School Colors

I came up with a cute new snack bags that happens to be my son's school colors. I had fun creating the color combinations and finding the right fabric. Like it but not your schools colors. Let me know and I can create a custom set for you!

Shopping Bags

I am having so much fun making new things. I just started making new shopping/ grocery bags. Here is a picture. Hoping to add soon to the website.

Esty Site Open

Hi! Since my paypal buttons aren't being very nice to me I have included the link to my esty site. I have a shop there you can see some of my reusable bag sets!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/GreenerRoute

Extra Spoons

Save some money and be green by buying extra spoons. When packing a lunch you will have spoons for the yogurt, jello, pudding and then the spoon comes home. (you hope!) I bought a pack of inexpensive spoons at Walmart for about $1 for approximately 6 spoons. You get to use over and over again so you will get your money's worth!

Dryer Sheet Cost Cutting

If you like your dryer sheets and don't want to give them up for other greener options than try this. Cut the dryer sheets in half. You will save money by only using half and use less of them which is good for mother earth. It still works great and has the same results!

Second Life for Dryer Sheets

I learned this a while back and recently tried this. It works great. Take your dryer sheet and use it to remove soap scum around your bathroom tub. It works great and doesn't scratch the surface at all.  Give it a try next time instead of just throwing out your dryer sheet.

Portion Control

I have discovered my newest love. It is the 1/2 cup glad ware cups with lids. No more waste from my kids. When they used to see jello in a big container their eyes were bigger than their stomachs. I would waste a lot of jello and other food items. So now I make the jello in a pourable Pyrex measuring bowl and then pour directly into the 1/2 cups and snap the lids on them. They then go into the fridge and are easily accessible for all. It also helps me to make lunches very easy.

I love convenience packaging but it is expensive and wasteful. Now, I make them up ahead of time with jello, pudding, applesauce, and diced pears and then kids have a choice on what they want for lunch. Its cheaper, and reusable. The glad cups come in a set of 6 for about $2.99 and are reusable whereas you buy refrigerated Jello premade it cost the same and you can't reuse the cups.

Repurpose Leftovers

We are a throw away society. We throw out leftover food and for me leftover scrap material. I decided that I would take my leftover material and make bookmarks. I love reading so it seemed like the easiest thing to do with my scraps and great thing was the  bookmarks don't need to be a certain size. In repurposing the scraps I am giving a new life to something I would have thrown out.

So the next step was to decide what to do with the bookmarks. I decided that I was either going to donate them to the librarian or teacher as a treat for the students or see if the PTO could add them to our school's bookfair.  I saw last year a little boy who didn't have enough money to buy anything and it was sad. I figured the PTO could charge less than a dollar for the bookmakr and everyone could afford something and not feel left out.

Speak Up!

This weekend I was at a church function. We we outside at a water theme play time with the kids. It was hot, we were enjoying Rita's ice and water bottles. I asked where the recycling bin was for the water bottles. The hunt for one was headed by the pastor's wife and then she took charge going through the garbage to dig out the thrown out bottles.

Do you know that it takes approximately 92% more energy to make a water bottle from scratch then remake a recycled bottle. Think of the impact of that on our environment through global warming and pollution.

Don't be afraid to Speak Up!

Frugal And Green

The two things I love best are being frugal and being green. The two words go hand and hand.  I try to breathe new life into my things by giving to Goodwill or selling at a yard sale. I hate to throw anything out.  Convenience packaging is great but not cost effective on a budget or very green. Buy in bulk and package yourself. We need to teach our kids about protecting the planet that has seen so much human destruction in the last century. Start small and you will never get overwhelmed with change. I am hoping to blog more about the frugally green lifestyle I strive for.