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100 Things You Can Make Yourself
Save money by making a lot of the products you’re used to buying retail. Check out our awesome list of 100, count em 100 DIY projects and recipes you can do at home today. Everything from applesauce to whiskey, cameras, soap, paper, you name it! More »
Find Energy Efficient Appliance Rebates
Right now one of the best ways to save money on new appliances is to go with eco-friendly models that qualify for rebates or tax credits. For example, the new and popular “Cash for Appliance” rebate program. The downside is that all the information on these rebates and credits can be confusing. efficient
The Sears Blue Appliance Crew is trying to cut through some of that confusion and help clarify for consumers the requirements for different state programs through their Energy… More »
How raising baby green saves you money
Green living in general is one great way to save lots of green cash – while you help the environment. Green baby raising is an offshoot of green living that can save you even more. It’s obviously nice to live green so that your baby can grow up on a healthy planet; it’s like the cherry on the organic cake that most green baby raising techniques also save you a heap. Such as…
Breastfeeding – which eliminates plastic bottles, formula cans,… More »
Eco-Friendly Sales & Deals
I haven’t posted any eco-friendly deals or steals or coupons for a while, so we’re due. Following are some awesome ways to save some green on green living gear this week…
Seventh Generation currently has some excellent coupons available that are good for many of their items from diapers to cleaners to feminine care products.
Positively Organic has the biggest green sale I know of going on – 40% (YES 40%) off EVERYTHING in the store if you use the code po-newyear… More »
Healthy New Year’s Goal: Go Green!
This week we’re looking at healthy New Year’s goals that also save money. So far we’ve looked at how to get fit for the new year and quitting smoking – our last healthy goal that is good for your body and wallet is…
Goal #3 – Go green
How goal #3 saves you money: Major goals of green living include buying less stuff, using reusable items over disposables, and getting the toxins and chemicals out of your home and body. This adds… More »
Should you buy it flowchart
When making big or even small purchase decisions you should always use a “should you buy it” flowchart. Right now, Get Rich Slowly has an excellent version of the should you buy it flowchart (seen below) posted with all sorts of tips about how to use said flowchart and ideas that can help you be a more savvy shopper.
I have my own version of the should you buy it flowchart, but I use a basic list of questions to help… More »
Save money with smart energy use
Now that winter is closing in on us (it’s freezing here in Oregon!) it’ll pay to save energy in areas other than heating, which is likely going to be the bulk of your energy bill during the cold season. The good news is that heat is not your only energy drain. So many items in our homes run on energy that it’s easy to save all over the place. For example…
If computers are on your holiday shopping list go for… More »
How to green your budget
Odds are if you’re thrifty, you’re also already pretty darn green. Eco-friendly living and thrifty living go hand in hand in so many ways. However, there’s always a few more things you can do to green your budget situation.
Bank responsibly: Banks are not all the same shade of green. Some banks offer special green incentives and ways you can socially invest your money as well. The Socially Responsible Investing Basics for Individuals guide from the Social Investment Forum is a… More »
How Low Impact Laundry Saves You Money
Ok, I’ll admit that my first love is green living; yes, even over (gulp) saving money). However, I do also love a good saving money session and as we’ve talked about before here at Thrifty Mommy, green living and budgeting and saving money are all totally interconnected. Living green is cheap by default.
Energy Star Amana 3.5 Cu. Ft. Super Capacity Front Load Washer shown above
Low impact laundry is an excellent example of one green living choice that not only… More »
Save money with DIY beauty
As a long time green advocate I’m a huge fan of homemade beauty products and body care products. But homemade beauty products and body care items are also an excellent thrifty habit.
Why make homemade beauty and body care products?
To avoid toxins – Skin Deep reports that many companies who make beauty care and body care products use known human carcinogens or developmental toxins in the products (as many as one third). Homemade products allow you to avoid this completely.
To… More »
Grow your own wedding!
There is an awesome series at Telegraph.co.uk about growing your own wedding. From the flowers to the food, if you’ve already got a small plot of land, you can grow it all and you can save BIG bucks. This is also a super choice for an organic green wedding. The series looks at the possibilities of growing your own wedding – is it possible, what you could serve, and how to manage it all.
