A Quarter of a Million Dollars in Eighteen Years, They Say!

We hear ALL. THE. TIME. about how darn expensive babies are. But what no one talks about is the ways babies save you money.

Yes, you read that right: Gabe has saved us money.

Say WHAT?

Let's discuss:

- I feel like stopping for Starbucks on the way to get groceries, but Gabe has fallen asleep in the backseat and I really don't feel like waking him up. Money saved weekly: $5

- I'm running into Target for some mouthwash and Spin Pins (I lost my first set and they are essential for long-haired girls!). I don't feel like dealing with a cart, so I decide to just hold Gabe and run in and out, thereby avoiding checking out the clothing department, the baby department, and every end cap clearance section. Money saved weekly: $50

- In the first month Gabe was home, we didn't go out to eat like we normally do a few times a month. Instead of our usual budget of $75 for going out to eat, we spent $15. (Okay, so this hasn't really been as gigantic of a savings in the month since, but we certainly go out to eat less since it's more of a hassle with a baby.) Money saved weekly: $20

- While running errands, I drive past a cupcake shop/Target/fun little store and instead of getting out and indulging, I drive right by - since the hassle of getting Gabe out of his car seat and back in would negate any enjoyment I find in said cupcake. (I need a roller coaster harness in my car instead of a car seat. Push a button, Gabe is strapped in. Presto.) Money saved weekly: $10

- Buying new clothes for Gabe is far more exciting than buying clothes for myself these days. I know he'll look absolutely adorable in anything without having to try it on. I, on the other hand? Not so much. Since baby clothes are cheaper than adult clothes, I can spent $30 and get him six outfits. $30 would get me maybe three shirts. (Bargain shoppers, unite!) Money saved weekly: $20

Total money saved each week: $105. 

Plus, I'm hyper-motivated to cut corners so we can afford for me to only work part-time. (Hellooo, cloth diapering while traveling.)

Here's to half-full glasses, my friends. And money-saving babies.

How I Learned to Stop Being a Slob and Started Cleaning up After Myself.

My new, less-is-more closet.

I'm going to let you in on a little secret: when I took the photos for this post, our apartment was unusually clean. We'd had people over, and had spent several hours cleaning up. I took advantage of having a tidy apartment by taking photos.

Our apartment used to be mostly messy most of the time. Piles of clothes on the floor by our beds, shoes stacked by the front door, dirty dishes in the sink, clean clothes waiting to be put away, junk mail scattered around the coffee table, and the bathroom counter home to my makeup, several baskets of baby bathing products, and Mike's razor. And so on and so on.

We would need several hours to get the place clean for guests, and would hesitate inviting people over if we didn't have the time to clean. Or would stay inside an entire Saturday in order to clean up for a dinner party in the evening. 

Every time we looked around our clean apartment before guests arrived, we'd agree that our apartment was so much more enjoyable when it was tidy. We'd promise to keep it that way, but it rarely lasted three days before the clothes, mail, and dishes piles were back.

When I was doing the Joy Equation, something I noticed I mentioned quite a bit was how much I liked having a clean house and how stressful and distracting I found it when it was messy and cluttered. It seemed like an impossible task - since I just was awful at cleaning up after myself and I'd tried so many times to be disciplined about it. I let things pile up during the week while I was busy, then spend an entire weekend day cleaning up. Not fun, am I right?

In March, however, things changed. I read this book (after seeing it mentioned on one of my favorite blogs) during my spring break. I tore through the book and was absolutely on fire. I spent the week getting rid of things and organizing like a madwoman. I think I may have scared Mike. 

Something just clicked, and now our apartment is clean most of the time. Instead of hours or an entire day, it takes us 30 minutes to clean up, an hour if we're being serious about it. It's a wonderful change, and I love being in our tidy, sweet little apartment. It's spread into other areas of my life, too - my email inbox is under control for the first time in years.

How did I do it? What changed?

Big Ideas: 

I am not my stuff.

Having interesting books on my shelf doesn't make me interesting. Having trinkets from all over the world doesn't prove that I'm well-traveled. Getting rid of boxes of memorabilia and high school yearbooks doesn't mean the past never happened. Holding onto sports equipment doesn't make me athletic. And so on.

Less stuff = less time spent cleaning clean and more space to live in.
Getting rid of things means we have less to put away. Everything has a space to live in - and those spaces aren't on surfaces that look cluttered.

Think about the purpose of things, rooms, and your living space - help them realized their intended purpose.

The purpose of our apartment is to live in, to sleep in, to use for our hobbies, and to hang out with friends. Thinking about the purpose of the rooms and spaces helped me minimalize and create useful, beautiful spaces. I reorganized my medicine cabinet to be full of things I use daily, instead of a bunch of random crap. I got rid of the random crap. I only kept six t-shirts, because I realized I don't really like wearing t-shirts. I got rid of cute, but uncomfortable shoes. I arranged my closet to have the things I actually wear most often in the most convenient spot.  

Little Things:

10 minute tidy

I made a playlist of a few songs that is exactly ten minutes. When the house starts to feel messy, I put on the playlist and clean up for ten minutes. It's simple, but ten minutes of cleaning makes a quite a dent in things.

Clear surfaces.

Horizontal surfaces are magnets for clutter (kitchen counters, coffee table, dining room table, bathroom counter, dressers, desks). And clutter begets clutter. In order to combat this, I keep as little as possible on counters and try to clear things off the table, etc when I'm done using them or before I leave the room. It makes a huge difference.

