Mr. Don
Go green easily by reusing glass jars from sauces, olives, jams and even spices.
Instead washing jars out and throwing them in the recycling or, say it isn't so, the garbage, use them again and again. It's so easy to soak the label off, grab masking tape (it peels off easily) and relabel them for left-over soup or anything you can think of, really. You go to a warehouse grocery store and see a gallon of artichoke hearts but what to do with that large jar after the goodies are gone stumps you. Put your flour in it to keep bugs out or use it for the jumbo bag of coffee beans you've been wanting to put in the freezer. Glass freezes well as long as you don't subject it to extreme temperature changes and leave room for the food to expand while it's freezing. When freezing liquids always leave 1/2 to 1 inch of room from the top of the jar and keep the lid loose until your food is frozen so the jar won't break.
Go green easily using glass jars and utilize the bulk foods.
Most stores have bulk cereals, pastas, snack foods and other staples that can be bagged there and put in jars at home. They also have spices, honey, nut butters and syrups so why not reuse the same type jars for that? You're saving resources, counter clutter and you don't have to guess what's in the jar; if you use masking tape labels even spices aren't a mystery. When the item inside the jar changes, peel off the old tape, put on a new piece and voila, a used glass jar gets a new life, again.
Go green easily with reused jars and be healthier.
There is a lot of controversy about storing and microwaving food in plastic storage containers. Too many types of plastic leach unhealthy chemicals and vapors into the hot food when it's cooking and also as it cools in the container. Glass doesn't leach, leak or warp when heated so it has a built-in safety feature. Using 8-12 ounce jam jars to store left-over soup will give everyone their own cups of soup to heat and serve, so clean up is a breeze.
Going green is easier than you may have thought and you have the start of a new storage container collection already in your cupboard. Soak off the labels, use tape for new labels, fill them up and reuse them when they empty. What could be easier?
Your health, money, and resources are saved in larger doses for the future. It is really easy to do little things that make a large difference in the amount of waste entering our land fills. When you actively recycle, reuse and renew you are also setting an example for your children that will be carried forward by them to future generations!
Learn what you can do right now to improve the planet and your health with little steps! Sign up for our free E-course to find out how!
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Stress Management
Functional Self Improvement
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Saturday
Go Green Easily: City Slicker Composting
Mr. Don
Go green easily, be a City Slicker composter.
Sound unbelievable? It's not. The old stigmas no longer apply. Composting won't smell to the high heavens if it's done right. You don't have to fork over hundreds of dollars, either, for a fancy contraption. A little imagination and elbow grease will get you a composter for almost free or with a little extra browsing on the internet you can get one for a serious discount, your choice. There are all shapes, sizes, capacities and material constructions available now. Yes, there are a lot of them out there and with the increasing demand in gardening equipment for the home grower, you should do some homework to get the biggest bang for your buck. You can use all the finished product yourself, share with neighbors or even pitch in and buy 2 tumblers to rotate fresh batches with "cooked" ones for your group of fellow gardeners.
Going green by composting is beneficial in so many ways and where you live makes no difference. The usual thought is that composting is for those folks with a nice chunk of land for the gardens of their choice. It's true that the more ambitious your garden the larger tumbler or more of them you'll need but more and more apartment dwellers are getting on the composting band wagon. Houseplants and potted potatoes a like need the nutrients found in household compost. It enriches the soil, feeds the plant the building blocks it's made of and reduces the amount of trash put into your garbage can.
Go green easily by composting because they can be made from just about anything and they fit just about anywhere. From garbage cans, PVC panels that spin with handles to wood-and-wire crates that you stir up with a pitch fork, your gizmo can be filled with all the plant matter that comes from your kitchen plus eggshells.
The only things that don't belong in compost are any toxic products, animal parts or products and seeds you don't want to grow up. Ground eggshells are the only recommended animal products because they don't attract vermin while adding calcium to your finished "gold". Composting is common sensical. If you don't want something in your body, don't put it in the compost. If something goes into the soil your food is grown in, it goes into you.
Whether you have an acre, a balcony or a pot in the window, go a little greener and compost. A coffee can, a do-it-yourself web find or a pre-built tumbler will keep your plants happy, your garbage can less full and you'll be participating in your own little circle of life.
Composting is the original and best step in recycling.
Learn more about the seemingly small things you can do to help your self, your family, your community and the planet. Sign up for our free E-course while it is still available.
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Functiona Stress Management
Functional Self Improvement
Go green easily, be a City Slicker composter.
