Earthday 2010–MizFit style.

by

Please to forgive me.

To know MizFit is to be painfully aware I’m not the greenest of bloggers.

I try.

I recycle, I reuse, I walk whenever possible, I bring cloth bags to the grocery when I remember, & I’m working to teaching the Tornado all about loving Mother Earth as well (Hello, The Lorax! So sorry you’re not on my leg.).

I do stumble greatly, however, as evidenced by the fact I still purchase more than my fair share of individually packaged snacks for  the Ren Man & the Tornado among myriad other violations I’m certain.

In honor of Earth Day tomorrow I want to brainstorm a little.

Both green & non.

Me? I’ll handle the non. (that’s your cue to handle the green.)

I figured Id start a list of ways to save money (some of which are almostgreen!)  in this less than certain economy & you could chime in with your saving-ideas or toss some green thoughts our way instead.

I give you MizFit’s When Is This Economy Gonna Turn ‘Round Tips for Maximizing Our Spending Dollars:(W.I.T.E.G.T.R.T.M.O.S.D. for short):

  • Before you go grocery shopping check your store’s homepage for sales & plan meals accordingly. I just started doing this and have been amazed at the money Ive saved by being prepared before I hit the H.E.B. With the Tornado in tow I tended to grab things willynilly (the technical term) & planning ahead has really helped save money.
  • Snip off the end of your toothpaste tube and s-q-u-e-e-z-e out more when it appears to be all gone. Do I really do this? Yes, sadly I do.
  • Fruits & veggies: when in doubt check the P(rice) L(ook) U(p) code! 5 digit # start with a 9? Usually organic.  4 digit number start with a 3 or 4? Typically conventionally grown.  5 digit number with an 8 at the front? Usually means genetically modified
  • Buy in bulk from a warehouse club is an obvious tip.  If you are like we are and not a big family it also helps to organize a neighborhood/friend group to buy stuff & split! Ive found this works really well with places like Oriental Trading company, too.  99 times out of 100 I r-e-a-l-l-y dont ‘need’ a dozen cardboard guitars for the Tornado to color—but I can round up a few friends who wish to guitarcolor too.
  • Find free phone.  Im a Skype user–you?  Anyone ever tried Gizmo Call? I have friends who rave about it and, like Skype, it’s free from your computer.
  • I tweeted this a few weeks ago but it’s a Little Known Frugal MizFit Fact which bears repeating: I never spend money on perfume.  I love magazines (hello stationary bike treat!) & before I dress I merely snag a scented insert & swipe across my bod. This is definitely a ‘consider the source’ tip, but one that has saved me a *lot* of money over the years.
  • Sometimes you need to spend. Big. Certain things arent worth skimping on.  Take my word for the fact that the “almost George Forman-like” store brand grill isnt worth the little you will spend on it as you’ll end up buying the real thing soon thereafter anyway.  I was fortunate enough to win a Vita-Mix Blender & that machine is pricey but AMAZING.  The money I’ve saved by making my own meals/smoothies at home makes it, in my opinion, well worth the price of blendmission.
  • Keep your eyes peeled for neighborhood freebies. Kids Eat Free!times at restaurants & random other gives around your ‘hoods.
  • Free coffee tomorrow. In honor of Earth Day, my Starbucks is giving away free coffee (hot & iced. plain.) to those of us who tote our own cups.  The barista said it was a nationwide event. I can neither confirm nor deny.
  • Word on the street is that there will again be FREE SLURPEES on 7.11 *at* 7.11’s.
  • And, if youre me, you spend far too much time trolling these forums already (to the shock & awe of your husband who adores all the free treats youve discovered there.)

Whew.

That’s about all Ive got (baring a semi-inappropriate & rather adult freebie upon which I stumbled in my searches).

You?

How do you plan to celebrate Earth Day 2010?

How are you saving money in these tightening EVERYTHING times?

Any thoughts on Payless going GREEN (but mass producing aforementioned greenery in China)?

What top 3 tips can you lob my way in an effort to green things up around here?

Please to hit us all up in the comments.

