kitchen
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Post by kitchen on Jan 8, 2018 9:04:32 GMT -6
We luckily haven’t had an issue with that. I pretty much put everything except banana peel down it. Garbage disposals are not trash cans. They are not designed for high levels of use and cannot handle fibrous waste like potato peels or celery. Anything greasy or fatty is absolutely causing build up, even if it isn't fully clogged- yet. Our water district regularly reminds us of the above, as well as the water needed to rinse the stuff down and the fact that it's harder to treat dirtier water that comes into the sewer.
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kitchen
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Post by kitchen on Jan 8, 2018 9:06:58 GMT -6
Christmas wrapping paper and disposable ribbon: we try not to use it. I have made bags out of cotton Christmas fabric with a ribbon sewed in the seam near the top. Drop the gift in and tie. We also have tags we save every year and re-use. It might be too late for the sales this year, but it's something to keep in mind. Very very basic sewing, and it's not like sewing pants where if you eff up the seam your ass will bust through...
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 9:08:58 GMT -6
Our city just started composting so that has been nice. I wish they picked up recycling every week but it’s every other. It is always over flowing. We use old wash clothes and such instead of paper towels. We also use glass and Tupperware for all lunches and leftovers. DD has some bags that get reused multiple times. We could be better about recycling glass. That is not included and we would have to take it somewhere. We need to get better about that for sure. For special disposal items like light bulbs or recyclables like power cords I have to take to best buy- I keep a small cardboard box in the garage on a shelf. When the box is full, I take them somewhere. They are out of my sight, out of my trash and I don't have to go super often.
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kitchen
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Post by kitchen on Jan 8, 2018 9:12:49 GMT -6
If you have a green waste bin, read the whole list of things that can go in it. If you forget to bring in your newspaper one morning and it rains, chuck that in the green waste bin. Pizza boxes? Green waste. Meat bones? Green waste. I realize that not everyone has this though.
Our disposal company has special hours where you can bring them a whole list of things (batteries, light bulbs, e-waste, chemicals, medicine, etc.) that you can't trash, again though perhaps not everywhere.
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hawkward
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Loss, Infertility
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Post by hawkward on Jan 8, 2018 9:13:56 GMT -6
I really like Dr B. I had to stop using it because the smell makes me feel pukey ever since my DS2 pregnancy. I used it for basically everything cleaning wise.
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 9:15:11 GMT -6
I want to get away from buying fruit cups and applesauce cups. For my lunch I buy the microwaveable brown rice cups. I can very easily make brown rice on Monday morning to last me a few days. I just need to start the new habit. What do you all do for the kids? How long does a larger container of applesauce stay good in the fridge? I'll need to look if Sam's sells the smaller cans of fruit instead of the ginormous restaurant sized cans. I make applesauce and freeze in glass jars- I use maybe 1-2 jar/week. I don't know why you couldn't portion out some from a large container and freeze the rest. You can also freeze rice! Once every couple of weeks make a huge batch and divide into weekly portions. Thaw out in fridge over the weekend and you're good to go for that week. We eat a lot of beans. I make a big batch from dried in the crock pot and then freeze in mason jars- the size I use is the same portion as a can of beans.
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 9:17:36 GMT -6
Christmas wrapping paper and disposable ribbon: we try not to use it. I have made bags out of cotton Christmas fabric with a ribbon sewed in the seam near the top. Drop the gift in and tie. We also have tags we save every year and re-use. It might be too late for the sales this year, but it's something to keep in mind. Very very basic sewing, and it's not like sewing pants where if you eff up the seam your ass will bust through... +1! I made some bags this year but my little sister went NUTS making bags. Because we mostly gift share among ourselves- we return the gift bags to the giver to reuse. My sister made my older sister a bunch as part of her Christmas gift because she was interested.
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Post by blurnette989 on Jan 8, 2018 9:18:15 GMT -6
I really like Dr B. I had to stop using it because the smell makes me feel pukey ever since my DS2 pregnancy. I used it for basically everything cleaning wise. We're you using the almond one? I have trouble with that scent too. I usually go for the lavender or the unscented one.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Jan 8, 2018 9:19:48 GMT -6
If you have a green waste bin, read the whole list of things that can go in it. If you forget to bring in your newspaper one morning and it rains, chuck that in the green waste bin. Pizza boxes? Green waste. Meat bones? Green waste. I realize that not everyone has this though. Our disposal company has special hours where you can bring them a whole list of things (batteries, light bulbs, e-waste, chemicals, medicine, etc.) that you can't trash, again though perhaps not everywhere. Technically no one is supposed to with those, but people do it anyway. I've had a bag of meds in my closet for ages because I kept missing turn in days, but it looks like a bunch of places will take them at any point now.