Three and three.

 I forget where I read this, but it suggested to go through each room once a month and throw away three things. Then choose three things to donate. It's an easy way to start decluttering. And fairly addictive!

Don't ever leave the kitchen with dirty dishes in the sink. Period.
Difficult, but effective. It taught me how to clean as I go, an elusive concept before. (This is the hardest for me, so I let it slide.)

So many people are great at cleaning up after themselves without a second thought. Me? Not so much. So these rules help keep me in check. And, sure, there are times where I am lazy about it, and I have a lot of room for growth (I really want to be able to only check my email twice a day. Must develop self-control!), but I have the tools to get back on track and not just let it all snowball until I'm living in a cluttered, messy pit again. Mostly? I'm really, really happy that I get to live in a fairly tidy, super functional little apartment.

Why We Live in an Apartment.

 Or, Yes, I'm Married, have a Child, am in my Mid-20s, and Don't Want to Buy a House Anytime Soon.

You get married, buy a house, then you can have kids. That's the way it works, right? Or, at the very least - you buy a house right after having your first kid.

It seems unpopular to rent instead of buy, and certainly after you've married and procreated. Though many twenty-somethings are working towards the financial goal of buying a house, it's not on our radar.  We hear that we're 'throwing away money' by renting. That a house is a good investment.  That homeownership is an American dream. That Gabe deserves a yard and lots of space. I even heard someone refer to the poorer kids at a school as 'apartment dwellers.' Really?

We are in the financial position to buy a home, but have decided for many reasons that it's not something we're eager to rush into. 

Why? 

Freedom. I once had a friend who got into a great graduate program in another state, but she wasn't able to move because it didn't sell.  Aside from difficulties selling, houses (especially here in Ohio) often aren't what they used to be in terms of a solid investment. And since we're not tethered to a mortgage, we are free to easily move if Mike gets a job offer somewhere else. Or if we finally get fed up with winters in northeast Ohio.  Or if we want to spend a year in southeast Asia. We also have financial freedom to work less without a large monthly payment.

Built-In Community. We live in fairly close quarters with probably hundred other people, sharing elevators, hallways, mailboxes, and laundry rooms with them. This means our paths and lives cross daily - and we get to know the other residents over time. The little old women who sit by the mailboxes commenting on how cute Gabe is ("Oh, I wish I had a camera!" Every. Time.), the maintenance men who ask about "Mr. Gabriel," the doctor who lives on our floor, and the man who likes to tell us about his own children he raised 40 years ago. I tend to be introverted, so living in an apartment is a great way to force me to interact with others. (And enables a bit of stalking: we secretly want to be best friends with the retired guys who order fair trade coffee beans.)

We're Lazy. We don't have to do yard work, and if anything goes wrong - we just call the maintenance guys and they're here right away to fix it. Literally, right away. The service in this apartment is great! There's no sidewalk or driveway to shovel, either.

Sharing is Caring. Since we share a washer and dryer with the other residents on the floor, we don't need to buy one. And there is an exercise room in the building, so we don't need to buy (or make space for) a treadmill in our apartment. Additionally, apartment living is often seen as a 'green' choice, since more people can fit into less space. It certainly keeps us warmer in the winter, without having to turn up our heat.

Simple Living. We have less space, so we accumulate (or keep) less stuff and less to clean. This apartment is just the perfect size for us. Plus, we don't need baby monitors, because our apartment is small enough that we can just hear Gabe if he cries. And I cannot stress enough how nice it is to not worry about having an emergency fund for home repairs - like a leaky roof, plumbing problems, a broken furnace or water heater, and so on.

Location, Location, Location. Getting a large house out in the suburbs with a long commute is a popular choice, but we opted for less space in a walkable area close to Mike's school. Though we don't have a yard, there are three parks and playgrounds less than half a mile away. Not to mention the public library, a coffee shop, several restaurants, our bank, and a movie theater less than a five-minute walk from our front door. In a world that is increasingly car-centered, it is my hope that Gabe grows up where walking, not driving, to get somewhere is normal, not a novelty (or worse, something to complain about).

So, my friends, that's why we live in our little apartment. (Though our current apartment isn't quite as little as our first itty bitty shoebox.) Sure, there are things I don't like about it - the lack of recycling in our building (and schlepping our recyclables to the recycling center) and there is nowhere to for Mike to put his ping pong table (except our balcony. yep.). Renting isn't the right choice for everyone, but for us, it is.

We choose to rent; we don't have to.

Answering Questions: Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Mama Edition.

What the biggest challenge you have faced in becoming a mama?

Probably the whole job thing - realizing I couldn't do it and having to quit during maternity leave. That was probably one of the hardest conversations I've ever had to have. I adored my job and co-workers, and hated to surprise them like that. I know it was the right thing to do, but it was so difficult, especially since I'm a people pleaser.

What are your favorite must-have baby products you have purchased? Any brands/items that you swear by, or are worth the money?!

I haven't actually had to purchase many things myself (thank goodness for hand-me-downs and gifts!) But our favorites are: cloth diapers, Carters and BabyGap clothes, baby wearing devices, SwaddleMe swaddles, a Medela double electric breast pump, and the Arm's Reach mini co-sleeper. 

I've written about cloth diapers before - we use mostly FuzziBunz and prefolds with covers now. I absolutely love prefolds - thanks to a reader who suggested I try them. I get a weird enjoyment in changing the prefolds.

Carters and BabyGap make the cutest baby clothes. Gabe has more clothes than he knows what to do with (I do his laundry every two weeks and his closet is still full), but if I were in the market to buy baby clothes? I'd get Carters and BabyGap. So cute, such quality, and the sizing is accurate.

We have a sling, a wrap, and a backpack-style infant carrier and I love all three. I'm able to cook, clean, and walk with Gabe. It's great!

Gabe was swaddled every night from the day he was born until a few weeks ago. SwaddleMe swaddles worked best for us because of the Velcro - swaddle blankets worked when he was very tiny, as well. Miracle Blankets are okay, but he managed to always bust out. Ninja baby!

Nothing I need to say about the Pump-in-Style except it works fabulously and I love it. (Well, I don't love it, but I tolerate it and it works incredibly well for me.)

Gabe uses this co-sleeper for the first stretch of sleep most every night, and it has been wonderful having him so close to us. If he ends up in bed with me after eating (um, every night), then it provides a nice assurance that he won't fall off the bed.

He also used his swing a lot when he was younger, likes a few toys like this, has an activity gym that he loves, a play mat, and other such baby playthings. We didn't buy any of these until after he was born - it's a trial and error of what works for us and our baby, you know?

What is one thing that surprised you about pregnancy? Most people I talk to always have a story about something nobody had ever "warned" them about!

Um, since these is a family-friendly blog, I can't say what *really* surprised me most about it (email me to ask!), but probably the whole heartburn thing. I was unprepared to have to stop eating by 7pm every night in order to be able to go to sleep without insane amounts of heartburn. I downed tons of Pepcid and even got sick from heartburn one night. Yuck. Oh, and the sleeplessness. OH! The sleeplessness. I slept better with a newborn than I did pregnant. Miserable. Oh, and the whole after-birth healing process. Lots of ouchies I didn't expect.

Did you ever fear you wouldn't love being a mom? My husband and I are going to try to get pregnant soon, and I worry that the sleepless nights, fights, exhaustion, etc. will be too much and I will blame the baby...thoughts?

I definitely didn't approach having a tiny baby with rose-colored glasses; I expected it to be hard, hard, HARD. Much like you, I expected sleep deprivation to be just about the worst EVER. In fact, towards the end of my pregnancy, while most women are complaining about feeling huge and just wanting to be done, I'd tell everyone, "I know having a tiny baby won't be easy, so I'm in no rush!"

I was scared of never having time to myself again. I was scared my relationship with Mike would be more difficult. I was scared I'd be a miserable zombie.

Honestly, though? For me, I had a fairly easy transition to motherhood, aside from the usual stuff at first - pain from birth, figuring out breastfeeding, and fearing that everything possible might be wrong with this tiny little human that you're suddenly responsible for. (And you find yourself Googling questions about a 4-day-old's poop color. Yay for the internet.)

I got in bed at 9 every night, and got out at 9 every morning - figuring that 12 hours in bed with a newborn eating every few hours equaled about eight hours of sleep. I napped a bit, but really sleep hasn't been a problem. I eventually learned to nurse lying down in the dark, and stopped sitting up using the Boppy and changing his diaper at night. It made night feedings much quicker and I hardly wake up. You just figure out what works for you and your family.

Most of the time, I look at Gabe and could never be mad at him. I think the hormones are responsible for that. There are a few times where I'm more of the, "Gabe! Go to sleep! Oh my gosh!" mindset and if I lose my patience, I hand him to Mike. And vice versa. Thank goodness for husbands, am I right?

I was actually most afraid of losing myself when I became a mother - not caring about other things or being able to talk about other things. I really didn't want to alienate non-parents with my incessant parent-talk. Thankfully, that (mostly) hasn't happened.

Good luck! :) It's an awesome, awesome ride. I promise.

What would you do differently in mommyland, now that you've had a few months of experience?

Not worry about what Gabe is or isn't doing, milestone-wise. It doesn't mean he's smart if he's doing it ahead of schedule, and it doesn't mean he's intellectually compromised if he's behind schedule. Not worry so much about how 'they' say not to do, if it makes sense to me. Figure out how to make more friends with babies! And keep in touch better with all my awesome non-baby friends (or convince them to have babies. *cough*KatieandStephen*cough*).

Just wondering if you would recommend any particular book or website that you found helpful during your pregnancy.

I didn't read about my pregnancy as much as I read about birth. Probably more than is normal. My favorites were: The Birth Book by Dr. Sears, Natural Childbirth the Bradley Way, and Birthing from Within (a bit hokey, but good pain-management practices). Mike also read Husband-Coached Childbirth. I know some may roll their eyes, saying you don't need to prepare for childbirth, it just happens and you have no control. That birth plans are silly. That there's no need in overthinking things.

But I cannot say enough about the books I read in preparation for Gabe's birth. I do not exaggerate when I say they changed my life. I became more of an advocate for myself and my child, I started to look more critically at things, and I gained confidence in my abilities.

Aside from the typical Baby Center emails that I poured over each week, I read, and loved, the weekly online pregnancy calendar Zero to Forty, written by the fabulous and hilarious Amalah. 

How much did having Gabe cost, including what your insurance company covered? I have universal health care so am curious!

