Will & Kate Wanna Live Like Me!

So I hear that Prince William and his fiance Kate Middleton want to live like "normal" people and have decided to forgo the traditional royal staff. For comparisons sake, Prince Charles has a staff of 150 personal servants. Honestly, how does he manage with such a small staff? Oh, sorry, I digress.

I think it's terrific that Will and Kate want to be like me. How about we trade places? They can live like me and I'll try to live the life they lead.

Certainly, life can't get much more normal than mine...

• I make my own bed.
• I do my own laundry.
• I scrub toilets, scoop cat litter, wash windows, vacuum, dust, mop the floor, and do dishes.
• I run a successful business.
• I sit on two boards and spend a good amount of time volunteering.
• I clip coupons, do my own grocery shopping, and my own cooking.
• I live on a (tight) budget and space out bills during the month so I always have plenty of money.
• I use Freecycle where one person's trash really is another's treasure.
• I take care of my mom and used to help take care of Nana.
• I shop the clearance rack and almost never wear designer or pay full price for clothes (or much else).
• I drive an 11 year old car (well, okay, it's practically new, but still) and before that, I drove a 15 year old car.
• I shovel my own snow, mow my own lawn, and plant my vegetable garden to live healthier and keep my grocery bills down. I also personally weed said garden.
• When I go to a concert or sporting event, I rarely have "great" seats and certainly never a reserved box just for me (although, I'm open to it).
• Paparazzi never follow me around and I don't have a stylist to make sure I am never a fashion "don't" (and if you could have seen me the last 2 weeks, trust me you'd say I needed a stylist).
• I fly like cattle on mass market airlines, always in the economy class and I take public transportation.
• If I ever get married, I will have a very simple ceremony and honeymoon. Me, my fiance, and a minister or justice of the peace on a beach is my style.
• I even write my own blog, write my own Tweets, and communicate personally with my friends on Facebook.

The only thing I have staff for (and it's not even regular staff) is to wake me up in the morning when I've had an especially long night or cannot miss something super early in the morning. But most days, I have to set my own alarm clock.

Will & Kate just let me know when you'd like to change lives. I'm happy to loan out mine for awhile. Otherwise, please stop pretending that you live like normal people.

I'm not complaining. I love my life. Most days. Just like most people, I think. I just think it's funny that two people who obviously know nothing about how most of the world lives (and I realize that I live far better than most of the world) think they are "normal" by forgoing an army of personal servants to do everything from change the roll of toilet paper to fly their personal plane.

All of this said, I'd venture to guess that when Will and Kate takeover my life, they'll be pleased with the assortment of china and silver I have. I seem to inherited an unreal amount of china sets and silver services. Where they all came from, I have no idea. But they'd only have to eat on the same dishes and use the same flatware once every couple of weeks.

Getting Healthy in the New Year

I found this great article on CNN about getting healthy in the new year and giving 20 ideas on how to do so for free. Because I care about your health (and mine) so much, I've reprinted it below.

20 Ways to Get Healthier for Free
by Jacqueline Froeber, Health.com
December 25, 2009

(Health.com) -- Celebrate the New Year with a new you -- by dipping into our smart batch of strategies to keep you happy and healthy (at no cost!) all year long.

Borrow (don't buy) your next fitness DVD

Join the local library -- for the workout DVDs. Most libraries have a big selection, the perfect antidote to a boring (and pricey) gym routine. And because the key to sticking with exercise is to keep it interesting, you can switch it up (cheaply) as often as you want.

Get a free skin checkup

The Skin Cancer Foundation will provide free skin screenings during its Road to Healthy Skin Tour from April to September 2010. Check SkinCancer.org this spring for availability in your area.

Order a free health calendar

Get one from the National Women's Health Information Center. The 2010 calendar lists recommended health tests, reveals surprising symptoms of serious health conditions, and offers important advice on how to read drug labels and get a second opinion.

Surf for deals

Thunderfap.com, FreakyFreddies.com, and Freemania.net have free-by-mail samples and coupons for items like hand sanitizer, bandages, deodorant, tampons, and toothpaste. Ebates.com gives cash back for purchases at stores like Drugstore.com, Bath & BodyWorks, DERMAdoctor.com, GNC, Kiehl's, Nutrisystem, and many more.

CouponCraze.com has discounts for anti-allergy bedding, humidifiers, and dehumidifiers. And RetailMeNot.com features coupons for contact lenses and supplements.

Get a free radon test

Radon, an odorless natural gas present in many homes, is the leading cause of lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers. January is National Radon Action Month, so visit the Environmental Protection Agency's Web site to check the availability of free or low-cost test kits in your state.

Click off the weight

Studies show that interactive online-weight-loss programs help people drop pounds and maintain weight loss, too. To get diet counseling, try SparkPeople.com. You can access calorie-counting tools at http://www.CalorieCount.about.com.

Strike a pose

Try your Downward Dog for free -- or pretty cheap -- thanks to the Internet. Every week, Yoga Today streams a free, one-hour class. (Downloads cost $3.99.) Also, mark Jan. 23, 2010 on your calendar: it's Yoga Day USA, when yoga centers around the country will offer free classes. (Check YogaDayUSA.org for availability in your area.) Why yoga? It hikes flexibility and strength, provides help for relieving stress and controlling weight, and lowers risks of heart disease and sleep problems.

Bargain hard

Many health clubs and gyms are willing to cut you deals or give you free passes to try their facilities. Bally Total Fitness, Gold's Gym, and 24 Hour Fitness offer free seven-day trials. Remember: everything is negotiable. And once you're a member, train with a buddy to cut trainer costs in half, or sign up for 30-minute training sessions instead of hour-long ones. Bonus: Besides being cheaper, the shorter workout may move faster and be more intense.

Do a smoke checkup

Some local fire departments offer smoke alarms (a potential lifesaver, considering up to 20 percent of the alarms installed in people's homes don't even work) for free or at discounted prices. Speaking of smoke: if you're trying to stop smoking, call 800-784-8669 to find a coach who'll help you kick the nasty habit for free. Quitting will not only save you money but also lower your risks for heart disease and cancer.

Create a medical family tree

Start planning a healthier future today by asking relatives about their health conditions and those of your ancestors. Then visit this site from the U.S. Surgeon General's Office to create a free Family Health Portrait that reveals your risks. Raising health awareness this way can help lower your risk of major diseases.

Save $170 in the shower

That's how much you can cut from your water bill each year by taking shorter, cooler showers, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Your budget and your skin will thank you. Hot water causes blood vessels to expand, causing you to lose more moisture, says Dr. Jeannette Graf, assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. To keep your skin soft and supple, limit showers to around five minutes and think warm, not hot.

Snag free health apps

There are about 3,000 iPhone applications designed to boost your health and fitness -- and many are free. Swine Flu Tracker Map pinpoints where people in your area are sick with the H1N1 virus. MyNetDiary has 91,000 foods in its database to help you plan healthy meals, and its community forum is reviewed by a registered dietitian. Free Menstrual Calendar helps you predict your periods and fertile days. FitnessKeeper uses GPS tracking for runners who want to keep tabs on their distance, speed and calories burned. And one of our personal favorites: Vibrating Massager literally turns your iPhone into a feel-good massager. (Yep, there's an app for that!)

Boost your immunity

To help keep winter colds at bay, get free samples of Emergen-C powdered multivitamin packs at EmergenC.com. Each packet contains 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C -- more than 10 times your daily requirement -- plus other antioxidants and energy-boosting B vitamins.

Moisturize for free

Stop by Sephora stores across the country and ask for a free sample (you can literally try out hundreds of moisturizers), and you'll get three more freebies -- like Dylan's Candy Bar Birthday Cake Batter Body Smoothie Lotion or Bliss All-Around Eye Cream -- if you buy something at Sephora.com. And at Aveda.com, you'll get a free Tourmaline Charged Exfoliating Cleanser sample when you buy any two Tourmaline Charged skin-care products.

Eat healthier, no cookbook required

Got a tummy ache that needs some soothing? Try the Belly Balance Smoothie (developed by Health magazine nutrition guru Frances Largeman-Roth, RD) and find loads of other good-for-you, low-calorie options for every meal at recipes.health.com.

Tweet for discounts

Follow your favorite stores on Twitter and get hot sales alerts and great advice. Twitter.com/targetdailydeal offers new discounts every day on items like vacuums, healthy cookware, and bedding. Twitter.com/walgreens brings you deals like 25 percent off eco-friendly makeup applicators, $10 off purchases of $40 or more on vitamins and supplements, and other discounts on products like diabetes tests. And Twitter.com/Clinique_US features all kinds of useful free tips like this one: to give parched skin a dewy look, mix foundation with a drop of moisturizer in your palm and smooth over your face.

Try a new sport

You've always wanted to try cross-country skiing, right? As part of its anniversary sale on January 9, WinterTrails.org will help you try it for free at a location near you.

Give and get for free

Loads of useful items from babyGap, Science Diet, Tempur-Pedic, Love My Belly, and more great brands are available for free on the grassroots network Freecycle.org, a smart online location for secondhand giveaways. The site's goal is to keep good stuff in use instead of letting it get thrown away and end up harming the environment. Keep in mind: available items change daily.

Sign up for a free pedometer

JustKeepMoving.com, a healthy-lifestyle-information site from the company that makes Tylenol, will send you a pedometer (while supplies last) if you register. Studies show that using the simple gadget is an effective weight-loss tool.

