Do you ever wonder if all the little things you're doing to be GREENER add up? I know they do, but recently I've been feeling like I can actually SEE the difference, and it's pretty uplifting!
Reusable Bags was the trigger. I've been using reusable shopping bags for a long time. I've always liked how CVS Pharmacy rewards me for doing so through the green bag tag program. For $1 I bought a green tag and bring my own shopping bag with me. Each time I remember to have the cashier scan my tag adds up, and for every 4 times they give me back a $1 coupon. I looked down at my receipt the other day to find I'd used my tag something like 44 times this year. That was pretty nice to see that I'd saved that many plastic shopping bags AND that I'd earned $11 back for doing what I would have done anyway. As a side note on the reusable bags, I recently organized my pantry and found I had twice as many bags as I'll ever need. (I have some canvas bags that are 8 years old that are holding up beautifully!) Those extras are being offered at my local senior center or to anyone else who needs them.
Our mostly-empty trash barrel makes me happy as well. Thanks to recycling and composting, we really could use the smaller trash bin and save some more money there. However, we let a single neighbor put her trash in our bin so she doesn't have to pay for trash removal (yes, we live in a town that does not collect our trash) so after she puts her trash in there I'm not sure we could still go with the smaller bin...but still. We've cut way back on filling the larger barrel.
The reusable coffee filter on the Keurig Coffee Maker.
We had one when we first bought it, but it was accidentally tossed out by someone who didn't realize it was the reusable one, and I finally got around to picking up a new one. The new one happens to be easier to use than the first one I had, and getting it on sale it ended up costing the price of a box of k-cups. (If you are buying a reusable filter, be sure to check that it fits your model - this one does not fit all Keurigs.) For that price I've easily gotten my money's worth already, and brewed some yummy seasonal gingerbread coffee :) Less waste makes me smile.
Happy December 1 Everyone! Hope you're all bringing a little more GREEN into your everyday as well as your holidays :)
Reusable Bags was the trigger. I've been using reusable shopping bags for a long time. I've always liked how CVS Pharmacy rewards me for doing so through the green bag tag program. For $1 I bought a green tag and bring my own shopping bag with me. Each time I remember to have the cashier scan my tag adds up, and for every 4 times they give me back a $1 coupon. I looked down at my receipt the other day to find I'd used my tag something like 44 times this year. That was pretty nice to see that I'd saved that many plastic shopping bags AND that I'd earned $11 back for doing what I would have done anyway. As a side note on the reusable bags, I recently organized my pantry and found I had twice as many bags as I'll ever need. (I have some canvas bags that are 8 years old that are holding up beautifully!) Those extras are being offered at my local senior center or to anyone else who needs them.
Our mostly-empty trash barrel makes me happy as well. Thanks to recycling and composting, we really could use the smaller trash bin and save some more money there. However, we let a single neighbor put her trash in our bin so she doesn't have to pay for trash removal (yes, we live in a town that does not collect our trash) so after she puts her trash in there I'm not sure we could still go with the smaller bin...but still. We've cut way back on filling the larger barrel.
The reusable coffee filter on the Keurig Coffee Maker.
We had one when we first bought it, but it was accidentally tossed out by someone who didn't realize it was the reusable one, and I finally got around to picking up a new one. The new one happens to be easier to use than the first one I had, and getting it on sale it ended up costing the price of a box of k-cups. (If you are buying a reusable filter, be sure to check that it fits your model - this one does not fit all Keurigs.) For that price I've easily gotten my money's worth already, and brewed some yummy seasonal gingerbread coffee :) Less waste makes me smile.
Happy December 1 Everyone! Hope you're all bringing a little more GREEN into your everyday as well as your holidays :)
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