The 52 Week Money Challenge

The new year is viewed as a new start to improve your life in some fashion.  This is the time of year that folks go on weight loss plans, join gyms or fitness classes, vow to improve their diets, become better people and take control of their finances.  Quite often, the new year's resolutions are long forgotten by the end of January.  The reason being, the changes are either too drastic or simply to vague.  A resolution of taking control of your finances is vague.  A resolution that says 'I want to have $1,000 in savings by the end of the year' is more specific.  Even better is a resolution that says 'I will put $20 away per week so at the end of the year I will have $1,040' because it give you a game plan to follow.  When it comes to the financial resolutions, the first vague resolution is doomed to fail because there is no starting point.  The second has a starting point and ending point but no 'how to'.  The third financial resolution has a starting point, how to and ending point that if followed is destined for success. 

Towards the end of 2013, I saw the 52 Week Money Challenge posted in Facebook.  Please note that this is not my idea or my chart. There was no acknowledgement as to the author or who created the chart (pictured).  Kudos to the person who came up with this idea. The 52 Week Money Challenge is quite a good idea!  It is a simple savings plan that if followed will give you a tidy sum of $1,378 in the jar.  There are 52 weeks in a year.  Under this savings plan, the first week you put in $1 giving a balance of $1.  The second week you put in $2 for a balance of $3.  Each week you add the amount of money that equals that week, so on week 12 you add $12 and so forth until the 52nd week where you add $52 for a final total of $1,378.  This is a very simple, painless way to put away a few dollars.  The only weeks that may be a bit difficult for some are weeks 47 through 52, since the heating season is in full force and there are higher seasonal expenses with the holiday season.  However, the first twenty weeks of the new year are quite easy for most, barely noticeable while recovering financially from the holiday season and higher winter expenses.

I printed off a copy of the chart as pictured rather than make a new one.  The 8.5" x 11" size was too large so I reduced the image and printed it.  I cut the chart out then taped it to a recycled plastic container.  Each Friday, I add the appropriate amount.  This is week 6 so I put $6 in the jar bringing the total amount in the jar to $21.  I put a check mark beside the week number as a reminder that I have already added the money.  This will be a help when taking into account the weeks we are away.  I'll circle those weeks and pre-pay them.so I can stay on track.

I'm looking forward to seeing my little savings challenge grow.  This method does take a bit of discipline but it is rather painless.  I don't really have any plans for the savings either.  My husband came up with the idea to extend the savings plan through the following year for a total of 104 weeks which is something I am considering.  That would mean setting up a new chart, easily done in Microsoft Excel.  I'll decide whether to do that closer to the end of the year.  In the meantime, I'm feeding the jar each week.

A Novel Way to Recycle a Plastic Clamshell Salad Container

During our December stay at our vacation home in sunny Florida, our resort held a couple of craft shows.  I seldom buy much at craft shows since I do a lot of crafts myself but I like going to them to discover new crafts.  I bought this Florida Favorites in a plastic clam shell because it was just a very unique presentation I had not seen before and immediately knew it could easily be adapted.

Our vacation home is in a 55+ gated retirement resort.  Aside of the multitude of amenities, it is important to know how the resort is used.  About 25% of the population live there year round.  The rest are snowbirds from the northern states and Canada, staying for part or all of the winter months ( late October through April).  Out of country owners such as ourselves, rent out our home during the peak season (January through April)  if we are not using it.  That means we can have upwards of 4 different renters, usually a couple during that time period.

Renters, much like us tend to use a few convenience products and the local grocery stores certainly cater to that.  Take-out salads are extremely popular because they are inexpensive, come with all the fixings including the dressing and large enough for four servings eliminating the waste of having to toss a bottle of salad dressing because you couldn't use it up before leaving.  The grocery store salads come in two piece clam shell plastic containers.  One of the ladies at our resort came up with a novel way to recycle them.

She made these really cute gift packs called Florida Favorites.  The cleaned clam shells were lined with tissue paper then three wooden seashell themed were placed on top.  She added a small tag printed from her computer and a bow to add a bit of pizazz.  The contents of the clam shell could not have cost her more that $2 at a dollar store and the container was recycled so she was making a profit of $2 for every container that she sold.  Oh, and she wasn't profiting personally as all profits went to the Make A Wish Foundation.  The neat thing is, these recycled clam shells could be filled with just about anything for gift giving!

Recycling vs Not Recycling

We recently spent three weeks at our vacation home in the sunny south.  Now, our vacation home is in a retirement (aka over 50) resort.  It is beyond gorgeous.  What I don't like is the resort does not recycle.  We have been working very hard here at our permanent residence in beautiful Ontario, Canada.  I am pleased to say that between recycling and being very conscious in avoiding over packaging, we currently have our curb side waste down to a little under a kitchen catcher garbage bag per week.  That is still more than I would like but we are working on reducing it further.

