Drying clothes!

Sorry I have been away for so long! We moved and it has been hectic trying to get floors refinished, walls torn down and rebuilt, cabinets painted, and things organized!

I'll leave you with this little bit of green living before I have to fly away to do some more remodeling! One of my many improvements to the house has been this wonderful clothesline! Assisted by by washer, basket, and some clothespins!

Stay green,
Yasha

Use It Up, Wear It Out...

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. That's what grandma said right? I try to take it to heart at our house so food, clothes, and other assorted things don't usually get wasted.

This is a big reason I shop used stores. I feel bad paying full price for kids clothes that I know they will grow out of before they get a hole in them.

I've scored pretty big over the years by shopping used but the biggest score is using it until it wears out completely. Take these shoes for instance. My favorite sandals have lasted me 4+ years of heavy wear. These poor shoes are practically the only thing I have worn in warm weather during that time.

It may now be time for new shoes but by using up my shoes until they have completely worn out I have probably saved about $40. That isn't much to some people but it's a day's worth of meals for my family.

Hope this inspires you to keep something a bit longer than you would normally!

Stay green,
Yasha

Legwarmer Frenzy

I love love love baby legwarmers! Ever since My little girl started wearing them at 9 months we've always kept a pair handy. They're great! Perfect for protecting little knees from rug burn and scrapes. They keep legs warm in the winter and protected from sunburns in the summer. Adorable and fashionable, what more could one ask for in a child's clothing accessory?

Now that our son is here we have acquired more pairs (this time with sports themes.) Our daughter still wears her legwarmers too, sometimes on her legs, sometimes as makeshift sleeves. She gets creative with them.

Legwarmers are just so cute! Here are some of ours.

Stay green,
Yasha

Getting the most out of the resale shops.

I love to shop at the local resale shop. It's great to find clothes that look new and have a small price tag. Here are some tips to shopping smart second hand.

1. Scrutinize. Look at the item closely. The people at the front may or may not have seen a stain or missing button. Check to make sure the item is in good shape.
2. Be Selective. If you do find a stain, missing button, broken zipper, tear, etc consider how much it will take to fix the item. If it will take too much put it back. I bought a dress yesterday that was missing a button after a quick search I found a spare button sewn to the inside.
3. Haggle. If there is something wrong with the item and you still want to buy it ask the shop keeper to discount it. The dress I bought yesterday was marked at $3.50. After pointing out the missing button they took 20% off. I paid 2.80 for a dress I could easily fix.
4. Put it down. If you don't feel you can fix it or the shop keeper doesn't take enough off the price put it back. Don't take a second look at it. If you buy it and never fix it you've wasted your money.
5. Know your Shop. Only shop at reputable shops. If you go into a shop that has racks and racks of crap all marked the same price, chances are you aren't going to find anything worth buying. You can still search but it may be a waste of your time to return.
6. Look Up. Take a look at the walls. Many shops feature their best items on the walls or above the racks. If the items on the walls are dirty, stained, or torn chances are you won't find anything good on the racks and you should leave.
7. Is it Clean? Look at the floors and shelves. If the floors and shelves are dirty just leave. A good bargain is not worth bringing mites, nits, or fleas into your house. My mother once scored a great bargain on some clothes at a dirty little used clothes shop. The clothes were great but she had to spend over $40 to get the fleas out of the house. Not a great bargain anymore.
8. Remember your last trips. Although you may not find anything you like on your first or second visit you may score on the third. However, if you find that you keep walking away from the same shop with no clothes again and again, it may be safe to assume you never will. Find a new shop and begin a new search.
9. When Reselling go to the shop that will offer you the most for your clothes first! If the shop you like to frequent offers more money great! However, you may get more money from a different shop.
10. Distinguish between store credit and money. You should only think about store credit with stores you frequent. If you don't return a store at least once a month you may want to think about cash. Also check on how the store keeps track of credit and how long it is valid. If the store gives you a sheet to keep track of your own credit keep the sheet in the car. Also, if the store credit is not valid after 3 months go with the cash or pick a different store.

Stay green,
Yasha

Beware of eBay, You May Get What You See

While having coffee with a friend, she related to me a story about a recent eBay sell.

She was selling her old clothes on eBay to free up space in her closet for items that actually fit and decided to sell one of her silk shirts. It was a black silk shirt, in good condition, just a little out of date. She says that although there was some fading she didn't think to mention it in the eBay description because the shirt was black silk. (If any of you out there have ever owned a black silk item then you know that no matter how it's washed, dry clean or hand, it will fade a bit after purchase.)

Well the item sold for the incredibly low amount of $1.04 with buyer paid shipping. Effectively they paid $4 for a used silk shirt in good condition. I'd say that is a steal, $4 for a silk shirt! The buyer apparently wrote her back saying she was disappointed with the shirt because it was faded. She went on to say that she had that same shirt in beige and it never faded! Wow, imagine that a non fading beige shirt. Amazing... not.

We laughed and giggled, giggled and laughed, about this customer's declaration. The truly funny part? The customer claims that the shirt sent to her looks just like the one in the picture but she thought the fading was a trick of the camera!

Rolf.
Stay green,
Yasha

How I save money (or the environment) with laundry!

I've posted before that I live in an apartment. This usually means I would have 2 choices on laundry. Wash and dry in a laundromat/dry cleaners or Wash and dry at home.

If I lived in a house I could go into my backyard and use a clothesline. No backyard = no clothesline, right? Wrong! I just set one up in the living room or baby's room on days when I don't plan on having company; usually it's the day I scrub the house from top to bottom. I have my own little makeshift clothesline made of hard materials. I use a bamboo pole and 2 metal DVD racks but I will be switching to a bamboo rack once I get rid of the DVD racks. I'll post a picture of the new racks when they're built.

Line drying can be used for any type of clothing and I greatly encourage it!!! With whites it will help bleach out any stains and save cash on your electric bill. Double bonus!

Ok so who wants an eyesore clothesline in the backyard 24/7? I wouldn't. However, your clotheslines don't have to be an eyesore. Consider alternative clotheslines such as wooden drying racks which can be placed on a patio, porch, or in the home; many of these fold up for easy storage as well.

If you like to garden try turning your "eyesore" into a trellis. Two wooden posts placed about a foot and a half apart with wooden crossbeams make a wonderful base for any climbing plant. You can plant sweet peas, roses, gardenias, you name it. Just have 2 sets of these trellises spaced far enough apart to string up your laundry.

The last option is to have a clothesline that can be taken down when not in use. Similar to the makeshift type I use in my apartment, you would only need to place it outside and take it down when not in use. I hope this gives you some ideas.

May you have many sunny days of drying!

Stay green,
Yasha

For more tips on clotheslines check out these sites:
livingonadime.com: Air Drying Clothes Without A Clothesline

Recycling clothes... and saving money

So the easiest way to save money, at least that I've found, is to sell things you don't use. I guess that isn't really saving money but making money off of things you don't use. But money is money lets not quibble over how it gets into our pockets.

Every time my baby outgrows something I take it to a resale shop. Most of the shops offer store credit for items brought in and I use the credit to buy new clothes. I've seen a lot of outfits that still have tags on them. I've even located a few resale or consignment shops around town that take adult and teen clothes. Saving money and recycling how much better can it get?

For all of the clothes I can't sell at shops I sell in yard sales. This is a slightly trickier since I don't have a yard or driveway. I have found, however, if you ask a friend they will let you borrow theirs. If you don't know anyone that has a driveway sometimes you can locate community yard sales. For a small fee you get a spot to display your stuff. These are similar to a flea market but usually much cheaper.

Shopping at yard sales are a good way to recycle as well. When I was pregnant a coworker went to neighborhood yard sales and bought me a whole maternity wardrobe! Many of the items were brand names and quite stylish. It's not always a score but if you shop the nicer neighborhoods it's very easy to find great clothes usually in decent condition.

One last place I like to shop is Goodwill. Now I know they don't really have many nice clothes but when I go to donate items I can't get rid of at shops and sales I do peruse the racks. Do I buy a lot there? No. But time to time I find a cute shirt in great condition or a pair of pants from my favorite store.

So how is any of this recycling? If it doesn't go straight to a landfill and someone else is reusing it wouldn't that be recycled?

Stay green,
Yasha