Some of the cool ideas offered include:
Peach… More »
Rechargeable batteries for cash savings
Today, yet another way that green can save you money and in just two words no less…
Rechargeable batteries.
Gaiam NiMH Batteries & Chargers – shown above
If you haven’t jumped on board with rechargeable batteries, you really should. The benefits are huge, both on a planet and money saving level. According to the Daily Green, “More than 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year.” WOW. Batteries not only NEVER biodegrade but they contain toxic gunk that can leak out of… More »
Green & Healthy Cookbooks on the Cheap
We all want to plan healthy meals, but some of us (ahem, me) aren’t born cooking geniuses. Some of us need some recipe help.
That said, healthy cookbooks can cost a bundle, both for our budgets and the planet. Very few cookbooks are made with recycled content, so each new cookbook you buy wastes money and trees. However, you can make a cookbook of your very own with very little cash, and save some trees in the process.
MAKE YOUR HOMEMADE COOKBOOK:
First… More »
Earth Day Deals & Sales!
I don’t usually like to post sales; I’m more of a tips sort of person. However, being that it’s Earth Day, and being that I mainly write in the green genre, you would not believe the sales hitting my inbox. That said, I figured I’d share the love.
One of my favorite green shops on the web, Night Owl Paper Goods, is having a massive Earth Day sale today. I LOVE this shop because not only are their products totally sweet… More »
Spring gardens on a budget
Now that spring has arrived you might be planning your spring and summer gardens. Gardening is overall a budget deal because it saves you money on fresh veggies and fruits (seeds cost way less than store-bought produce). That said, the cost of starting a garden can add up. Here are some ways to save.
Only use reusable or recyclable planting gear: Old egg cartons can be used to start seeds or you can make your own growing pots with recycled materials… More »
Make Your Coffee Grounds Work Double Time
Coffee (good coffee; people) can be expensive. You can buy cheaper coffee to save money OR to make your coffee purchases work harder use the grounds up – all the way.
After brewing a pot, set aside the grounds and try one of the following applications…
Place them in your compost bin where they will enrich your compost content. Coffee grounds naturally release nitrogen which plants adore all to pieces. Flowers like azaleas and rhododendrons are especially huge fans of the acid… More »
Does Living Green Save You Money?
In a word, YES!
Not sure if you know this, but while I do write on other topics, my main interest is green living. It’s what I write about most of the time, what I think about almost all the time, and in my opinion, green living can be applied to almost anything, including finances and your budget.
Here are two green living ideas that can save you money each day:
1. Using cloth over paper whenever possible: Using cloth napkins, cloths… More »
Thrifty Holiday Help
I’ve got a few nice links for you today; holiday and thrifty related.
At Tree Hugging Family, I posted DIY Homemade Natural & Eco Chic Soap which is an excellent holiday gift project, one you can even do with the kiddos. It’s soap that you can easily make with lots of recycled products – but it looks totally professional. See:
All Holiday Cafe has the most adorable (and easy) holiday gift idea – Quick Christmas Gift – Tea Cup Pincushion – if… More »
Two Thrifty Links for Green Folks
Having so many blogs, I’m always posting stuff at one blog, while thinking, “Hey, the folks at so and so blog might like this too.” In this case I recently posted two items at Tree Hugging Family that may interest thrifty folks….
First up you can save money with, Homemade Eco Gifts You Can Make for the Holidays! Many cool goodies you can make on the cheap. Plus, these actually are great gifts, not silly stuff no one would want.
Also… More »
How to Make a Solar Dehydrator
Here is the solar dehydrator I made. As you can see, it is nothing fancy. Just some boxes, some Styrofoam, mesh, a grate, plastic and a black garbage bag.
It generated a fantastic amount of heat and the stuff was drying nicely during daylight hours, but there was so much dew on the box in the morning and it all kind of re-hydrated itself some. After a few days of this, it was obvious that I have too much humidity and… More »