We arrive at our vacation home where we have curbside collection twice a week.  I'm not kidding, we had two full sized garbage bags to put out for the first collection.  Then we had company staying with us for a week and that went up to three full sized garbage bags!  Everything, and I do mean everything, goes into the garbage there unless it can go into the food waste disposal.  Every jar, can, box and plastic container goes into the garbage to be whisked away to an overflowing landfill.  In this day and age of being eco-friendly and  leaving a lighter carbon footprint, it is a downright shame that this community does not use some type of recycling.  This is something I will be bringing up to our HOA.  Seriously, we need a recycling program at our vacation homeA!

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Ten Ways to Reduce Household Waste

Our municipality just issued new recycling bins that are almost double the volume of our old recycling bins.  Each household receiving curbside recycling collection is entitled to one black box (stream 1, fibre products) and one blue box (stream 2 - food, beverage and liquid containers).  Essentially we can recycle paper beverage cartons (eg. milk cartons, tetra pack, paper cups), household paper, newspaper, catalogues, books, telephone books, paper egg cartons, boxboard and cardboard boxes in our black box.  We can recycle glass bottles and jars, aluminum and steel cans, aluminum foil containers, foil, plastic bottles, plastic tubs and jugs in our blue box.  Some containers cannot be placed in either box (eg. foil pouches, aluminum foil lined containers, frozen food packaging, wax paper boxboard, unmarked plastics and stryrofoam containers.  These are the containers to avoid buying foods in, in the first place.  There are rumours that the municipality may start charging for waste collection even though it is funded through property taxes.  What does this mean to the households with curbside waste and recycling collection?  The emphasis must be on reducing waste even if it can be recycled and waste that can't be recycled.  Focus on reducing kitchen waste and packaging.  Here are a few ways for reducing household waste.

• books/magazines/newspapers - Simply don't bring them into your house.  Invest in an ebook reader to eliminate hardcopy books or borrow from the library.  Read newspapers online.
• food containers - Eliminate as many food containers (eg. tin cans, glass bottles, glass jars, plastic tubs) as possible.  Opt to cook from scratch using fresh ingredients.  Stock your pantry with home canned foods (jars can be reused for years) and home dried foods stored in reusable containers.  Stock you freezers with bulk meat purchases and home frozen foods.  Avoid buying any frozen food in waxed boxboard (eg. fish sticks, ice cream) as that can't be recycled.  Buy a couple of reusable hot drink travel mugs and water bottles that will effectively eliminate these types of disposable and take-out containers.  Avoid take-out and fast food.
• food waste -  Ideally you can get food waste down to a few bones each month after they have been used to make meat stocks, fruit pits and corn cobs.  Food waste other than dairy, meats and fatty foods can go into the compost BUT before you do that consider vegetable and fruit peelings can be dried then powdered as wonderful flavour enhancers for cooking.  Corn cobs can be dried then used in the fireplace.  They do burn hot though so don't overload it.  Save meat and poultry bones in the freezer until you have enough to make stock.  The stock can be home canned or frozen.  Install a garburator (food waste disposal) to take care of kitchen waste that cannot go into the compost.  Serve smaller portions to reduce scraps on plates and left overs.
• packaging - Avoid any individually wrapped items and those with excessive packaging.  Cooking from scratch will eliminate a significant amount of packaging.  Avoid any packaging that cannot be recycled (eg. blister packs).  Avoid packaging period if at all possible (eg. buy bulk apples rather than apples packaged in bags).  Buy used
• cleaners - Go natural for cleaning by using soap and water, baking soda, vinegar, household ammonia and rubbing alcohol.  Not only will you eliminate a lot of cleaning containers, you will free up a bit of cupboard space.
• reuse -  If you make eco-friendly choices when shopping, a vast amount of packaging can be reused or repurposed.  Keep whatever you can out of your waste and recycle containers.  If you can reuse it, do so. 
• disposables -  Avoid using anything disposable as that creates waste.  Most disposable items cannot be recycled and few can be reused.
• yard waste - Yard waste is a hard one to reduce but it can be done.  Compost whatever you can.  Replace high maintenance plants that need a lot of trimming with low maintenance ones.  Use a mulching lawnmower to put nutrients back into your lawn without having to put bags of grass clippings to the curb. 
• set a goal - Our goal for 2012 is to reduce our actual waste (eg. waste that goes to the landfill)  to one kitchen sized garbage bag for a month.  That helps to keep us conscious whenever we are buying anything.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Plastic Shopping Bags

The debate over whether to use paper or plastic shopping bags is almost over.  Few stores use paper shopping bags and those that do only give them to you if you have more than a few items.  The Ontario government put a mandatory 5¢ charge on all plastic shopping bags encouraging consumers to use re-usable cloth shopping bags.  Most stores have their own inexpensive version of these re-usable shopping bags complete with advertising.  We seldom have plastic shopping bags even at our vacation home because we simply don't shop the way many consumers do.  Those plastic bags we do get are recycled at the local Walmart.  Here are a few things we have done to reduce our use of plastic bags:

• heavy plastic bins or totes - No Frills sold heavy plastic grocery bins for $5.  I think we have five of them.  They out perform cardboard in that they are reusable without breaking down or collapsing if they get wet.   They are stackable so we keep 2 or 3 in the vehicles for larger grocery purchases.  We have several larger totes for bulk purchases like meats.
• reusable cloth shopping bags - We have tons of these!  They are used for anywhere we are shopping not just the grocery store.  At first some stores didn't like this but now they are catching on that plastic shopping bags are no longer in vogue.
• nix shopping bags entirely - Quite often I walk to the grocery or hardware store.  If buying only a few items, I get just what will fit in my backpack.  If buying a bit more, a bring the collapsible tag-a-long shopping cart.  If running into a store for one or two items, I simply decline any bag and carry as is.  When we were getting ready for moving last year, I purposely used cardboard boxes from the grocery store for groceries that then could be recycled to pack our belongings for the move.
• produce hampers - A Canadian produce hamper holds 5/8 of a bushel.  Most are made of heavy plastic.  We have several of these because we pick our own, frequent fruit and vegetable stands and get tomatoes in bulk from a relative.  These sturdy hard plastic hampers can double as smaller rubbish bins or a child's dirty clothes hamper and they can be used to cart groceries into the house.  We keep a couple in each vehicle. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

New Recycling Bins

Our municipality announced that we would be getting new recycling bins this week but we had to pick them up ourselves.  The great news is not only are they larger but they are FREE!  When we moved here last September there were no recycling bins even though the previous owner should have left them with the property.  We have a 2-stream recycling program using a black box for fibre products and a blue box for food, beverage and liquid containers.  The first couple of times we put our blue box items in clear blue recycle bags and they wouldn't take them so I called the town.  They said the recyclables had to be in a bin so I asked for bins.  They said it would be $10 a piece to which I told them we just moved in and there were no bins.  Finally, they gave the two bins for free but only because there weren't any here.

Apparently our municipality is concerned that recycling has reached a plateau in the community and may even be declining.  They are issuing the free bins as an incentive to increase recycling to prevent recyclable items from ending up in the general garbage.  In reality, recycling is not the answer.  It costs money for picking up the recyclables and transporting them to the recycling plant and all that gasoline used to do so is leaving a very big carbon footprint.  Personally, we do not need larger recycling bins.  You see, foods put up are home canned (everything from beans (eg. baked beans) to soups, to stews, jams, jellies, fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and poultry) or home dried or frozen.  I use mason jars for home canning and those jars get used a multitude of times until they break which is rather rare. That means we buy very little in the way of foods packaged in cans, glass jars or plastic.  We cook mainly from scratch and we are very careful in avoiding excess packaging.  We compost and a soon to be installed garburator will take care of just about everything we can't compost.  We don't have a newspaper subscription and very seldom buy magazines.  Honestly, it takes us over a month just to fill the two recycling bins we have right now! 

Quite frankly, the municipality should rethink their plan.  Instead of larger recycle bins they should be encouraging reducing and in fact they are to some degree.  I do think that is part of the trend they are seeing really.  Those who are eco-friendly are already reducing to begin with and manufacturers are reducing packaging.  The Ontario government has implemented a 5¢ per plastic bag mandatory surcharge for all businesses so there are less plastic bags being used.  Many are using cloth shopping bags, cardboard boxes or plastic bins at grocery stores.  Still, I don't see this trend in other stores though.  Our municipality has also started a website where you can post items you want to get rid of or for items you want.  The problem is Kijiji and the local Freecycle already cover this need.  Our municipality is trying so what it really needs is support from the community.  Nothing that can go into the recycle bins should ever be put into the garbage

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

How to Build a Solar Light Bulb

Solar power really is the wave of the future.  Currently it is a bit too expensive for many homeowners and not easily incorporated into rental units.  However, there are many simple, DIY solar projects using recycled or low cost parts that can help save a bit of money.  For example:  solar ovens, solar water heating,  solar window heaters, solar greenhouses and cold frames are all something anyone can make using recycled materials.  You really don't have to spend a lot of money to start using a bit of solar around you home.  What you do need is a bit of imagination!

I was browsing YouTube videos the other day for a few gardening ideas when I stumbled upon solar light bulbs.  Now this is about as ingenious as you can get!  Each light bulb is made using a recycled 2 L plastic pop bottle, water, a little chlorine bleach, a small piece of corrugated metal, glue and sealant.  As simple as this sounds, each one of these solar light bulbs produces the equivalent of a 50 W light bulb but uses only solar power.  Basically, the solar lights work this well because the water causes the natural light to refract resulting in a amplification of the light hitting the solar light.  These solar lights are being used in under developed countries like Brazil and Mexico, bringing light into homes where little existed and they are even being used in storage facilities and factories.  The down side is these lights only work during the daylight hours but that is when most of household lighting is used anyway so they will still save money.  Household lighting at night is task or room specific, usually only for a couple of hours.

