Eco~Nomically Undaunted

Savvy Living ~ Exploring the Art of Couponing

2009-07-21T18:19:00.000-07:00

I have been intrigued by the world of couponing. I have been furously researching the various methods of couponing and have gleaned some very notable strategies from some expert bloggers and couponers like the Bargain Hunter and I Am A Money Magnet.

First, LEARN THE COUPON LINGO.
This post on the blog I follow 'I Am A Money Magnet' on Coupon Lingo/Abbreviations. In this post Jamie lists some of the most commonly used terms (aka coupon lingo). I made a list with codes from this post plus others I found while researching on the internet: Click here for a printable 'At a Glance: Eco~Nomically Undaunted Coupon Lingo List'.

NEXT, ORGANIZING A LIST OF SAVVY WEBSITES.
Still thoroughly confused and overwhelmed with this new world of couponing I decided to take a step-by-step logical approach where small simple changes will make an impact on my shopping savvy. Every researcher needs an index/directory of all of the sites I would need to frequent for saving money and clipping coupons. I quickly compiled a reference list with some of the most popular coupon and savings websites I've come across. The post from Laurie of Bargain Hunters on how I keep my grocery bill so low is a very good starting point. On the site The Grocery Game Terri's list makes the claim that members save over 60% on their grocery bills by joining the grocery game. They also offer a a 4-week FREE Trial, and see for yourself! With this you will get a weekly list of the lowest priced products matched with manufacturer's coupons and weekly specials - advertised and unadvertised! Click here to The Grocery Game videos.

THE PRICE BOOK.
There are many great sites that talk about and sell pricing books that hold your coupons and allow you to record and keep track of prices throughout the year. This is a very important part of becoming a savvy shopper. I opted for now to just use a little notebook that I had in the house. Recycle and reuse. I just started to record prices on things like meat, fish, vegtables, and other things that I frequently buy (sauce, rice, personal hygiene items).

STOCKPILING.
I can see the benefit of combining coupons with sales and stockpiling when they have a buy 10 itesm for $1 sale. Also when meat if very discounted I can see stocking up and freezing for future use. My only concern is space in my fridge and pantry. I don't like clutter so I have to do this with limitations.

THE MORE OBVIOUS.
Every week when I receive my local grocery store circulars I sit down and cut out the coupons from all three that apply to my shopping needs. Although many couponers make their best deals from brand item frozen foods and processed snacks I resist the urge. I will use and do clip some of the boxed items, cleaning supplies, paper products, and personal care items. I have marked envelopes: Manufactorer Coupons, Store Coupons (Bashas, Frys, Albertsons and Walgreens) and Department Store Coupons. Some challenges, I have been asking the stores I frequent for double coupon days and they say it is advertised in the store and circular but they never know when they are coming. I am hoping one of the sites I follow will give me a heads up on double coupon days. Many coupons I find are for items do not use or need. Want vs Need and too much waste. I do not want to subscribe to a process of purchasing a lot of things that I don't need and create further waste. This is where the process become more challenging for me.

From what I've read the skills of expert couponing DO NOT happen overnight so I'm not quite there yet. I am going to try my own method for four weeks to see if I get the results I am hoping for. Then I will take The Grocery Game 4-week trial and write about those results.

I hope you enjoy the post ... HAPPY SAVVY SHOPPING!

Arizona, Hosting House Guests on a Budget

2009-07-11T17:52:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited gearing up for my family (mom-in-law and niece) to come stay with us for the first week in August. There are a few budget challenges we're facing so we'll need to get creative. First, we are down one salary in our household and secondly the temperatures are up (115+). With that in mind I have made a list of some fun things we can do to beat the heat and stay within budget.

Fortunately we have a beautiful built-in pool and our backyard has a great view of the Superstition Mountains. This is a great way to make our guests relax and unwind. We can BBQ and swim and just enjoy their company.

Taking a Daycation at a Resort & Spa.

Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa $30 per person 300 Wigwam Boulevard, Litchfield Park, Arizona 85340 http://www.wigwamresort.com/special-offers.html If you are not interested in overnight accommodations, we can offer you access to the Red Door Spa facilities including saunas, steam rooms, Jacuzzi, lap pool, fitness center and indoor/outdoor relaxation areas. The charge for this access is $30 per person and is valid throughout the day.

Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Using the spa facilities without a spa treatment $35 per day for non-resort guests. Complimentary use for the day of our fitness and motion studios, as well as our private indoor and outdoor whirlpools, steam rooms, saunas, spa pool and relaxation lounge with fireplace. You may participate in any or all exercise classes.

Gold Canyon Golf Resort Spa weekday mini spa service special $22
They are running the mini special. It is now every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday. We still offer complimentary wine, fruit, cheese & crackers. Our hours are 9am to 5pm & later by appointment. If you need anything further or would like to schedule an appointment you may call the spa directly at 480-982-6855.

Art:
Wed Aug. 5th, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Downtown Chandler Art Walk Visit more than 40 artisans set up along the streets in front of the unique shops and cafes of Historic Downtown Chandler. Free. In 2009: First Wednesday of the month

Local tours:
Goldfield Mine Tours
(480) 983-0333 Admission $7 adults, $6 seniors
The Goldfield Mine Tour takes approximately 25 minutes. It is an underground guided tour that takes you back in time to 100 years ago. The guides are well versed on the history of the mine, town, gold mining equipment and procedures. Hang on tight as the mineshaft shakes from exploding dynamite! Tours can leave every 10 minutes for large groups.

Arizona Biltmore Historical Tours
Historical tours are offered to the public every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday at 10am. The tours last approximately 1 hour, 15 minutes and are led by a Biltmore Certified Historian. Tour charge is $10 per person. Private Group Tours are also available upon request. Group tours are $250 for up to 20 guests. (minimum 7 days advance notice required for private tours) Please contact the Concierge for more information and to make your tour reservation. 602-955-6600 ext. 7000.

Save on Eating with Happy Hours:

Downtown Chandler
Tomaso's at Casa Paloma (7131 West Ray Road1/8 mile east of the I-10 in the Casa Paloma Shopping CenterMap (mapquest.com) ) has an excellent happy hour 4-7 p.m.
Mon-Fri. Glasses of wine from the owner's vineyard in Italy are $5 and very good. Appetizers are about $5-6; my faves include the heaping bowl of mussels, the calamari fra diavolo, beef carpaccio or the antipasto plate.

98 South (98 S. San Marcos Place) in downtown Chandler and 56 East, also at Casa Paloma, have happy hour until 6:30 p.m. and serve a full menu of martinis for $5 and half-off appetizers. The food's better than typical bar food -- good calamari, OK crab cakes, and a very good marinated skirt steak.

Thursdays, 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Downtown Chandler, Farmers Market Boston and Arizona Avenue at Dr. A.J. Chandler Park
3 p.m. to 7 p.m. non-summer hours; Season: ongoing 480-782-3047
Excerpt taken from yelp review "This is a charming weekly farmer's market in Downtown Chandler. It is every Thursday from 3pm-7pm. There is beautiful, fresh, local, organic produce and eggs. There are also homemade Tamales, salsas, honey, olive oils, vinegars, jams and breads. They have live music and lots of crafts to buy. I bring my dog and mosey around. IMPORTANT NOTE: Bring cash, most places do not take plastic. After shopping you can head over to one of the local restaurants for a happy hour drink or snack. A nice way to spend a sunny afternoon."

Scottsdale
Valley Ho Scottsdale (Happy Hour daily 4-6pm and reverse from 9-11pm. )6850 E. Main Street, Scottsdale, AZ 85251, T: 480.248.2000

featured specials
session Saturdays - DJ PBody poolside every Saturday - room rates from $99. Call reservationist for details at 480.248.2000
Trader Vic's Happy Hour "1950's-pricing" appetizers. Drink specials avail. For reservations call 480.421.7799. Appetizers such as $1 Moo Shu Pork, $2 Maui Burger + Sweet Potato Fries and $3 Crab Rangoon. Drink Specials are also available.

