I don’t live in the Gulf, or anywhere near it. I am neatly landlocked, although I am quite close to the Mississippi River. However, I am a fan of seafood and I like to consider myself, if not an environmental activist, at least aware of the damage we humans are doing to the planet and adjust my actions accordingly. Of course, I am more than disgusted and outraged at what has happened in the Gulf.

It doesn’t take a complicated, scientific green study to tell me we will be feeling the repercussions for decades. I can only hope BP is held totally accountable, but I ain’t stupid, either. Chances are they will walk away from this none the worse for wear. Not much I can do, other than to refuse to purchase gas at any BP stations and I’m sure that will hurt them about as much as a fly pooping on my nose will hurt me. Still, it’s the principle involved.

Several groups have formed to help clean up the oil and help out the businesses and people directly impacted by this disaster. One of the most interesting to me is Matter of Trust, who has been spearheading an effort to help by taking donated hair (and other materials) and making oil-soaking booms. They take clean donations from hair salons across the nation, and make “booms” out of material that would otherwise be thrown away. Apparently the hair soaks up a lot of oil. There could be an industry here that may even help out the fisherfolks so affected by the oil spill. This is something everyone can get behind, even if it’s to alert their local salon to the opportunity. Check them out if you get a chance.

I’m sure there are many more groups, but this one really caught my eye. Do you have any helping links to share? Please feel free to leave them in the comments.

I don’t know if it’s still on t.v., but a few years back there was a show on one of the home improvement channels where people would get a room in their house redecorated for less than $1000. It might even have been less than that, maybe $500. One of the things I loved about that show was that they re-purposed items.

Here are some examples of some inexpensive items that will not only add unusual decoration to your home, but which can also be easily re-purposed.

School desks: Check school supply stores, antique stores or estate sales for older classroom desks. Of course the newer desks are usually all in one, but think of the ones us old-timers used in grade school, where the seat actually pulled up to the desk and had an open shelf below. It can be used as a cookbook station, outdoor gardening station, or an unusual plant stand (with room for a few small gardening tools.)

Pews: Yes, you heard me right. Church pews. I remember in the 70’s one of the local hospitals was remodeling and growing. They had tiny two-seater church pews they were selling from the small (soon to be enlarged) chapel on the grounds. They were beautifully handcrafted, and had a little nook for bibles hidden behind the seat back. My mom fell in love with it, bought it for a song, stripped it down, refinished it and set it in a small empty space in her den. Not only was it functional as a place to hide in the room and read, but it’s always been a really great conversation piece.

Free-standing home bars: What do I mean by that? Well, my neighbor had this lovely 4-5 foot long wicker tiki-bar on his patio. Of course it had the overhanging lip on one side, so stools could be pulled underneath, and the “bar” side had a few shelves hidden below for storage. I mentioned it to him one day how much I liked it, and he explained to me that he was actually going to re-purpose it for his 3 rd grade class as a reading station. He would be able to sit 3-4 students on one side with their books, while he could stand on the other side to help them with their reading skills. Now that’s a great idea, but it could also work in your home as well. Use it as a computer station (with storage to hide the CPU, printers, fax, scanner, disks.)

So next time you visit a flea market, an antique store, a anything supply store or an estate sale, used your imagination and think green. Don’t look at objects at face value purpose. Instead look at them as how they could be used while doing your part to recycle. Re-purposing and decorating with the unusual is only limited by your imagination.

In today’s sinking (or is it already sunk) economy, many of us are struggling to get by. I for one am on a fixed income and so rises in bills, insurance, food, and gasoline leaves me literally living month to month. And when I’m forced to scrape the change jar, it can get depressing.

Most of my topics come from conversations with friends, and this one is no exception. So I thought it prudent to pass along some money saving tips.

Insurance:

Insurance is a necessary evil; believe me, I live in hurricane country. So shop around for the best life insurance rates, car insurance rates, home owners insurance rates, renters insurance rates. Often times just combining your insurance needs with one company can save you a few hundred dollars a year. Do your homework, call around and look for the best possible rate. I did for my car insurance and ended up saving a little over $10 a month. It may not sound like much, but to me, every little bit helps.