I can see a definite use in our area of southwestern Ontario for lighting up chicken coops, out buildings like tool sheds and covered boat wells.  It might be possible to adapt these lights for use in an attic but that would mean cutting one or more holes in your house roof, something that might not be desirable.  Well sealed, the solar lights should not leak but for household indoor application an actual solar tub be a better solution.  It does freeze in our area during the winter but a clear anti-freeze agent could be added to the water that wouldn't interfere with the light refraction.  Either glycerin or alcohol would work to prevent the water freezing. 

Here's a video demonstrating how to make the solar lights: 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2012

Excited About Recycling

My gosh we have been into recycling since we were newlyweds, back when recycling was more a norm than a luxury.  Re-using and re-purposing items was quite common.  In the 1980's the blue box was introduced and in some communities like Guelph, Ontario just about everything including baby's diapers can be put into the recycle bins.  They have a three tier recycling system that includes paper, metal/plastics and wets (eg. kitchen waste, diapers).  Their system is absolutely amazing with very little going into the garbage.

For the past almost ten years we have lived semi-rural and rural.  The recycling service was dismal at best yet we still had one.  They would take cardboard, newspapers, tin cans, glass and plastic pop bottles.  Anything that wasn't to be in the bins they would toss back into the yard, not always the best thing to have blowing around.  They would not take the plastic tub containers that sour cream and cottage cheese come in. 


We have a new recycling system at our new house.  The black bin is used for all fibre products like paper beverage cartons, household paper/newspaper, catalogues, books, telephone books, cardboard, boxboard and egg cartons.  The blue bin is for food, beverages and liquid containers including sour cream and cottage cheese tubs AND aluminum foil containers and foil.  They will even take milk cartons!  We can get a compost bin from the municipality for $25 and we are planning on installing a garburator so actual garbage going to the landfill will be greatly reduced.  I was quite surprised that over the last week our actual garbage to toss out amounted to less than a grocery bag. 


This new system has sparked my interest in recycling again.  Don't get me wrong as I found a lot of creative ways to recycle containers but this is so much easier.  They collect the bins every other week.  We don't drink much in the way of soft drinks or use commercially canned foods so this collection schedule works well for us.  We have extra cardboard due to the move but once that is cleared there should be little all the way around going to the curb.


Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

Garbage Day

Our garbage collection day is Thursday with pick-up usually before 8 AM.  It's an odd day and rather inconvenient for putting out garbage from the weekend when entertaining but overall it isn't bad.  Every other week they collect the recycle bins on the same morning so at least we don't have to worry about remembering a different day.  Several years ago I saw a news clip about a family in British Columbia that only had if I recall correctly two small shopping bags of garbage for the entire year.  Everything was recycled.  Ascribing to that ideal has proven to be almost impossible.  Even though we put out on average one large garbage bag each week and even though that is a lot less than our neighbours, I am still not happy about it.  We have cut back and cut back yet the garbage is still there!  Here's some of the things we do and yet still have garbage for pick-up.

• compost - We eat a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables which means a lot of trimmings.  I compost what I can but with the amount we eat even the compost cannot keep up.   In addition to the daily produce consumed, we go through a vast amount of produce for home canning and freezing at least a year's worth at a time.  Aesthetically and in terms of space there is only so many compost bins we can have and due to property limitations there is only so much compost we can use and give away. 
• non-compostable food scraps - Certain food scraps cannot go into the compost.  These include fats, oils, dairy, corn cobs, fish parts and type of thing.  Two houses ago we had a food garburator which helped immensely but until we move back into town a garburator is not an option.  I save larger bones for a friend of ours who has a dog.  I also save bones for stock making which gives me a useful product before having to toss the bones.  Cooking oil is a huge concern as the only way to dispose of it is in the garbage. 
• food containers - We use little in the way of food containers since I do a lot of home canning.  What we can't curb side recycle which is mainly plastic tub containers are used around the house and garden but what we can't use find their way into the garbage.  This concerns me and it won't be a problem when we move into town but for now it is a problem.  Short of not buying cottage cheese, sour cream, ice cream and ricotta cheese there isn't a way to eliminate these containers so finding a way to recycle them is the only option.
• burnables - We are technically rural so can have a burn pile or barrel but we don't.  While this is a ready solution and we have used a relative's burn pile for brush, burning normal household garbage just contributes to air pollution trading the landfill issue with air quality issues.  Although some household waste could be burned we don't take advantage of this.  
• excess packaging - We are quite diligent about reducing the amount of packaging we bring into the house.  Less in means less that has to be tossed out.  We  use reusable shopping bags as well as shop farm stands, farmers' markets and bulk food stores which eliminates a lot of food packaging.  We are at the point where we don't need to buy a lot of household items so that saves on packaging as well.  Still there is some packaging that is unavoidable but we keep looking for alternatives.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2011

I Spy in a Jar (Children's Game)

I love using recycled or items that would be tossed to make crafts and other fun things.  Now, I cannot take full credit for this children's game.  One of our kids found the idea and made one for the grandkids.  I thought it would be a nice addition to Grandma and Papa's toy box as well.