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Comments

  1. How embarrassing is it that I’d entirely forgotten about earth day tomorrow.
    Too much fitness in my life perhaps?

  2. My starbucks has free coffee tomorrow too when you bring a mug.

    Which begs the question:

    IS MY STARBUCKS MIZFIT’S STARBUCKS?!

  3. I’ve considered writing my blog on toilet paper so I can use it again when finished.

    But then I decided I would go paperless-for the blog not the can-and that would be even more green. But now what to do for the paper?

    Markers, paint, and crayons do not work well. And pens, well, they may leave butt tatoos. Hmmm.

  5. One word “FARMERS MARKET”
    For a family of 5 (dad & 4 kids) I spent 31 dollars on a weeks worth of organic local produce. It would have cost $75 at least, at a health food store.

    Costco is a bargain…IF your savy.

    GREEN….as to doing our share….we never ask for a bag when we are buying anything at all. This is a real simple thing that everyone can do.

    Marc

  6. Great tips: This one is my favorite ( I had no idea): Fruits & veggies: when in doubt check the P(rice) L(ook) U(p) code! 5 digit # start with a 9? Usually organic. 4 digit number start with a 3 or 4? Typically conventionally grown. 5 digit number with an 8 at the front? Usually means genetically modified

    On the grocery bag front, I put my reusables RIGHT back in my car after I empty my groceries (that way I never forget them). Happy EARTH day!!

  9. Bravo, Miz-Green-Fit.

    Your ideas are refreshing and clever as is appropriate. I didn’t know about the PLU thing – thanks for the clue.

    I’ve been working on composting compostables most recently. And reading the little triangle thing on plastic to confirm recycleable status…that’s all I’ve got.

  12. I had no idea about the PLU thing. Awesome tip!! I think gardening is a great way to go green and save money. I don’t have a backyard, but my teensy balcony can fit a tomato plant, some basil and mint. Last year on my larger balcony I grew even more. And aside from saving money and eating locally, the food just tastes a gazillion times better.

  13. You had me at free adult giveaway.

    LOL

    I seem to celebrate earth day daily as I age.

    Love mother earth!

  14. That is awesome! Thanks for the great freebie info 🙂 I had never known or even thought that some of those thigngs existed!

    I will not celebrate, unless by a far stretch of the imagination you mean that I’ll be using my computer all day working in stead of wasting trees by printing my stuff. *sigh*

  15. Oh and my best tip is if you own a smart phone always make lists on that.

    Save paper.

  16. My go green tip is, I always use a refillable aluminum water bottle – never plastic any more. Honestly, the water tastes better, no plastic icky-ness, and it’s better for you (they say that plastic leaches into the water… ICK.).

    Plus – the reusable bottles are super cute… I have a few to match whatever mood/personality I’m in on any given day…

    As for frugality… I just found a great site called Swap A DVD where you can list DVD’s that you’ve got and have watched, and you can swap them for other DVD’s that other folks have that you want. There is also Paperback Swap.

  17. Love this & do many of your tips already! I definitely squeeze all tubes to the very end!!!! I turn off lights wherever I go in the house. I recycle bathroom trash bags if they are not too UGH meaning use & use them again if possible… same with paper plate.

    Great stuff Miz!

  18. My tip is simple: when you finish with something stop and ask yourself:
    what else could I do with this?

  19. Amazingly enough, those of us trying to save money wind up being green at the same time. I walk everywhere to save money; that’s green! Buy food in bulk; also green! Turn off the lights and water taps when not using; that’s green, too.

    Doesn’t always work. Last weekend Rob and I went to an Earth Day festival and came home with a bag of free handouts; most of it was crap that needed to be thrown out. (Most of it was recyclable, but still…)

  20. I’m the queen of saving money 😀 It’s so much FUN to find ways to budget!

    I like being green by buying local stuff. Meat especially. Because I don’t cook with meat very often by myself, if I DO decide to buy it, I get the local stuff so that a) I’m supporting small local businesses, b) the transportation and manufacturing of the meat will be vastly reduced, and c) the animal was probably treated a good bit better than at a mass-production factory. Grrreeeeeeennneesssss all the way.