Talk it out

There's a free self-help group out there for what­ever is bothering you, whether it's physical or mental. Find a searchable database of about 1,000 support groups for people dealing with acne, addictions, allergies, breast cancer, headaches, infertility, eating disorders, OCD, parenting, and many more issues.

I'm A Little Anal Retentive

I've spent most of my weekend cleaning and purging and I can't begin to explain how good this feels. I've put a bunch of unneeded stuff up on Freecycle and most of it is already on its way to new good homes.

In the process of all this cleaning, I am reorganizing my dresser, which I do about once a season when I change my clothes over front spring/summer to fall/winter. As I finished reorganizing my underwear and socks drawer, I was reminded of a now funny college story (it wasn't funny then) and I see that as much as some things change over two decades, the more they truly stay the same.

During my sophomore year, I was a Resident Assistant in the freshman dorm with five other Resident Assistants. We were all very good friends and regularly hung out even when we weren't on duty. One of the perks of being a Resident Assistant was having a master key that would get us into any room in the entire dorm. Ideally, this key was for only emergency use or to let a student back into their room when they found themselves locked out. Sometimes, however, mischief ensued.

It was well-known that I was a little anal retentive about my room. It was always clean and I even normally made my bed, even though it was 6 feet off the ground and no one could see it. I simply did not like clutter or messiness.

My dresser was even hyper-organized. The first drawer contained nothing but underwear and socks. Both were organized by type and by color and everything was folded neatly. The socks were broken down into two piles - one for colors and the other for whites.

One afternoon, I returned to my room after a long day of classes to discover my closet door open and dresser drawers were hanging open (I kept my dresser in my closet). I certainly never left them in this state. When I pulled the top drawer completely open, I discovered that all my socks and underwear were no longer in their neat and organized piles, but were now all mismatched and strewn everywhere within the drawer (at least they were still in the correct drawer).

Immediately I knew the funny people behind this little prank - my good friends and fellow RAs. My friends thought this was pretty hilarious, although I didn't find it the least bit amusing.

As I organized my sock and underwear drawer into neat little color-coded, folded piles this afternoon, I had a good laugh remembering how upset I was over this prank and now find it pretty funny.

But I swear if anyone dares to rearrange my dresser today, I will not be responsible for the wrath you will endure.

"Waste-Wise" Shopping - The Smart Way to Shop!

I received this from the moderator of the Arlington Heights Freecycle Group on Tuesday night. She did not credit anyone as having written it and I don't know her name, so I don't who to thank for these tips. All I can do is pass them onto you.

Here are some tips to change the way you shop to reduce waste, help our environment and even save money!

Waste-wise shopping why should I do it?
Currently all of the rubbish that we throw out is sent to the tip (landfill) and buried. However, we are quickly running out of space. As a result, the cost of getting rid of our rubbish is increasing every year, and it is important to try and find more ways of reducing the amount of waste that ends up in our rubbish bin.

"Waste-wise" shopping is a great way of reducing the amount of waste you create before you even bring your groceries home. And don't be surprised if it saves you money!

Before starting on your shopping trip, try to keep in mind ways that you can REFUSE, REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE!

1. REFUSE
Say "NO" to plastic bags! Take your own calico shopping bags, basket, box, backpack or even a laundry basket!

TIP: Calico bags can be reused over and over again simply wash them when they get dirty. Calico bags often hold more groceries and are stronger than plastic bags, which means no more "double bagging". You could even make your own or give them as presents instead of using wrapping paper!

What's the problem with plastic bags?
Plastic bags are a convenience, however they also cause many waste and environmental problems.

• Plastic bags are a litter problem which not only looks ugly, but can harm and kill our wildlife.
• Plastic kills up to 1 million seabirds, 100 000 sea mammals and countless fish each year worldwide. When the animal dies and decays the plastic is free again to repeat the deadly cycle.
• Plastic bags take a long time to break down, which can be anywhere between 20 and 1,000 years.
• Plastic bags are a common contaminant in council curbside recycling bins, which results in recyclables that are inside the bags being sent to the tip as rubbish.
• Plastic bags can be recycled through many supermarkets which have special plastic bag recycling bins. Despite alternatives such as calico or string bags being available, people keep using plastic bags. In fact, Australians use around 10 billion plastic bags per year, nearly 7 billion of which are supermarket plastic bags!

Question: What is one thing you could do to reduce the amount of plastic bags that you use? Use reusable bags!

What would make this easier for you?

Some examples could be:

• keeping calico bags or boxes in the trunk of your car;
• keeping a spare calico bag or plastic bag rolled up in your handbag for any unexpected purchases;
• getting into a routine and returning bags/boxes to the same place after unloading your groceries.

