Try Line Drying

Since I posted yesterday about my failed attempt saving money and energy hand washing my dishes, I figured I should balance it out with something I know to be cost effective and good for the planet! Line drying.

I just recently installed this outdoor clothesline between the garage and a big tree in the backyard. It cost $14.99 at Home Depot and took less than 10 minutes to hang with a power drill/screwdriver.

I think the clothes look beautiful drying outside by the flower garden. My husband thinks it looks "A little too Brooklyn," whatever that means. (His Grandma's Brooklyn I would imagine) Having never actually been to Brooklyn I can't know for sure, but if people in Brooklyn are aiming to save money, resources, and experience the thrill of fresh line dried clothes, then I'm all for "Looking a little too Brooklyn"

Also, for me, there is something tactile about hanging the clothes that I don't get when I use the dryer. I feel calm. I feel like I'm living the peaceful life I want to have. I feel like I'm saving the earth. I feel happy that my daughter will know the feel of fresh line dried clothing. I feel all smug and homespuny.... My Laura Ingalls dreams, a reality.

This picture looks exactly like what I pictured my life to look like. And believe it or not, when I took it I could hear birds singing!

Defending My Dishwasher

Recently I started hand washing my dishes. I reasoned that we only generate enough dishes for one load per day and that by washing the dishes after each meal the workload would not be bad and I would also be saving water. A boon for the environment and for my wallet!

Wrong!

Today I did a little research on exactly how much water my dishwasher uses. I have an Asko dishwasher (purchased by the previous owner of my home.) Apparently this is some kind of high end Swedish dishwasher that is designed to be very quiet (which it is) but also to use very little water. (4.6 gallons per load for normal wash and 3.9 gallons for a light wash)

I figured out I use between 2-3 gallons of water each time I wash and at 3-4 times a day I am using 6-12 gallons of water to wash dishes every day rather than the 4.6 gallons to run the dishwasher once.

In addition, the dishwasher has a temperature boost so I can actually turn down the hot water heater a bit to save energy and still have clean, sanitary dishes!

Magazines on eBay!

If you know me you know I love eBay-buying and selling. Up until now I never thought to buy magazine subscriptions there.

I love Country Living magazine and have been coveting my own subscription lately. The other night, at Jeannine's I took a subscription card out of her Country Living Magazine. $24.99! Ouch! Ok it was 50% off the cover price but still, since I usually get them from the library it seemed excessive.

I looked at the Country Living website (which has a very nice gallery of homes by the way) and their special price was $12 which is 75% off. I almost stopped there. I mean $1 an issue is pretty good, considering the newsstand price is $3.99.

Something told me to look at eBay and behold, I found a one year subscription from a magazine publishing company's eBay store and it was $8 a year, 84% off!!! Yes. for the cost of 2 issues I could have it delivered to my home and actually get to keep the magazines rather than have to remember to take them back to the library!

Country Home, which is currently selling on their own website for $21.97 for 2 years can be had on eBay for $6.95 for 3 Years!

Paint Something!!!!

When we moved into our house I fell in love with the wonderful molding and architectural details that give it it's character.

This shelf in my living room is one of my favorites. The curve of the top matches the door frames in the living room and the bottom molding gives it exactly what it needs to really make a statement. I proceeded to fill it up with pictures and library books. One of my favorite nooks had turned into a bland bookshelf.


Enter 1 quart of Robins Egg Blue Paint. Was I even allowed to paint a shelf that color??? Deanna assured me that I was. Jeannine came over and moved things around a bit for more interest.

The painting took one afternoon (2 coats that took maybe 30 min each and time to dry in between) and cost $10 for the quart, of which I have a bunch leftover to use elsewhere!

Homemade Countertop Spray

I Love Method brand products, the countertop spray, in particular. It's $3 a pop and I go through it every 3 weeks. This equates to $52 a year on countertop spray! I used to always make my own but got away from it when I was sucked into the sleek Method bottle with wonderful grapefruit smell. So I've revisited this practice and now have a lovely lavender scented spray at much less cost.

The recipe is simple:

-2Tbsp Castile soap-I like Dr. Bronners. I used the Lavender scented. $.047 (I bought it at my local Wegmans in the Organic section)
-2Tbsp White Vinegar $.05
-2tsp Borax Powder $.02 (In the laundry section)
You can also use a few drops of essential oil if you have some. If you use the scented castile soap there is no need to do so.

Place vinegar and Borax powder in container. Fill with very warm water. Pour in liquid castile soap and shake gently to mix. (I also use one drop of yellow food coloring to be able to discern this from the bottle of water my little girlie uses to spray water with outside.)

Some might argue that making your own countertop spray is NOT simple. I beg to differ. In fact, it's probably more simple than having to remember to buy it every 3 weeks. Creating 17 plastic bottles for the landfill or recycling center over the course of a year is also not simple in terms of environmental costs. My spray is environmentally safe, cost $10.18 to for enough supplies to last a year and takes less than a minute to make!

Homemade Popsicles!!!

-1 Cup Stonyfield Farms Plain Organic Yogurt: $0.81
-1/2 Cup overripe strawberries crushed: $.035

Eating Mommy's first ever batch of homemade popsicles: Priceless!!!!

When Life Gives You Lemons....

Well technically speaking, life didn't give me lemons. I bought them at the local farmers market, 3 for $1. (I also bought the depression glass juicer at a tag sale for $0.25 but that's another story.)

However, having said lemons in hand, I made my favorite most wonderful salad dressing (and used the juicer for added tactile satisfaction!) I can't credit this as my own recipe. My friend Arlene, who is my go-to gal for just about anything you want to know (Need a tailor, ask Arlene. Need a great new place for dinner, she'll steer you right!) gave it to me. It's easy, fresh and can be adapted many different ways.

Lemon Garlic Dressing
-Juice of 1 Lemon ($0.33)
-1/4 Olive Oil (I like extra virgin because of it's big flavor) ($0.57)
-1 garlic clove minced (I'm assuming you have a garlic clove, in a pinch I've used garlic salt. You can use more depending on how much you like garlic)
-Salt and Pepper to Taste

Place garlic in the bottom of a bowl. Mash it around with some salt and pepper (a pinch of each will do). Add lemon juice. Pour the olive oil into the bowl in a slow stream while wisking with a fork. There. Done. This is so simple it's almost not even a recipe. If you have fresh herbs, add some. If you have dried, don't bother.

This recipe makes enough for 4 salads so you can make more or less if you need to. Recently I made pasta salad for 4 with this dressing and 1/2 lb lemon parsley pasta (also from the farmers market) grape tomatos, a handful of baby spinach, feta cheese and kalamata olives (I had all the stuff laying around in the fridge.) It was devine. You can also marinate with this but I suggest upping the lemon juice to olive oil ratio.

For $0.90 you can have your own homemade fresh salad dressing in minutes!