at the drop of just any hat either.

8. Take them traveling.

You often have things you need to keep away from the rest of your stuff when you travel. While modern air travel restrictions can sharply limit how much liquid you carry, other ways of traveling can mean carrying many products you’d hate to have leak onto your clothes.

Drop makeup, sunscreen, toothpaste and so forth into a plastic bread bag and close it off before putting them into your suitcase, even if you use an outer pocket or a makeup bag for them. That extra bit of protection can save you a big cleanup if your bag gets banged around too much and something starts to leak.

9. Use as packing materials.

Sending a package somewhere? You can use a bunch of old bread bags as padding in the box rather than buying packing materials.

10. Recycle them.

Some, but not all bread bags can be recycled. They aren’t all numbered, so it can be a bit hard to tell. If there’s a number 7 with the recycling logo, it’s not recyclable. Otherwise you have a good chance, and you can put them in with the plastic grocery bags.

Money’s Tight? What Better Reason to Go Green?

Times continue to be tough for many families. It’s just hard to bring enough money in. You need to cut back on spending to get by.

Does that mean being green is out? No way!

Having less money is a wonderful reason to be eco friendly. Simply put, many green and eco friendly products cost less in the long run, and sometimes that long run is a pretty short run too.

Packing Snacks in Reusable Bags

Reusable bags can seem a bit pricey upfront, but if you compare the cost to what you’d spend on plastic baggies, it doesn’t take that long to make up what you spent on them. Just don’t get too fancy on your initial purchases. You can buy simple cotton muslin drawstring bags for as little as $3.

This is great for when you’re on the go as a family. Kids often want snacks for in the car or for during whatever activity you’re planning. Plastic baggies may be the common solution, but you’re still going to have to take them to the trash. Not much more effort to take your reusable bags home.

These can also be used when shopping at the grocery store for carrying produce. This may not be a money saver as such, although some stores will give a discount for using your own bags. But you’ll be using much less plastic in your life if you bring a bag.

Resetting the Thermostat

How’s the weather in your area? Are you thinking about the cost of heating or cooling your home?

Change the setting of your thermostat to save money on your bills. It doesn’t take much to make a difference. Just dress a little warmer in cool weather, and cooler in warm weather, plus allow your body to adapt to the temperatures of the season. Human bodies are hugely adaptable to weather, and if you rely less on heating and air conditioning to perfectly manage the temperature of your home, you will adapt to the season in time.

Eat Less Meat

Meat production has a huge environmental cost. It’s also kind of pricey at the store. Eat more vegan and vegetarian meals to save money.

It will take time to figure out what you like if you haven’t eaten many vegetarian meals in the past. Don’t be afraid to experiment. I’ve developed a liking for beans, quinoa, couscous and other ingredients that make for great vegetarian entrees. Vegetables… well, I’ve always liked them.

If you can’t afford it, don’t go organic for most produce. You should not be bankrupting yourself over food.

But you can grow a garden for fairly little money if you behave yourself. Don’t get all fancy about it, buying planter boxes and so forth if money’s tight. Just make a basic garden and grow your family some vegetables and herbs. Don’t forget to compost to make some great, cheap fertilizer for your garden.

Use a Clothesline

Using a clothesline is particularly practical during the summer. The sun will dry your clothes for free!

If you have homeowner’s association issues this can be challenging, as I well know. But you may be able to use a mobile clothes rack that you can take down after use, especially if it keeps everything below the top of your fence. It’s not a problem if no one else can see it!

You can also use a clothes rack indoors. Place it near a sunny, open window if you can.

If you’re concerned about crunchy clothes and towels from line drying, simply take them off the line when they’re almost dry, and finish the drying process in the dryer. You will still have used far less energy.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Know that cabinet full of cleaning products? You really don’t have to buy them for the most part. Making cleaning products at home is pretty easy.

The main ingredients you will need are baking soda and vinegar. You can buy these in larger packages to keep the overall cost down. The baking soda provides a bit of grit for scrubbing. Lemon juice can also help.