2. REDUCE
Buy goods with less packaging. Buy fruit and vegetables loose, not wrapped. Avoid products that are individually wrapped, or with multiples layers of packaging (e.g., biscuits in a cardboard box which is also wrapped in plastic; bars of soap individually wrapped in plastic). Many fruit and vegetables have their own "packaging, so why buy them in a plastic bag or wrapped on a foam plate (e.g., corn and bananas)?

Buy economy sized products, concentrates and refills. Save both money and packaging. Less packaging means less rubbish. This could include goods like detergents, juices, cordials and cleaning products. For example, if you are buying potato chips for your kids, don't buy the multi-
packs. Buy large single packs of chips and put individual servings into reusable plastic containers.

TIP: Why not join a food co-operative where you can bring your own refillable containers?

3. REUSE
Reuse plastic bags and choose items that can be reused many times. Choose durable and reusable products instead of disposable ones.

For example:

• pens with replaceable refills
• razors with replaceable blades
• refillable lighters
• using reusable utensils and plates/cups instead of throwaways
• using rechargeable batteries instead of single-use ones
• sponges instead of paper towels
• cloth nappies and bottom wipers instead of disposable ones

Reuse and repair products, or buy quality second-hand goods. Why throw something out if it can be repaired? Many repairs and secondhand goods come with a warranty.

TIP: Next time you buy any second-hand goods (especially electrical items) check to see if they have a warranty.

4. RECYCLE
Choose products with recyclable packaging. Learn what can be recycled and choose as many products as possible made from recyclable packaging. Recyclable packaging which is then recycled means less waste being sent to landfill!

For example, why not buy:

• Toilet paper wrapped in paper instead of plastic
• Dishwashing detergent in a recyclable bottle
• Yogurt in recyclable HDPE containers (marked with a 2 on the bottom) instead of non-recyclable Polystyrene containers (marked with a 6).

TIP: Take the next step and "close the recycling loop" by buying products made from recycled materials (e.g., paper products like toilet paper and tissues, materials made from glass, PET and aluminum). This will also help to make recycled products cheaper.

Waste Wise Tips for Buying Presents
Christmas is getting close, so here are some ideas on how to shop smart to save waste and money!

• Give "experiences" as presents - Massage vouchers, dinners out, or even your time, make great presents, and they don't need any wasteful wrapping.
• Give presents in reusable "wrapping" - Instead of wrapping presents in throwaway paper, calico bags and tea towels make great wrapping, which is waste-wise and a great gift! Colorful ribbon will "dress up" your present, and can be used instead of sticky tape.
• Buy long-lasting presents and ones that can be repaired if they break (e.g., Wooden toys for children).
• Make your own presents - Home-made presents can be cost-effective yet thoughtful with minimal or no packaging.
  
• Why not make reusable shopping bags as gifts!

20 Steps to a Waste-Wise Christmas

1. "SNUB" - Say No to Unwanted Bags. Try to take reusable shopping bags or a basket with you and decide whether or not you really need a new bag for every purchase.
2. Compost vegetable peelings and food scraps except meat, seafood and dairy products.
3. Try to buy Christmas decorations that can be used for several years.
4. Close the loop buy recycled Christmas cards, wrapping paper, tags, diaries and calendars.
5. Avoid buying presents with excess packaging.
6. Make your own cards and presents if possible with reusable materials it could be a lot more fun and more personal. Have a go at making your own gift labels by recycling last year's Christmas cards.
7. When shopping, make a list! Don't buy unwanted presents! You may be creating unnecessary waste. Before you buy, think whether it will be a welcome gift.
8. If you receive a present that you don't like, why not give it to the charity shop and give someone else a chance to enjoy it rather than throwing it away.
9. Email electronic Christmas cards saving money, paper and the environment. (LMS Note: Not to mention expensive postage!)
   
10. Don't waste paper wrap creatively! Use tea towels, cloth, wool, ribbon, reusable bags or Christmas stockings.
11. Reuse old Christmas wrapping paper (and open your presents carefully!).
12. Recycle paper, cardboard and recyclable containers from your Christmas cheer (glass bottles and jars, soft drink bottles and other recyclable plastics, aluminum and steel cans) through kerbside collections. Even the corks can be recycled by dropping them off at any Body Shop stores or Girl Guides.
13. Recycle your old Christmas cards by taking them to Planet Ark drop off boxes at Coles, Video Ezy or Body Shop stores in January and February. (LMS Note: I cut off the pictures on the front - assuming there's not personal note on the back of the picture - and use them as gift tags on future Christmas gifts. This saves me money in buying gift tags and dresses up gifts.)
    