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 9:20:18 GMT -6
I have given this tip on my BMB before I think but if you want fabric to make things and aren't 100% set on a specific color or pattern- for Gift bags, rags, etc. Thrift stores! The best value is to use sheets. I recently found a king sized 100% cotton sheet with a gray paisley pattern that was so pretty- so much fabric for like $3. I regularly scout the sheet section of thrift stores. Flannel baby blankets = face cloths, cloth wipes, etc.
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piratecat
Diamond
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Post by piratecat on Jan 8, 2018 9:21:14 GMT -6
I really like Dr B. I had to stop using it because the smell makes me feel pukey ever since my DS2 pregnancy. I used it for basically everything cleaning wise. They have unscented kind for babies, maybe that’ll work for you? It worked great for keeping cradle cap under control and you literally only need a few drops.
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 9:21:58 GMT -6
I really like Dr B. I had to stop using it because the smell makes me feel pukey ever since my DS2 pregnancy. I used it for basically everything cleaning wise. They have eleventy scents. You could go to WF and give them all a sniff test, LoL.
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Post by calendula on Jan 8, 2018 9:23:01 GMT -6
Thanks for this post, so many great ideas. We made the switch to cloth napkins this year so I think I might be ready to swap out paper towels for the flour sack towels mentioned here. Would you recommend getting those in white so I can bleach them, or a dark color to hide stains?
We are going to up our composting once the weather turns a bit. DS is really into it.
One thing that we did to really cut down on our recyclables was get milk delivery. I can get milk, half and half, juices and cider delivered in glass bottles that go back to the dairy, so that cuts down on containers big time. I also started making my own yogurt in my InstantPot, and that eliminates all the little cups in the recycling bin too.
Of course our Amazon cardboard is out of control. Sigh. That's going to be the real sacrifice, is to cut down on what we Prime.
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hawkward
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Post by hawkward on Jan 8, 2018 9:35:19 GMT -6
I really like Dr B. I had to stop using it because the smell makes me feel pukey ever since my DS2 pregnancy. I used it for basically everything cleaning wise. We're you using the almond one? I have trouble with that scent too. I usually go for the lavender or the unscented one. It’s any of them, even the unscented. The underlying oil smell.
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Post by blurnette989 on Jan 8, 2018 9:38:46 GMT -6
We're you using the almond one? I have trouble with that scent too. I usually go for the lavender or the unscented one. It’s any of them, even the unscented. The underlying oil smell. Ugh, that sucks! But I understand. I can no longer eat one kind of shellfish I used to adore. It just bothers me now and never seems appetizing.
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Post by blurnette989 on Jan 8, 2018 9:39:29 GMT -6
calendula at least you can use that cardboard in your compost if you read it up. *Tear it up. Reading likely won't help much.
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hawkward
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Post by hawkward on Jan 8, 2018 9:54:03 GMT -6
calendula, I get the white FSTs so I can bleach them. I keep a bucket in the laundry room and as they get gross, I toss them in there. Then I wash them all at once with bleach. I know bleach isn't great for the environment, but I figure it's a good tradeoff for not using disposables because serious germ phobia.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 8, 2018 10:53:27 GMT -6
We luckily haven’t had an issue with that. I pretty much put everything except banana peel down it. Garbage disposals are not trash cans. They are not designed for high levels of use and cannot handle fibrous waste like potato peels or celery. Anything greasy or fatty is absolutely causing build up, even if it isn't fully clogged- yet. Yeah, I don't put grease down there and we are not on septic so it works great for everything else.
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Post by miawallace on Jan 8, 2018 11:05:59 GMT -6
One thing that has helped is using products we all can use. Cuts back on how many bottles we purchase and have to throw away. We really minimized the his and her products. We all have one shampoo and conditioner we use as a family. I use a tiny bit for toddler. But we all survive with it.
When we buy spices, i buy at my local store where they put in small paper bags and I just pour in the container that needs to be refilled. I do this with most of our pantry dry goods. Rice, beans, lentils etc.
I've also made my own pancake mix so I don't have to buy boxes of it. I just store in a glass container.
I try to make my own sandwhich bread on a weekly basis. But I've been doing it by hand. Although, I'm use to it, j would like to buy a bread maker and use that. That's my goal for the coming months.
Or sometimes I make butter with leftover heavy cream. A friend taught me how to do it.
I mostly do some of this stuff to further cut the food expenses and to cut back on the plastic in buying. It's all been experiments so far, but some of them definitely help me cut back on plastic.
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Post by GhoatMonket on Jan 8, 2018 11:14:04 GMT -6
Garbage disposals are not trash cans. They are not designed for high levels of use and cannot handle fibrous waste like potato peels or celery. Anything greasy or fatty is absolutely causing build up, even if it isn't fully clogged- yet. Yeah, I don't put grease down there and we are not on septic so it works great for everything else. There are other environmental impacts and grease is not the only thing that causes clogs. Keep going with it. We will remind you of this when your plumbing goes to shit.
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Post by elephantastic on Jan 8, 2018 11:30:18 GMT -6
I make applesauce and freeze in glass jars- I use maybe 1-2 jar/week. I don't know why you couldn't portion out some from a large container and freeze the rest. You can also freeze rice! Once every couple of weeks make a huge batch and divide into weekly portions. Thaw out in fridge over the weekend and you're good to go for that week. We eat a lot of beans. I make a big batch from dried in the crock pot and then freeze in mason jars- the size I use is the same portion as a can of beans. Do you freeze the beans in liquid, or just by themselves? I always have too many beans when I cook them from dry, but I'd always heard that freezing ruins the consistency. Maybe people are doing it wrong though. I don't add any extra liquid but usually by the time I ladle about 2-3 scoops into my jar there is maybe 1/3 liquid present up the side of the jar that I can see. I haven't had issues with consistency- I use them exactly like canned beans in any recipe. I think my black beans are a touch firmer than canned but I really try to not overcook them to mush because I assume I will be re-cooking them/adding them into a recipe later. I typically do pinto, black beans, chickpeas and white beans/great northern.
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Post by wildflower on Jan 8, 2018 13:38:30 GMT -6
Y'all have convinced me to order some FSTs. I store my lettuce washed, spun dry, and wrapped in paper towel in a ziplock. I can reuse the ziplocks, but I throw away a ton of damp, clean paper towels and it makes me cringe when I do.
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regal
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Post by regal on Jan 8, 2018 17:45:20 GMT -6
The change that will have the biggest impact is reducing your overall consumption. We have threads here about not spending money, and decluttering our homes and they all come down to this same point. Reducing clothing purchase, buying quality and using items longer can have a huge impact. Kid's toys is another huge problem, think of all the random dollar store purchases, lootbag crap, and prizes that go to the trash. Fast food and take out purchases are another major area of waste.
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Post by blurnette989 on Jan 9, 2018 0:36:59 GMT -6
The change that will have the biggest impact is reducing your overall consumption. We have threads here about not spending money, and decluttering our homes and they all come down to this same point. Reducing clothing purchase, buying quality and using items longer can have a huge impact. Kid's toys is another huge problem, think of all the random dollar store purchases, lootbag crap, and prizes that go to the trash. Fast food and take out purchases are another major area of waste. Yes, this. In the three R's, Reduce is first. Using and having less in the first place is the biggest impact. Even as simple as fixing an appliance (repeatedly) rather than purchasing a new one makes a big difference. We are programmed in the US to spend and buy more because it is cheap and we can.
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hawkward
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Post by hawkward on Jan 9, 2018 8:01:34 GMT -6
The change that will have the biggest impact is reducing your overall consumption. We have threads here about not spending money, and decluttering our homes and they all come down to this same point. Reducing clothing purchase, buying quality and using items longer can have a huge impact. Kid's toys is another huge problem, think of all the random dollar store purchases, lootbag crap, and prizes that go to the trash. Fast food and take out purchases are another major area of waste. Ha, kids' toys drive me crazy. If I'm honest with myself, this is more about Christmas hangover than it is about starting a new year right. We chose a handful of well-researched toys for the boys that fit them developmentally, had lots of room for growth with them, and fit a specific need. The ILs went nuts and bought all sorts of shit that looks cool but we don't need or want. We're talking a five foot long (!!!) plastic semi, six separate tonka trucks (the biggest is almost 2 feet tall), a cheap plastic tool set that is identical to the one they bought us last year that I hated then... and that's not even all of it. We don't have the space, the need, or the want for these things. Except for the tonka trucks, all the toys were cheaply made plastic that will not last and were only thought through as far as "this is a big box that'll look good under the tree." We had had a talk with them prior to Christmas, and this was actually better than they did last year...