The "All-Night, All Summer Happy Hour" runs Monday through Sunday 4:00 p.m. to close from June through September. The appetizer favorites, which are ample servings, are half price. Savor some of these great faves: Roaring Fork's (4800 N Scottsdale Rd # 1700 (480) 947-0795) "Big Ass" Burger for $9.00 Roaring Fork's Kettle of Green Chile Pork Stew for $7.00 Eddie V's Maryland-style all lump crab cakes for $7.48 Eddie V's Georgia Bank scallops and tempura for $6.48 Wildfish's Crispy cashew calamari for $6.48 Wildfish's Wedge warm melting St. Andre cheese salad for $5.96

Classes:
Michaels – http://www.michaels.com/ $5.00 craft every Saturday. Wilton® Cake Decorating Classes Add to My Michaels August 2, 2009 - August 31, 2009 Contact your local store for time information. Sign up for Wilton® Cake Decorating Classes! From character cakes to elegant gum paste flowers, you'll learn how to make every celebration extra special! Take a Wilton® Cake Decorating Class this month for 40% off. Classes start the week of August 2nd.

Dining Out Discounts:
Promotion: 70% off $25 Gift Certificates
Get 70% off $25 Gift Certificate orders from Restaurant.com.
Expiration Date: July 13, 2009
View all Restaurant.com Promotional Codes >>
Promotional Code: SEVENTY

Entertainment Book 2-for-1 Lunch or Dinner
UP TO $25.00 VALUE Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
6751 N. Sunset Blvd. #E109 Glendale, AZ 85305 Phone:(623)772-001149.4 miles

Free Outings:Apr 1, 2009 ... Culture Pass program
Library cardholders can now check out an admission for up to four people at participating cultural institutions! Which museum admissions may be "checked-out"?
Arizona Museum of Natural History
Arizona Museum for Youth
Arizona Science Center
The Bead Museum Children's Museum of Phoenix
Desert Botanical Garden (starting June 1)
Heard Museum Heard Museum - North Scottsdale Heard Museum -
West Mesa Contemporary Arts Phoenix Art Museum
Phoenix Zoo
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art

Theatre:
Saturday, August 1st FREE Concert
Chris Burton JácomeFlamenco Ensemble Saturday, August 1, 2009 @ 7:30pm
Chris began playing guitar in 1986. While living in Sevilla, Spain, Chris studied flamenco guitar with some of the greatest flamenco performers of this era. Since his return from Spain, Chris has been performing over 200 shows a year playing many sold-out performances throughout the US and Canada. Venue: Hal Bogle Theatre, Chandler Center for the Arts

Monday, August 3, 2009 $12 General Admission Monday 7:00pm
Michael Finney's Dry Heat Comedy
Dodge Theatre Phoenix comedian Michael Finney hosts an evening with superstars of the comedy world. The lineup includes funny heavyweights such as Blue Collar Comedy member Bill Engvall, King of Queens star Kevin James, Last Comic Standing contestant Rich Vos, actor Scott Henry and sound effects and impression double team O'Brien and Valdez.

What to do with all that Doggy Doo? (Free Samples)

2009-07-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

Putting those old grocery store plastic bags behind me!
Now that I'm kicking the plastic bag habit I needed to find a solution for all that doggy doo doo.

The temperatures are now consistently reaching 100 + and monsoon season has arrived. That means higher humidity and heavy downpours.

While I was sitting in my beautiful backyard enjoying the sounds of the water fall cascading down the rocks into my pool while sipping my morning coffee and looking over at the picturesque mountain view I started to walk around and ugh almost stepped into some doggy doo. What a wake-up reminder... I need to order some type of biodegradable bags and fast.

There are several choices out there on the market so for me it is always tough to make that first decision. But as I mentioned in my earlier posts my changes would be small and simple.

My Pick: I found something that is not only environmentally friendly but also economically smart. My top pick is the FlushDoggy fully flushable and biodegradable dog waste bags.

I know this sounds a little strange taking your dog's doo and flushing it down the toilet but it makes sense for a few reasons. For us the temperatures in the summer rise upwards of 115 or more so keeping all that dog doo in the trash or yard can be really stinky. Also making this change is small and easy and if it helps the environment too I am glad to make the switch.

I purchased a package of 105 flushable bags for $19.99. We clean up the yard about twice a week so I figure that the bags will last me a year give or take. Not too bad.