Sound unbelievable? It's not. The old stigmas no longer apply. Composting won't smell to the high heavens if it's done right. You don't have to fork over hundreds of dollars, either, for a fancy contraption. A little imagination and elbow grease will get you a composter for almost free or with a little extra browsing on the internet you can get one for a serious discount, your choice. There are all shapes, sizes, capacities and material constructions available now. Yes, there are a lot of them out there and with the increasing demand in gardening equipment for the home grower, you should do some homework to get the biggest bang for your buck. You can use all the finished product yourself, share with neighbors or even pitch in and buy 2 tumblers to rotate fresh batches with "cooked" ones for your group of fellow gardeners.
Going green by composting is beneficial in so many ways and where you live makes no difference. The usual thought is that composting is for those folks with a nice chunk of land for the gardens of their choice. It's true that the more ambitious your garden the larger tumbler or more of them you'll need but more and more apartment dwellers are getting on the composting band wagon. Houseplants and potted potatoes a like need the nutrients found in household compost. It enriches the soil, feeds the plant the building blocks it's made of and reduces the amount of trash put into your garbage can.
Go green easily by composting because they can be made from just about anything and they fit just about anywhere. From garbage cans, PVC panels that spin with handles to wood-and-wire crates that you stir up with a pitch fork, your gizmo can be filled with all the plant matter that comes from your kitchen plus eggshells.
The only things that don't belong in compost are any toxic products, animal parts or products and seeds you don't want to grow up. Ground eggshells are the only recommended animal products because they don't attract vermin while adding calcium to your finished "gold". Composting is common sensical. If you don't want something in your body, don't put it in the compost. If something goes into the soil your food is grown in, it goes into you.
Whether you have an acre, a balcony or a pot in the window, go a little greener and compost. A coffee can, a do-it-yourself web find or a pre-built tumbler will keep your plants happy, your garbage can less full and you'll be participating in your own little circle of life.
Composting is the original and best step in recycling.
Learn more about the seemingly small things you can do to help your self, your family, your community and the planet. Sign up for our free E-course while it is still available.
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Functiona Stress Management
Functional Self Improvement
Sunday
Go Green: Go Local
Welcome to the Go Green-Eco Friendly Living for Families program. This program is sponsored by Safe Kidz Educational Services who specialize in providing on-line child safety, health and fitness informational programs.
In this episoide we will be talking about the importance and impact of shopping locally when ever possible. Using local merchants, craftsmen and tradesmen is really one of those activities that with a little effort can really leverage our going green efforts!
Go green, go local.
When you buy anything made within a 100 mile radius of your community you're casting a wide net of green mindedness. Whether you're buying from a farmer, carpenter, winery or a coffee shack, using local resources builds the entire community up. The money you spend stays circulating within your area, keeps small businesses thriving, cuts down on transportation costs to and from the source and a certain pride in the product will show. Local merchants have a positive reputation to nurture if they want to survive so customer care is generally quite a bit better.
Go green, go local and stay happy with the quality of products you get.
A local farmers' market is a treasure trove of unique, personal resources. Hand-crafted edible and non-food items made by your neighbors are one-of-a-kind gems and they're easier to get information about. You can ask the designer or the grower when, where and how it was made. If you see a craft or skill you share with a vendor, you can ask where they get their supplies and why they chose that place. You can visit many of the farms and studios your favorite items, to see where they come from to get an even better idea of the growing or making process.
Go green when you get local products by reducing packaging waste and costs.
Bring your own mug for that morning espresso and grab a bag of fresh-roasted beans or a muffin that was made 2 hours ago by the baker. You kept a paper cup and box out of the landfill and didn't contribute to the use of extra fuel for shipping the beans or muffin across state. How easy was THAT? With all the fresh produce available during the warmer months, why not grab an iced tea, some totes and visit the small farms near you? More and more of these little farms are letting you go pick your own produce if you want. No trucking fees, plenty of foods and flowers to pick from and the only packaging used is newspaper to wrap delicate things in your totes.
Go green when you support your local fairs.
These are usually sponsored by Parks & Rec. Departments or Co-Opts so the venders are normally local crafts artists. Just like getting to know a local farmer can help in getting to know you local food chain and supporting its continuation, you will be supporting the continuation of local artists and craftspeople in their crafts, a part of your local heritage!
Go green, get to know your area, crafts people and resources better.
There are still many local businesses that, once you have a good relationship with them, will even barter some their wares for yours. The more you support your local merchants the more you'll see come back to your community.
