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

The Glamorous Life of the Country Wife

I didn't know when we moved to the outskirts of our small own that life would be so... so... well strange. I figured we had a yard, a larger space, and less neighbors. Life would be great!

This is not what I had in mind.

There are no "quick trips" to the store anymore. I can't go next door to borrow a cup of sugar; my neighbors live a mile away. The garden? Gone. The deer ate the whole thing. And then there are mice.

Mice.

We aren't talking cute cartoon mice who trade blows with the cat. Noooooo, we're talking a mouse who chews holes in he cheerios, steals mac and cheese noodles, and strikes terror into a girl from the city.

One tiny 4 inch long mouse. I caught the thing this morning. I . Was. Terrified. Yes, scared of a tiny mouse. First time in my life I wish I had a pet snake. I was so happy when my husband came home and could take care of this terrifying rodent. Apparently mice are prevalent around here.

We may be moving again soon.

Stay green,
Yasha

Dumpster Score!

Say what!?

Most Parents discourage children from touching, going near, or even thinking about dumpsters. I try to encourage mine to look at them. Why? Well sometimes people throw out completely good things. Toys, chairs, couches. Any of these things can be spruced up and resold or kept depending on he condition.

Now I haven't gone so far as to actually jump in a dumpster nor would I let my kids do it (or see me do it if I ever work up the courage.) Jumping in a dumpster takes some preparation and caution. You don't know what is in there. If it will shift. If it will break. If there are bugs. *shudder* However, things conveniently placed next to a dumpster are fair game.

Trash day has become one of my favorite days. I have found some of the more affluent neighborhoods are awesome to cruise through on trash day. Amazingly, there are still a lot of people out there that never take things to Goodwill. They just leave them on the curb.



Still think I'm crazy? Take a look at some of the treasures I found.

Kitchen Chair needed a new bolt
(Please ignore the pile of blue bags in the corner. They're full of donations waiting to go.)

Fully functional keyboard needed new batteries

Dora the Explorer chair Hole needed sewn up

All I want for Christmas is a new AIO...

AIO (All in One) is a type of diaper that closely resembles a disposable diaper in shape and design. I happened to have come across a great deal on AIOs recently. Since my baby girl has all but outgrown the prefolds I have this is perfect timing. Not only do we have the money but the person selling them is pricing them way below cost because they have quit cloth diapering.

I'm so excited that tomorrow I will have in my hands new, to me, AIOs and I just can't wait!

I am a little hesitant about what condition the diapers are in. If this woman is selling them so cheap there must be something wrong with them right? I really hope they are fine and she actually is just looking to get rid of her stash.

Well whatever the outcome of tomorrow may be I am still very excited and hopeful! Soon I may have 12 new AIOs to add to my diaper stash. I'm relieved that I found a good deal on the size I need since I've waited so long to buy them. I've been hoping I wouldn't have to pay full price and that I would get them on sale. I guess my wish has come true.

Stay green,
Yasha

Freezing your toes off yet?

We are! It's rather cold here already. The highs only hit 60 or 70 tops! Plus winds of 15 to 25 mph. Brrr! But with all that how do we keep our electric bill down?

To help conserve energy during the cold months we have an upstairs apartment. All of the heat from the neighbors eventually makes its way up to us helping to keep the place warmer. Plus, we turn our heater down when we wake up since the appliances help heat up our place. I like to bake at night as well, adding more heat to a cold situation.

We caulked around the windows outside last year and replaced the weather stripping on the outside door last spring. That helped seal the air in better. This place is not nearly so drafty.

When we leave we still turn off all the appliances (except the fridge) which does help conserve energy but also makes it colder inside. We also turn down or turn off the heater when we aren't here. As long as we don't leave the windows or doors open this place stays pretty warm.

We're also looking at winter weatherization kits, film or screens that can be placed on a window to keep cold air out. Some companies even make a roll on caulking that can be attached to the inside of a window to seal it completely.

We're hoping to save more than ever on our bills this winter!

Stay green,
Yasha

Ready for a new home?

I bet you've never thought of this.

Amazing Homes and Offices Built from Shipping Containers

That's right a new home made from a shipping container! Amazingly affordable. Surprizingly spacious. It's a wonder they haven't caught on more in the states.

A few place in Europe have started dedicating buildings made from these containers as student housing. What do the students think? They love it!

Shipping containers are well insulated, spacious, easy to modify, and abundant. It's the perfect green home. Since many of the houses are modular prefabs you can order as much or as little space as you need. Need more space? No problem just order a few more rooms, haul them into place, and voila! A larger home!

I know this sounds like an ad for shippin containers but I really do think they are a good idea. Since the materials are already there why not use them?

Stay green,
Yasha

I just caught myself being lazy!

So as I was catching up on a new green trend, Hypermiling, I noticed my desk lamp was on. It's the middle of a bright day and I have the windows open. Why is my desk lamp on? So I reached over and switched it off. No problem.

Then I noticed the kitchen light is on AND the living room fan is on! What is going on here? So while I was getting up to turn all those things off I went ahead and switched off the power strip leading to the TV. I'm not using it so why have it on?

Look around, are you being lazy too? No one will notice if you get up and go turn some things off but your power bill will be a little lighter this month.

Stay green,
Yasha

Green Quiz Quest

Like scavenger hunts? Well here is one tailored to those going green.

It's a great way to get free green swag to start or continue a cloth diaper stash!

It starts anuually in July, check it out!

Green Quiz Quest

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

What recycling really means

So I'm sitting here eating my cheddar bunnies and thinking of what recycling really means.

Recycling is not just the act of taking stuff to the recycling centers or putting it out in your curbside bin. It's more than that. Recycling is taking items to consignment shops, resale shops, goodwill, and yard sales. It's throwing that banana peel on a compost pile instead of in the trash. It's using cloth, hybrid, or green diapers.

You know that old t-shirt with all the holes in it? Well if you can't wear it anymore use it to wash or dry your car, dust your house, or wash windows, counters, etc! It's amazing what you can do with things when you put your mind to it.

The side of my cheddar bunnies box recommends using it for a bookmark, arts and crafts projects, and coloring paper. Go figure, my box of bunnies has a life outside of holding cute little edible rabbits.

I know that flylady would pull her hair out at my collection of boxes towards the end of the week and yes I know it's unsightly. However, as I find more ways to recycle I find myself getting rid of more clutter around my apartment. I guess recycling is a lot different from how my mom taught me it should be.

Stay green,
Yasha