Celebrating Earth Day

I like to think that most frugal-minded families are already doing things that will allow them to tread more lightly upon our beautiful green Earth. I may be wrong. Well, some of us are at any rate 🙂

If you’re one who is not doing so as of yet, you may want to start. Not only will you be helping the environment, but you will be saving much money for either your household or someone else’s. Either way, all is good. Here are some steps to get you started:

1. Reuse items within the family. Save hand-me-down clothing, toys, furniture and other items until you know that you will never use them again.
2. Accept everything from people who want to give you their cast-offs. Create a storage system for anything that you will keep for later use. Give away the rest. Or hold a yard sale.
3. Have children do crafts reusing every day items such as cardboard tubes, old light bulbs and baskets of all sizes.
4. Purchase a shower head that allows you to easily flip a switch to stop water flow while lathering up.
5. Start an herb garden in the living room window, or out in the yard.
6. Use the Earth Day ideas from the Frugal Recipes site.
7. Walk whenever possible, rather than drive.
8. Fix things rather than purchase new.
9. Make your own homemade cleaning products, using non toxic products.
10. Reuse torn clothing as rags, or in quilting. Consider making a rag rug as well.

Related Articles

• Earth Day Freebies: The Best Free Earth Day 2011 Promotions (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)

Using Scraps from Your Scrappin’ Hobby

Scrapbooking is a fun activity that generates a great deal of scrap material in the form of stickers, paper, embellishments, and more. Use these leftover items for other projects and you will not only be eliminating waste – you’ll also save money.

Scraps can be used in a number of ways, including the ones mentioned below. The end result of any one of these projects will make a pleasing gift for anyone. They might also be used to decorate your home. If you’re good at what you do, you will be able to generate extra income from the items you make.

Little Albums

Use small scraps of paper, stickers, and other embellishments to make little scrap or tag books. Choose color themes, or themes of cartoon characters for a child, flowers for a gardener, or sports stickers for a fan.

Scrap Frames

Use the cardboard insert of a picture frame, or a piece of cardstock or thin cardboard, to create a scrapped collage. Use a picture and scraps from your hobby to decorate the insert, and frame the finished collage. Use color themes, stickers, or other embellishments to add some flair.

Make Cards

Half-sheets of scrapbook paper or card stock can be used to make greeting cards for a variety of occasions. Fold the partial sheets of paper in half and decorate. Use smaller scraps of paper and embellishments to create unique cards for loved ones. Use quotes as sayings, being sure to credit the person who said the quote.

Create Your Own Gift Tags

If you have tiny scraps left over from your scrapbook hobby, these are great for making tags for any occasion. Cut circles, hearts, rectangles, or other shapes from paper and add a sticker to each, leaving room for the “To” and “From” fields. Use can use tag templates, or do it freehand.

Do Decoupage

Adhere sticker, paper, photograph sections, and ribbon scraps to objects using a decoupage medium. A great many items can be decorated this way, including hat boxes, mirror frames, bulletin board frames, planters, and jewelry boxes. You might also decoupage the top of an old table or dresser.

Let the Kids Get Crafty

Keep scraps in a plastic tote for a rainy day, or any time children want to make gifts.  They can make scrapbooks using paper bags that have been folded in half and tied together with ribbon. They might make ornaments, cards, or even story books.

The possibilities are endless.

~ Shannon