Ways to cut down on waste, save money and make Mother Earth happy in your
household.

In this day and age human beings have become extremely lazy and wasteful, us included. Here is a list of suggestions to help save
money, cut waste and be more environmentally friendly. If we all do our part, we might actually make a difference. My eldest
daughter is responsible for telling me what her and her family have already started doing to be more environmentally responsible
and so I asked her to send me a list of everything they were doing so we could pass it. I think it’s great and we will be sure to
implement these suggestions at home as well. She has three small kids at home and has, already, saved money just by switching
to cloth diapers and napkins.

  1. Instead of using disposable diapers, use cloth diapers. Yes it can be a bit messy, but you will save a lot of money and
    create less waste.
  2. Instead of using perfumed wipes that can actually irritate baby’s skin, use wash cloths and a mild natural soap.
  3. Recycle all the plastic, aluminum, glass, tin, and paper that you can. Most towns have recycling centers where you can
    get money for aluminum cans. They also have centers where you can take the rest of your recyclable waste if you don’t
    have a weekly or bimonthly pickup.
  4. Purchase and use recycled aluminum foil, paper towels, toilet paper and kitchen bags, if possible.
  5. Instead of Ziplock or other plastic sandwich bags, use wax paper sandwich bags.
  6. Use plastic or glass storage containers for food storage and lunch boxes instead of Ziplock or plastic bags. These are
    reusable and create less waste. Plastic baggies do not biodegrade too well and can actually poison the environment.
  7. When grocery shopping use canvas or some other type of reusable bags. If you do get the plastic grocery bags either turn
    them in to a recycling center or use them as trash can liners for the bathroom. Paper bags are biodegradable and can have
    many household uses such as lining the cat box or bird cage.
  8. Instead of using paper plates and plastic cutlery, use your dishes. The fine white china is great for big gatherings when
    you do not want to spend more time at the dish sink than you are with your guests, but do we really need to use them
    on a daily basis?
  9. Throw your used tissue in the toilet instead of the trash. Yes, they are biodegradable, but in the toilet they break up
    much faster and then go through the waste treatment facility. Again, less waste for you to have to manage at the end of
    the week.
  10. Buy environmentally friendly cleaners, laundry detergents (which Kate is going to be working on), dish soap, body
    soaps and make sure they are in recyclable containers if possible.
  11. Buy organic whenever possible. Yes, it is usually more expensive, but at least you’ll know that your children are not
    ingesting poisons and waxes. If you can’t afford to buy organic, purchase a natural fruit & veggie wash. Kate is thinking
    of bringing in some Grapefruit Seed Extract that makes a great fruit & veggie wash and it’s a natural product.
  12. Support local farmers whenever possible buy purchasing foods at your local Co-op.
  13. Purchase a trash compactor to make waste into smaller bundles.
  14. Create a compost heap or bin and throw all your food and garden waste in it. It makes great mulch for the garden.
  15. Use your garbage disposal as much as possible if you can’t compost. Just remember that garbage disposals and potato
    peels don’t mix well.
  16. Use your used coffee grounds and egg shells (broken up, of course) in the garden.
  17. Instead of using paper napkins or paper towels when dining, use fabric napkins. Most times you can get them cheap
    from dollar stores or department stores after holidays when they go on sale.
  18. Walk or ride a bike whenever possible to nearby stores, parks, etc.
  19. Reuse containers that lunch meat and other foods are packaged in instead of throwing them away or buying expensive
    containers. When they are no longer functional, put them in the recycle bin.
  20. Turn down your thermostat and put on a sweater or two or three.

Hope you all found these suggestions helpful and are willing to give some, or all, of them a try.

If anyone has any more ideas on ways to save, let us know and we will add it to our list. Ancient Journeys does carry some
smaller canvas bags that can be used for smaller purchases. If we get enough interest for larger bags we will certainly bring them in.
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