Get your FREE flushDoggy sample here (free samples take 6-8 weeks).

Excert from the FlushDoggy website that was very informative about waste in landfills:

'Dog poop is the major source of fresh water contamination and it pollutes our earth. Study has shown that almost 4% of landfills is dog poop. That's close to 10,585 thousand tons of dog poop each year. Also people use plastic bags to get rid of poop and you know how plastic bags will stay for up to 1000 years WITH the POOP inside, right?

....Without oxygen(when biodegradable bags are either deep inside the landfills or inside another trash bag), these biodegradable bags will not biodegrade and would still overcrowd our landfills and pollute our earth.'

“ECO” Easy Savings - Paperless Bill Paying

2009-07-03T13:10:00.000-07:00

Paperless Bill Paying will be a God sent for those of you still using snail mail!
I am writing this to hopefully encourage you to help your parents, family members and friends approaching their golden years or those just not up to speed to make the move to paperless bill pay. There are so many benefits to making this transition (saving time, money, frustration, postage, checks, gas and so on) but one of the most beneficial points to me is getting organized. I feel it is a big help to the family members should anyone need to take over finances for any reason it is easy to keep bills in order and on time.

Help from Your Bank
Banks offer some really great benefits when transitioning to electronic bill pay.

bill organization: Many banks permit you to make multiple payments at once.
reminders: electronic updates via email to remind you that your bill is due, your balance is low and more.
mail: you don't have to worry about forwarding mail or lost mail when you split your time between two locations.
trash: how to discard old bills.
storage: where to store your bills and how to remember when its time to pay.

At first it is a big change and it will likely bring up security concerns so you'll need to sit down and help familiarize your family member with the online set-up.

make an itemized list of all of the bills that are paid on a monthly basis.
assist by adding payees to the online bill pay system so it's easier for them to adapt.
help with set-up with any automated re-occurring payments.
review the process of paying the first few bills with them until they are acclimated to the process.
If they aren't already...set-up automatic deposits for any income to go directly into their checking/savings accounts.

Take the time to streamline and simplify the process from the start you will be so thankful you did. Enjoy the perks!

Some interesting facts Excerpt From the PayItGreen Website: By switching to electronic bills, statements, and payments, every year the average household can: Get the green facts about Direct Deposit

BIG benefits for you, too!

Reduce clutter. The average household receives approximately 19 bills and statements and makes approximately 7 payments in paper form monthly
Save time and money. The average consumer saves 2.5 minutes per bill when paying electronically instead of with a check
The cost of postage and check stock can add up to more than $100 per year; these costs can be saved by making payments electronically, instead of by paper check. Also, credit scores are significantly increased when a consumer receives payments by Direct Deposit and uses Direct Payment to pay recurring monthly bills and/or save and invest automatically.
Improve security. Consumers receiving electronic bills and statements and making payments electronically can maintain tighter control over accounts in real time. Almost 85 percent of identity theft cases are due to “offline” transactions such as lost checkbooks and stolen bills, statements, and check payments.

Saving Green $$ on Groceries

2009-07-03T07:38:00.000-07:00

Grand Total Savings for two weeks of groceries (cost savings from coupons, weekly circulars and making three stops) $62.08.

Jump start on my weekend.
I'm excited and blessed to have today off for the 4th of July holiday. Getting an early start on my weekend I decided to strategically plan my savings for my weekly groceries.

CHECKLIST:
First, Recyclable Bags (you’ll receive 5-cents off of your purchase for each bag that you bring): I have been trolling through several websites looking for the best deal on recycled bags for shopping. Kicking the plastic habit takes some thought. Well try not to over think this and first look around the house to see what you already have and can recycle and reuse. I was very fortunate to find five bags around my house and car. I had received two promo bags from businesses that are insulated and I already had three cotton bags I was using for totes. I'm already saving money (yippee)!

