Pinching Pennies: Bag Lunches Go Cheap and Green

I am the resident lunch maker in our home, and although at first I hated it, now I've got a bit of a rhythm going on. My husband seems lost when it comes to making even his own lunch, but this is where my trailer park child hood starts to look like advanced education. Trailer park kids can make a meal out of anything, even when it doesn't look like there's much in the fridge. And so my lunch making duty is really kismet or fate or whatever you want to call it.

In September when school resumed, I found the amount of lunch trash we were throwing away everyday disturbing. It's not that expensive, but it's SO BAD for our earth. And millions of kids are doing it everyday in North America alone.

So I reformed our lunches: pay once, eat for years and save the earth. Here are the 5 steps that transformed our noon hour:

1) Purchase a sturdy, neutral coloured lunch kit. I will not even mention those who are still brown paper bagging it. Investing in a good quality lunch kit in a neutral colour or pattern ensures that not only will it last more than a year, but that your child won't outgrow the style. And once they outgrow packed lunches, you can still keep it around for when you need one. (Note: I have found several awesome lunch kits in pristine condition in our local second hand store.)

2) Sandwich Wraps. It's basically a piece of fabric on one side and food grade water resistant fabric on the other. You fold it around your sandwich and it fastens with string or velcro. This replaces cling wrap or sandwich bags. You can easily make one or purchase one online. I got ours at "All Things Being Eco" locally. Again, remember to go for quality and neutral patterns and colours to get the longest use out of your wraps. Here is a list of the top 5 wraps. (We got keep leaf)

3) Reusable fabric snack baggies. Again, these replace ziplock baggies. The internet provides many options: you can find plain cotton, water resistant, velcro, zip top - or you can find a pattern to make your own.

4) Glass or stainless steel containers in different sizes. I know those disposable ziplock containers are cheap and convenient, but they corrode if you put hot things in them or heat them up, and crack if they get banged when they are frozen. They just don't last and that means they are ending up in our landfills. We have some sturdy glass rectangular ones in four different sizes and they have lasted a very long time. They have plastic snap top lids and I can freeze them, microwave them and even stick them in the oven (with out lids of course).

5) A reusable water bottle. We have both stainless steel and plastic. Juice boxes are expensive, full of sugar your kidlets don't need, and create needless waste. I have found that a water bottle with a simple opening instead of a complex valve system is much easier to keep clean (and remember to purchase BPA free).

This isn't necessary, as a simple container or a clean baby food jar would do, but we found these awesome reusable squeeze pouches for apple sauce or yogurt. The kids love them, and I don't have to pay $1 every time for the disposable ones from the grocery store.

Lastly, once you've invested time or money (or both) in making or purchasing your reusable lunch items, don't forget to LABEL. Kids are so skilled at losing stuff. If your name is on it, you'll likely get it back.

Love,
Victoria

Pinching Pennies: While Cleaning The Kitchen

I've been thinking about all the corners I cut to save money in the kitchen. Our budget has relaxed a bit these days, so we are eating better quality food, thank God - but we still need to keep our purse strings tight.

Here are some of the ways we Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen:

1) I only fill the dishwasher soap dispenser 1/3 up. Most manufacturers grossly overstate the amounts needed to clean dishes, and I think we can all guess why: it makes them more money! If you use a third of what you've been using in your dishwasher, your soap will last 3 times as long! I was going to make my own dishwasher soap to save even more money, but all of the reviews I read said that it just doesn't clean like the commercial stuff. I think there's a line there I'm not willing to cross - I mean, the dishes need to get clean...

2) I use Norwex cloths to clean my kitchen, which saves on cleaning supplies - and is GREENER!

3) My friend, Na, cuts up holey old sweatpants and t-shirts to use as cloths and dishrags. You are giving unusable clothes a second life, and there's no guilt when you throw them out when they get nasty because you already saved them from the garbage once!

4) As already posted, I use a Swiffer to mop my kitchen floors, but with Norwex cloths (or a micro-fiber cloth if you don't Norwex) and hot water instead of the disposable, chemical soaked wipes. It's free (if you already have a swifter) and GREEN!

5) If I am only doing the kitchen, I don't bust out my hoover - I just grab my broom. It's easier, but it saves a few kilojoules of energy too (did I even use kilojoule in the correct context?), and that saves a few pennies.

6) If I need a new scrubby dishrag, I knit one out of cotton from my stash. This wouldn't work for everyone (as I am a "highly skilled" knitter [there was mockery there in case you missed it]) but if you knit, it's a fun little project that even a beginner can do.

7) Instead of using fabric bibs, which need to be laundered after each wearing, I use a plastic moulded bib with a big pocket on it. It catches way more than a conventional bib, and it wipes clean with the dishrag when I am wiping the counters.

8) If you use a table cloth, consider putting a clear pvc cover over it - it wipes clean with a rag, saving regular laundering.

What are some of the ways you Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen?