All Natural Mommies

Although living green does not always equate to living frugally, it can be done if you’re vigilant.   Many people want to be more earth-friendly, but don’t because of perceived costs.  Don’t let this stop you!  Here are a few tips to help get you started.

Start small. You don’t need to change everything at once.  Even small changes are a big help.  Removing all of the plastic from your home, for example, can be a daunting task.  Start by replacing plastic shopping bags with reusable, cloth totes.  Replace the plastic containers in one kitchen cabinet at a time.

Buy used. Many of our households purchases do not need to be new items.  Peruse eBay, Craigslist, or your local classifieds for new-to-you furniture and clothing.

Or don’t buy at all. Free yourself from commercialism.   Find ways to extend the life of the items you already have, or repurpose them into other items.

Use Coupons. Visit the website for your favorite stores.  Many stores offer special coupons for use online or in store.  Register with the websites and sign up for their newsletters, to be sure you get in on special offers.  Save purchases for items you need until you can find a good deal.

Conserve water. There are many ways to save water, depending on just how eco-friendly you want to be.   Start by taking shorter showers and/or installing a low-flow shower head; running the dishwasher and clothes washer only with full loads; using a water filter and reusable water bottles instead of buying bottled water.  When you’re ready, you can move on to using rain barrels for watering the garden; and using a bucket or bowl to collect run-off from the shower or sink to water flowers or flush the toilet.  You’ll save money while conserving water.

Walk or bike instead of driving. Need a few items from the store a couple of blocks away?  Grab your reusable tote bag and take a walk.   Bring the kids along for a little extra quality time together.   The fresh air and exercise will be good for you all.  If the store’s not within a comfortable walking distance for you or the kids, grab a backpack and make it a bike ride.

You don’t need to dole out cash to live green.  Make small changes, be persistent, and you’ll soon be the crunchiest family on the block!

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Giveaway

This week, I’ll be going back to school!  I’ve decided to train as a massage therapist to better serve my doula clients.   This will be a big change for my family in terms of time and money.  We’re already a pretty green and fairly frugal family.

So, how does a frugal eco-lover save even more money?  I’d love to hear your favorite tips for living green and frugal.  Leave a comment with your tip, and you’ll be entered into a random drawing for a $25.00 gift certificate to All Natural Mommies.

One winner will be chosen at random on May 15th.

Miracle Diapers Is Now The Cloth Diaper Foundation

empowering families, improving the environment

As Miracle Diapers has grown so has the number of families they assist. In 2009, they helped over 450 babies directly, more than 100 babies through sponsorship and local distribution, and assisted other charities with the same mission as well!

To better serve those families Miracle Diapers reaccessed it’s structure and practices. They have:

             • New leadership with Roxanna Jolly—CEO and Lisa Johnston—Operations Manager and Board Chair

             • Relocated their headquarters to Katy, Texas

             • Restructured  how they process and accept applications

             • Opened a retail store for fundraising

             • Founded a new membership program

             • Welcomed several new board members from the cloth diapering industry

In it’s fifth year Miracle Diapers wants to continue moving forward and has decided to take on a new name that better describes the organization and it’s mission.

Miracle Diapers is now The Cloth Diaper Foundation.

“We felt that a more appropriate name would help the community have a better understanding of who we are, as we have often been mistaken for a diaper manufacturer. Our desire to move forward and build a  legacy of support for the cloth diapering community will be reflected in our new name: The Cloth Diaper Foundation.”

              -Roxanna Jolly, CEO, The Cloth Diaper Foundation

Monetary donations fell last year do to the economy. Which means there are more families out there for The Cloth Diaper Foundation to help! While diaper donations are always appreciated, we must be able to financially support organizational growth.  Let’s make this happen together and spread the CD love.  Visit http://clothdiaperfoundation.org today to find out how you can help!          

Addendum to Press Release: To assist in fund raising efforts, in the month of February, Tracy Whittemore and Lisa Adkins from The Cloth Diaper Company have so graciously offered to match, product for product, each Cloth Diaper Company product sold (Drybees, Wahmies, Rocky Mountain Diapers) in The Cloth Diaper Foundation Retail Store with an equal donation to our organization.  (Example – Purchase a Rocky Mountain Diapers OS Pocket, CDC will donate our organization a RMD OS Pocket, Drybees for Drybees, etc.)

Empowering Families. Improving the environment.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Erica_A_Brooks