http://diyenvironmentalideas.blogspot.com/2009/11/very-inexpensive-yet-very-atmospheric.html

It’s much too good not to share it with everyone!
Fr. Peter´s last blog ..Very inexpensive yet very atmospheric DIY Table Decorations

But, the best tip I have for you all–is to try the BUY NOTHING NEW PLEDGE for a few months (or even a year) i did this for 6 months and it formed a habit for me–now I always think twice before purchasing anything new–and I haunt all the local thrift store (one of my faves: The Depot for Creative Reuse in Oakland)…doing this really did change my purchasing patterns. I just vowed to buy nothing new for 6 months–except food, medicine, and any supplies i needed for may classes…it was so much easier than I expected to fine everything I really needed used….and since I went public with this and blogged some about it—this kept me honest…
aurora fox´s last blog ..D is for DOODLE!

1) If one of my kids gets a hole in the knee of her pants…we cut off the bottoms and make the pants into shorts.

2) When try a new product whether it be food, soap, lotion, etc…if I don’t like it (for whatever reason) I offer it to my mom, my sister, or my co-workers for free. There is no reason why my purchasing error should be wasted. Someone else can benefit from my mistake!

3) My daughter (a teenager) and her friends all swap clothes and shoes. I can’t tell you how many times they’ve swapped t-shirts, shoes for prom, jewlery. So far, no one has gotten upset or had hard feelings—much to my surprise! They quadruple their wardrobes this way, and the girls who have income-strapped families get to wear clothes they couldn’t otherwise afford. It levels the playing field among her friend group and makes everyone feel equal. I find it amazing that teenage girls can do this!

4) Freecycle, freecycle, freecycle!

5) Pick one day a week (more if you are comfortable with this) to skip a shower/bath. If you haven’t gotten super sweaty/dirty…then do you really have to shower everyday?

6) Don’t wash your pants/shirts if they aren’t visibly dirty and if they don’t smell dirty. OK, after numbers 5 and 6 some might question my personal hygiene or my desirability…and I understand that…but I ASSURE you–I am very self-conscious about my appearance and aroma…and I strive to not be the “dirty bird” of the group. Honestly–you don’t have to shower every single day or wash a shirt everytime it touches your skin.

I’m sure I could come up with oodles of ideas…but these are the first ones that came to my mind.

Cheers!

I first sewed up the bottoms of some old thrift store tank tops to make super-easy grocery bags. We had been about to buy some new tote bags in an effort to avoid using all the totes we own with awful drug company logos all over them…

Next, I started cutting up an old ripped sheet into squares to sew very simple cloth bags with a drawsting closure at the top. These I will used for all the handknit holiday presents I am knitting up. No more wrapping paper for us. (We’ve been using silk scarves for the last few years–but this will be a change.)

The book sounds fabulous!
The Raven´s last blog ..The Dinner Diaries

So, my tip is GOODWILL! I refuse to buy new books because of all the waste in the paper industry and thrift stores have a multitude of wonderful books for very cheap. I haven’t bought a new book in well over a year. It takes awhile to matriculate down to their, but in the end I can almost always find books that I want. I’ve collected tons of series in their entirety completely from goodwill. This is also my only source for textbooks. i never ever ever buy the expensive textbooks from school, I always just find a textbook for the same subject and read out of that.

http://diyenvironmentalideas.blogspot.com/2009/05/slug-barrier.html

Keep your garden organic!