14. Buy 'live' Christmas trees which still have soil around the roots ready for potting. After Christmas you can replant it in your garden. Or artificial trees can be re-used year after year.
15. Choose gifts and products which are long lasting, repairable, refillable, reusable or recyclable for when they eventually reach the end of their life.
16. Avoid purchasing items which are non-functional and gimmicky. Avoid buying gifts which need batteries.
17. If you are throwing a party, avoid using disposal items such as cups, plates and napkins. For example, why not hire out glasses. (LMS Note: I assume this means to rent glasses, but I would recommend going to a resale shop and buying glasses cheaply. It doesn't matter if the glasses match or not and you can use them again and again.)
    
18. If goods are packaged, choose items which are made from recycled materials, and that can be easily recycled by you after use, such as glass and paper products.
19. Christmas gifts don't necessarily have to be material items. Treat somebody to a day out, buy cinema or theater tickets, open a children's savings account, make a donation to charity, or arrange a year's subscription to a society such as The National Trust, or magazine such as Habitat, ECOS or Amnesty International.
20. Plan meals wisely. Think ahead when buying food and plan for left-overs - after a big roast dinner for example. This will help minimize the amount of waste you throw away and avoid wasting money.

What are your favorite ways to recycle, reuse, and reduce at this time of the year?

First Iris of 2009!

I've been watching the perennials in my garden for a few weeks now, wondering which plant would bloom first. Each morning, I rush to the living room sliding glass door to see if any of the buds have popped. Finally today, my patience was rewarded with this beautiful light purple, white and yellow iris! There are many iris buds that I expect will bloom in the next few days, but this is the first. I love my garden! The best part? I got all of these iris plants for FREE through Freecycle two years ago!


If you look closely, you'll see two more buds that are almost ready to bloom.

Did You See My Derby Hat?

It's almost sick how darn proud I am of this hat.

Today and tomorrow, I am participating in a business expo through the Arlington Heights Chamber of Commerce at Arlington Park. It's Arlington Heights Community Days at the track and also the weekend of the Kentucky Derby.

We were strongly encouraged to decorate our space in a horse and/or Derby theme. I sell Mary Kay. It's not exactly a business that easily lends itself to all things equine. All week I have stressed about how I was going to get into the Derby spirit short of drinking Mint Juleps since breakfast, which I decided was not the way to go.

Luckily, I remembered that Mary Kay has always had roses as one of its symbols and the horses at the Derby "run for the roses." I also remembered that Derby Hats and femininity are all the rage at the Kentucky Derby, and Mary Kay is nothing if not feminine. So I would have roses on the table and wear a festive Derby Hat.

Since I'm not a hat person, I did not want to spend any money on this hat, if possible. So I started my search for a Derby Hat on Freecycle where I came up empty handed and also hit the thrift stores. After many fruitless visits to local thrift stores, I remembered that the Salvation Army was opening a new resale shop in Arlington Heights on Friday. At 11:00 on Friday, I walked into the Salvation Army store and 15 minutes later, I walked out with what would become the perfect Derby Hat for $4. All it needed was some easy embellishments that would come in the form of a hot pink feather boa that I already had, which I'm sure is of no surprise to anyone.

The result is the hat I'm wearing below. The best part was that all day today, many people, including women in much more expensive and fancier hats than mine, stopped to tell me how much they loved my hat!

David Becker (Fast Signs of Arlington Heights), Me, and Aaron Wahl (The Wahls of Wellness)

Me and my Mary Kay teammate Joy Carman

Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day, a day designed to protest the destruction of the environment and bring awareness to all the things we can do to save the planet.

I'm going to go for a walk around Lake Arlington to pick up litter this afternoon. My friend Debbie, the founder of the Random Acts of Kindness Club, has organized this walk. The weather is supposed to be nicer and I think it will be a great way to experience early Spring in Chicago, spend some time with a good friend, and do something nice for the planet.

There are many things we can each do to help the planet today and everyday:

1. Stop drinking bottled water. Get yourself a reusable bottle and wash it out. Go see the award winning documentary "Flow" to learn about how harmful to the environment (and us) bottled water is and the worldwide water crisis.

2. Recycle. This absolutely could not be much easier. I don't know of a town that doesn't offer a recycling program and most of them pick up recycling with the garbage. Sure you have to separate it, but that takes seconds as you're already tossing stuff out. In my kitchen, I have a garbage can, a brown paper sack for paper recycling (that doesn't need shredding or is already shredded) and another can for plastic, glass, and aluminum recycling. Yes, at first it was a little burdensome. But once I got into the habit of recycling, it is now second nature and I throw out less than one bag of actual garbage per week. That's huge!

3. Freecycle. I've talked about this before. Freecycle is a grass roots organization that exists all over the country (and world) where you offer up things that you can't use for free and other people take them off your hands. I've gotten some amazing things through Freecycle: a new (to me) microwave when mine died; a new (to her) washer and dryer for my mom when hers died; many plants for my garden; drapes in my living room; an otoman for my brother's apartment; and numerous new items (in packaging) that I used as Christmas gifts. I've also given away many items that I can't use anymore. Freecycle is proof that one man's trash is another one's treasure.

