Trying to be green(er)

We are not the "greenest" family.  We have two cars, we are (currently) using disposable diapers, we fertilize our yard with bagged fertilizer.  I'm trying to reduce our carbon footprint without out growing our budget.  I'm sorry, but some things are just too expensive.  Sure there are easy and cheap ways to reduce, but we just can't afford to do every thing. 

What we currently do:  we've always recycled.  Luckily our recycle company recently changed and they accept everything but pizza boxes, styrofoam, and plastic bags.  I recently made my own dishwashing detergent (recipe here), and I plan to make my own laundry detergent once we run out of the store bought kind.  I try to use things to very end.  I tend to be the type to not use my shampoo, lotion, etc to the end just because I have a *new* one sitting in the cabinet.  We've been using green bags for a while, although I need to reduce our produce bag usage. (anyone know if I can take reusable bag to HEB, fill it with produce and take that to the register?).  We can't go down to one care, but I started using the hub's car to drive to work because it is more fuel efficient. 

What I'm planning to do:  Start composting, as soon as I get a compost bin.  Collect rain water to water our yard/plants (although it's so dry here there's not much point).  Buy a few thing in bulk that I will use/eat, namely: almonds, oatmeal, and maybe rice.  Making and using my own detergents and cleaners.  If I can get our cloth diaper stash to start working for Sofia again we'll do that, but that's a work in progress.

Sigh, I feel like I should do more, but am not sure what else we're capable of.  Anyone reading having any easy and cost effective ideas?

New year, new beginnings, new goals

I'm not one for New Years resolutions.  The excitement of the new year fades quickly and most of the population does not stick to the resolution(s) they made.  But I guess you could say this year is different for me.  I feel more resolve to change certain things in my life.

I've decided to do a scaled down version of 101 in 1001.  Let's face it, a lot of things can change in 2.75 years.  So many things on my old list be came unimportant or things that just weren't attainable any more with a new baby.  But, I did complete quite a bit of it, and as a list maker, it made me feel good to cross off a few things here and there.  So, I decided that this year I would make 27 goals for the year.  One for every two weeks of the year.  They don't have to be completed weekly, I just wanted to scale down the number of goals.  I originally started with 52, but I trouble coming up with that many.  I'll start with 27 and if I have more to add I'll add more.

I've decided to make some of the goals more long-term and therefore, more difficult to achieve.  But others will be quick and easy.  That way I can feel like I'm accomplishing *something*.  So, here they are.

1. Get on a budget, and try to stick with it for good!  I've lived out of my/our means for a while.  Living on credit and not really having a solid plan to pay it off.  Right now I'm using Mint.com for budgeting, and I recommend it, it's pretty cool! (0/12)
2. Pay off credit card 100% and keep the spending within a limit that I can pay off *every* month- I'd say $500/month.  I paid the card off a few days ago using a lower (than the CC) interest rate loan that we already had.  But now the challenge is to keep the spending down every month so that I can keep the balance at zero. (0/12)
3. Lose 6 pounds.  I've got 6 pounds of baby weight left to lose! (0/6)
4. Lose 4 pounds to equal a total of 10 (0/4)
5. Lose another 5 pounds to equal a total of 15 to put me into the middle of my BMI range. (0/5)
6. Save for  and buy new camera (monthly goal $150).  I've got my eye on this one!  ::love::
7. Take pictures of Sofia monthly.  This one should be easy as I'm already doing it, but I want to make sure I continue it! (0/12)
8. Go to the dentist every six months.  To some this might seem silly, but I, sadly, have not been to the dentist in years.  It just wasn't something that was instilled in me in my childhood. (0/2)
9. Finish Sofia's growth chart
10. Hang curtain rod and curtains in Sofia's room
11. Get Bandit's claws clipped or filed every 3 months (0/4)
12. Buy and start a compost bin.  This is something I've been wanting to do for a while.  I really want to be better about not being so wasteful.
13. Try to finish C25K program- 9 weeks.  I don't know if this will be feasible for me because of my knee, but I think it might help me to get back into running. (0/9)
14. Sell maternity clothes, put that money towards camera savings
15. Start savings account for Sofia
16. Sell Sofia's no longer used toys and "gear".  Put that money into her savings account.
17. Get cloth diaper inventory up to 24 diapers and/or GroVia inserts (16/24)
18. Fill Sofia's month-by-month picture frames, 13 total pictures in each (0/13 x2)
19. Have a small, successful, and cute first birthday party for Sofia.
20. Buy an external hard drive, keep all pictures and important files updated on said drive.
21. Get house "baby-proofed" (stove button caps, oven locks, doorknob locks, cabinet locks, toilet seat locks, etc)
22. Try to be consistent in using coupons (i.e stockpile non perishables)
23. Work on my photography skills (do any one or more of the following- complete my photography book, complete the 12 weeks to better photography, and/or take a photography class)
24. Buy a chest for my Grandmother's silverware, polish said silverware and store correctly
25. Buy and install fireplace doors or screen (kind of counts as baby proofing)
26. Buy and install a ceiling fan for Sofia's room
27. *Possibly* re do fire place hearth and surrounding area with new glass tile
    

Cloth diapers phase 1 (and partial Phase 2)

Phase 1: I finally broke down and bought a few.  I decided that the best option for us right now would be to buy a few different brands and see which one(s) fit her the best.  After that, we can finish out our stash with the diapers that fit her body type the best.  Which will hopefully keep us from losing the least amount of money on diapers that don't work for her.

I bought one of each of the 7 different brands that I had researched (and one that was just plain cheap, but looked to be similar to the higher priced ones).  The brands I bought were- Bum Genius, Fuzzibunz, GroBaby, HappyHeinys, Knickernappies, Smartipants, and Tweedlebugs.  They all have similar pre-usage washing instructions, with the exception of the GroBaby (it's organic and requires multiple washing before using).  I ordered all of them from nickisdiapers.com and was very pleased with their service.  They were at my doorstep within 5 days.  I ordered them on Sunday and they arrived on Friday.  I was very pleased with their prices as well.  They have a great package deal where you can purchase 4 diapers one of each (Smartipants, HappyHeinys, BumGenius, and Fuzzibunz) for 67.25.  I chose this option and added the other 3 brands that I wanted to try, as well as a diaper sprayer and 2 diaper pail liners, pretty good deal over all!  I even got a free gift and free shipping!

Phase 2:  My early reviews so far are that I like the FuzziBunz, GroBaby, and TweedleBugs right off the bat.  I like the Fuzzibunz (light pink, third from top) because they have an adjustable elastic strap for the legs.  Although I could see this turning into a part that becomes more of a nuisance than help, but they did include an extra set of elastic straps.  I like the Grobaby (top) because they have some super cute patterns (I bought the "Wildlfower" one) and the liner snaps in rather than being a true pocket which requires you to stuff the soaker pad into the pocket.  This would also allow you to possibly reuse the shell without having to wash it after each use.  Lastly, I like the Tweedlebugs (yellow, 2nd from top) because they advertise that you do not need to remove the soaker pad before washing.  Simply toss it in the washer and it will come out on it's own.  I'm not sure if most pocket diapers are this way, this was just the only brand that advertised that feature.