Prenatal care: $3,831.00, of which we paid $616.93 (midwife care is cheaper than OB care, woo!) (This doesn't include a few extra ultrasounds and non-stress tests that I took before I opted out - with a copay of $40 per weekly test.)

Birth stuff: $10,012.65, of which insurance paid $7,769.85 and we paid $1,072.80. (The remaining $1,170 was billed to insurance...which I assume means they paid it? It's all a bit confusing.) Plus, a $230 hearing test in the hospital, of which we paid $31.40. The hospital bill included $3,200 for labor and delivery, $2,474 for 'room and board' for one night, $29.35 for Motrin I took every 6 hours, $627.00 for 'supplies' like mesh panties for me and diapers for Gabe, and $67.00 for lab work. I had a normal, uncomplicated, unmedicated birth and we left 36 hours after Gabe was born. So, this is pretty much the cheapest hospital births can come!

(We also paid $150 for a 12-week childbirth class and $35 for a breastfeeding class - both great investments!)

Hi there! Thanks for an awesome blog :) I was just curious (and I know you've addressed this before) about how you budgeted etc to plan for Gabe's arrival. Its so confusing knowing where to start and how much baby related things cost!

Hi! Thanks. :) Oh, budgets. Yes, yes. They are important. About a year ago, I wrote a post with lots of details about how we spend (and save!) our money. Anticipating the arrival of Gabe, we were able to save $10,000 last year. A pretty big feat since that's more than a quarter of our combined income. (Whenever I feel poor, I remind myself that the average household income in the US is just above $50,000. So, we're not that far off. Anyway.) We generally tend to live fairly simple, but I also keep track of our spending with Mint and PearBudget. Some months I'm quite vigilant with this, and other months I just keep a lose watch on things.

As far as how much baby things cost, I think it's more about how much you want to spend. I've written before about how we keep things simple (and cheap!) when it comes to Gabe. We've spent less than $200 on things for Gabe. (Not counting maternity clothes. How sad is that?) We are lucky in that my mom watches Gabe for free (only for his first year, next year we have to figure out how we're going to pay for child care...let's not talk about it right now), which is a huge relief on our wallet. Many couples I know are in a financial position to spend hundreds on the nursery, hundreds on a 'travel system,' and hundreds on a crib. We just didn't want to, and were lucky to have family and friends who hooked us up with hundreds of dollars worth of hand-me-downs. Some may shudder at the thought of used baby things, but not us!

Got a question for me? Ask away!

Affording Our Baby.

You may be thinking to yourself, "Doesn't Ashley work at a Catholic school? And isn't her husband working on his PhD? Then how the heck can they afford to have a baby??"

And you would be right. Between the two of us, we make less than many college-educated people make with ONE income, let alone two. And, yet, we just had a baby. Which many people will tell you is a little money-sucker. I'm sure you've heard the numbers - "in your baby's first year, you can easily spend $9,000-11,000!" 

But I wanted to share how we're making this whole having-a-baby thing way cheaper. In addition to all the other ways we try to save money (note: That post is old. I have no longer 'cut the caffeine habit,' happily.), we've done lots of other things that work for us and our baby.

First, we've (mostly) banned disposables. Like everything else in our life - we avoid things that you throw away after using just once, as they tend to be far more expensive in the long run. Which means we use cloth diapers and flannel wipes. (We do have some disposables for when we're out and about, when he weighed less than 8 lbs, and when all our cloth diapers are dirty.) They are super easy (seriously!), good for the environment, good for our wallets, and waaaay more comfortable on Gabe's little tush. Specifics? We have ten diapers for now - seven one-size and three small. We use mostly Fuzzibunz and a few Gro Baby diapers that were super cheap on BabySteals.com. I made the wipes myself from flannel fabric I had, but will be making more out of the billions of flannel receiving blankets that we have.

A couple of flannel wipes.

A few people have asked me to write a post about cloth diapers, so that's all I'm going to say for now. But, yay! Cloth diapers!

The cutest cloth diapered booty around. (Adorable husband not for sale.)

Second, we told everyone we knew that 1) we would love second-hand gifts (our baby shower invites even said this) and 2) we would love any baby things they were no longer using.

When people buy you second-hand gifts, they are cheaper, so they can get you more things. Woo! (The breast pump my Grandma got me secondhand - sterilized, don't worry - was a quarter of the price is it new.) Plus! Second-hand is better for the environment, and babies don't tend to wear out most things since they are tiny and not too mobile. Some of our diapers were gifts my aunts got from Craigslist and are in great shape, they hardly looked used. *Gasp!* Used diapers!

Taking a bath in his second-hand bath tub. 

Things we got second-hand from others include: cloth diapers, a crib (well, it was actually new since it had been recalled and Mike's brother got a voucher for a new one), a baby swing, a Pack n Play, lots of clothes, infant car seat carrier system (less that 3 years old and was never in a car accident), baby gates, a breast pump, a baby tub, a glider, and a diaper pail. Plus, plenty of disposable diapers that my cousin (who is five weeks older than Gabe. Yes, he is my cousin.) grew out of.

Gabriel in his infant seat.

Third, we simplified and bought second-hand ourselves.