4. Go see the movie Earth. It opens today and if you see it this week, Disney will plant a tree in your honor.

5. Read the single most popular post on Little Merry Sunshine: "Real Simple Recycling A to Z" to learn all the easy ways and many things you can recycle.

6. Plant a tree.

7. Plant a "Recession Garden." Not only is gardening great exercise, but it will save you money. A $70 garden investment will save you about $600 in produce groceries over a year. I don't know about you, but $600 is nothing to sneeze at. In this economy, I'm not sure where else you can legally get a guaranteed 857% return on your investment. Not even Bernie Madoff could give those kinds of returns. Gardening is also great for the environment and healthier for you as well. The produce doesn't need to be trucked or otherwise shipped in from far away and you know exactly what chemicals (or not) are used on your vegetables and fruits. You could also do this with a friend or neighbor and share your harvest to give each of you more produce variety.

8. Take your own bags to the grocery store and anywhere else you shop. I've been doing this for years, ever since I had to walk over a mile each way to the grocery store and those icky plastic bags wouldn't hold up.

9. Use refillable cosmetic compacts. Okay, this may seem like a shameless plug since I'm a Mary Kay Consultant and to my knowledge only Mary Kay has refillable compacts, but this is truly a huge savings to both the environment and your wallet. No more tossing out a whole eye compact because one color is empty because when one color runs out, you only replace that one color. No more buying colors you don't really like because you fill the compact with exactly what you want.

10. Bike, walk, or take public transportation rather than driving. The other day I was spending the entire day in Chicago. Traffic from Arlington Heights to the city is fairly unpredictable and can take anywhere from 40 minutes to 2 hours or more. Rather than drive and have to pay for parking twice, I took the Metra train into the city and then took the subway. Cost to drive and park = $37 in parking and tolls, plus gas and wear and tear on my car. Cost to take public transportation = $13 round trip. I saved $24, not to mention that I was relaxed when I arrived.

11. Install a solar attic fan. Okay, yes, this is another shameless plug for my brother's company, Crystal Skylights & Solarlighting, but he installed a solar attic fan for me last summer and in the first month alone, my electricity bill decreased 35% over the same month (with the same weather temps) in 2007. And the savings have continued each month. My whole house stayed cooler last summer and I ran the AC much less. Plus, the government will give you a tax credit for installing one! I simply cannot rave enough about my solar attic fan.

I could go on, but I'd rather hear your ideas for celebrating Earth Day. What are your favorite ways to save the planet?

First Sunday of Spring!

Today is gorgeous. Sunny and mid-60s with a light breeze. And I've got nothing and nobody tying me down to any particular schedule today. So what did I do with all my free time?

• I made breakfast and read the Tribune;
• I clipped coupons from the Tribune;
  
• I wrote 2 newsletters before noon;
• I carried an old, raggedy (yet incredibly comfy) barrel-type rocking chair to the curb hoping that someone will want to reupholster it and take it before the garbage men take it in the morning (note: I offered it up on Freecycle, but no one wanted it);
• I put away the storm door to the sliding glass door in the living room and installed the screen door;
• I removed the storm window from the screen door at the front door and replaced it with the screen;
• I removed the old yellow light bulb at the front of the house and replaced it with a yellow CFL bulb;
• I removed the extra insulation into the hall entrance to the attic, climbed into the attic (which I don't like doing) and put it away;
• While in the attic, I found a box of old blankets my mom had made for Dave and me when we were babies. I pulled them out, discovered that mice had destroyed one, threw it out, and am washing the other 4 to better repack them and save them for possible future use with my own future kids. I also pulled some other stuff out of the attic and discovered it could be tossed out;
• I scrubbed the mold from the bathroom ceiling and washed the whole bathroom from floor to ceiling;
  
• I pulled out the outside chairs for the front porch and put in their cushions;
  
• I'm currently washing my 3rd load of laundry;
• I've started dinner and am making BBQ Chicken Pizza entirely from scratch;
• I chatted with a friend in a heated political race and tried to offer some helpful advice or at least be a sounding board;
  
• I fixed the concrete bird bath in my backyard that had fallen over from the high winds a week or so ago; and
  
• Most importantly, I saved Josh Lyman and the rest of the staff of The West Wing, including President Bartlet from the hostage-taking terrorist also known as my DVD player without injury to anyone and before the rest of the country discovered the international crisis. There's no need to point out how heroic and selfless I am. I already know.
  

I have a bunch of other fun tasks to complete tonight. Don't you wish your Sunday was as much fun as mine?

Yep, I'm living the life!

State of the Union

As I've discussed quite a few times, I am a huge fan of Freecycle. I give things away and get cool stuff I can use too. In fact, I'm going to pick up my mom's Christmas present in a few minutes from a Freecycler!

