green

Green Toys Party, Part 2

by Becentsable on September 15, 2009

A couple of weeks ago, a few friends and I got together for a Green Toys Party when we turned items destined for the trash into fun toys for our young kids.

Here’s the instructions for many of the toys we made.

Recycled Crayons
Materials:
old crayons, paper removed, broken into pieces
cooking spray or foil baking cups
muffin tin

Instructions:
1. Spray cooking spray into muffin tins or line tins with foil liners.
2. Put broken crayon pieces into muffin tin.
3. Melt crayons in a 150 degree oven for at least 15 minutes.
4. Once melted, remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. Pop crayons out of tin.
Suggested age: 16-36+ months

This kids loved coloring with their new crayons.

Music Shakers/Shaker Bottle Materials:
small plastic juice bottle
hot glue gun
beans, bells, rice or buttons
curling ribbon, pom poms, glitter
tape
stickers

Instructions:
1. Pour beans, rice, bells or buttons into bottle.
2. Seal bottle by gluing lid on and adding tape to the outside for extra security.
3. Optional: decorate the outside of the bottle with colored tape or stickers.
Suggested age: 6-18+ months

We combined two Parents as Teachers crafts into one for this toy. For a baby, encourage her to explore the shaker by shaking or banging it on the floor or high chair tray. For a toddler, include your child in making the music shaker. Show him how to make a rhythmic beat. Sing familiar songs together and shake the instrument to the beat of the song.

Roly-Poly Books
Materials:
oatmeal container or any other round container
pictures from magazines
clear contact paper

Instructions:
1. Cut out pictures of faces, animals or objects.
2. Glue the pictures on the container.
3. Cover with contact paper.
4. Optional: put buttons, bells etc. inside container and glue the lid down. Show the finished book to your baby. Point at the different pictures and name them. Roll the book and continue to talk about the pictures. Reminder: never leave your baby unattended with this toy.

Suggested age: 4-10 months

All these ideas came from the Parents as Teachers Earth Day celebration I attended back in April. They had so many great ideas of homemade, recycled toys we didn’t have time to make them all.

And then, sometimes, you have to break all the rules and just go a little crazy with the leftover craft supplies like my friend, Debbie, did.

To learn more about saving money and time take a workshop! Click here to learn more.

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Green Toys Party, Part 1

by Becentsable on September 8, 2009

in baby and kids, green

A few weeks ago, my friend, Jill, and I got together with a group of friends to turn items destined for the trash or recycling into fun toys for our babies, toddlers and preschoolers. We had a great time spending the morning cutting and gluing and the kids loved their new toys. In the process, we taught our kids a lesson about the value of reusing items instead of throwing them away.

A couple of weeks before the party, we sent out a supplies list so people would save the necessary items rather than throw them away. We showed up with a good collection of oatmeal canisters, coffee containers, Parmesan cheese containers, paper towel cardboard tubes and magazines. Jill provided the glue, glitter and other craft supplies and we turned trash into treasure and hours of entertainment for the kids. Each of the toys is also designed to help the kids develop a certain skill. Plus, they cost next to nothing to make. Carson tested out a few of the toys and liked them all.
Anna’s favorite toy is the Straws and Holes game. It’s also one of the simplest toys to make. She gets it out of the kitchen cupboard where we keep it and plays with it at least once or twice a week.

Straws and Holes
Materials:
empty Parmesan cheese container, label removed
straws

Instructions:
Cut straws to fit in the can. Screw lid tightly onto can. Open lid to side with the holes. Allow your child to problem solve by dropping the straws into the can.

Suggested age: 20-28 months
Skills: fine motor development, hand-eye coordination

You could substitute any similarly shaped, empty canister (eg. a Crystal Light canister) and punch holes in the lid.

Next week, I’ll share instructions on how to make the others toys on the list.

All these ideas came from my local Parents As Teachers program, a free program offered through my school district for parents of newborns through kids up to age three.

To learn more about saving money and time take a workshop! Click here to learn more.

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Eco-Friendly And Budget-Friendly Lunches

by Becentsable on August 25, 2009

in baby and kids, green

Taking a sack lunch to school or work is a great way to save a few dollars every day. Here’s a few ideas to make your brown bag lunch greener and save a little extra money as well.

Make your own convenience snacks. Instead of buying individual packs of baby carrots, raisins, chips and cookies, save some money by buying in bulk and dividing up the snacks into small reusable containers. You could save several hundreds of dollars each year by making your own. In addition to being budget-friendly, divvying up your own convenience snacks is also the eco-friendly choice because all those plastic wrappers aren’t ending up in the landfill. Search Amazon for “snack bag” and you’ll come up with lots of options to replace disposable plastic snack sacks.

Use a reusable lunch sack. There are several cute and stylish options for reusable lunchboxes for both kids and adults. Many retailers from Walmart to Land’s End carry a line of lunchboxes. For handmade options, check out Etsy. Make sure to check out Lunch in a Box for tons of great ideas and fun foods to include in a packed lunch.

Fill your lunchbox with reusable items. In addition to packing snacks in reusable containers, look for ways to wrap sandwiches without plastic wrap. A square plastic container would do the trick, but so would a cloth bag similar to the snack sacks mentioned above. Another option is to cut up a cereal bag and reuse the paper as you would use waxed paper. It works wonderfully!

Instead of using plastic silverware, pack reusable forks and spoons and throw in a cloth napkin as well. Since your child will be toting the lunchbox home, including reusable items should make the trip home, too. Reusable items require a little more washing up but the cost savings make up for the inconvenience, and the amount of water used is negligible compared to the environmental impact of plastic and paper waste that would otherwise occur.

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Prevent Bug Bites Naturally

by Becentsable on July 15, 2009

in baby and kids, green

Summer days are definitely here. The sun stays out longer, watermelons and blueberries are in season and the weather is warm enough to play outside every day (sometimes too warm!). My daughter, Anna, loves to play outside no matter how hot it is. Like many toddlers, she is oblivious to the heat, and so are the bugs. She comes inside with at least one new bite that swells up like an allergic reaction, just like her dad.

After reading about DEET contained in most commercial bug sprays (there’s a helpful, easy-to -read article here and a direct link to a Duke University study of DEET here), I have avoided using any kind of bug spray. Although I knew natural alternatives existed, I was somewhat skeptical that a natural bug spray that would be perfectly safe for a two-year-old would be any use at all in preventing bug bites. I’m happy to say I was wrong!

The Care-2 article here lists several brands of natural bug sprays as well as two different options for bug repelling wrist bands. In addition to the bug sprays mentioned in that article, you may also choose to try Beat It! by Jade and Pearl or Bite Blocker, the favorite choices of two members of the BeCentsAble team. My personal choice is EcoSMART insect repell ent. It’s the first natural product we tried, and I’ve been really pleased with the results. Not only does it work, it also smells much more pleasant than a typical bug spray. With so many great natural options, I doubt we’ll go back to using a DEET-infused product. It’s been so easy to make the switch to a product that is better for our bodies and better for the planet. If you have tried a natural bug spray, I’d love to hear how it works for you.

To learn more about saving money and time take a workshop! Click here to learn more.

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Organic Printable Coupon Roundup

by Becentsable on June 23, 2009

in coupons, green

There are dozens of organic or health food coupons available if you know where to look. To access several of the coupons available at the links below you will have to sign up for the company’s newsletter. I suggest creating a separate account for these email newsletters so that your personal email account will not become cluttered.

This list represents dozens of available organic or health food product coupons. Please note that a few of these coupons are store coupons, but the vast majority are manufacturer’s coupons and can be used at any store. As with any coupon, it is best to wait for a sale or store promotion to use the coupon in order to get the best price. By timing your coupon use with a sale, you may find that many organic products are not any more expensive than conventional.

I hope you find some coupons you can use!

GoodBelly BOGO Free Printable Coupon

Health E-Savers

Horizon Organics Printable Coupons

Imagine Foods

Laura’s Beef

Mambo Sprouts Printable Coupons here

Mambo Sprouts Free Coupon Booklets here

Muir Glen
(join the Tomato Connoisseurs’ Club for special offers)

Organic Prairie

Organic Valley Printable Coupons

R.W. Knudsen

Santa Cruz Organics

Seventh Generation

Stoneyfield Farm Printable Coupons

Turtle Mountain

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Six Tips to Save on Organic and Healthy Foods

by Becentsable on June 22, 2009

in green

Image courtesy of Treehugger

This guest post is brought to you by Heidi from Little People Wealth.