Second, Clip Coupons:

Viva Paper towel ($.40)
Filippo Berio Olive Oil ($1.00)
Yoplait ($.50 six)
Bashas' ($1.88 Kraft Mayonnaise 24/40 oz)
Bashas' ($.68 Kraft BBQ sauce)
Bashas' ($.88 Sargento Shredded Cheese)

Next, Check Your Weekly Circulars:
Arizona Central lists weekly circulars on their homepage. I found the following savings worth mentioning:

Bashas' $1.39 lb Ground Beef. This will give two meals.
Bashas' $.99 lb Pork Spareribs (twin pack). Good price although I didn't purchase them this time.
Bashas' Buy one get TWO FREE Boneless Chicken Breast (I'll get three meals from this.)
Bashas' Tomatoes $1lb
Bashas' Avocados $.88 ea
Bashas' Bush's Beans $.99
Bashas' Fresh Wild Salmon $3.89 lb/Fry's Fresh Wild Caught Keta Salmon $3.77 lb
Bashas' Sara Lee Bread 2 for $3
Fry's bread $.88 each (I picked up two and froze one loaf.)
Bashas' Natures bounty vitamins 50% off
Dollar General $6 for a 34.5 oz Maxwell House Coffee
Fry's Gatorade 32 oz btl $.59 ea Qty 10.
Fry's Wheat Thins 3 for $5

Finally, My Meals Plan for the next two weeks:

Tex Mex Chicken in the crockpot. About 3 large 4 small breasts, 1 small can of mild green chilli's or half of jar of salsa, 1/2 onion diced, 1/2 cup cilantro diced, half cup of BBQ sauce, tsp chilli powder, tsp cumin. Cook low 8 hrs or high 5 hrs.
All in one Chicken Dish
1 pound chicken breasts, about 3 large 4 small breasts, 1 small can cream of mushroom/chicken or broccoli soup, 1/2 cup milk1 box stuffing mix,1 T. butter, 1/4 c. boiled water (micro waving the water and butter is convenient and saves money), Shredded cheese. (bake 30 mins in casserole dish)
BBQ Steak (BBQ on top rack 4 mins each side.)
Chicken Stir Fry 1 package boneless chicken breasts, about 4 pieces, 1 family-size bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables, 1 T. oil, Rice, white or brown (20 mins in non-stick pan)
Salmon on the grill. (BBQ on top rack with a little olive oil basting and lemon, seasonings for taste)

FREE Seminars & Giveaways

2009-07-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Freebie Emails Shouldn't Always be Ignored
I received an email yesterday about a free seminar in Phoenix on July 11th. I normally bypass these types of emails with a simple click and delete. This time I decided to read the announcement and I'm actually interested and planning to attend.

Grasping Opportunities
There are a lot of opportunities out there daily to learn something new at NO COST so why not take advantage of these offers when they apply to our interests.

Remember my first post I reflected about my grandfather's gardening and making simple choices using common sense. Well this seminar is highlighting two areas of interest that appeal to me.
Learning about growing a garden in AZ
Saving money and becoming environmentally friendly

Challenges Await
So be challenged and find a free seminar that interests you.

Seminar Details:
Downtown Phoenix Showroom Celebration
1710 E Washington St
602-712-1200

10:00 Edible Gardens in Arizona Speaker: Doreen Pollack,
This class will make your mouth water for your own home-grown vegetables. Learn how to get a garden ready for the fall planting season.11:00 Safe n' Save Pool ChemistSpeaker: Kim Kisner,

How to Acid wash your Pool without draining!
Green Products for Your PoolSafe & Save presents an education and a question and answer time for you to share you chlorine issues and keep the environment clean

11:30-1:00 Going Green in Central PhoenixSpeaker: Art Phillips,
Are you confused about going green? Join Arizona Going Green for this informational seminar about home energy audits presented at the Arizona Home & Garden Expo Center.

Nuisance and the Double-Edged Sword

2009-06-28T17:18:00.000-07:00

Lofty Aspirations
When I moved to my neighborhood several years ago one of the things I most admired was how beautiful the properties in our HOA development were maintained. Coming from the east coast suburbs and moving westward into an HOA I was convinced that our property value would hold steady and even encouraged it would increase. What I didn't account for was life. Times can be tough and when its outside of our own home we often overlook things or make excuses.