  21. I’m getting a teensy bit greener this year by having a small (very) garden: tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers. Two weeks in and all plants are still alive. Woo-hoo!

    My other frugal/anti-clutter green change has been to simply quit buying so much…stuff. I’m actually having fun figuring out “work-arounds” for things I need, using things I already have.

    Oh, and I tuck those perfume cards into dresser drawers where they make nice little sachets.

  23. LOVE it!! I’m a big penny-pincher / budget conscious / trying to find deals person.

    LOVE the PLU thing.. did NOT know that. also love the idea of menu planning based on sales.. i do not do that, but will try to adopt it!

    thanks Miz for another great post!

  24. (pardon giant response, this is totally a thing for me =)

    I definitely second 2 of the above for SO many reasons, 1 being HUGE reduction in carbon footprint for your food, huge increase in healthiness and tastiness of your food, your daughter would enjoy it.

    1) farmer’s market, and learn to buy seasonally from your part of the planet

    2) grow your own veggies/herbs (just do very simple, don’t get too perfectionisty–like I wanted to but my friend yelled “Just plant the seeds!” and it worked. =) ) I get SO MANY green beans for $2.50 pack of seeds it’s inSANE. And if they’re NOT hybrids, you can (usually) keep your own seeds and not buy again. So COOL.

    Plus, 3) see if you can get locally grown veggies delivered to your house, or some other food cooperative (organic) where you pay local farmer(s) and you get harvest when it’s in. This is how I’ve gotten carrots SO GOOD they’re like candy. A-MA-zing. And SO, so green. And I’ve ended up using veggies I was totally unfamiliar with–interesting!

    4) Failing the farmers market/veggie delivery, pay attention to where the meat/produce is FROM. I will NOT buy “grass-fed organic” beef raised in Australia. That’s ridiculous. The US has tons of range land. I DO buy bison meat, raised in Colorado. I SHOULD buy regionally-raised meat. (I have improvements to make…)

    I do NOT buy blueberries from Chile. If what you want is not in season, buy them frozen, organic, and grown at LEAST in U.S., preferably near you. I try to buy bananas only occasionally (always from tropics and insanely pesticide-d).

    Or buy local stuff in season and freeze it.

    5) Buy from local, non-formula franchise/chain stores. Mom and pop. That’s economic sustainability and diversity that contributes to community sustainability which reduces carbon footprint and increases quality of life.

    =) Great question. Thanks! (Iis my conservation biologist showing?)

  26. Its good to assess where you are and where you want to make changes!

    I buy organic when prices are reasonable. I try to buy “local” food…as close to where I live as possible. Sometimes that just means Canada rather than Mexico. Eat what is supposed to be ‘in season’ cuz the prices are cheaper.

    I too pre-plan many meals and stick to a list UNLESS there is a sale I can not pass on!

    Cleaning products are a racket…baking soda and vinegar are my best friends and less harmful for the environment.

    Take your old pills BACK to the pharmacy; when you fluch them or garbage them they pollute our water.

    Cheers!

  28. My big conversion to green this year is having a recycling bin. Never had one before and now I am figuring out what can be recycled and what can’t.

    I am also working on making my company more green by reducing the amount of waste our products create. There is no need for extravagant packaging that produces tons of waste just to sell a product. Right.

  29. Hug my Dogwood tree of course!

    I do many of the things you suggest. I don’t think it makes a real difference in the world, but it makes a difference for me 🙂

  30. Not so green here. We do always use “real” plates even at huge family parties. Makes for a good evening of washing dishes, but we do our part to keep the disposables out of the landfill.

    We do horribly when it comes to individually wrapped stuff mostly because I do much better with portion control when I buy individual. I suppose the green way would be going through the trouble of measuring it out in advance, but I would still munch too much.

    Looking forward to a strong Starbucks tomorrow, in fact, I may hit up a few since I go plenty ‘o mugs!!

  31. Thanks Miz! I’m ashamed to admit I never thought about looking at my store online for weekly deals/coupons.

    Also, thanks for the info on the PLU codes. I already new that “9” meant organic, but I didn’t know about “8”! I’ll have to look carefully when I go to the store tomorrow to stay away from the genetically modified stuff. I’m also going to concentrate on buying more local fair.