To discover more ways that you can support your local community and help the environment at the same time jump on the free E-course that will show you how to get started right away! Fill in your first name and email address. Its that easy to start saving money while helping the planet!
In this episoide we will be talking about the importance and impact of shopping locally when ever possible. Using local merchants, craftsmen and tradesmen is really one of those activities that with a little effort can really leverage our going green efforts!
Go green, go local.
When you buy anything made within a 100 mile radius of your community you're casting a wide net of green mindedness. Whether you're buying from a farmer, carpenter, winery or a coffee shack, using local resources builds the entire community up. The money you spend stays circulating within your area, keeps small businesses thriving, cuts down on transportation costs to and from the source and a certain pride in the product will show. Local merchants have a positive reputation to nurture if they want to survive so customer care is generally quite a bit better.
Go green, go local and stay happy with the quality of products you get.
A local farmers' market is a treasure trove of unique, personal resources. Hand-crafted edible and non-food items made by your neighbors are one-of-a-kind gems and they're easier to get information about. You can ask the designer or the grower when, where and how it was made. If you see a craft or skill you share with a vendor, you can ask where they get their supplies and why they chose that place. You can visit many of the farms and studios your favorite items, to see where they come from to get an even better idea of the growing or making process.
Go green when you get local products by reducing packaging waste and costs.
Bring your own mug for that morning espresso and grab a bag of fresh-roasted beans or a muffin that was made 2 hours ago by the baker. You kept a paper cup and box out of the landfill and didn't contribute to the use of extra fuel for shipping the beans or muffin across state. How easy was THAT? With all the fresh produce available during the warmer months, why not grab an iced tea, some totes and visit the small farms near you? More and more of these little farms are letting you go pick your own produce if you want. No trucking fees, plenty of foods and flowers to pick from and the only packaging used is newspaper to wrap delicate things in your totes.
Go green when you support your local fairs.
These are usually sponsored by Parks & Rec. Departments or Co-Opts so the venders are normally local crafts artists. Just like getting to know a local farmer can help in getting to know you local food chain and supporting its continuation, you will be supporting the continuation of local artists and craftspeople in their crafts, a part of your local heritage!
Go green, get to know your area, crafts people and resources better.
There are still many local businesses that, once you have a good relationship with them, will even barter some their wares for yours. The more you support your local merchants the more you'll see come back to your community.
To discover more ways that you can support your local community and help the environment at the same time jump on the free E-course that will show you how to get started right away! Fill in your first name and email address. Its that easy to start saving money while helping the planet!
Thursday
Go Green Easily: Got Friends, Buy Bulk
Mr. Don
Go green easily and buy in bulk with friends at a grocery warehouse.
You save time, money and fuel just for starters. Most grocery warehouse stores charge $45-50 for a yearly membership and allow up to three people to be on the main member's non-corporate card. When split three-ways it comes out to a little over $16.00 per person to join. The average savings buying in bulk from these kinds of stores is 33 to 38% on fresh vegetables and fruits, up to 43% on fresh meats or poultry or fish and up to 55% on canned goods and staples such as flour, rice, sugar and coffee. These discounts include the organic foods more of these stores are carrying. While these stores keep a basic inventory of popular items in stock, they do switch brand names, quantity sizes and rotate seasonal items quickly. Most send out flyers in the newspapers or put on their website special deals or things being offered for a short time so check those out before you go.
Go green easily buying in bulk with your buddies and keep your friendships enriched.
One of the beauties of bulk purchasing with people you like is how you spend more time together just by doing a necessity. You get to hang out writing the shopping list, making the purchases and then dividing it all up. The other nice thing about shopping together is that impulse purchases are kept at bay. Having a friend there to remind each of you that it'll be harder to separate out the cost and taxes on that cute bird feeder or the complete Beatles compilation keeps everyone feeling more on task. One important, but often over looked aspect of the adventure, is the exercise that you are getting at the same time. Of course it could just be me feeling like we have wandered around for days!!
Then there is always (I love this part!)the free food samples! They can be a bit distracting but if you go there hungry, after 15 minutes of wandering the aisles, you'll be full; we all know how important it is not to shop on an empty stomach.
Go green easily buying as a co-operative with neighbors, family, or even coworkers.
What's not to like about something that saves you money, strengthens your bonds of friendship and helps the planet? Your bank accounts stay as full as your cupboards, you can reuse containers from past purchases (good for the earth) as you divvy up the goods, take one car and turn a boring chore into a fun day.