Keep a spray bottle of watered down vinegar ready for regular cleaning. You can use this for many cleaning jobs around the house.

If you want a little extra action on a tough cleaning job, sprinkle the baking soda on the area first, then spray with vinegar. The two will react, just as they do in the old volcano science fair experiment. The reaction will help you to clean up many kinds of messes.

Buy Used

Thrift stores and resale shops are your friends, and a delightful way to be green. When you buy used products, not only do they cost less but they aren’t using up new resources. They were made, someone else bought them and finished using them, now you can use them.

It’s amazing the quality you can get used. Clothes may be lightly worn or even not worn at all when they hit the thrift shops. Dishes will still work as dishes always do. Same for pots and pans. You can still read the books.

Yet they all cost a fraction of what they did originally.

These may not be the big things you dream of doing for the environment, but they will make a difference. We can’t all go off grid and grow all our own food. Many of us just don’t have the money to even start that process. Do the eco friendly things that fit into your budget and lifestyle, and encourage others to do the same.

4 Great Children’s Toys You Can Make Rather Than Buy

Children’s toys can get really expensive fast. That’s one thing parents learn pretty quickly. There are some great toys out there, but the expense can be hard to deal with.

Add in that many are plastic and really not so environmentally friendly, and it can be a bit of a problem.

But some toys you can make rather than buy, saving money and even reusing things that might otherwise have been recycled or even thrown out. Here are some ideas to get you started that don’t require a ton of sewing or construction skills.

Playhouse

What child doesn’t love a good playhouse? The popular ones are plastic and can be left outdoors in all weather or kept indoors. And they’re pricey, ranging from about $30 for a cardboard one they can color on, to a few hundred dollars for the fancier ones.

Even that $30 for a cardboard one is expensive when you realize you can get the cardboard pretty easily for free.

My children for a couple of years had a cardboard playhouse that was made from a double thickness box my husband got from the blinds department at Home Depot. He worked there at the time, and just had the night crew save him one. Not a hard thing to ask for, as they’re going to dispose of it anyhow.

That house was strong enough that the kids climbed on its roof regularly as they played. No problem. It tolerated pretty much everything they could throw at it, sometimes literally.

It took some time with a utility knife to cut the doors and windows, but it worked out really well. And being free was a great bonus.

When the box finally broke down enough it went into the recycle bin. We’ll be doing the same soon with a washer or dryer box we happen to have handy.

Play Kitchen

Play kitchens are also very popular with children, and once again can be rather pricey. You can make one on your own fairly easy, however.

My sister made one from a short dresser she bought at a garage sale or some such for her daughters. All she had to do was paint the burners on there and the kids were happy. That’s just enough for imagination.

You could also make one from a cardboard box, obviously a smaller one than you’d use for a playhouse. Draw on what they need, maybe cut in an oven door and there’s a play kitchen.

Bowling Set

You’ve probably seen the plastic bowling sets at the store. While they’re not all that pricey, relatively speaking, you can make your own.

All it takes is soda or water bottles (20 ounce or 2 liter size, your preference) and a ball. If you don’t drink much soda in your family and don’t buy bottled water (yay!), you can always talk to friends about giving some to you. You probably know someone who would have bottles available.

Stilts

Kids love to be just a little bit taller. You can buy plastic stilts for fairly inexpensive, but they’re really easy to make. My daughter’s preschool had these, and the kids loved it when the teachers pulled them out. There was usually a line for them.

Take two coffee cans and two pieces of rope. The rope should be long enough that, doubled up, it can reach from your child’s hands to the floor with just a little to spare for knots and of course growing room.

Punch two holes in each coffee can, on opposite sides, a short distance from the bottom. Thread the rope through each hole and tie a knot on the inside end. This will form a loop for your child to hold while walking on top of the cans.

Any of these toy ideas can be painted or decorated as you like, but I think it’s best to let the kids decide how to decorate them. It’s just one more part of the play for them.