In the process of creating our registry, I came across some great advice from Amalah about not getting too much before the baby comes and not putting too much on the registry. I got what I really wanted (like cloth diapers, a sound machine, and swaddles) by not putting tons of things on my registry. Baby registries are just like wedding registries in the sense that the stores want you to think you desperately need and CANNOT SURVIVE without tons of crap that, oh hey! how convenient! you can buy at their store. Unlike a wedding registry, though, you don't really know what will work best or what you'll end up needing for your baby - so it's best to wait to buy lots of things until after the baby comes.

Then you'll probably get gift cards, which is great because 1) you get to leave the house and spend money that isn't yours and 2) you get what you really need after the baby comes (ooooor, you buy snacks for the hospital like we did with a Target gift card that my sister bought us.)

And, after the baby comes, you realize, hey! we really should get some more of those swaddle blankets! Or maybe we should get a bouncy seat because this kid adores being bounced. And because you didn't buy tons of things before the baby came, you can afford it! Bonus points if you buy second-hand, like we did with his bouncy seat (which was less than half the price it is new from Once Upon a Child).

 

Scrawny baby chicken legs not for sale.

We also kept things simple by not really having a 'nursery theme'  (aside from a painting we did ourselves, a cute lamp, a crib canopy, and a few frames we filled with photos we printed off the internet, we spent nothing on his room) and opted not to register for things that are completely unnecessary but totally adorable, like a 12-piece bedding set. Again, Amalah did a great piece on the pressure to have a cutesy nursery (my favorite line: "My guess? DOLLAH BILLZ. Also: pregnant women like MATCHY!!1!").

(Also, we're tacky and returned some gifts we didn't need in order to have money to spend at Babies R Us on the things off our registry that we didn't get but really needed - bottles and a Moby wrap. You don't have to do this. But you can and I won't judge you.)

Fourth, I breastfeed.

Okay, so I'm not really nursing him in this picture, but it sort of looks like it. Let's pretend.

Simple enough - but we're going to save hundreds of dollars by not feeding him formula. That stuff is expensive, yo! Breastfeeding was definitely challenging and far more difficult than I expected it to be  for the first few weeks- but my biggest motivation to stick with it and not give up is that it is FREE. (Uh...I mean, that it's good for my baby. That, too.)

And that's how we can afford Gabriel. (Of course, the actual giving birth in a hospital is an expense, too! One which I just saw the bill for, and whooo boy. I didn't have an epidural and left after one night and it was still way, way expensive. Good thing our insurance will cover 80%.)

If you have lots of spare money and want all the trappings of baby-world, more power to you! I am definitely not judging people who decide their baby needs everything new, a fancy nursery, and a new car to hold their $1,000 car seats - I just wanted to share how we're doing it. And if you want to have a baby, but think it isn't the right time, maybe you'll be encouraged that your baby doesn't need $11,000 worth of contraptions to survive. I promise he'll be okay.

Shampoo Free. Seriously.

If you follow me on Twitter or read my blog, you may think that I am consumed by my pregnancy. Not so. (Okay, mostly so. Let’s not address my complete and utter inability to focus on anything work-related. Ask me my opinion about a project that’s happening in September and I’ll probably stare at you with glazed over eyes. I’m busy Googling birth stories, thinking about maternity leave, and wondering what taking care of a newborn will be like. Sorry, boss.)

I’ve done lots of non-baby or pregnancy related things this summer. I had a tire blow out on the highway. We went camping. I worked a lot. We redecorated our apartment and I love it. We went across the state to visit with Mike’s niece and nephews. I created a new budgeting system. We saw my extended family a lot. My commute became really freaking long. My sister moved back across the country and asked me to be her maid of honor (yay!). I continued to take on blog design work and have new hopes and ideas for how to grow my little business. And I stopped using shampoo nearly four weeks ago.

Let’s talk for a minute about that last one. First, I promise you I’m not a scuzzball. See?

So maybe I haven’t used shampoo or conditioner from a bottle, but I have used baking soda, apple cider vinegar, and water to keep my hair clean.

Why?

I ran out of conditioner and was trying to figure out if there was a plastic-free option for conditioner when I stumbled across this great post (the whole website is fabulous, by the way). Intrigued by the idea that baking soda and apple cider vinegar could get my hair clean, I figured I’d give it a shot. If it worked, I’d be saving tons of money, not using any chemicals, and reducing my waste. If my hair became greasy, tangled, or dirty – I’d just wash it. No commitment, nothing to lose.

That was on July 22nd. I haven’t touched my (giant!) bottle of shampoo since.

How?

Tsh recommends a mixing a tablespoon of baking soda per cup of water for the shampoo part. (I have thicker, wavy hair, so I increased the baking soda.) I keep the mixture in a plastic squeeze bottle that used to hold chocolate syrup. Just squirt and rub into your scalp, massaging as you go. The baking soda acts as a clarifier on your scalp and removes dirt and oil.

For the conditioner, mix a tablespoon or so of apple cider vinegar per cup of water. I keep this mixture in an old conditioner bottle and apply mostly to ends of my hair. I have even stored it in a cup and dipped the ends of my hair in the cup to really make sure they get good and conditioned. I have pretty dry hair, so I make sure and apply lots of it and leave it in for a few minutes while I finish showering.

Since my hair is typically pretty dry, I sometimes use a teensy bit of coconut oil (we’re talking a dab on my finger) and rub it through my hair to get rid of flyaways and such. It’s sort of like this stuff, minus the cost.

What are the results?

