Published on February 21st, 2009
By April 1st, most workers will see a reduction in taxes withheld due to the $787 billion economic stimulus package, but unfortunately, the extra $65 a month for a family of four isn’t going to go very far.
It’s certainly not going to make the payment on a new car or house, but tax breaks on those purchases are also being touted as an important part of the stimulus package. And it’s not going to keep your mortgage payment current. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on February 12th, 2009
Can you afford to always buy eco-friendly products? Really? Let’s face it, buying eco-friendly can be a budget busting experience at the best of times.
Now there’s a new eco-friendly place where you might be able to afford them. Newly launched, Ecosteal.com sells modern, eco-friendly products featured one-at-a-time at 40-80% off retail price, until they sell out or 9am the next day.
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Published on February 4th, 2009
A few days ago I read an article on Mothering Magazine’s newsletter about eating naturally while spending less.
This article is important to me because we (as are most Americans) are trying to spend less at the grocery store (or co-op). But we also want to buy food that is safe for our kids (organic) and limit our environmental impact.
The article shares some simple but effective tips that hit home with me. For example, this one. We spend gobs of money on organic cereal, and I could pretty easily make up some tasty granola (nut free) for my girls. I hope I haven’t missed the window for them to like it– they are used to the Kashi brand we regularly buy.
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Published on January 30th, 2009
To quote Dora - “WE DID IT!”
The CPSC has granted a one year stay for the CPSIA mandatory testing requirements that were going to make February 10, 2009 Bankrupt Day for probably hundreds of thousands of businesses in the United States, as well as forcing many European distributors out of the country.
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Published on January 26th, 2009
When I think of crafters, I imagine women of a certain age with sensible shoes sitting in wallpapered living rooms. They have a crochet needle in one hand and a cat rubbing at their ankle.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission probably thinks the same way. But wait, they’ll change their tune.
Come Wednesday, the US will see crafters differently. Crafters are coming together on Wednesday and for a blog-in to talk to the CPSIA about the negative ramifications of a new law that’s scheduled to be enacted on February 10th. Forbes has great coverage.
The law can be read here, and I’m a little concerned. I like resale shops, I don’t want to see them legislated out of business. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on January 25th, 2009
Congress proposed a policy last week that would pay you up to $4500 on a gas guzzling trade-in, applicable towards a new fuel efficient vehicle. On the surface, this sounds great: getting those pollution spewing cars off the road and replacing them with efficient gas sippers, which “would reduce our dependence on foreign oil, decrease greenhouse gas emissions and stimulate the economy.”
Or maybe not. I think this policy’s a clunker. Here’s why.
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Published on January 13th, 2009
Today the POWER bill arrived. (Can you hear the spooky music in the background… maybe something like the Twilight Zone theme.)
This was the largest power bill our household has EVER had.
Hubs was screeching “Why?”, “Oh, would someone just tell me WHY?”. I’m not sure I know why, but I have a theory.
We had three full weeks off school (instead of the normal two weeks in December) and extremely cold temperatures with lots of snow. In addition to our heat pump having to work harder to maintain a daily temperature, we also had kids in and out all day long and more warm baths to warm up frigid hands and feet. So, combine colder than normal weather, more people home all day and constant going in and out to play in the snow… and what do you get? More energy seepage/waste and therefore a higher utility bill.
While I can accept that our bill will naturally come back down to a normal level for the month of January, I’ve also implemented some changes we are going to work on. Many of these items are reminders because over time we start getting a little lax. Read the rest of this entry »
Published on January 13th, 2009
Despite the common idea that you need to be wealthy to really be green, there are many ways to both save money and be environmentally friendly. One of those ways, a personal favorite of mine, is buying used instead of new. Especially when you are buying books. Choosing to buy a used book rather than a new one saves a tree, lessens the impact from printing the book, and if you buy it from a local used book shop lowers the impact that shipping has on the environment.
But what about renting books? The Netflix CEO is taking the rental idea from movies to textbooks. Instead of spending hundreds of dollars buying new textbooks for a class you will only be in half the year you can now rent them for a fraction of the cost. It is definitely something I wish had been around when I was in college.
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Published on January 12th, 2009
Is it possible for a family of five to take a road trip from Michigan to Las Vegas in at least a little bit of an eco-friendly way? I really don’t know. I’ve looked into some eco-friendly options but so far I’m not finding what we need or just not finding it in our price range.
Las Vegas has a few eco-hotels but they aren’t exactly kid friendly. I’m sure there will be other hotels along the way in other cities that are. We will be driving right through Denver, Colorado. I am sure they must have plenty of eco-options.
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Published on January 5th, 2009
I’m all about a bargain. With a large family, we really focus on getting the longest life possible out of items and sourcing new to us items whenever possible.
So, I’ve become a HUGE fan of:
Freecycle. Seriously, folks. You sign up, get email updates with freebies being given away in your area and you offer up the extras in your closets. I gave away a sewing machine that was in need of TLC and an old wooden play structure. I’ve found clothes for the kids and baby equipment. The only money involved is the cost of driving to pick the items up. Awesome.
Craigslist. While this isn’t a great place to find freebies (though they do have a free section), it is a wonderful resource for new to you furniture, auto needs, tools, and kids items. I’ve sold bags of clothes for $20 a pop and purchased a couch for $150. Yay. Read the rest of this entry »