Neighborhood Inconvenience
One of the homes in our neighborhood very rapidly began to decline. Overgrown weeds, trash, graffiti on the windows and the last straw was the garage door getting torn off. There were rumors that the person residing at this home was an addict. Stories around town about what a nuisance the resident was to local businesses. I wanted someone to step up and do something. We all talked about how someone in the HOA or management company should arrange for some type of financial aid or something to get this home cleaned up. So very sad it has been in a state of disarray for several years now. What a Double-Edged Sword I wanted someone to do something but I didn't want to chance getting involved fearing that the weeds of addiction would tangle my life. I might not have been qualified to tackle this alone but I certainly could have and should have sought help. My church has an outreach program and I'm sure there are many others in the area.

Lesson of Love

The other day I was driving home from work and at a quick glance noticed someone working on this very neighbor's yard. I slowed down and took a second look and saw a group of people feverishly working in 100+ temperatures cleaning up this property. I don't know who they were or what prompted this act of kindness but I do know that God has a way of working all things for good. I felt so gracious to see the love of God through these people. I wish I had the courage to have prompted such a change. But what I do see is that she is still missing a garage door. Maybe it's time for me to do some research with my church about how we can get a used replacement garage door and enquire with the HOA to confirm this is still a need.

Blessed are the Meek

Jesus calls us to love as we would have them love us. The meek are gentle, humble and they put God and others first. Meekness is grown from faith and from the Holy Spirit. We are called to love our neighbors and we can't always do that but the Lord can use us if we are willing.

Embracing Modest Times!

2009-06-28T07:21:00.000-07:00

I mentioned in my earlier post that I was having a potluck BBQ this weekend and I added a fun twist to the party this time I asked my guests guests to bring 2-3 gently used items (books, purses, DVDs, etc).

What a Score!
My first free cycle swap party was a blast. I was very happy with my swaps. I traded two books, two necklaces and a sweater for some really great items. I scored a like new black purse, a bottle of perfume and new flip flops (see photo to the left).

Repeat Performance .... Definitely!
Here is a video I found on You Tube about a fashion swap party.
Next BBQ and Swap Party will need to be a bit more structured to add more of a chase to the trade. A few suggestions from guests were:

Putting a value to each item and categorize items by worth.
Make the bidder do something to earn the item (do a little jig, sing, etc).
My favorite ... Chinese Auction. Guests are free to put as many tickets as they want in the fishbowl. At the close of the trade game, the winning ticket for each auction item is then drawn from the corresponding fishbowl.

More saving tips to come!

Potluck BBQ and Exchange Freecycle Swap

2009-06-26T06:19:00.000-07:00

I love the summer it brings friends and family together to just unwind and have fun. Since a lot of my friends are also Economically challenged we decided to have a potluck BBQ. Just because a spouse is out of work or other financial circumstances are hindering your spending you should never stop socializing so here is a fun alternative.

Potluck BBQ
We have a pool and a scenic view in our backyard so it makes it a good spot for all of us to get together.

Here's what we provide:

We provide a main dish (Fry's Food has Fresh Chicken Leg Quarters for 74¢ lb or whole chickens at .88¢ lb. What a bargain)
We will have chips and dip
We will have water and lemonade
Ice for the cooler

What we ask others to bring:

Their swim suites and towels
A side dish, fruit or dessert to share
BYOB ( Bring Your Own Booze)

Just for Fun
This time we've added a new element to our party free cycle swap. We all get bored of our stuff and it ends up sitting in our cabinets, draws or the back of our closet. This is a fun way to get something new for your summer wardrobe or something new to watch or read.

I asked my guests to bring 2-3 gently-used items that they are willing to exchange/barter/donate:

purses
books
DVDs
costume jewelry

I can't wait to write about how it all turns out. Wish me luck on the free cycle swap (I'm wishing for a summer purse).

Hope you all will be challenged to be creative with your money and enjoy the summer!

Save $5 now at the FilterForGood Pledge

2009-06-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

Take the Pledge today and start making a commitment

A small step with a big impact and a very significant savings. I took the pledge and printed my $5.00 coupon. I plan on purchasing my Brita today. Remember the Filter campaign offers recycling too.

Cost savings approximately
$23.01 a month and total of $276.12 savings annually.