Energy:

If you can afford it, convert what ever appliances you have to the more energy efficient kind. It will not only save you money, but usually it will yield you a nice tax break come April 15. If you can’t afford that now, or if you rent, there are other ways to save energy.

Do full loads of laundry and limit them to once or twice a week.
Turn off everything when not at home.
Switch out light bulbs to the new energy efficient kind.
Turn your thermostat down (or up, depending on the season) by two-four degrees.
Make sure all your doors and windows are properly sealed with weather stripping.
In the summer, keep shades and blinds closed when you’re not at home so the sun won’t heat up your house; in the winter keep them open so the sun will heat up your house.

Food:

There are lots of ways to save money on food.

Limit eating out. Let’s face it, now a days, a trip to McDonald’s for the family can run close to if not over $20.

Don’t hit the pricey chain grocery stores. Some of the best food prices I’ve found have been in Save A Lot, Aldi, large international grocery stores (which are typically Asian, but you can find some great deals on seafood and meats) or like the store in Charlotte, NC, I used to shop that not many Caucasians would consider stepping into—Compare Foods. The thing I loved most about Compare was it was easier to find and cheaper to buy ingredients for ethnic dishes. They also have such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables not usually found in American chain grocery stores, and they are a heck of a lot cheaper. I could buy avocados (ummmm, avocados) for .69 each, where as in the chain stores I would have to pay $1.69 each. I could buy six-eight limes for $1.00, where in a chain store I might only get two for that price.

Look for small, mom and pop butchers and delis. Where I live now, my neighborhood deli has meat packages you can buy which vary in price. For $36.95 I can get four pork chops, four New York strips, one whole chicken (or four pounds of chicken pieces) and 8 hamburger patties. For my son and I, that would feed us for almost two weeks. The strip steaks alone would cost nearly that much anywhere else. A bag of potatoes and French fries, a couple of bags of frozen veggies and we’re set.

Or another way to approach the veggie problem is to grow your own. If you have a house, start your own garden in the back yard. Even if you live in an apartment it’s not out of the question. I recently ran across an article about apartment gardening. I’ve been wanting to grow my own herbs for awhile and even though I have a black thumb, I’m going to seriously look into growing a few veggies on my balcony. Here in Florida, I should be able to do it just about year round. I’ll let you know how that turns out.

For my last food money saving tip…go meatless for two or three meals a week. Veggie stir-fry, all kinds of pasta dishes, soups, vegetarian quesadeas, you name it. Look to other cuisines like Indian or African and you’ll see many of their meals are meatless but still pack a lot of flavor.

Transportation:

Oh my goodness, whenever possible, take the bus, train, ride a bike or walk to your destination. The added benefit of walking or biking is some much needed exercise you might not normally get.

*Goddess’s note: There are some people who come into your life and add something very special. It is my pleasure and honor to introduce such a person to you today. Mutli-talented, gifted, and a very good friend, Branwyn has an extensive background in the Society for Creative Anachronism.  She is accomplished in the art of reticello lace-making, the craft of jewelry, and is a writer, as well. Please visit her shop at Branwyn’s Creations and indulge.

I first started soaping back in the early nineteen nineties, when I was in my ‘long haired hippy’ phase of my life. Okay, I’m STILL in my long haired hippy phase of life, but in the early nineties, I was just starting into that phase. I started soaping because I thought that it was more natural, more organic, less harmful to me or the environment. Read the rest of this entry »

One day last week I was tooling around the Internet and I ran across Fashionista. Now I live in a coastal beach town and so especially during the dog days of summer, fashion is the last thing on my mind. We’re so far removed from the fashion world that the main attire is bathing suits, cover-ups and flip flops.

Read the rest of this entry »

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The problem is huge and planet-wide, and it’s easy to feel helpless and like nothing you do matters. How many drops does it take to fill a bucket? What can you do to be a part of the solution and not the problem? It’s easier than you think to contribute to the well-being of Mother Earth, and it’s the little things that count. Read the rest of this entry »