My hair is soft, clean, and manageable. I don’t have to choose between chemically-laden, but cheap or expensive, natural shampoo. My new ‘shampoo’ and ‘conditioner’ cost me very little and create hardly any waste.

I am going to continue on my happy shampoo-less existence until a problem arises.

Wanna try?

I've told a few friends what I've been doing, and one of them tried it out as well. Here's what she said:  "Also, Teej and I have been 'poo free for a week now! Just baking soda and apple cider vinegar! I LOVE the vinegar as conditioner... I think it works WAY better than store bought conditioner."


Check out this post for more details, ideas, and links to other blogs. And let me know how it goes!

A Gift Guide with Heart.

The holidays are rapidly approaching (hurrah!) and I put together a few ideas for those who haven’t finished their gift shopping. This time of year can be a lot of fun, but can get out of hand when we think about how much stuff is consumed. From the gifts no one really needs to the insane amount of wrapping and cards to the numerous big family dinners, there is a mass consumption of stuff.

I think a bit of indulgence is allowed, and I certainly don’t want to be Scrooge. But instead of feeling like we need to get bigger and better presents to express our love, we can still buy gifts, but ones that are more thoughtful and in line with our values. Sprinkle this season with a few gifts and lots of family time.

And copious amounts of hot chocolate and cookies, of course.

Fair Trade

Last year, along with making most of my presents, I got lots of Fair Trade goodies to give to my family – chocolates, teas, and coffees. It was my little way of supporting Fair Trade with my money and introducing family members to Fair Trade goodies. If you’ve been trying to convince your dad for-ev-er to drink Fair Trade coffee, this might be your chance to introduce him to it! Equal Exchange has put together some baskets – some fabulous, last minute deals! (Although, they expire TOMORROW, December 15th, so you’d better order fast!)

Eco-Friendly

Think reusable. Reusable shopping bags, reusable water bottles, reusable travel coffee mugs (or, if they shun drinking from reusable coffee mugs, get them one of these), and reusable towels (boo to paper towels!). Break your brother's disposable habit by filling a (reusable!) bag with lots of these goodies.

Local

Got a friend who's addicted to big box stores, chain restaurants, and corporate coffee shops? Introduce her to what your town or city has to offer with some gift cards to a local business or two. Soon she’ll see how much more fun shopping local can be!

Healthy

Maybe your mom keeps talking about going on some crazy fad diet (as she does every year) – encourage her to eat healthy (and eat, period! Crazy diets…bleh) by purchasing a share of a CSA. Depending on the CSA, she’ll get some form of delicious, local fruits and vegetables every week or month. Check out Local Harvest for more information or to find a CSA near you.

Clean & Green

Is your sister a tad OCD? As in, you’d rather eat off her bathroom floor than your kitchen table? If she’s using lots of bleach and other nasty chemicals, help her break the habit and keep a healthier home by giving her a basket full of fabulous cleaning supplies without all the nasties. Some of my favorite are this, this, this, and this. She will appreciate it, I promise.

Et Cetera

A few more ideas that may be a bit more sustainable than the average gift :

• A donation to charity
• Soy candles
• An experience – a concert, dinner at a nice restaurant, or a play.
• A microloan on Kiva.org.
  
• Essential oils
• An iTunes gift card – digital music is less waste than a hard copy.
• Shop around on Etsy and support handmade!
• Paraben-free make up or nail polish without formaldehyde (um, ew)
• Anything from Heifer International.
  
• Homemade anything – from food to pampering kits.
• Wood toys are much better than plastic ones for the kiddos in your life – they last longer and are more durable. (Bonus points if it’s sustainably forested!)

A note on waste

During the weeks from Thanksgiving to New Years, about 1 million additional tons of garbage to our landfills each week in the US. EACH week. As in, in ADDITION to the waste we already create. That is just crazy ridiculous. To help reduce this waste, give your gifts in reusable gift sacks or wrap your gifts in newspaper or other reused material. I promise, with a little creativity, they will look even nicer than those glossy wrapping papers!

Life Without a TV. Or, How Mike Made us Amish.

Hi, my name is Ashley and I’ve been TV-free for four months.

If you would have told me six years ago that I would be living completely without a television, I wouldn’t have believed you. I was just starting college in the US after living overseas for a few years. Free cable in the dorms + American reality show = addictions to Survivor, The Bachelor, American Idol and every reality show on TV. It was out of control.

If you would have told me two years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you. I loved What Not to Wear, Top Chef, Monk, Project Runway, 10 Years Younger, Shear Genius and whatever else I got sucked into came on in the evenings while I was unwinding from work. It was glorious.

Our first little apartment: the cable was free and the times were good.

We moved from the apartment after a year. At the new place, we refused to pay for cable and ended up watching much less television. (Our reception sort of sucked, as did our TV. Mike spent the entire vice presidential debates with his foot pressed against the TV, as that was the only way to stop the snow and screeching. So odd.) We watched network shows most evenings, I watched The Tyra Show (no judging) when I came home from lunch and The View when I had the day off.

Sure, we could have paid forty bucks a month for cable, but our reasoning was: why pay for something that we don’t want to spend our time doing?

Then, as we got ready to move to our duplex this summer…our little analog TV was obviously ready for television hospice. The screeching, the snow, the cutting out – it was happening more and more often. So, we got rid of it and didn’t replace it. I’d be lying if I said it was my decision – I definitely wouldn’t mind some mindless television every now and then. Even in my joking with Mike about getting a new TV or cable, I know that I’m not my happiest when I spend a few hours watching television shows. In fact, it sort of makes me angry with myself for wasting time.

What we do instead:

• Watch our favorite shows online – just a few of them. And I find that if it’s more inconvenient to watch a show, there are less shows I’ll spend my time watching. And I’m okay with that.
• Record Project Runway on my parents' DVR and watch several episodes each time I go down. (I watch them with my little sister, so it doubles as happy bonding time.)
  
• The library is our best friend. We can watch new (to us) TV shows on DVD without spending time with commercials or getting sucked into another show. We started watching Big Love, Ugly Betty, How I Met Your Mother, and Gilmore Girls because of the library.
• Treat ourselves to a movie at a theater every now and then.
  
• Craft, cook, clean, exercise and hang out. Honestly, I think part of the reason I had the time to start my Etsy shop last year was due to not having cable anymore. Which is pretty crazy and sort of sad.

The benefits of being TV-free:

• I am happier with myself and how I spend my time.
• More free time. I am already pretty busy as it is – do I really want to spend 3 hours tonight getting sucked into Bravo reality shows? Instead, I can watch just one episode on DVD and spend the rest of my evening getting my life together. (My life needs all the help it can get. I am a hot mess.)
• Saving money. Always a good idea.
• Mike is happier – he’s a simplify-your-life sort of guy and this makes him feel like he’s being who he wants to be. And making Mike happy? Is sort of awesome.
• Getting my news via the internet and public radio makes me happy. And doesn't contribute to the crazy culture the 24-hour-cable news channels cultivate. (Woah there, unintentional alliteration.) Which is also awesome.
  

I don't know if this will last forever and I don't know if I'll always be this enthusiastic about watching less TV. But I do know this works for us now. And I am proud of us.

Everyone Deserves A Trader Joe's Binge.

So, my parents never acknowledged the sparkling nubbin on my nose when I saw them ALL DAY Saturday.

They always told me in high school and college that if I got a belly button piercing or tattoo, college would be paid for by me alone. So I did what any reasonable person would do. I got my belly button pierced before leaving for college. And promptly hid it from them for, oh, six years now. (Mom, Dad – if you happen to read this: Surprise! But at least it was my one and only rebellious action, right?)

After getting my nose pierced Thursday, I continued my thrilling weekend by packing all. freaking. day. on Friday.

Yep, I’m a fiercely competitive runner. Watch out, old men, you may just get beat by a tiny 24-year-old. I somehow managed to get second place in my age group. (I’m not going to tell you my time – because I am SLOW.) When it was all over, I felt sort of awesome. Having a pint glass emblazoned with, “WINNER” helped, I think.

After the race, the Big Move commenced. The big move consisting of two-point-two miles. With seven people and three vehicles – it was the easiest move ever. Seriously. I’m considering renting out my parents and three siblings to help other people. When it was over, we rewarded ourselves with a Trader Joe’s binge and some ice cream.

My family was impressed with our new little house. (Okay, it’s the bottom floor of a house – but what are you supposed to call that? Is it an apartment? Suite?) It’s seriously cute and gorgeous all at once – when we finish unpacking, I’ll show you. It’s within 10 minutes walking of the library, a yoga studio, over a dozen different restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs, and an amazing movie theater. It's Walk Score? Eighty-freaking-nine, baby.

I'm so excited to be able to walk places in the evenings and weekends when we want to go out to eat instead of driving. How awesome is that?

Saving Money. So Hot Right Now.

I’ve been voraciously devouring two fantastic books: Craft Inc.: Turn Your Creative Hobby into a Business by Meg Mateo Ilasco and The Anti 9-to-5 Guide: Practical Career Advice for Women Who Think Outside the Cube by Michelle Goodman. I am alternating between the books at whim, but I just can’t get enough of them. They are seriously amazing. Part of me worries that I’m getting my hopes up too much – they make it seem quite possible to do what you love for a living. I’m admittedly a wee bit nervous to allow myself dream up grandiose ideas – what if they don’t come to be? What if I am disappointed? And worse, what if I fail?

Anyhow, we’ll talk about my career aspirations another time. I noticed that both books, particularly The Anti 9-to-5 Guide, place a lot of emphasis on downsizing your lifestyle in order to do what you want. To not be limited by your Starbucks habit, shoe addiction, or huge cell phone bill, but be free to pursue your deepest desires and aspirations.

Let’s say you despise your job, so you invest heavily in retail therapy. But then you're trapped in your job in order to maintain your standard of living (like those pretty designer handbags and those yummy lattes). Would you be happier with a job that you dread and lots of expensive things or a career that you adore and living simply?

Many of the authors’ suggestions on how to downsize your lifestyle or spend less are things we already do, so I thought I’d share some ways that Mike and I are frugal and ask you to share your ideas as well!