Fun Tip: Map the Pledge
Enter a zip code, a city or click on the water droplets in the map to see where pledges are coming from. There weren't many pledges in my area so I am definitely going to spread the word around.

Common $ense and Setting Early Goals

2009-06-24T19:21:00.000-07:00

Jersey Girl goes green?
I grew up in Jersey during the 80's when some of the essentials were Aqua Net aerosol hair spray, acrylic nails and tanning. I am a product of big hair, fake nails, heavy metal and rock so how can I learn to be Green. We never talked about the Green movement or being Eco-friendly. These were not terms commonly heard or spoken of during the 80’s or 90’s. Well not to me or at least not until I moved to Arizona in 2005.

It's all new to me.
Since moving to AZ I’ve made some great friends who are very eco-conscious and my professional ties have been inspiring working for a company that earned a gold-level LEED certificate (highest designation for environmentally friendly design and construction). College students have been some of my best teachers I’ve had about the environment. They bicycle to work and school, recycle, barter and reuse anything they can.

Old fashioned ways and simple changes.
I plan on returning to some of the old fashioned simple ways my grandparents taught me, learning and applying some of the new skills I’ve acquired and putting faith and family first to bring about some simple natural changes that will help my family and yours reduce our carbon footprint.

I don't know if it was my environment, family, friends or cultural heritage that kept me in the dark, but, what I did learn growing up was common practical lessons that very much relate to today's concept of being eco-friendly…

eating home cooked meals (daily). I believe that concept is not as common now. Most of my friends in their 20-30's order out or buy microwavable food on most nights. They say their kids won’t eat anything but chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese. Poor kids.
every good Italian family in Jersey had their own vegetable garden growing up. Of course, most of my neighbors were family or friends of the family but we all gave each other bags of fruit and veggies fresh from the garden. Now we encourage buying locally and joining community supported crop programs. Then we were our own suppliers of vegetables and fruits. If fact, we even had a local farmer milk man. We also bought our meats from the deli and our bread from the bakery. My grandfather raised chickens, rabbits and goats when my mom was growing up and then when I was young we often went to the farm to get our meats fresh.
eating leftovers (always) and hand-me-downs (as if we had a choice. Everyone had someones old clothes, toys or furniture). I remember wearing my cousin's communion dress and I was thrilled. I believe we now refer to this as Recycle - Reduce - Reuse.

I know that common sense must rule my decisions so with that in mind I start with my first challenge ....

BOTTLED WATER
On average my family uses 100 twelve ounce water bottles a month (9.375 gallons, 150 cups), plus 8 gallon jugs of water (128 cups) which totals to 17.375 gallons and 278 cups of water per month approximately $26 to $30 a month.

In review of the various filters I was still impressed by good old faithful Brita. Each filter saves up to 300 bottles of water.

COST SAVINGS:
Cost savings approximately $23.01 a month and total of $276.12 savings annually.

With Brita you only need to replace filter every 40 gallons (approx. two months). And now the other aspect the filters aren’t recyclable in the average recycle bin. The filters need to be refurbished similar to printer cartridges. But good news Brita now offers "… Take Back The Filter campaign is thrilled to announce that Brita and Preserve have teamed up to create a take-back recycling program for Brita pitcher filter cartridges … beginning in January [2009], … drop off filters at Whole Foods Markets or mail them in. Preserve, a U.S. company manufacturing household products from recycled plastic, will recycle 100% of the plastic casing. And the filter material will be regenerated or converted to energy." If there’s not a drop off center near you, mail them back. Send ‘Gimme 5 shipments’ to: Preserve Gimme 5 823 NYS Rte 13 Cortland, NY 13045 Join the campaign (http://www.filterforgood.com/) and get your $5 coupon now.

My 2nd choice and likely my back-up will be Filtered Sport Bottle @ $19.99 for a 27 oz bottle. Made with food grade, BPA free plastic (new to me but I'm learning), this filtered water bottle comes in 2 sizes and will treat up to 80 gallons of water, approximately 3 months of use under normal conditions. The level 2 filter removes 90% of chlorine, bad taste and odor, as well as a significant proportion of heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and copper. Replacement filters 2-pack CA$14.99

I'm so excited to start this first BIG change for my pocket and footprint.