Free Greenery

Last weekend I was dropping off the trash on my way out to run errands, when I came across this...

just sitting next to the Dumpster!

At about 7 feet tall, this faux tree probably retails for about $100. (That's just a guess, but faux plants aren't cheap. I usually buy mine from Goodwill.)

What a find! Somehow, I managed to cram it into the back seat of my sedan car (with the top hanging out the window) to get it home. I did end up ripping off a branch trying to get it out of the car (where you can see a gap in the middle), but it's not a huge deal.

We gave the extra branch to the cats to play in, so everyone's happy!

The New Sack Lunch

It's no secret that taking your lunch to work or school rather than eating out saves you a lot of money.

I have a suggestion that will save you even more money — and reduce waste!

Many of us haven't had a lunchbox since elementary school. Sometime in middle school it became totally uncool to have what was clearly a lunch packed by your mother.

But now that we're adults, it's time to break out the old lunchbox. OK, maybe not the exact same one. There are plenty of fashionable options out there, including lunch totes and monogrammed bags.

Don't stop there! It's also important to pack your sandwich, chips, fruit, etc. in reusable containers. I got a set of two plastic containers at Target – one for my sandwich and another for chips. There also are washable fabric bags available at various places online (try searching "reusable lunch sack" on Etsy.

This takes a small investment at first, but you'll never have to buy paper sacks or sandwich bags again!

Say No To Foam

I'm just as guilty as the next person when it comes to using Styrofoam to package to-go boxes. I frequently am unable to finish a restaurant meal, and most places will bring you one of these boxes to take the rest home.

One of my favorite fast food restaurants (Chick-fil-a) uses Styrofoam cups for fountain drinks. I've heard some people rave about the benefits of these cups keeping drinks cold/hot longer and absorbing condensation.

But Styrofoam contains toxic chemicals that can be absorbed by food (especially when microwaved!). Not only that, it is made with petroleum which is a major polluter. This oil based product takes at least 500 years to biodegrade!

Glass and plastic bottles are also terrible in terms of amount of time to break down, but at least they can be recycled.

So what can we do about it?

• When I go to Chick-fil-a, I take my own reusable water bottle (cause I really don't need to drink soda anyway). If you order your meal without a drink, you do save that money.
• Pay attention to which restaurants use paper products rather than Styrofoam for to-go boxes. And try to choose these if you know you're going to have leftovers.
• If you know a restaurant uses Styrofoam, plan ahead. Take a friend and share a meal. Good company and no waste!

Further Reading: Polystyrene Foam Report

I don't know about you, but I seem to collect stacks and stacks of paper. Receipts, junk mail, grocery lists, credit card bills.

Clutter is frustrating, so why not try to go as paperless as possible?

This article offers a few tips. Though mainly aimed at small businesses, some of this advice can be applied to a home office.

If you choose to store important data in digital form, I recommend a secure site online. That way if anything ever happened to your personal computer, the information would not be lost.

It's important to sort through the piles and figure out what you actually need to keep — maybe for tax purposes. That receipt from Wendy's? Not useful in any way. But before tossing it, check to see if there's personal information that needs to be shredded.

If possible, recycle useless paper.

To cut down the amount of paper, most credit cards and utility services offer paperless bill options. I take full advantage of these — it's so much easier to receive the bill via email and go directly online to pay it. No stamps, no envelopes, no checks.

Hassle free and saving trees. Now if only it were less painful to pay those bills...

A Bow On Top

My boyfriend and I both had birthdays in May. Along with our gifts, we also received gift bags and tissue paper.

Rather than toss them into the trash, I've started a gifting collection. There's nothing wrong with reusing bags (just check for hangtags and make sure there aren't any names already on the bag).

You can reuse unsoiled tissue paper, for that matter. I smoothed out the wrinkled paper, and neatly folded it into a box.

Now we're ready to go for upcoming celebrations!

Good To The Last Drop

Are you a roller? Do you squeeze from the top or the bottom?

No matter how you extract your toothpaste, it is in your best interest to get as much out of it as possible. Same goes for other products. I know it can be difficult to get that last little bit out of those containers. But you’ll save yourself money over time as well as reduce waste.

I’ve been “out” of toothpaste for two weeks, yet I’m still able to get enough out to brush my teeth twice per day. Just because something is almost gone doesn’t mean it needs to be replaced right away. Though it never hurts to have your next one ready to avoid running out when your current product finally bites the dust!

Used > New

Since moving into the apartment two months ago, we hadn’t had a dining room table. Furnishing even a small apartment is expensive!

However, that was the last major item on the list, so I’d been searching Craigslist for an attractive, yet cheap table to no avail. (Side note: Some people think their junk is worth way too much.)

Turns out one of our friends who is about to move was planning on trashing her table with seating for six (the sixth is being used as a desk chair). What luck!

I love the current color, but I’m planning to paint the teal areas black so it will better match our other furniture. The apartment is now fully furnished with plenty of seating all around. And I feel good about reusing something that would have ended up in the trash!

Grab A Cold One

On Saturday, we had some friends over to kick off the first day of USA's involvement in the World Cup. Rather than buying a bunch of six-packs and producing lots of glass and aluminum waste, we opted for a keg — Sunray Wheat Beer from Terrapin Beer Co. in Athens, Ga.

Not only did we eliminate packaging waste, our guests used actual glasses rather than Solo cups (we aren't in college anymore, after all). Sure this means a few more dishes, but far less trash went out the door.

Next time you're having a significant-sized gather, consider a keg, preferably from a local brewery.