For us, storage had always been an issue, but once we started going together with friends and splitting it up between families solved that.
There's strength and savings in numbers so round up your posse and get your "green" on.
Our free E-course can show you more ways that you can get involved and involve your family in helping the environment while saving some “green”! Use the sign up form provided and get started right away discovering how easy it can be.
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Stress Management
Functional Self Improvement
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Go green easily and buy in bulk with friends at a grocery warehouse.
You save time, money and fuel just for starters. Most grocery warehouse stores charge $45-50 for a yearly membership and allow up to three people to be on the main member's non-corporate card. When split three-ways it comes out to a little over $16.00 per person to join. The average savings buying in bulk from these kinds of stores is 33 to 38% on fresh vegetables and fruits, up to 43% on fresh meats or poultry or fish and up to 55% on canned goods and staples such as flour, rice, sugar and coffee. These discounts include the organic foods more of these stores are carrying. While these stores keep a basic inventory of popular items in stock, they do switch brand names, quantity sizes and rotate seasonal items quickly. Most send out flyers in the newspapers or put on their website special deals or things being offered for a short time so check those out before you go.
Go green easily buying in bulk with your buddies and keep your friendships enriched.
One of the beauties of bulk purchasing with people you like is how you spend more time together just by doing a necessity. You get to hang out writing the shopping list, making the purchases and then dividing it all up. The other nice thing about shopping together is that impulse purchases are kept at bay. Having a friend there to remind each of you that it'll be harder to separate out the cost and taxes on that cute bird feeder or the complete Beatles compilation keeps everyone feeling more on task. One important, but often over looked aspect of the adventure, is the exercise that you are getting at the same time. Of course it could just be me feeling like we have wandered around for days!!
Then there is always (I love this part!)the free food samples! They can be a bit distracting but if you go there hungry, after 15 minutes of wandering the aisles, you'll be full; we all know how important it is not to shop on an empty stomach.
Go green easily buying as a co-operative with neighbors, family, or even coworkers.
What's not to like about something that saves you money, strengthens your bonds of friendship and helps the planet? Your bank accounts stay as full as your cupboards, you can reuse containers from past purchases (good for the earth) as you divvy up the goods, take one car and turn a boring chore into a fun day.
For us, storage had always been an issue, but once we started going together with friends and splitting it up between families solved that.
There's strength and savings in numbers so round up your posse and get your "green" on.
Our free E-course can show you more ways that you can get involved and involve your family in helping the environment while saving some “green”! Use the sign up form provided and get started right away discovering how easy it can be.
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Stress Management
Functional Self Improvement
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Tuesday
Go Green Easily: Second-hand Is NOT a Dirty Word
Mr. Don
I love going through consignment and thrift shops. They are a world of treasure. I think I have pretty much got her believing that I hate it, as I do with all shopping (can’t break character and all), but truth be told I have really found some great buys on stuff that would normally run $100s of dollars!
And it really ties in nicely here. While I get pumped about a great buy, the little shops do keep a lot of stuff out of land fills, so please utilize them when possible, and here’s why!
Go green easily by using second-hand and consignment stores.
The current economic downturns that most of us are feeling has taken some of the stigma off buying pre-owned items. Yard sales are hot shopping spots, on line classified ad sites are cropping up in droves and community swaps are growing in popularity. Second-hand is NOT a dirty word. People of all classes are realizing that there are great finds on the racks and shelves of consignment stores and thrift stores. The old adage of "One man's trash is another man's treasure." has taken on new meaning and new value.
Utilizing stores that clean, refurbish, rewire or simply sell items as-is eliminates the need to ship merchandise from around the country. There's no added cost to the price tag for fuel fees, warehouse handling fees, trucking companies fees nor the big charge for buying a name brand article at full price. Donations are tax deductible with receipts from the organization stating the estimated value of the items; you save when you give as well as receive.
Many charitable organizations use their resale stores for training. The developmentally disabled, recovering addicts, the homeless and others in need of marketable skills learn how to rewire appliances or do re-upholstery work or succeed in retail so they can support themselves.
Go green and get greenbacks by putting consignment stores to good use. Last year's fashion staples, brand new stock from retired businesses or an extra toaster oven from a newlywed's gift collection are found treasures. As a rule, only clean, like-new products are acceptable for consideration at these stores. Finding original price tags on packaging is very common. Consignment stores will either pay you a flat rate for your items or take a small fee on what they sold for. Many will even give an in-store credit or let you trade some of your things for same-priced merchandise. Building a good relationship with the owner or manager can garner you some nice perks, like getting a first look at new arrivals before they go out onto the sales floor.