Yesterday, while out and about, I received two coupons that I just won't use. Normally I don't put coupons on Freecycle, but these were $5 coupons and that's real money.

As I started to throw them out last night, I thought I'd stick them on Freecycle and see if anyone wanted them.

Within 5 minutes (and this was at 11:00pm), I had multiple requests for each coupon.

What does it say about the economy that so many people are searching the net at 11pm for coupons?

Do You Freecycle?

There's a website I use frequently called Arlington Heights Free E-Recyclers, a spin off from Freecycle (don't ask me why it's not Freecycle, I don't really understand - or care - the reasons).

In case you're unfamiliar with the e-recycling or freecycling concept, the idea is that we all have things we need to get rid of, one man's trash is another man's treasure, and we want to stop filling landfills. Everything must be given for free with no strings attached. I have gotten rid of things I don't need or want (I still can't believe anyone wanted that tacky-ass light-up sea turtle yard ornament my cousin Alan gave me for Christmas one year) and I've also gotten some wonderful things including plants for my growing garden.

A few months ago, I received a $50 gift certificate to a very nice (and pricey) local restaurant that expires next week. I've been unable to use it and while I would love to dine at this restaurant, I just can't justify spending the money, even if I can save $50. The restaurant gave it to me as a thank you when I did an event at their restaurant in April or May, so it's not like anyone spent money on this certificate. Believe me, if anyone bought me a $50 gift certificate, I would have used it.

Just because I'm not going to use it doesn't mean it should go to waste, however.

So about 10:20 this morning I placed my gift certificate on Arlington Heights Free E-Recyclers. Ten minutes later, I had no fewer than 25 responses. By 11:00, the number had hit 50. And each one came with a sob story. Seriously. The stories were sad. It was heartbreaking to have to chose just one.

I really wish I could have helped everyone, but it was nice to have made one person's day just a little bit brighter.

Shouldn't Everyday Be Earth Day?

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Last month I participated in Earth Hour. But all this Earth Hour and Earth Day stuff (not to mention the economy) has gotten me thinking over the last few months about my own impact on the environment and how what I do (or don't do) will have ramifications for generations to come.

Over the last couple of years, I've made recycling part of my everyday existence. We have garbage pick-up twice a week with separate recycling pick-up on the second day. Without failure, I take out recycling each week, but I find myself having less and less garbage to put at the curb. I put out a bag this morning that I actually felt guilty about. It wasn't as full as it could have been, but it had some spoiled food (that I forgot was in the frig) and cat litter in it. Trust me, it was a public service to anyone who visits my house to have that bag out of here. I almost never put garbage out twice a week and it's more often once every third garbage pick-up.

What else do I do around my house?

1. I shovel my snow rather than using a snow blower. Of course, I don't have a snow blower, but I don't want one. Shoveling is good exercise and has zero impact on the environment.

2. I've used recyclable bags at the grocery store for ages. I have a few canvas bags that I'm not even sure where I picked up, but I didn't pay for any of them. Once in awhile I need a bag or two from the store, but one or two once a month is a lot better than a bunch every week.

3. If I do have to get bags at the store, I prefer paper to plastic because I can use the paper bags with my recycling.

4. I reuse plastic bags for cat litter disposal.

5. Because I carry a large purse, I usually refuse to have items I purchase at other stores placed in bags. I just toss them into my purse instead.

6. I drive a 13-year-old 1995 Honda Civic because it gets 30 miles per gallon even just running around town. Sure, it's not so pretty on the outside, but it's been paid off for years and runs great.

7. At home, I've replaced the most used light bulbs with CFL bulbs.

8. In order to keep my Nicor gas bill lower than the GNP of a large third-world country this past winter, I used double-insulated my windows using that shrink-wrap-like plastic on the biggest windows in my home. I also kept my heat at about 63 at night and about 67 during the day, unless I had clients at the house. Dave also put extra insulation in my attic.

9. Last summer I grew tomatoes that saved me money on groceries. This summer, I'm going to grow other veggies too. I love doing this because I know exactly what is used on my plants (nothing) and they are 100 times fresher than the food I can buy at any grocery store.

10. In the summer, I keep blinds closed strategically in my home to avoid the direct sunlight heating up my house. I also use ceiling fans to keep air circulating and avoid the AC.

11. I air dry much of my laundry rather than running my dryer. Usually this means that for every 3 loads I wash, I only dry 1 load.

12. I keep my phantom load to a minimum. I've unplugged lights, clocks, and other electronics that aren't used regularly. I keep my PC, monitor, and printer turned off unless I am using them.

13. I buy in bulk and look for the least amount of packaging whenever possible. Rather than buying a smaller box of laundry detergent that I'll go through in a few months, I've got a huge box of detergent that I've had for 7 months and am not even 1/3 through! That's much less waste into the environment.