Oftentimes when people think about frugal living and couponing they think of boxed foods, sugary cereals and corn syrup drinks, but saving money does not have to mean unhealthy eating! Here’s six tips for saving money on organic or healthy foods.

1) Use coupons from the Sunday paper. There are hundreds of coupons in the newspaper each week. As organic food becomes more mainstream, some of those coupons will be (and are now) for organics. Brands such as Cascadian Farms and Muir Glen have recently put out coupons in the Sunday newspaper. Both brands also sell non-organic food, but the coupons will work for both. On average, I find around five organic food coupons in the paper each week. That’s not many, but it is a start.

2) Use printable coupons. I find many more organic coupons online. Printable coupons are accepted almost everywhere, even my small town natural store now accepts printable coupons! Organic coupons tend to go quickly since they are in high demand so print them out when you see them. You can pair these coupons with sales just like you can with conventional food. Click here for a list of organic coupons.

3) Shop the for groceries on Amazon. Another great resource for organic lovers is Amazon. Amazon has a bulk grocery section that includes many organic products. The great thing is you can combine their bulk prices with coupon codes and “subscribe and save” to get some amazing deals. You can sign up at Amazon to get email alerts.

4) Buy in bulk. Bulk can sometimes be the way to save money on organic food and for that Costco is a great resource. If you have a Costco in your area I strongly suggest checking it out! They have lots of organic options in the fruit and vegetable section as well as the packaged foods section.

5) Use Target coupons. The final place to keep an eye out for organic deals is Target. Target puts out their own store coupons that can be matched with manufacturer coupons to get some amazing deals. Target sells a decent amount of organic foods, including Kashi and their own Archer Farms. Last week I bought organic Kashi waffles for $0.49/box after coupons. Target will also issue coupons for produce. It is not organic, but it is healthy. Target has offered free broccoli, cauliflower, and apples in the past few months.

6) Grow your own. The best way to save on organics is to grow your own! But for those of us without the space and time, coupons, Target, Amazon, and Costco can be a life saver!

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Ditch the Disposables: Plastic Grocery Sacks

by Becentsable on June 2, 2009

in green

Plastic grocery sacks

Although you may not see a dramatic reduction in your grocery bill by using cloth bags, the environmental impact will be great. Several stores do give a 3- to 10-cent discount for using a reusable bag and every little bit of savings helps. I also find my reusable bags much easier to carry than paper or plastic.

The real benefit to using reusable bags can be seen in the environment, not in your budget. Reusablebags.com lists some shocking statistics on the number of plastic bags that are consumed each year: an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic worldwide! That equates to over one million per minute. I can’t even fathom that big of a number. Billions end up as litter each year. Because they catch wind so easily and blow away, hundreds of marine mammals and sea turtles die every year from eating plastic bags that they mistake for food. Even if they do end up in the dump, plastic bags do not biodegrade. Instead, they break down into tiny toxic bits that contaminate the soild and water and enter the food web when animals eat them.

As prevalent as they are, it is more than possible to live without plastic bags or at least reuse them before they end up as trash. As a last resort, tying a knot in each bag before throwing it away will prevent them from sailing away from the dump. However, may I encourage you to consider one of the following ideas instead?

Reduce: Use reusable bags at the store instead. Several options for reusable bags are available. Almost every store carries their own brand of reusable bags at a cost of only a dollar or you can find more expensive and stylish options online. Reusablebags.com has several options avaialbe for purchase.

If you’d rather make your own free cloth bag in only a few minutes time, check out my post here on how to turn an old t-shirt into a reusable bag.

Reuse: Use plastic grocery bags as tiny trashcan liners or for double-wrapping chicken bones, watermelon rinds or other messy foods before throwing them away. I generally don’t take my reusable bags to Walgreens and CVS because they don’t have the proper set up to make it easy for cashiers to use them. The bags I acquire from these two stores are the perfect amount for our household needs.

Another easy way to reuse plastic grocery bags is by using them as packing material when shipping a package or packing boxes for storage or moving.

Store plastic bags in a cardboard toiler paper or paper towel tube to keep them handy in the kitchen or the car.

Recycle: Some recycling centers accept plastic bags for recycling. Another option is to recycle them in bins that are often located inside the front doors at Walmart and other grocery stores.

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