Lil' Green Steps: Warm Up

Keeping you and your home warm in the winter and your pockets a little heavier!

Quick and easy steps :)

1. Turn down the thermostat during the night and when you are away all day. A little chilly? Throw on a sweater :)

2. Line your windows to add a little extra insulation, keeping that warm air in. A kit can easily be found at a home improvement store.

3. Make a "rice pal" or "oatmeal packet". Fill an old sock with rice or oatmeal, and tie each end off. Warm it for a few minutes in the microwave and 'ta da'- an instant bed warmer to slip between the covers. I also like to make fancier one by taking a few squares of fabric, sewing them together and add a little scent: like lavender! These make wonderful homemade gifts! My husband calls them heat pals.

             * Don't leave unattended in the microwave as these have been known to catch on fire. We have  never had a problem, but just a heads up!

Lil' Green Steps: Agua

Green Challenge: Water Conservation!

Ways to cut back on household water use that are simple and take very little effort.

Lil' Green Steps: Use the Whole Thing!

So often we run out to buy a new product because we are almost done with the old one.

Think toothpaste, makeup, that last little bit of barbeque sauce

This is great, because it is good to be prepared. Yet, when the new container comes home and sits so nicely on the bathroom shelf in all its glory- that old, almost empty, seen better days tube of toothpaste gets neglected. Or even worse it gets thrown away!!!

Yep, that's garbage in a river near the Vatican

Lil' Green Steps: Reusing Magazines

Turn old magazines or flyers into shredded paper, and ta da:

1. Instant gift bag stuffing

2. A filler for items being shipped

3.Easter basket filler

4. Hamster bedding

5. Christmas ornament storage cushion

Can you think of any other uses for this shredded paper?

Lil' Green Steps: Recycle Old Crayons

Reuse old crayon bits to make new cute, chunky crayons. Great for little hands that are prone to break skinny crayons.

I won't get all OT and talk about grasp patterns here and how those tiny stumpy crayons are actually really good for development!

Lil' Green Steps: Recycle

Lil' Green Steps are my posts to encourage you to take tiny steps towards living a greener life. They are not intended to have you spend a ton of extra money (especially because as I have learned, being green and being frugal kinda go hand-in-hand). Not that I am discouraging you from going out and buying energy star appliances! 

Side note, do your research when you go and buy a new appliance. Energy star is not as highly regulated as we'd like to think, at least at this time, so make sure to do your research.

These tips are just designs to help you take small steps in the right direction towards living a greener life!