14. I have an iPass. Despite my belief that people should be rewarded more for taking public transportation, rather than driving solo, having an iPass gets me off the roads faster (when I'm forced to drive) because I'm not sitting idle in traffic waiting for the manual toll lanes.

15. I'm slowly replacing all of my traditional cleaning supplies with earth-friendly cleaners. Because I hate to waste things, this process is taking a little while.

16. I'm a Freecycler. The Arlington Heights group is quite active and I encourage you to get involved. It's free. What's not to love. I've gotten rid of some awesome crap on Freecycle! You know what they say, "one person's junk is another person's treasure." Never has that statement been more accurate. I've also gotten some cool stuff too - excellent furniture for Dave, my irises, and a cutting board, for example.

17. I give gently used clothes to charity and have been known to have a garage sale.

18. I don't subscribe to magazines or newspapers, except one weekly local paper. Everything else I read online.

19. Of course, I turn off the water when I'm brushing my teeth. And I only run the dishwasher when it's completely full. My washing machine has settings for small, medium, full and super size loads, so I can customize it depending on my needs and don't waste water, but more often than not I only use it when it's completely full.

20. I don't use paper plates, paper napkins, and very few paper towels. I prefer real plates and cloth napkins. Plus, it just feels more dignified to eat with them, especially when dining alone.

21. This summer, I'm having a Solar Attic Fan installed by Dave's new company, Crystal Solarlighting Solutions!

22. I run my appliances (dishwasher, washing machine, dryer) at night to avoid heating up my house during the day and also because electricity is cheaper.

23. I purchase recycled toner cartridges for my laserjet printer from UHS Technologies in McHenry and they deliver! If you want information about them, email me.

24. I recycle old cell phones and color inkjet cartridges by mailing them to an organization that benefits the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation.

25. I cook in bulk. Last night, for example, I made tarragon chicken, but rather than making enough for last night, I made enough for the week. It's delicious cold, but even if I want to reheat it, that takes less energy (and time!) than it takes to cook a meal from scratch. I do this when I grill, make stew, pasta, everything. Sure, my weekly menu is a bit boring (I'll eat something for lunch and dinner until it's gone), but it cuts down on my food preparation time and it uses less electricity or gas.

26. This summer, I will be cutting my grass half as often because the gas for my mower is expensive and puts icky stuff into the environment.

There are probably other things that I can't think of right now.

Every small step makes a difference. What do you do to help the environment?

Learning to Garden

About a week before my birthday earlier this summer, I decided to plant a garden and host a BBQ. For most normal 30-something adults, this might seem like a no-big-deal kind of task. Turn some dirt and plant a few flowers. Well, I knew nothing about planting anything. The only thing I've ever successfully grown was weeds and that was only because they thrive on laziness (mine, not theirs).

I had no idea the amount of back-breaking work that went into weeding a garden and turning the dirt hardened by a lack of attention over multiple summers of Chicago sun. I had also never trimmed hedges, a badge I'd worn rather proudly. I'm not really an "earthy" kind of girl. I really only go outside to sit on the beach and even then I insist that my towel be entirely sand-free. Despite my last name ("Gardner"), sweat and dirt have never really had a prominent place in my life (or any place at all) and I never had any interest in finding out just how much dirt I could collect under my fingernails. So this gardening thing was really a gigantic leap for me.

The Gardening Gods, in their infinite wisdom and knowledge that if this wasn't easy I wouldn't do it again, were keeping a watchful eye out for me. They caused me to drive by a lovely little old lady's home in my neighborhood who happens to be a master gardener. She was having a sale of all the beautiful plants she had lovingly grown from seedlings and then divided - and they were dirt cheap (pun intended). She guided me through the basics of plants that need full sun and off I went with 3 varieties of tomato plants, 2 primrose, 3 geraniums, the biggest Hasta I've ever seen, 2 lambs ear, and a few other plants for $27. A few days later, a woman on Freecycle was giving away a dozen iris plants for free. Some lavender, orchids, and a few other plants on sale at Home Depot and I was set. Already in my garden were 2 gigantic purple sage bushes, random day lillies, and an orchid plant that had not produced a flower in at least 4 years.

That was 7 weeks ago. Today, I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with (they're not ripe yet though) and gorgeous hot pink orchids each the size of two fists. The purple sage has taken over a third of the garden and the lavender calms me each time I walk by it. The irises, however, won't bloom until next year. I think there was a little trauma while being moved. And if it weren't for those damn rabbits, my hastas would look great too. My garden is full with all the colors of the rainbow and lots of bumble bees. I even have the occasional butterflies and birds.

If I'd only known how much peace I'd get every morning when I head out to water and how happy I am each time I look out the living room window, I would have tackled this gardening thing years ago.