The material list for this project is quite simple.  Choose simple, easily recognized found objects around the house.  Don't use an object that will break easily.  It is important to glue the lid to the jar after you are satisfied with the results.  Otherwise you could end up with rice scattered throughout the house.

Materials

plastic jar
about 2 ½ c long grain white rice
15 to 20 small found objects
hot glue gun
glue stick

Place the found objects in the jar.  Add rice.  Hot glue the top to the jar.

Pictured is the finished I Spy in a Jar.  The object of the game is for the child to find as many of the items possible.  You can add a time limit and score card for older children.  This is a good toy to take along in the car and for a quiet time activity. 

I thought this was such a cute way to recycle while making a fun toy for the grandkids.  It was extremely easy to make.  If you have little ones at home you could even involve them in the collection of found objects and the assembly although the hot gluing should be left to Mom or Dad.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Recycling Myth

We have all heard the mantra reduce, reuse, recycle.  Somewhere along the way the concept has been lost though.  The emphasis has been put on recycling while ignoring the other two fundamental ideals for moving towards a greener lifestyle.  Many municipalities have some type of recycling program and some even make recycling mandatory refusing to pick up any trash that contains recyclable materials.  There is no consistency to recycling programs though.  In some municipalities like Guelph, Ontario there is very little that can't be recycled.  Waste is divided into wet, dry and garbage.  Even dirty disposable diapers go into the recycle bin.  In other communities thing like tin foil and plastic food containers are not allowed in the recycle bin.  The real problem with recycling is it has become a touchy, feely I'm doing something good for the environment yet an out of sight out of mind activity.  Like our neighbours we put out our blue bin on collection day.  A nice truck comes by to empty our bin.  Unlike our neighbours our recycle bin doesn't get put out on a regular basis because there isn't the need.  The reason why there isn't the need is because we focus on reducing and reusing instead.  Why?

Recycling:

• costs more in terms of energy and carbon foot print than it saves.  Those huge trucks that empty the recycle bin add to air pollution through their exhaust and they use fossil fuels to operate.  Quite often recycled waste is sent to a facility where it is burned to create electricity which adds to air pollution via transporting and emmisions.
• costs in terms of taxation.  Part of your property taxes goes towards the municipal recycling program so you are paying to recycle.  Some communities even charge a monthly fee or price per bag to pick-up trash or recycleable materials.  Even if you are renting your money is going towards the cost of recycling through your rent.
• solves only part of the problem. Recycling in some ways actually encourages more consumption and less reusing because the premise is the container or paper can go into the recycle bin.  So rather than reusing the item it gets put to the curb.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Plastic in the Freezer

Continuing on my theme of plastics in the kitchen, I wanted to share how I deal with plastics in the freezer.  By far the most used packaging in my freezers (2 chest, 1 refrigerator side) is butcher's wrap.  For safety reasons I prefer not to use glass in my freezers other than the door shelves of the freezer portion of the side-by-side.  At the same time most plasticware and specifically the less expensive plasticware does not prevent freezer burn which leads to food spoilage.  For this reason I very seldom use snap lid types of plastic containers in the freezer.  Occasionally I will use a screw type plastic container in the freezer but only for very short term storage.  I also occasionally use plastic shape forming molds for things like homemade frozen treats.  The majority of plastic use in the freezers is comprised of plastic vacuum sealer bags with a very small minority of zipper style plastic freezer bags.  Zipper style freezer bags are good for a few select foods but in general I prefer vacuum sealer bags.  Vacuum sealer bags are heavy duty bags with a channel that when used with a vacuum sealer removes air surrounding the food from the bag then heat seals the bag.  Foods sealed this way have an extended freezer life and freezer burn is virtually eliminated. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

The Plastic Rules

Everyone has a different way of dealing with plastics in their kitchen.  We have been striving to greatly reduce plastics coming into our kitchen.  Like many I have come to the conclusion that trying to eliminate plastics in the kitchen is virtually impossible. I have the following rules regarding plastic that finds its way into my kitchen:

• if the product comes packaged more than one ways, jars will always win over plastic
• plastic does not go in the dishwasher
• plastic does not go in the microwave ovne
• plastic is always hand washed without exposing to hard environment
• any disposable plastic is recycled if at all possible

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Continuing on the Theme of Reducing Plastics in the Kitchen

Continuing on the them of reducing plastics in the kitchen it really is interesting to do an inventory of anything plastic in the kitchen.  The problem with plastic is it is everywhere from large and small appliance components to utensils, serving dishes, handles, dish soaps and even kitchen decor.  It is everywhere!  Realizing this makes it easier to deal with plastics that come into the kitchen.  In some instances you can eliminate or reduce certain plastics in your kitchen.  In other cases plastics are desirable due to the safety aspect of plastic not breaking like glass.  In many cases though you have no choice because the plastic is part of the appliance or that is how it is packaged (eg. dishsoap, some dairy products).  So the plastic does come into the house.  The way to deal with this is reduce what you buy and recycle what plastics you can.

I am most concerned about plastics that come into direct contact with foods.  That includes utensils, food storage containers, dishware, serving bowls and that type of thing.  When it comes to these types of things plastic does have its place.  In fact plastic can be better than metal or glass for some of these application.  Here is my hit list for avoidable plastics in the kitchen.  :

• disposable anything - This includes: cups, cutlery, disposable plates/bowls, plastic wrap, food containers, spice/seasoning bottles, and water/juice/soda bottles.
• individually wrapped anything -  This includes things like condiment packages, snack foods, drinks, frozen treats and that type of thing.
• excessively wrapped anything - I prefer buying the least amount of plastic packaging possible.  Excess plastic packaging adds to the cost of the product and often ends up in the landfill because it can't go in the recycle bin.
• non-recyclable plastics - If I can't put the plastic into the recycle bin I try very hard not to bring it into the house. 

It can be difficult to eliminate these plastics entirely so the goal is to reduce and use the least amount possible.  It is a continual battle and sometimes it becomes a compromise.  If you pick up a deli roasted chicken that is cheaper than raw and eliminates cooking on a hot, humid summer day but the chicken comes in a plastic container it may be that the chicken is the more eco-friendly choice.  Quite often take-out or delivered food includes things like disposable cutlery so I usually tell them I don't want it but on the rare occasion we go through a drive through restaurant any extra plastic cutlery or individually packaged cutlery are saved.  In this case I feel it is better to use/recycle these items rather than just tossing. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Unavoidable Plastic Food Packaging in the Kitchen

In an effort to reduce the amount of plastic used in the kitchen I have eliminated or reduced certain types of food storage containers.  This is a conscious decision one in which we can choose whether or not to use plastic.  The problem with plastic is that it is virtually impossible to avoid in the grocery store.  As manufactures strive to cut their cost of production and transporting the product they are turning to plastic.  The reasons for this include:

• plastic is cheaper than glass or cans
• plastic is more durable than glass, removes risk of breakage
• plastic is lighter weight than glass or cans

Plastic is continuously coming into our homes whether or not we like it usually though the foods we buy.  Reducing what comes in via this method is possible and some plastic food packaging can be recycled.  Some of the sources of plastic in food packaging is quite obvious while in other cases it is not quite so obvious.  The important thing to note is that in the following cases the plastic is in direct contact with the food:

• plastic wrap - Fresh meats, poultry, cured meats, lunch meats and cheeses are usually wrapped in some type of plastic packaging.  Compounding the problem is fresh meats often come on styrofoam trays wrapped in thin plastic wrap.   Ideally the plastic packaging has been vacuum sealed to keep the product fresh longer but that is not always the case.  Plastic wrap can be avoided in fresh meats and poultry by buying directly from the farmer or from a butcher shop.  It is possible to buy cheeses at a cheese factory that have not been wrapped in plastic but even there a large number of cheeses are wrapped in plastic.  Cured meats can be made at home or bought at a butcher shop to avoid plastic wrap.  Lunch meats can be eliminated entirely by slicing leftover roast, turkey breast, ham or meatloaf to use instead.  Another problem is buying at stores like Sam's Club quite often a food item is in a plastic container then 2 or more of these containers plastic wrapped together or things like canned tuna are shrink plastic wrapped together.  True you get the savings but you also get the plastic.
• plastic clam shell containers -  Berries, some fruits, bean sprouts and some vegetables are often packaged in plastic clam shell containers.  Avoiding these horrid containers is easy by buying from the loose produce section, shopping the U-picks or farm markets and sprouting your own beans.
• plastic tubs - Yogurt, sour cream, soft cream cheese, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, feta cheese, dips, deli foods (salads, etc.)  and ice cream all come packaged in plastic tubs.  Yogurt, sour cream and ricotta cheese are easily made at home and homemade is less expensive.  The only way to avoid the other products is to not use them.  For most people that is not an option.  Dried foods (eg. nuts, snacks, Parmesan cheese) in the bulk section of the grocery store are often packaged in plastic tubs.  However many of these products are also available in other containers like plastic pouches or cardboard containers so that is always an option.  If you shop at a bulk food store, foods like peanut butter, honey and pie filling are spooned into plastic tubs.  Here the only option is to not buy them but rather make your own pie filling and peanut butter.  Buy honey from a beekeeper where you can bring your own glass container.
• plastic food bags - Thin plastic bags are available for produce in the grocery stores.  It is advisable to use these to prevent cross contamination of other food products and to prevent further contamination from surfaces like the conveyor belt at the check-out.  Many bakery (eg. breads, rolls, etc.) products are packaged in plastic bags.  These can be avoided by making your own bakery products.  If you shop in bulk food stores for dry foods like herbs, spices, flours and etc the only choice is to use their plastic bags to get your food home.  You can't use your own containers as they presents a health and safety as well as liability issue for the store.
• plastic bottles - Most condiments come packaged in the popular plastic squeeze bottles.  However some are also available in glass jars so that is an option.   Another option is to make your own condiments at home.  Relish, ketchup and mustards are very easy to make at home and they are less expensive.   Juices and water also come in plastic bottles.  Buy a reusable water bottle and fill at home to eliminate buying pricey water in plastic bottles.  Eliminate the plastic bottle for juices by buying frozen juices and making them at home.  Frozen juices tend to be cheaper as well.
• plastic pouches - Spices, dried herbs, nuts, baking supplies like chocolate chips all come packaged in plastic pouches.  Buy from a bulk food store instead where you will still use thin plastic bags but those bags can be recycled whereas the pouches can't.  Some fast food restaurants and sidewalk carts have condiments packaged in individual serving sized plastic pouches.  Avoid these entirely.
• cans -  Many are under the mistaken impression that getting foods packaged in aluminum cans solves the plastic issue.  It doesn't and in many ways foods packaged in aluminum cans are worse because of the potential health risks.  Every food and beverage can used in North America has a plastic lining to prevent interaction with the food.  This is a FDA mandatory requirement.  The coating may be white so it is visible or it may be clear giving the impression there is no lining but it is there.  The problem with this plastic coating is it does cont Bis-phenol A (BPA) which means the food contains BPA due to the nature of the canning industry.  Heat and acidic conditions causes BPA to leach from the plastic.  Both of these conditions occur during the canning process.  Avoid buying any food or beverage packaged in a can and that includes carbonated beverages and beer.
• glass jars - The BPA issue cannot be avoided by buying in glass jars or home canning as all metal lids also have the plastic coating containing BPA.  However, buying in glass or home canning greatly reduces food exposure to BPA.  It is very important when home canning to not invert the jar allowing the hot food to come into contact with the lid.  Once the food is cooled for both commercially jarred or home canned food the risk of BPA leaching into the food is gone.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Jar Labels and the Dishwasher

