Another Option to Magazine Recycling

Our house is often overwhelmed with magazines. As a magazine editor, I often brought home multiple and would buy others. My husband also gets them through his job. Once we look through them, we add them to a box in our garage for taking to the recycling center (only a couple of places in our city take magazines).

I've recently discovered another option. Several of our local charities/thrift shops take old magazines. Many people buy them for ideas or school collages--things that don't matter how old the issue is.

If you do recycle them, remember you're supposed to remove any blown-in or bound-in cards (like subscription cards, perfume samples, etc.). Just take them out as you read through the magazine so you don't have to do it later.

Giveaway to Come!!

Keep checking in! Within the next few days I will post information about a giveaway. Plus, more posts to come (more frequently!).

Consignments Sales for Baby - link

I'm always on the lookout for consignments sales with baby items. They tend to have great variety and prices, and of course, reusing items is always a plus. The clothes and gear are generally in great shape, although you should always inspect your potential purchases carefully. Once you buy it, you're stuck with it!

Here is a link to a site with a great list of sales (you can search by state, city, etc.):
http://thebargainwatcher.com/sales_search_results.asp

Happy bargain hunting!

Cheap(er) Flights

If you're looking to book a flight, consider checking out competeforyourseat.com to maximize your savings.

How it works: You register by filling out the trip request form, and then travel pros will bid on your flight. You then choose your best option and contact the bidder to set everything up. If you need to book a flight faster, a live flight search is also available. Both methods are free.

If you've used this site, let me know your experience.

Dirt Scoopers

I'm already looking forward to spring, and when planting season comes around, I have some new (well, new for gardening) tools to add to my gardening arsenal. We have a few faded, heavy-duty plastic cups (of varying sizes) that I'll use to scoop dirt from bags when transferring to pots. Those top soil bags are always heavy to carry around (and I don't need so much to just dump it), and the mini shovels are too small to do a quick job. Plus, I end up spilling more dirt than moving. I've used plastic cups before and they work well. They allow you to get a decent amount of dirt in one pass, which you can then easily pour into a pot.

Chili and Its Reincarnations

I had some ground pork defrosting in the fridge yesterday, so I mixed it with some ground beef and whipped up some chili (both packages of meat were bought on sale for around $1.99/lb.). It was going to get down into the teens overnight (yes, it even happens in Georgia!), so I was in the mood for something warm and comforting.

I browned up the meat and added onions and green bell peppers until softened. Once I drained the grease, I added two tablespoons of garlic, a can of red kidney beans, a can of diced tomatoes, a large can of tomato sauce and the following spices to taste (I rarely measure!): cinnamon (just a dash), cumin, basil, oregano, chili powder, S&P. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes while bread baked. I had wanted corn bread, but we were out of eggs and a trip to the store just wasn't worth it.

I made sure to make enough so that my husband and I would have plenty for dinner but also leftovers for other uses. Today for lunch, I baked a potato and topped it with chili, sour cream and cheese. Besides as a baked potato topping, chili is great these ways:
- On top of mashed potatoes and hash browns.
- As chili mac by placing it on pasta.
- You can always add a bit of water or stock to the leftover version to make it even more of a sauce consistency. Then it becomes even more like spaghetti sauce.
- Stuff it into bell peppers. You can add rice, too, if you like.
- There's always the chili dog option!

Green Up - treehugger.com

Starting today, each week I will let you know about a site (or more) that will help us all get a little greener. I just discovered a site, treehugger.com, that includes articles about making your home greener, green buying guides, and great forums. Check it out!

$10 DSW Coupon

I noticed the Chevy ad on the back of the February 2009 issue of Cookie magazine had a link to $10 off DSW Shoes if you take a "virtual test drive." Intrigued, I checked it out. I hardly knew I had done the test drive portion before it was over! Totally painless -- you're just shown the new Chevy Traverse Crossover for a few seconds, and then a form pops up for accessing the coupon. You can either print out a coupon to use in-store, or enter DRIVE2 as the coupon code on dsw.com. The coupon is for $10 off of a $50 purchase (easy to do on shoes!); it's good until Feb. 28, 2009.

