Reduce Your Junk Mail (Postal)

I always thought that by tossing my junk mail into the recycle bin, that I was living greener.  But what would be greener than recycling your junk mail?  Not receiving it at all!  Sign up at DMAchoice and start reducing the amount of mail that you receive.  They sort mail into four main categories: credit offers, catalogs, magazine offers, and "other" mail offers (such as donations, banks, etc.).  You can choose which of the four categories you want to continue receiving mail from (if any), or you can choose not to receive mail from anyone that you haven't previously purchased from or supported.  All changes are effective for 5 years!  Which simply means that you can change them manually before 5 years is up, or you can let the timer run out and in 5 years just reapply your settings.

8 Ways to Reuse Plastic Bags

Though you may try your hardest to avoid them, you might find that plastic grocery bags still float their way into your life.  When friends and family visit us towing gifts and the occasional casserole, these items always seem to arrive in plastic grocery bags.  But even if you have purchased reusable grocery/shopping bags, you can find alternate uses for the plastic bags you have acquired.

1. Stuffing For Crafts:  Use plastic bags (along with other materials) to add "bulk" to your craft items.
2. Stuffing For Accessories:  Stuff into unused purses and/or shoes to help retain their shape.
3. Protect Hands:  Use plastic bags as "gloves" to protect your hands when cleaning with harsh chemicals (such as bleach or ammonia) or when using polishes/dyes.
4. Protect Shoes:  Use a bag to cover your shoes when going into a particularly muddy area.
5. Inhibit Ice:  At night, tie a plastic bag around your car's side mirrors to keep them ice-free in the morning.
6. Paint Protectors:  When painting, use masking tape to affix plastic bags to items that you don't want covered in paint.
7. Suitcase Protectors:  Use a plastic bag to keep dirty soles off of other items in your suitcase.
8. Line Garbage Cans:  Use plastic bags to line small garbage cans (such as in a bathroom).

Living Greener with SodaStream

This nifty little product helps you to make your life a little greener - and still drink the soda you love.  No more plastic bottles and/or cans to throw away!  SodaStream carries soda makers (that add carbonation), soda mixes (in a variety of flavors, including diet flavors), reusable bottles (useable for up to 2 years), and extra carbonators (for when you need a CO2 refill for your maker).

Soda mixes start as low as $4.99 depending on where you find them.  Each bottle of mix makes 12 liters (equivalent of 33 cans) of soda.  There are also Flavor Essences that make lightly flavored sparkling water, Sparkling Tea mixes, Energy Drink mixes, and Sparkling Juice mixes.

To find out more about SodaStream, and where to buy it, please visit the SodaStream website by clicking here.

8 Uses for Baby Wipes

I have often told my husband that when our little girl is no longer wearing diapers, I will still keep baby wipes in the house (regardless of the addition of any children).  Why?  Because they are AWESOME!  There are so many little uses for baby wipes that I never considered until we had Emmy:

1. After Dinner Wipe - After eating a terribly messy meal (such as ribs or bbq chicken), baby wipes make the perfect "cleaner-upper" for hands and faces.
2. Soothing Wipe - Baby wipes make great soothing solutions to a nasty sunburn.
3. Makeup Wipe - The perfect makeup remover!  No time spent putting solutions onto wipes or cotton, and no icky "oily" residue left behind.
4. Cleansing Wipe - When you can't wash a cut or scrape in a sink, these make great cleansing alternatives to use before applying ointment and a bandage.
5. Dusting Wipe - Everything from keyboards to bathroom sinks can be "dusted" with a baby wipe.
6. Blotting Wipe - Baby wipes can blot up small spills from upholstery and carpet.
7. Auto Wipe - Keeping wipes in your car can provide you with cleanup from pumping gas or eating on-the-go.
8. Workout Wipe - Baby wipes are great for cleaning up after a workout.  Use them to wipe your brow (or other sweaty parts, if needed) or to clean off equipment.

BONUS:  You can also use the empty baby wipes containers to store small items such as: sewing supplies, loose change, plastic bags, first-aid supplies, et cetera.

Dishwasher Energy Savers

Here is a list of things that you can do with your dishwasher that will save you energy (and money) in the long run:

1. Stop washing your dishes by hand.  Dishwashers actually use less water, and subsequently, less heat.
2. Let dishes air dry in lieu of heat drying.
3. Rinse dishes in cold water.  Oftentimes, cold water will do the same job with less energy.
4. Do not use the "rinse & hold" feature on your dishwasher.
5. Fill the dishwasher completely before running it. 

Perpetual Produce Calendar

I have always wanted to grow things: spices, fruits, vegetables, nuts, flowers, you name it.  Alas, I do not have (nor will I ever likely have) a "green" thumb.  In fact, I have a downright brown, wilted thumb.  However, if I was good at managing any kind of garden, I would use this handy little produce calendar.  It tells you (by region) which months are best for planting and harvesting.  Actually, they also tell you when certain produce is in season (for buying), so I might get some use out of this little calendar after all...

To check out this perpetual calendar, click here.

Uses for Peppermint Essential Oil

I use essential oils for tons of things around our house.  This is a list of some of my favorite things to do with peppermint essential oil:

1. Energize Your Workout:  Mix about 50 drops of peppermint essential oil with 1 cup of water and place in a spray bottle.  Use the bottle to spritz your yoga mat or exercise equipment.  Alternatively, you can skip the middleman and just inhale the oil scent prior to working out.
2. Freshen Your Home:  Use the same mixture above to make a spray for your home.
3. Stay Alert When Driving:  Take an old, worn out, hanging automobile air freshener (or make a brand new one out of simple felt).  Place a few drops of peppermint oil onto the air freshener and hang from the car mirror or in front of vents. 
4. Keep Socks/Shoes Fresher:  Place a few drops on the bottoms of your socks.
5. Wake Up:  Drop a tiny amount onto the shower floor about 1-2 minutes before entering the shower.
6. Calm Stomach:  Inhale a bit of peppermint oil from the bottle when you have slight stomach upset or sea sickness.
7. Relax:  Mix 1/8 cup water with 12 drops peppermint oil.  Use the mixture to rub on temples or to massage aching muscles.
8. Remain Sharp at Work:  Purchase a diffuser (a reed diffuser is recommended for safety reasons) and use peppermint oil with it.  Keep it at your work station to inhale as the day wears on.
9. Bath Time:  Mix a few drops of peppermint oil with some epsom salt and add to running bath water. 

Alternate Uses for Hair Conditioner

For years I kept telling my husband that he should condition his hair, but he always considered it too girly.  Eventually I convinced him (after a bout of extremely dry skin on his scalp).  He doesn't use the "froufrou" conditioners, which is fine by me, because it allows me to use his cheaper brand for other household things without feeling any guilt over wasting money.  In some cases, it can even replace household items that might be harsher on your body or the environment.

1. Washing Silk:  You can hand wash your silk garments in a sink full of warm water.  If you add just a tablespoon of conditioner, it will "freshen" the garment and keep it soft.  Rinse well and air dry.
2. Shine Stainless Steel:  Apply conditioner to stainless steel items and rub conditioner off with a soft cloth.
3. Shave Your Legs:  Apply a thin layer of conditioner to legs and shave as usual.  The conditioner will soften your hair (making it easier to shave) and your skin.  I have found that the cheaper the conditioner, the better your shave will be!
4. Remove Makeup:  Use a small amount of conditioner to remove the makeup from anywhere on your face.  This should go without saying, but be cautious when removing eye makeup.
5. Loosen Your Ring:  Can't get that ring off your finger?  Apply conditioner and... voila!
6. Oil Wheels:  Rub conditioner on the axles of rollerskate, rollerblade, or skateboard wheels to stop them from sticking or making noises.

10 Uses for Distilled White Vinegar

Make your home a little greener by using distilled white vinegar for some of your household chores that regularly use harsher products.

1. Carpet Spot Remover:  Mix equal parts distilled white vinegar and cornstarch.  Spread onto spot, working into carpet with a washcloth.  Let dry for at least 24 hours, preferably 48.  Vacuum over, and the spot should "lift" with the vacuuming.  Don't forget to spot test the carpet first, in an inconspicuous place.
2. Eliminate Mildew:  Use a spray bottle to apply vinegar on any surface that is mildew-prone.  This works great on the shower curtain or bottoms of rugs in the bathroom.
3. Shine Silver:  Mix 1/2 cup vinegar with 2 tablespoons baking soda.  Use this as a soak for silverware or sterling jewelry.
4. Clean Your Microwave:  In a microwave-safe bowl, mix 1 cup water and 1/4 cup vinegar.  Sit bowl in middle of microwave and nuke for 5 minutes.  When mixture has cooled enough to handle, use it with a sponge to wipe down the inside of the microwave.
5. Air Refresher:  If you cook something that "invades" your home's air (such as seafood), mix 1 cup of water and 1/2 cup vinegar in a small saucepan.  Boil until the liquid is almost gone.  The vinegar smell will not linger for long.
6. Whiten Grout:  Use a toothbrush dipped in vinegar to scrub at the grout between the tiles.
7. Clean Your Washing Machine:  Add 2 cups of vinegar to your washing machine and run as usual without anything else in the machine.
8. All-Color Bleach:  Brighten your loads by adding 1/2 cup vinegar to the wash cycle.
9. Disinfect Toilet Bowls:  Pour 2 cups vinegar into toilet and let sit overnight, if possible.  Flush in the morning.  Do this once a week.
10. Clean Eyeglasses:  Apply a few drop of vinegar to a soft cloth and wipe glass lenses.

Abeego Reusable Food Storage

This reusable food storage option is made from 55% hemp and 45% cotton fabric.  Each wrap is infused with beeswax (for antibacterial properties) and plant extracts (for antimicrobial properties).  They come in three different shapes/sizes: snack, wrap, and square.  Average life of these products is about 1 year.  Prices range from $11 to $15.  To see what these products are all about or to buy, click here.