Many of the jars and bottles that food come in have labels on them.  A frugal homemaker keeps these jars to be refilled as needed.  One of the problems with recycling these jars and bottles is precisely that label.  Many will pop the jar or bottle into the dishwasher knowing that the heat of the water will easily remove the label but this presents two problems.  First the label itself is usually made of paper so breaks down to clog the dishwasher arms and redeposit on other dishes.  The second problem and one many don't think of is the glue holding the label on the jar ends up gunking up seals, gaskets and other parts of your dishwasher.  This can create numerous problems that may result in a repair bill if done often enough.

The best way to remove jar labels is to soak them in hot water then pull or scrape off the label.  Pat the jar dry then rub off any remaining glue residue with vegetable oil or Goo Gone®.  Wash the jar again and it is ready to use.  This keeps any glue residue from getting into your dishwasher where it can accumulate causing problems later.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Etsy How-To: Fuse Plastic Bags!

Tomorrow millions world wide will celebrate Earth Day 2010 so continuing on the theme of re-using common household items.  I have read a lot about making fused plastic material from shopping bags and have see a lot of completed projects using the resulting material.  Today's video shows how to make fused plastic material from shopping bags.  Once the material is made it can be cut as desired and sewn together to create other items such as heavy duty shopping bags or wallets.

Note:  I have not made fused plastic material although I plan on trying it when I can set the ironing board outdoors and actually have a couple of bags.  My concern is any fumes created may be toxic so I don't want the fumes in the house.  Once the plastic is fused and cooled there would not be a problem with toxicity however I would not recommend using the material where it will come in direct contact with food.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

Plastic Bag Crochet

Earth Day 2010 is fast approaching so I thought a recycling post would be rather fitting.  Plastic shopping bags are not environmentally friendly.  In the past several years many have been turning to re-usable cloth shopping bags or baskets.  Some municipalities such as the Greater Toronto Area in an attempt to reduce the number of shopping bags used have passed bylaws that stores must charge the customer 5¢ for each plastic shopping bags.  This concept is not a new one as some grocery stores have been charging for plastic grocery bags for quite some time. 

Enterprising crafters have turned to recycling plastic shopping bags into useful items.  The plastic bags can be cut into strips.  The strips are then joined together to form a long chain of yarn.  Crotchet is a popular way to turn the plastic yarn.  Here is a good video showing the joining technique and a few items you can make. 

Garden Gnome
©2006-2010

A Simple Inexpensive Solar Heater

Heating costs continue to rise and while energy conservation through lowering the thermostat combined with insulating and sealing your home helps keeps those costs down there are other ways to help reduce your heating costs. A logical place to look for a free heat source is the sun. Many of us already take advantage of solar energy during the winter months by opening window coverings on sunny days to help warm rooms and closing them on cloudy days and at night to keep the heat in the room. Using a few recycled items we can take advantage of those sunny windows to boost that heat output by using simple homemade solar heaters. Over the next month or so, I will be making a few posts on homemade solar heaters.

These solar heaters are not meant to be your sole source of heat. They are meant to supplement your existing heat. The more you use the more savings you will see on your heating costs. Keep in mind that if you live in an area that has a fair number of grey days with little sunshine, the solar heaters will not produce any heat. They also will not produce any heat in north facing windows.