Go get yours! shoprockandroll.com/shoes

Uses for Tissue Paper

As I put away wrapping paper and boxes from Christmas present wrapping, I discovered a wide variety of tissue paper. Some was good enough to save for the next wrapping extravaganza. Other was torn or too crumpled. Of course, my daughter wanted to eat it, but I didn't think that was its best use. So some I'm putting in a large plastic bag to save for shipping materials (great for wrapping breakables or stuffing to fill empty spots in a box). Other pieces I'm going to stuff with torn pieces of wrapping paper into a small old pillowcase (or even a large sock) for my daughter to play with. She loves things that squish and crinkle, so it'll be a great budget-friendly toy!

Recyclables: Is Waste Management Really Managing My Waste Effectively?

My husband often thinks I overthink things. And oftentimes, he's right. But he also tends to underthink things. So I figure we even each other out. For instance, we recently switched our trash pickup because our previous company kept missing pickups. With that company, we had a recycling bin, in which they hauled off paper, glass, plastic and aluminum.

Recycling has always been important to me. In college, my roommate and I accumulated recyclables until they overflowed their allotted area, and then we hauled it all off to the appropriate bins on campus. So when I learned the new trash-collection company (Waste Management) did not have separate recycling bins, I got worried. I had my husband check (twice) about their recycling practices. He was told both times that Cobb County sorts the recyclables from the trash after it is collected. And of course, being an underthinker, he's satisfied with that. I, however, am skeptical. If that's true, that is a GREAT service. One less step for us (not to mention saving garage space by eliminating a bin). But I find it very hard to believe the county would bother--even assuming they're being paid by the company; not to mention, how thorough could they be?

So until I find out more about the practice, I'll keep feeling a tinge of guilt every time I put a glass bottle or old newspaper in the trash. Maybe this is a good assignment for the local TV station's investigative team...or maybe I'll just start hauling off my own recyclables again.

Second-hand Kid Items Illegal?!?

I was reading one of my favorite blogs (babycheapskate.blogspot.com) the other day, and noticed a post about how the selling of second-hand baby/child toys and clothes could soon become illegal. I couldn't believe what I was reading! But looks as if it is true...although it might not be as bad as once thought. Sounding like 3rd-party sellers and small-business owners might be given a break.

So keep your eyes and ears out for more information. From both a money-saving and reusing perspective, this change could be a BIG deal for many people, including myself.

I'll keep you posted.

Paper Waste

Over the past few months I have worked on several freelance projects. I'm constantly aware of how much paper and ink is used printing proofs, etc. out. Not to mention final products. I'm trying to make a conscious effort not to print anything unnecessarily. Some things you obviously can't avoid printing. But certainly multiple copies of the same thing (but with minor tweaks) isn't worth it. Now I'm on to saving my files on something other than my hard drive. As I'm staring at the stack of DVD+Rs that my ancient desktop computer won't burn to, I'm thinking an external hard drive might be worth the price...

Target Reusable Tote

Today I received my coupon for a free Target Retote. I can't wait to trade it in for my bag! If you got yours, be sure to redeem your coupon by 1/31/09.

Make Your Candles Last Longer

I have a number of candles in my house that have burned unevenly. When they get this way, many people trash them and buy new ones. But to maximize their use, I reshape them. To do so, warm up the excess wax slightly, then press it around to the lower portions of the candle. Let it harden, and then enjoy your "new" candle!

Recycled Bulletin Board

Christmas and a few freelance projects dominated my time in December. However, I'm getting back to blogging starting now! While I was Christmas shopping, I came across a cool recycled product at The Container Store. It's a recycled paper bulletin board from Umbra. The sheets of paper are bound so tightly that you can put pieces of paper or push pins between them. It gives a cool look to bulletin boards--and it's a great use of old paper and magazines.