If you’re really into making homemade toys, consider buying Learn and Play the Green Way: Fun Activities with Reusable Materials or getting it from the library.

My 4 Favorite Budget Environmentalism Posts for 2009

My family has pretty much always been on a tight budget. While I’d love to have the freedom to do more things or to spend money on things that would make being green a bit easier, it’s not going to happen any time soon.

Of course that’s good in a lot of ways. It takes away much of the temptation to go overboard and fall into green consumerism.

Without further ado, the posts I most enjoyed creating about budget environmentalism this past year:

How Much Will Cloth Diapering Save Me?

While the pregnancy wasn’t planned, having a third child has been a lot of fun for me and I’ve gotten to do a lot of things that I didn’t get to do before, such as cloth diapering. And while I can’t yet say that it’s definitely true that cloth diapered babies potty train sooner, the baby is less than a year old and we’re already taking some early potty training steps.

Is the Cost of Going Green Worth It?

Sometimes people say going green isn’t worth the money, that you’ll spend more than you save. Not always true!

6 Ways Cutting Back is Good for Your Family

Being on a tight budget doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate the benefits of having little money to spare. It’s not all bad at all. Stressful at times but also good motivation to make the most of the money you have and the time with your family.

Preparing Your Home for Winter

This is the first year I’ve lived someplace that gets reasonably cold in winter. By that I simply mean below freezing. We may or may not get snow, but that’s still much colder than any place I’ve lived before.

Getting ready for winter can help to save a lot of energy and money.

Preparing Your Home for Winter

Things are cooling off around here some days. Not all of them; it’s about 91 degrees F out today. But then we’ve had nights down into the 30s, so I think I can definitely say winter is coming to our area.

This is a bigger home than I’ve had to deal with in years past, but it’s also better insulated. That’s a big help. There are still things that should be done to homes to get ready for winter.

Check for Drafts

If you can feel air coming in, or see an opening, you have a place for the cold to come in. At our old home, there were visible openings as well as windows that just weren’t tight enough to keep the cold out. This home is much newer, so there’s less of a problem.

If you find an opening, caulk or weatherstripping may help, depending on the kind of opening you’re dealing with.

Have Your Heater Checked

Having a professional check your heating system is a very good idea. They can confirm everything is working correctly. You may also want to check filters and replace as necessary. This will help keep air flowing efficiently.

Clean the Gutters

Gutters along the roof are much prone to becoming filled with leaves and other dirt. Clean them out so that water flows through them easily. This gives you more control over how water flows off your house.

Have Your Chimney Inspected

This is very important, doubly so if you enjoy having a fire in the fireplace.

Check Detector Batteries

You should have several smoke detectors in your home, and check the batteries regularly. Many of you have hopefully done this with the time change over the weekend, but if not do so now.

A carbon monoxide detector can also be a good idea. Have one on each level of the house at least, and near or in bedrooms is also a good idea. Some plug into your regular power outlets and do not need batteries.

Both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors have test buttons. Use it to make sure their alarms really do work.

Install Storm Windows or Insulate Windows

If you have storm windows, this is the time of year to put them up. If you don’t and you need more insulation on your windows you have a few options.

In our house last year we put bubble wrap up in one window that was not well sealed. This kept the room significantly cooler in summer and helped in winter as well. It creates a layer of air, so that it’s harder for the cold outside to come in.

Blankets or heavy curtains can also help some.

Insulate Water Pipes

If you’re likely to get freezing weather, know which pipes need extra insulation at this time of year. I had frozen pipes one year at the old house, highly unusual for the area, and I am quite grateful that nothing burst. But waiting for the ice to melt so that toilets could be flushed and showers taken was kind of a pain.

Dress Warm Rather Than Heat the House

Just remember that heating the house is not the only way to stay warm in cold weather. Within reason, you can just put on a sweater, thick socks and warm shoes to keep warm. It’s much cheaper over time to heat your body than to heat your home, so long as you aren’t risking overdoing it.

Find the right balance for your family and you can really cut your heating bills.