My wife and I have been foster parents for many years now and at various times have had up to 3-4 foster sons plus our two. The consignment shops and thrift stores were a godsend to us! We also taught the kids that good buys could be found if they would look.
The other area I have really utilized consignment shops and thrift stores is in finding great deals on exercise equipment! I usually start checking in June because by then most folks who have gotten equipment for Christmas but are not using it, are also getting tired of looking at it go unused! So they put it in the consignment or thrift stores!
Everybody wins, they got rid of it, the store made a sale, and I got a good buy!
Going green and second-hand buying go hand-in-hand so remember, second-hand is NOT a dirty word. These stores serve their communities by employing from within the area, giving new life to gently-used or even never-used things and keeping their corner of the local economy going. Thrift stores are usually a training and financial source for charities while consignment stores put cash in your pocket but both do the same service; keeping usable items out of the dumps.
If you would like to learn more practical and effective ways that you can help the environment as you go about your daily activities, sign up for our free E-course. It is about 3 weeks long and is designed for busy families who want to do their part to help the environment both locally and globally.
It is also an incredible resource for parents and other concerned adults who want to increase the awareness of environmental issues, in their young people!
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Functional Stress Management
I love going through consignment and thrift shops. They are a world of treasure. I think I have pretty much got her believing that I hate it, as I do with all shopping (can’t break character and all), but truth be told I have really found some great buys on stuff that would normally run $100s of dollars!
And it really ties in nicely here. While I get pumped about a great buy, the little shops do keep a lot of stuff out of land fills, so please utilize them when possible, and here’s why!
Go green easily by using second-hand and consignment stores.
The current economic downturns that most of us are feeling has taken some of the stigma off buying pre-owned items. Yard sales are hot shopping spots, on line classified ad sites are cropping up in droves and community swaps are growing in popularity. Second-hand is NOT a dirty word. People of all classes are realizing that there are great finds on the racks and shelves of consignment stores and thrift stores. The old adage of "One man's trash is another man's treasure." has taken on new meaning and new value.
Utilizing stores that clean, refurbish, rewire or simply sell items as-is eliminates the need to ship merchandise from around the country. There's no added cost to the price tag for fuel fees, warehouse handling fees, trucking companies fees nor the big charge for buying a name brand article at full price. Donations are tax deductible with receipts from the organization stating the estimated value of the items; you save when you give as well as receive.
Many charitable organizations use their resale stores for training. The developmentally disabled, recovering addicts, the homeless and others in need of marketable skills learn how to rewire appliances or do re-upholstery work or succeed in retail so they can support themselves.
Go green and get greenbacks by putting consignment stores to good use. Last year's fashion staples, brand new stock from retired businesses or an extra toaster oven from a newlywed's gift collection are found treasures. As a rule, only clean, like-new products are acceptable for consideration at these stores. Finding original price tags on packaging is very common. Consignment stores will either pay you a flat rate for your items or take a small fee on what they sold for. Many will even give an in-store credit or let you trade some of your things for same-priced merchandise. Building a good relationship with the owner or manager can garner you some nice perks, like getting a first look at new arrivals before they go out onto the sales floor.
My wife and I have been foster parents for many years now and at various times have had up to 3-4 foster sons plus our two. The consignment shops and thrift stores were a godsend to us! We also taught the kids that good buys could be found if they would look.
The other area I have really utilized consignment shops and thrift stores is in finding great deals on exercise equipment! I usually start checking in June because by then most folks who have gotten equipment for Christmas but are not using it, are also getting tired of looking at it go unused! So they put it in the consignment or thrift stores!
Everybody wins, they got rid of it, the store made a sale, and I got a good buy!
Going green and second-hand buying go hand-in-hand so remember, second-hand is NOT a dirty word. These stores serve their communities by employing from within the area, giving new life to gently-used or even never-used things and keeping their corner of the local economy going. Thrift stores are usually a training and financial source for charities while consignment stores put cash in your pocket but both do the same service; keeping usable items out of the dumps.
If you would like to learn more practical and effective ways that you can help the environment as you go about your daily activities, sign up for our free E-course. It is about 3 weeks long and is designed for busy families who want to do their part to help the environment both locally and globally.
It is also an incredible resource for parents and other concerned adults who want to increase the awareness of environmental issues, in their young people!
Until next time,
Take care and be safe!
Mr. Don
Functional Yoga 4 Families
Functional Stress Management
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