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Around here, the dressing is cheap... mostly because it's home made and that's mostly because I didn't have time to run to the store today with my three amigos. To be honest, I really did have the time, just not the stamina to undergo the extreme gymnastics that are involved with taking three young boys to a grocery store, especially when one is overly fascinated with automatic doors. So, instead, I threw some strawberries into the blender, added some vinegar and olive oil, and a handful of sugar, and called it good. It really is yummy, and you could probably do it with OJ instead of vinegar and leave out some of the sugar, but I thought of that too late.
There are lots of things that I do this way, using up things we have instead of buying something different. Oftentimes, it's a result of the situation above... a lot of times, it's to save money... and less often (but still important) it's because I loathe being wasteful.
The smoothies we make around here are a good example. The produce we have on-hand that is looking a little worse for the wear is what gets thrown into the blender. Mushy bananas, the peach with the bad spot, the grapes left on the plate from lunch... you get the picture. Anything to keep the food I paid for out of the compost bin. Yes, we compost, more about that later...
As an added bonus, most of the things that we're doing to save money are also helping us to be a more "green" family. Since that's a part of our mission statement, it's an important piece of the puzzle and something that I try to talk-up to the boys daily. I often buy large quantities of items and repackage them in reusable containers. For example, I don't typically buy the pre-filled containers of applesauce for Stone's snack bag, I buy the large jug 'o applesauce and split it into small Ziplock brand tupperware cups. Heath recently decided to "go green" by purchasing a cycle to get him to-and-from work every day. Added bonus? Much less gas money out of our pockets!
Having three boys also allows us endless opportunities for hand-me-downs. It's rare that something doesn't make it through all three boys (and it's usually handed down from there as well). Case in point, my favorite shirt. Here's it's newest owner:
There are lots of things that I do this way, using up things we have instead of buying something different. Oftentimes, it's a result of the situation above... a lot of times, it's to save money... and less often (but still important) it's because I loathe being wasteful.
The smoothies we make around here are a good example. The produce we have on-hand that is looking a little worse for the wear is what gets thrown into the blender. Mushy bananas, the peach with the bad spot, the grapes left on the plate from lunch... you get the picture. Anything to keep the food I paid for out of the compost bin. Yes, we compost, more about that later...
As an added bonus, most of the things that we're doing to save money are also helping us to be a more "green" family. Since that's a part of our mission statement, it's an important piece of the puzzle and something that I try to talk-up to the boys daily. I often buy large quantities of items and repackage them in reusable containers. For example, I don't typically buy the pre-filled containers of applesauce for Stone's snack bag, I buy the large jug 'o applesauce and split it into small Ziplock brand tupperware cups. Heath recently decided to "go green" by purchasing a cycle to get him to-and-from work every day. Added bonus? Much less gas money out of our pockets!
Having three boys also allows us endless opportunities for hand-me-downs. It's rare that something doesn't make it through all three boys (and it's usually handed down from there as well). Case in point, my favorite shirt. Here's it's newest owner:
And it's two previous owners: 
Wanna see those cute stripy pants again?
To give full disclosure, I'm not cheap in that we buy cheap clothes initially. I have found that higher-end clothes last longer and hold up better than things from Walmart and since I'm putting them through three kids, I don't mind paying the extra price. The shirt above (as you probably noticed from the pictures) fit each kid for a long time. More expensive pieces are often cut leaner and longer, while the cheaper pieces are typically shorter and wider. Long and lean gets much more wear... of course, I'm speaking only for boys in this case. Are girls different?My kids are quickly following suit. Check out the apple that Stone finished at lunch today:
Eaten to the core. Waste not-want not! This little sliver of a core found it's way to the compost bin that we share with our wonderful neighbors. Green? Yes. But how is it saving us money? Less trash means not needing an extra trash can, even with all of our diapers. This saves us money each month as our city charges ridiculous prices for extra cans.
Green, money and time saving... that's a great idea!
Save some more money and let me foot the bill for an awesome pair of BabyLegs... don't forget to sign up for the give-away!
1 comment:
I think that's kind of how God designed it to be, isn't it? Things that are good for the planet are good for us. Living in harmony with each other, not always needing the newest/biggest/fastest and often doing things the "old fashioned" way just fit!
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