I found the following video that shows how to make a rudimentary solar heater using recycled pop bottles and beer cans. Aesthetically this solar heater might appeal to you but it is a very inexpensive way to get a good idea of the possibilities of using a solar heater. Surprisingly this solar heater will work quite nicely in a sunny window. It would be a good project for parents or teachers to introduce solar energy to children.

This homemade solar heater follows the basic principles of all solar heaters. There is an air flow that goes through the collector (tin can) that is heated then released. The glazing (pop bottle) intensifies the heating effect. The air flow moves from the bottom of the bottle (cool air) to the top of the bottle (hot air) due to physics. Hot air is not as dense as cool air so it rises. This simple solar heater takes advantage of this principle.

Despite its looks this heater will work and can be modified to fit the size of your window. The best part is you are using mainly recycled materials so the cost is minimal. The kind of pop bottle really doesn't matter as long as it is a clear 2L size. Beer cans are taken back to the Beer Store for a cash deposit back so I would recommend using pop cans and adjusting the size of each solar unit to fit the can. The tape will make a somewhat adequate seal. What I would suggest is to run a bead of clear silicon seal around the bottom portion of the unit before pushing it into the upper portion then running a smooth bead of silicone on the resulting outside seam. Also hand painting is rather tedious. A spray bomb of flat black paint will have the cans quickly coated in a lot less time than brushing on the paint. When it comes to mounting this particular solar heater you will want it a few inches from the window sill simply for air flow but I don't think hanging the heater is the best way to go. Eventually the glue will give way causing the individual units to fall as well. What I would advise is using wood dowels. Attaching two dowels within the window frame on which each solar unit could sit then another dowel spanning from distance between the window frame would create the perfect spot to simply set as many units as would fit across the span of the window. The air flow would not be restricted either. So this simple design has a lot of potential. It would be an ideal way to add a bit of free heat to basement windows!


Garden Gnome
©2006-2009

Last Friday's Bargain Finds

I've been a bargain shopper ever since I can remember, well before it was cool to be frugal or thrifty. I love checking out resale and thrift stores. Yard sales are always a delight! For years I saw buying used as the ultimate in recycling so it became a challenge to find good quality used household items and furnishing without them looking like they were used. I still enjoy finding good deals on used items that we need. I even keep a running list of needed items always hoping to find good used instead of new.

Friday I had to grocery shop for the weekend as the kids would be home and we were hosting a larger get together. After dropping off my husband I stopped at the local Sally Ann. I found a cute flashlight for the grandbabies' toy chest as well as a children's book and a book for us to enjoy. I also found a meatball former for one of the kids, stainless steal measuring spoons, a small covered casserole dish and two specialty shaped loaf pans (Pampered Chef). My total came to $4.35!

One of the loaf pans had never been used and was in the original packaging complete with instruction booklets. These will be perfect for making shaped loaves of bread for the grandbabies and entertaining! Both books were in like new condition. I was especially pleased to find the lidded casserole dish.

I'm in the process of eliminating plastic storage containers (eg. GladWare®) in favour of glass storage containers but not for the same reasons some are. The plastic containers can't be used for reheating in the microwave oven so I end up dirtying another microwave safe dish. Over time these containers become stained as well. I've even stopped using them in the freezer because they chip and break if hit the wrong way when frozen. I think that going to glass for refrigerator storage will prove to be a better chose for us since I'm already using mason jars for storage for dried foods and in the refrigerator.

About 10 days ago I awoke to a horrible noise that gave a clear indication that something had got into the house. It sounded larger than a mouse yet we have found no signs of an actual intruder. Most of the foods in the pantry are either in glass, metal or food grade plastic pails with lids. Still I had a few foods that rodents if they got in could chew through. With this in mind I stopped at the local dollar store to pick up plastic bins to put these foods in knowing that the food would not come into contact with the plastic yet would be protected just in case. I bought 5 covered bins. I also picked up 2 glass cereal bowls that I plan on using as small mixing bowls, two small covered storage bowls, rice sticks, fancy Dora cookies for grandbaby's treat, an ice cube tray, moisture remover and dishwasher rinse agent. The grand total was $17.65!

I was rather pleased at getting the glassware so will pick up more on my next trip. What I was really happy at finding was the dishwasher rinse agent. The manufacturer of our dishwasher (Bosh) says that using a separate rinse agent is a must even if the dishwasher detergent has a rinse agent in it. The brand name (JetDry®) cost us 6¢ per load but only if purchased on sale. My husband found a store brand at nofrills® that cut our costs to 2¢ per load. Now that's not a lot per load however the dollar store had the same size 250 ml bottle for $1 that brings the price per load to 1¢. That's a savings of $15.60 per year. Hey, that's not a lot of money but why spend extra if you don't have to?

The ice cube tray will likely not be used for making ice cubes. Each well holds 2 teaspoons, just perfect for freezing small quantities of roasted garlic, herbs and tomato paste. Once froze I pop these little flavour gems out and put into a freezer bag until needed.

Garden Gnome
©2006-2009