    I might even be inspired to try my hand at growing tomatoes this summer!

  32. Good tips all. One we’ve started doing is cutting our dryer sheets into 4 sections. That one tiny section is enough to make a full load of towels fluffy.

    Granted, it’s not like dryer sheets are THAT expensive, but I’m all about frugality anyway, so if I can make a box of 50 sheets last for 200 loads, I’ll take it. 🙂

  33. I breastfeed my babies, which saved us a TON of cash that would have been spent on formula.
    I wash most clothes using cold water – saves energy.
    I use the fabric softener bar from Bounce – no sheets, it’s awesome!
    I’ll be shopping at farmer’s markets regularly this season, and I’m trying to eat almost all organic (which is hard and something I’ll be working on for a while)!

  34. I do a lot of things that you suggest. We are working hard on reducing paper towel usage. I not only buy the smaller sheets but we cut those apart too.

    I’m also super careful with our water usage. It makes a big difference to turn off the facuets.

  35. I so do that with the toothpaste too!! My fave “green” tip is to grow a garden. Not because we get a ton of food out of it (the hubby and I have the blackest of thumbs) but because it gives my kids a chance to play in the dirt while I play with the baby in the sunshine;)

  36. thanks for the tip on the supermarket skews…I never knew that 🙂

    My husband laughs at me for cutting open the toothpaste to get out the last bit…he says it costs more to take the time to do that than to just open a new one…I kick him in the shins.

  37. Thanks for bigbigforums, I will totally have to surf.

    I’m not the greenest of peeps either, I try, but I’m just not that motivated. I recycle and use reusable bags and drive a prius and am buying a new energy efficient AC and heater this year, so…that’s something, right?

    Saving money – I agree – it has to be easy and worth it. Being that Zliten and I both worth full (or more) time, we always weigh if something is worth it to us to pay for or to do ourselves. Generally stuff like cooking at home or waiting for clothes/random stuff to go on sale is. Driving around to 5 different stores to get food to take advantage of sales for groceries every week is not.

    Great tips everyone!

  38. Whoops-forgot it was Earth Day tomorrow! I love all these tips! I can definitely use that paperback/CD/DVD swap site. And I just set a reminder to take my mug to Starbucks!

    I usually keep the reusable bags in my car, as Erica (#6) mentions…and I’ve gotten much better about remembering to bring them into the store. 😉

    One thing we do is make scratch paper from 8.5×11 sheets of paper that have print on one side. We cut them into quarters, and keep the quarter sheets in a little basket on the counter. (And then we recycle when both sides have been used.) Tremendously handy!

    This is sort of weird, but when I use disposable cutlery at work, I will often wash and reuse it. Eventually, I pack it into my lunch bag and bring it home. I wash it and store it in a plastic ziplock bag in the garage, and then, voila! We’re set the next time we have a party. (Better one reuse than none, I suppose.)

    Something we’ve done to conserve water is turn down the pressure in the bathroom sink (using the valves under the sink), so that full blast on the faucets is about half-strength. This works great for the kids, who tend to let it rip either way.

    One thing I wish is that more cities would improve recycling convenience. My parents’ town, for example, has one huge barrel (with wheels) for everything: paper, cans, bottles, plastics. They don’t have to sort anything!

  40. A “green” comparison needs to be done between buying at big box stores (like the “mart” and Costco) and buying local.
    thank you.
    🙂

  41. Great list. And *fun/funny* freebies. I started a little garden in the back yard last year – herbs, peppers and tomatoes plus a mystery plant I can’t identify now that it is growing. Thanks Miz.

  43. We are doing our best to save some cash! Cut down cable back to the local channels and dropped our internet down to a lower-bandwidth package. We haven’t noticed a difference at all!

    One tip to stay green that I learned from my depression-era raised grandmother is to reuse your quart sized ziplocks. When you’re done with your snack, rinse out the bag and let it air dry. You can keep reusing it until the zipper no longer works!

  44. You seriously do that with the toothpaste tube??? I love it! May have to try it.

    I am going to put my reusable bags in the car – that way I don’t forget them.

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