Cheap Tricks 2: Save More Trees!

I was going about my morning ritual of making coffee, when I realized here was another example of saving money, trees and the environment.  It has been a long and winding road (Beatles!) from using tons of non-eco-friendly white coffee filters to using none:

First, I had a drip coffee maker and would buy large quantities of those white cone-shaped paper coffee filters.  The reason they are white is because they are bleached.  Once I learned how bad bleach is for the environment, I started buying the brown, unbleached paper coffee filters.  My next step in my eco-evolution was realizing lots of trees were cut down to produce paper coffee filters which I was just throwing away after each use.  So I did a little research and discovered reusable cloth coffee filters made from hemp, such as www.mrnaturals.net.

Hemp Coffee Filter

This worked great for a while with the only problem being it was sometimes difficult to get the fine coffee grounds cleaned out of the hemp filter.  So I did a little more research and found reusable cone-shaped coffee filters made from plastic and fine wire mesh to use instead.

Wire Mesh Filter

The only issue I had with the wire filter is those tiny coffee grinds would somehow make it through the wire mesh and into my coffee cup – yuck!  Then I realized I could put the wire mesh filter inside the hemp filter … the hemp filter kept all the teeny tiny coffee grinds from going into my coffee and the wire mesh filter made dumping out and composting the coffee grounds easy peasy.  (Yes, coffee grinds make awesome compost.)

I continued using this setup for five years (with the hemp filter still going strong!).  Then a few years ago I was introduced to a French press and – voilá – I was smitten!  In a French press, the coffee grinds steep in hot water for 4 to 5 minutes (rather than running fairly quickly through a drip maker), so I can use less than ½ the coffee and still have a nice strong cup of java.



French Press



So not only am I saving money because I am no longer constantly buying paper coffee filters, I also save money because I use less coffee.  And the other fantastically frugal part of this is that I now can use my wire mesh filter for making my daily cups of green tea.  I buy bulk loose leaf organic green tea (the same delicious tea I use in my pet food) and pour boiling water into my Pyrex measuring cup with the tea leaves, cover and let steep for 3 to 4 minutes.  Once it’s done steeping, I take my wire mesh filter, placed inside a single cup filter (it’s cone-shaped and made of solid material with a handle and only has little holes on the bottom – see picture below), set both over my teacup and pour the tea into the whole contraption.  All the tea leaves are saved in the wire mesh filter (which I can reuse for my next cup of tea – more frugality - yay!) and the tea pours through the holes in the bottom of the single cup filter into my teacup.



Single Cup Filter



So again, we’re saving money and trees by buying loose leaf tea in bulk and not using tea bags.  If you would rather use tea bags instead of a filter, you can purchase cloth tea bags made from cotton muslin that have drawstring closures.  (Hint:  These same cloth tea bags work GREAT for filling and refilling with organic catnip and letting your cat bat around, drool on, roll on, etc.!)

Cotton Muslin Tea Bags

Who knew saving the environment could be so much fun and save so much money?!

Cheap Tricks: Save the Trees!

Why am I so frugal?  I am often asked that question.  The answer is I like to spend my hard-earned money on things that will provide a better quality of life for me and pets, such as healthy food.  Yes, organic food is more expensive initially, but in the long run, if I or my pets eat a healthy, species-appropriate diet, we won’t have chronic expensive diseases like heart disease, obesity, diabetes, cancer, kidney disease, thyroid problems, etc.  So I will end up saving money overall and my pets will live a long, happy, healthy life.

What’s one way you can save money to help pay for a healthier diet?  Paper products!  (And not only will you be saving money, you’ll be saving trees and the environment, too!)  Some examples:

1.  Instead of Paper Towels: Use Rags!  After using the rags, simply wash and use again.  And you can save even more by using cut up old towels, sheets and clothing rather than buying new rags.  Or you can go to thrift stores and buy cheap towels and wash cloths.  That way you are also recycling material instead of it ending up in the landfill – another win for the environment!

2.  Instead of Kleenex/Tissues:  Use Handkerchiefs!  Your grandparents did – they may even have pretty embroidered ones they can hand down to you.  Or you can buy them online or in stores.  I have about 20 handkerchiefs which I’ve been using for the past 4 years.  Initial investment = $20.  That works out to $5 per year and my handkerchiefs are still going strong.  Before that, I spent about $5 every couple months on tissues – even more during the cold and flu season.  And handkerchiefs are super easy to clean – they’re small and lightweight so you can launder a small batch by hand in a couple minutes.

3.  Instead of Paper Napkins: Use Cloth Napkins!  Not only are cloth napkins more environmentally friendly, they’re softer and prettier, too.  Again, you have an initial investment of about $20 for some cloth napkins, but you can wash and use them for years and years and years.  I recommend getting darker colored/patterned cloth napkins – they hide possible stains better and you won’t have to use bleach to whiten them (bleach is NOT good for you or the environment).

4.  Instead of Disposable Diapers: Use Cloth Diapers!  There are wonderful cloth diapers available now that are easy to clean, easy to fit (none of those scary pins involved) and made with eco-friendly material (organic cotton, wool, bamboo, etc.).

I draw the line at toilet paper, however.  I admit I just can’t get past the “ick” factor with using cloths instead of toilet paper.  But I do buy toilet paper that is made from recycled paper so it’s more eco-friendly.

So there you have it … I used to spend about $150 a year on napkins, paper towels and Kleenex, but now I spend that money on healthy, organic food for me and my pets … a much tastier alternative to paper products!

These Boots Are Made For Laundry

These boots are made for laundry
And that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots

Are gonna wash off doggie doo!

That’s right ... I do my laundry using polka-dot rubber boots.  “But that’s crazy,” you may say.  Well, let me give you the background and reasons why ...

Five years ago I finally bought an eco-friendly front-load washer (costing over $700!).  Then last year, my washer stopped spinning and the repair would cost me almost $300.  I thought this is ridiculous – big ticket appliances lasting less than 5 years?!  So I did a little online research and discovered I can easily wash my clothes in my bathtub by “stomping” on them (think “I Love Lucy” + grapes) – and voila, my new “washer” was born.  The hardest part is wringing the clothes by hand so I can then hang them to dry.  Yes, the heating element on my 5-year-old dryer also died so I hang my clothes to dry.  I still use the dryer to “tumble” the dried clothes which helps to soften them (line-dried clothes tend to feel rough, especially towels, so tumbling them in the dryer on no heat for 10 minutes cures that).

Why would anyone be crazy enough do their laundry by hand?  For 3 Important Reasons:

1.  Save the Environment:  Basically, I use no electricity to do my laundry except a very small amount when I use hot water (one of these days I’ll invest in a solar water heater) and when I run the dryer for 10 minutes on air only.  So doing laundry by hand generates an extremely low carbon footprint!  I also make my own inexpensive, non-toxic laundry soap (mix 1/2 borax + 1/2 washing soda – not baking soda; use 1-2 T. per load).  And ditch the fabric softeners (they contain too many chemicals and VOCs).  Instead, add 1/4 cup white vinegar to your rinse water (the vinegar smell goes away once the clothes are dry).

2.  Great Exercise:  Have you tried stomping on clothes or wringing wet clothes by hand?  It’s a great workout for the muscles of your core, legs, arms and hands!

3.  Save Money:  Because you’re hardly using any electricity, you save money.  Because you’re not buying new appliances or getting older ones repaired, you save money.  Because you’re making your own non-toxic laundry soap/fabric softener, you save money.  And because you’re getting a good workout without joining a gym, you save money!

So there you have it ... 3 great reasons to do your laundry by hand ... or should I say by feet?  J