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regal
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Post by regal on Jan 9, 2018 8:07:33 GMT -6
The change that will have the biggest impact is reducing your overall consumption. We have threads here about not spending money, and decluttering our homes and they all come down to this same point. Reducing clothing purchase, buying quality and using items longer can have a huge impact. Kid's toys is another huge problem, think of all the random dollar store purchases, lootbag crap, and prizes that go to the trash. Fast food and take out purchases are another major area of waste. Ha, kids' toys drive me crazy. If I'm honest with myself, this is more about Christmas hangover than it is about starting a new year right. We chose a handful of well-researched toys for the boys that fit them developmentally, had lots of room for growth with them, and fit a specific need. The ILs went nuts and bought all sorts of shit that looks cool but we don't need or want. We're talking a five foot long (!!!) plastic semi, six separate tonka trucks (the biggest is almost 2 feet tall), a cheap plastic tool set that is identical to the one they bought us last year that I hated then... and that's not even all of it. We don't have the space, the need, or the want for these things. Except for the tonka trucks, all the toys were cheaply made plastic that will not last and were only thought through as far as "this is a big box that'll look good under the tree." We had had a talk with them prior to Christmas, and this was actually better than they did last year... We went through the same thing, it feels like your efforts are being sabotaged. When they would ask where all where the toys were, I would tell them that they were given away because we don't have the space, they are finally cluing in.
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hawkward
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Post by hawkward on Jan 9, 2018 8:15:56 GMT -6
regal, sabotage is exactly the right word. I spent a lot of time before Christmas carefully going through the boys' stuff, considering both what they love and what is developmentally appropriate and what fits in our house/lifestyle, and then making the playroom an inviting place to play. And then we brought home all this stuff and I have this "ugh we've become what we used to judge" feeling and it sucks.
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Minerva
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Post by Minerva on Jan 9, 2018 8:29:22 GMT -6
The change that will have the biggest impact is reducing your overall consumption. We have threads here about not spending money, and decluttering our homes and they all come down to this same point. Reducing clothing purchase, buying quality and using items longer can have a huge impact. Kid's toys is another huge problem, think of all the random dollar store purchases, lootbag crap, and prizes that go to the trash. Fast food and take out purchases are another major area of waste. Ha, kids' toys drive me crazy. If I'm honest with myself, this is more about Christmas hangover than it is about starting a new year right. We chose a handful of well-researched toys for the boys that fit them developmentally, had lots of room for growth with them, and fit a specific need. The ILs went nuts and bought all sorts of shit that looks cool but we don't need or want. We're talking a five foot long (!!!) plastic semi, six separate tonka trucks (the biggest is almost 2 feet tall), a cheap plastic tool set that is identical to the one they bought us last year that I hated then... and that's not even all of it. We don't have the space, the need, or the want for these things. Except for the tonka trucks, all the toys were cheaply made plastic that will not last and were only thought through as far as "this is a big box that'll look good under the tree." We had had a talk with them prior to Christmas, and this was actually better than they did last year... We have a bag of still-in-the-box toys from Christmas that my kids don’t need and we don’t have room for in our itty-bitty townhouse. I need to call the local women’s shelter to see if they can use them. I ordered a pack of reusable pouches from Amazon. We are doing a no spend January, but I think they will result in a net $ gain. It’s expensive to keep DD in pouches these days and so cheap and easy to mix them up from frozen veggies.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 9, 2018 8:31:06 GMT -6
I will admit that it’s hard not to add to people’s stuff when it comes to kids’ gifts. I got my grand nephew (2yo) a gift certificate to a play place and bath bombs, but of course those aren’t fun when opening them. So I got an additional toy. It’s hard to please the parents and the kids, lol. I do vow never to buy 100+ piece Lego sets or anything because that’s just mean.
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Post by ldubhawksfan on Jan 11, 2018 10:49:09 GMT -6
Reusable produce bags. Bee's Wrap to replace plastic wrap/foil (this is a phase in for us- it's pricey). GM I’m bumping because I saw in the packaging that they say to replace after a year for the Bee’s Wrap. Just wondering if that is necessary or have you used it longer? I will say that I’ve wrapped brownies I made last week in it and they are still so moist! So much better than regular wrap!
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