Recent Comments

1. Switch to Green Household Cleaners - 15 Nov 2006

   Add half a lemon to your dishwasher for a great shine – and helps keep the dishwasher clean and smelling sweet !

2. November is Will Aid month, so make your will (and give to a good cause) - 15 Nov 2006

   We did this last year – it’s a load off your mind to think that your loved ones are taken care of if you were to die suddenly. We’ve made small bequests to charities close to our hearts.

3. Give Thanks Before A Meal - 30 Sep 2006

   We try and do this at least once a week, often on Sunday (but not exclusively) – just to say thanks for the abundance of food we have, thanks for those who grew it and prepared it…

   Keeping it short but mindful I think is the key.

   Food prepared and eaten ‘in good grace’ ie with love is supposed to taste better and do you more good – don’t ask me how but it’s worth remembering. I wonder if that’s where the idea of ‘saying grace’ originated from?

4. Become A Blood Donor - 30 Sep 2006

   I would love to give blood but the session times are completely inconvenient for parents – and I know you can arrange an appt at the hospital but that would be an extra car journey for me and I don’t fancy driving back after giving blood. I gave blood in the past when I was working for a local authority that gave it’s staff paid time off during the working day to give blood – not surprising many staff did ! Shame this no longer occurs.

5. Recycle Your Greetings Cards - 30 Sep 2006

   People think I’m mad for doing this, but I grew up in a family who saved wrapping paper by un-doing presents carefully, cutting off the excess sellotape and then ironing the paper flat and ready for next year’s presents ! It meant that I was opening presents in the 70’s with wrapping paper from the 50’s and we loved the continuity as children. Funny, it never dawned on us that Father Christmas had a limited supply of paper….

   Cards are cut into tags using pinking shears and a hole punch. Backs of cards that are blank are used for shopping lists. Waste card now goes in the recycling, and any whole cards not suitable for tags and not worth keeping as decorations go to one of the recycling boxes in town – I think Boots was doing it last year?

6. Shop Small (Buy local, Switch from the Supermarket) - 30 Sep 2006

   This one is so much fun !

   We get our veggies delivered by a local box scheme, milk delivered by the milkman, buy our newspapers at the local newsagents who also sell reasonably priced free range eggs (shame on the supermarkets putting a premium price tag on them!), the local butcher’s sausages beat any supermarket and they don’t shrink to half the size when cooked, we can get local honey and local poultry, I use the local village store which is a Co-op so I can get fair trade goodies there; I’ve discovered all sorts of shops in my nearest town… once you get talking to folk you discover all manner of other local businesses…

   Who wants supermarkets ? Not me ! I want to CHOOSE what I buy, not be dictated to; and I want to know I’m not starving some poor farmer out of business by demanding ridiculously low prices. Somehow with this new way of buying the food bill has remained much the same. Why is that ? I’m not buying all those ‘tempting’ things in the supermarket, and I’m certainly not wasting anything I’ve paid more for – so in the end it’s better value for money and my health has improved too. Who could ask for more ?

7. Shower More, Bath Less - 30 Sep 2006

   Now I just need to persuade hubbie not to fill the bath so high…

8. Resist Over-Consumption for Christmas - 30 Sep 2006

   This is very timely. We’ve had to spend a lot of money this year on our house as bits have gradually dropped off / broken – and we simply don’t have the money to be so ‘generous’ this year. So we’re giving small gifts to our friend’s children, and including a photo of us with the card to each family, with a note explaining and asking them to reciprocate with a photo as we have so few of our friends and even fewer up-to-date ones !

   We’re sending the cards and presents v early this year so hopefully no one feels put out.

9. Pass On Those Unwanted Gifts - 30 Sep 2006

   My son’s school PTA is always after unwanted Christmas gifts for their Christmas fair – and there are raffles and tombolas to give to during the year, too.

10. Buy Nothing on Buy Nothing Day (November 26th) - 24 Nov 2006

    I think this is a brilliant idea – if honoured more in the breach than in the observance for some of the reasons given here. We’re going to the theatre in the evening – it’s a local theatre which is often strapped for cash, so taking our own drinks for the interval seems a bit stingy. However, the rest of the day we can attempt not to buy anything – good thing I went shopping earlier in the week :-)

11. Make Your Own Greetings Cards - 06 Dec 2006

    I’m concerned about this action as card making is a huge money-making business and is not always about saving money or saving the earth.

    I buy charity cards and send them to everyone I know – Christmas cards are part of our decorations at home and the house would look bare without them. I love giving and receiving cards.

    I’m all for recycling cards though – I may even buy some reuse labels and send the same cards next year :-) Otherwise our cards get cut up for gift tags and decorations, and the rest are recycled.

12. Have A Fairly Traded, Ethically Sourced, Especially Tasty Dinner - 06 Dec 2006

    Christmas pud and Christmas cake are really easy to make – you can use fair trade dried fruits and sugar from Traidcraft.

    Don’t forget to buy local meat and veg for your dinner – best bought direct or from your local farmers market – fair trade at home !

    Fair trade wine is great to have with you meal, and of course fair trade coffee and after dinner mints – Traidcraft again !

    Enjoy :-)