Posted in Going Green

Here are a few more tips for you to reduce your family's output (rubbish) that will make a difference to the earth and your wallet. Re-purposing items that would commonly be dumped in a landfill eliminates the cost of you purchasing an item to serve that function. Finding ways to purchase items that offer less (or no) addition to your weekly rubbish will help keep the earth in shape for future generations, and likely keep costs down as well!

• Instead of purchasing cans of no stick spray, purchase a spray bottle ( I don't recommend a dollar store purchase for this item) and fill with veg or olive oil. You will still have the health benefit of using less oil when cooking, as well as no can to throw away or the toxins from the spray itself.
• Those lovely bags of pre-chopped salad greens are ever so inviting. I truly love the convenience. However the purchase of these items is not only wasteful, but you are regularly discarding a plastic wrapper. Next time you are at teh grocery, purchase 2-3 heads of lettuce. When you get home wash, pat dry, chop, and wrap loosely in a paper towel. Place in a zip style plastic bag. This lettuce will keep a week or so.
• About those produce bags. Fresh produce is a beautiful thing! Those ultra thin plastic bags, can be a bugger though. Each time we make a healthful purchase of fruits or veggies, we have that little bag to deal with. Save these bags to wrap sandwiches and carry snacks. There is a famous cook on TV, who also has her own mag (I'm not naming names) who uses a garbage bowl to collect all of her refuse when preparing a meal. (By the way, she actually endorses a bowl that is sold as a garbage bowl...not very earth friendly or frugal.) If you are unable to compost, use a produce bag each time you prepare a meal to collect the refuse. When you are done, you can tie a not in the bag and it will reduce teh smell in your trash can.

Every step your family takes to acquire new habits that reduce your family's output, is a step towards a more healthful earth. There is no better way to thank God for the unbelievable earthly kingdom He created for us, and no better way to honor His command that we have dominion over the earth than to treat with care as best we can. It's that simple.

These are my thoughts.

Leslie Valeska

~Contributing Writer~

Want to read more? Come, partake in the Journey to Simplicity where you will find lots of information regarding frugality, simplicity, homeschooling, organization, faith, homemaking, art, and so much MORE! Leslie is a wife and homeschooling mother of four in SW Fl. With children ranging in ages from 4-16, she has had a lot of time to learn and experience much of homemaking. Leslie is also a seamstress for Vintage Vixen, one of the oldest online vintage clothing shops. When time permits she enjoys reading, writing, scrapbooking, painting, and watching old movies. She and her family also spend much time RVing. You simply must come on over to the Journey to Simplicity and see what she is talking about today!