Keeping it cheap and Green: Kitchen Edition

There are LOTS of things you can do in your kitchen that are green, but also cheap (which we're all looking for in this economy). Let's get right to it:

1) Unplug all small appliances not in use. They are phantom energy users. I unplug my toaster and coffee maker unless I am using them.

2) Install sink faucet aerators on your sink to save on water usage.

3) Run your dishes on the "light" setting (as opposed to heavy duty) and let them air dry instead of heat dry.

4) Cook using your microwave or a crockpot. Both use much less energy than your stove...and the bonus is the crockpot adds some heat to the house in the winter.

5) Keep small recycling bins in your kitchen. We have one for paper, one for plastics/glass and a small compost container. Our large containers are in the garage. When we use the small containers and wait for them to be full before taking them to the garage, we'll be saving heat from opening the door once instead of multiple times.

6) Use homemade, cheap and green kitchen cleaners...some great "recipes" can be found here. You can make your own healthy, green cleaners for pennies.

7) Use stainless steel cookware. Teflon pans are easier, but if the teflon gets scratched or there is a break in the treflon surface, those chemicals are released into your food. Stainless steel is more expensive, but a better buy in the long run instead of replacing the cheap teflon pans that'll end up in a landfill.

8) Switch to an extra absorbent kitchen towel. I have two from Trader Joe's. Great for wiping up small spills, washable and reusable. They've saved me a ton of money by using them instead of paper towels, not to mention eliminating the waste. And speaking of paper towels, we use a regular kitchen towel that hangs on the oven to dry hands after washing- not paper towels.

9) If you can afford the investment, get a small, energy star freezer. This is great for leftovers, cooking ahead and freezing and stocking up good deals from the grocery store.

And the groceries...well, that's another post altogether!

What other kinds of things do you do in your kitchen that are cheap and green?

Keeping Your House Green Without Spending Much: Bathroom Edition

Wow, the economy is on everyone's mind these days. I know there are people out there who were previously trying to live green, but now are just trying to get by...but it is still possible to keep your house green without breaking the bank.

I thought I'd do a little overview of the rooms in my house and how we try to be green in each of them while still being frugal. Sure, I'd love to install solar panels and low flow toilets, but that's not in the budget now. Over the next couple of blogs, I'll let you know my little tricks around the house that helps my family stay green and cheap. Let's start with the bathrooms.

1) Save money while conserving water
-take a 5 minute shower (I use a kitchen timer)

-use a low flow shower head. I have one that has the long cord and puts out only 1.5 gallons per minute. I got it from Let's Go Green. They have a variety of shower heads that range from $8-$23. I also have (from the same company) sink faucet aerators on my bathroom and kitchen sinks. They are 1.5 gallon per minute as well.

-use less water to flush with. I'd love to have those fancy low flow toilets that have 2 flush levels! What we do instead is to fill up a gallon milk jug with some pebbles (just enough to prevent floating) and put it in the toilet tank. It takes up 1 gallon of space that was previously water...so 1 gallon saved with every flush.

-and the good old "turn the water off while you brush" technique

2) Reduce waste in the bathroom
- use a rechargeable razor rather than disposables. Sure, it costs a little more at first but the rechargeable razor will cost less than many disposables in the long run.

- use bar soap instead of liquid in plastic pumps. Bar soap lasts SO much longer and doesn't produce the plastic bottle waste. I do keep one ceramic bottle filled with liquid soap for when guests come (some people feel weird about using someone else's bar soap), but for everyday use, we love the bars.

-reuse one of those old pumps for shampoo. My husband is a shampoo glutton. He could easily finish off a whole bottle in a week. So I reused a pump bottle and put his shampoo in it. Two pumps of shampoo is plenty and makes the bottle of shampoo last a lot longer...meaning it saves you money and reduces the number of shampoo bottles you need to recycle. Ideally, a bar shampoo would be great...I'm still looking for one that is natural and works well on my hair.

-make sure kids in the house use a proper amount of toilet paper. I know some kids that practically use half a roll! In addition, find a brand that is made of recycled paper. Marcal is one brand that is economical.

3) Try to use environmentally friendly and healthy products. Many "everyday" products are not as green or healthy as we'd assume they'd be. Check out the Skin Deep Cosmetics database to find out how your current brands rank. I've found I really like the Kiss My Face products. Green? Yes. Cheap...well not always. The way I afford it is to keep an eye out for these products on sale or clearance and then stock up. I found Kiss My face deodorant for half price at Target and bought four. There's a Surplus Outlet near my sister's in Pennsylvania that always has green products for SUPER cheap prices.

4) Use environmentally friendly (and inexpensive) cleaning products and methods. More on that in the cleaning edition :)

Do you have any bathroom cheap and green tips? Leave a comment!

Trash update!

I've been doing the Enviromom Challenge, trying to get to one can of trash a month. I'm surprised...since we started composting and continued our regular recycling, we have managed to have probably 1 and a 1/2 cans a month. I didn't think we'd even get down to two cans! So to celebrate our reduced trash (and to make more space in our kitchen), I got a smaller, pull out trash can that goes under the sink.

The composting is working, but going slow since we're doing it worm-free (for now). I was afraid what our little compost bin would look/smell like when we got back after a week at the beach, but I was pleasantly surprised. The last thing I put in there was corn husks, and it smelled like...cornhusks!

In other exciting (probably only to me!) news, we got our Pur water dispenser for the fridge. Yay! Between that and our iced tea maker, we'll be avoiding a lot of the prepackaged beverage bottles.

Has anyone else been doing the Enviromom trash challenge?

5 Ways We Do Frugal AND Earth-friendly

Think it costs a lot to be Earth-friendly? Here are 5 ways my family helps the earth and saves money.

1) Shampoo: My husband uses a lot of shampoo...he could easily use a bottle in a week. Not only does that cost a lot, but think of all the shampoo bottles we'd use! So we put a pump on the shampoo bottle. Two pumps of shampoo is more than enough! Shampoo lasts a lot longer, which saves money and produces less waste (shampoo bottles to be recycled). It's been working great!

2) Unplug your large electronics when not in use. What a difference this made in our electric bill! We attached surge protectors to our computer and to our tv/dvd/cable box and when not in use, flip the switch off. More energy saving tips from BGE.

3) Close off seldomly used rooms. We have a guest room that is only used once a month or less. We close the heating vents and then close the door. Another surprising money saver.

4) Make your own food. It's surprising how much preprocessed, prepackaged food Americans buy. It's convenience. I make homemade hot pockets. Sure it takes a little time, but it's healthier (I use whole wheat flour, egg beaters and morningstar farm sausage). I make a batch, freeze and heat one in the morning before I leave for work. Way cheaper than hot pockets, and pretty tasty if I say so myself.

5) Low flow shower head. These are WAY better than they used to be, and they make a significant decrease in our water bill. I ordered the Chrome Handheld 1.5 GPM Massage Showerhead from Let's Go Green.

How do you do cheap and green?