• No cable. We had free cable last year, but when it came time to choose spending $40+ a month on TV? Nope.
• Library instead Netflix or buying books and CDs.
• One car for the two of us. (I walk to work.)
• Biking to the grocery in the summer. Mmm, summer.
• Aside from washing dishes, I do all our cleaning with baking soda and vinegar.
• Buying in bulk – rice, oats, almonds, etc.
• Dried beans instead of canned beans. So super cheap it’s amazing!
• I cut the coffee habit a few months ago – which means my coffee runs have drastically reduced.
• Planning meals – less waste, more eating healthy, and less chance we’ll decide to just order a pizza instead!
• Reusing everything you could ever imagine. I reuse packaging and brown paper bags for my Etsy and Amazon packages, I rinse out Ziploc bags, I reuse aluminum foil, our “Tupperware” is reused yogurt containers, and we have almost no disposable paper products in our house.
• Love hand-me-downs, thrift stores, consignment shops, and ridiculously cheap clothing stores.
• Never spring for manicures, pedicures, salon hair cuts or coloring (Best Cuts is my friend. As is hair dye-in-a-box!).
• No pre-cut, pre-washed veggies or fruit. I'd rather do it myself and save a lot of money.
• Try to make do with what I have. (My husband is laughing at me right now. I kind of like Target. And Joann Fabric.)

Here’s to spending less money and living more.

[ETA: I think it's important to point out that I don't advocate cutting costs at the expense of human rights, the environment, or so on - I choose to spend my money more intentionally - instead of buying a whole lot of junk I don't need from Wal-Mart, I buy it from Target one nice, quality item that is fair-trade, made locally, or something like that. :) I'd never want to promote saving money above all else. It's about spending it more wisely. Right?]

{Don’t forget to share your frugal tips. Be proud of your penny-pinching prowess!}

From Scratch. Hardcore.

I never do things the easy way.

My senior year of college, I made a pledge to stop buying bread. I thought, Why buy when you can make it? Plus, I have a bread maker! Homemade bread is so delicious.

I ended up just never eating bread. (Due to a combination of aversion to lugging huge machines and pure, unadulterated laziness and naps. Lots and lots of naps.)

My little "pledge" didn't stop there- I can count the number of times during our marriage Mike and I have bought bread from the grocery store on one hand.

I confess - I'm, uh, sort of addicted to making things from scratch.

I've made everything from scratch - from ketchup to crackers to hummus.

It started out as avoiding excess packaging and convenience food preservatives. Buying blocks of cheese instead of shredded cheese, avoiding plastic tubs of butter and getting olive oil instead, or never, ever buying brownie mixes.

Then, it became an addiction. I couldn't get enough of it - I wanted to see how much I could make from scratch. I made tons of homemade spaghetti sauce and raspberry jelly last year and froze jars in our freezer. I started buying dried beans instead of canned beans. We ran out of ketchup one day, so I made some. Yep - you can make ketchup (and it's sans high fructose corn syrup. Score!)

I never keep breadcrumbs, eggs, or those frozen veggie bags on hand - I make them all from scratch.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because I feel the need to justify the 25 pounds of apples currently sitting on my counter.

I'm making applesauce. Jars and jars of applesauce tonight.

I've gotten a lot of questions from people about how affordable it is or isn't to buy local, organic, fair trade, and so on.

The thing is, I've come to realize, is that most people buy frozen dinners, canned beans, canned frosting, canned soup, bagged salad mix, pre-made, pre-mixed, pre-done-for-you convenience food.

And that, my friends, is what racks up the grocery bill.

You might say, "But, Ashleeeey, I have no timmeee! Can't I just buy my Healthy Choice chicken dinner and some Hamburger Helper?"

Sure! But, also - you could save some money and be a little healthier. :) Try cooking in huge batches on the weekend and store the leftovers for later in the week. (For lots of wonderful cooking ideas, check out Eileen. My real-life wonderful friend and also a chef extraordinaire!)

Maybe you're thinking, "Ugh! I'm awful at cooking. And this doesn't seem very 'simple,' Ashley!"

(Apparently, I think you guys are really whiny.)

(No, actually, I'm really whiny and I'm channeling myself here.)

Anyway, man up, Non-cooker! Just follow the recipe. Then, experiment with new recipes and flavors. Give it a shot. You cannot go wrong with allrecipes.com - you simply cannot. They have reviews and you can search by ingredients in your pantry.

Maybe it's not so "simple" to cook more. But for me? It's a hobby. It's relaxing and it makes me feel productive. Chopping vegetables, baking bread, and doing it all myself is surprisingly empowered. And utterly enjoyable.

Give it a try. And check out this awesome article on whether it's cheaper to buy sustainably or conventionally.

[My locally-grown apples, by the way? Cost 90 cents a pound. And it was a fun date with my husband, to boot!]

Stuff. And Lots of It.

So, I was addicted to the internet. HARDCORE.

Between Twitter, Facebook, and the wonderful world of blogging - let's just say, my laptop was my friend.

Cue moving, the 4th of July, two weeks of "vacation," and DAYS (days!) without internet. It was weird - I got so much done. Without TV or internet, I was...productive. Constantly. I flirted with the idea of leaving the internet completely.

Then, my computer detected a wireless internet signal.

Happily, my productivity can wane, the unpacking can be put on hold, and the dishes can wait: because I. Have. Internet. (Free! Wireless signal from who-knows-where!)

I won't bore you with moving in details (The boxes, the assembling, the redecorating, Oh my!). But I WILL say, emphatically: I HATE MOVING.

It makes me realize how much crap I have. The entire time we were packing and moving, I just kept asking Mike, "What is all this crap and WHERE DID IT ALL COME FROM!?" Granted, I know we accumulated lots of stuff when we got married (yay! free kitchen stuff!) - but it seems like the stuff just kept multiplying. {Mike mentioned something about buying a house after this year, insinuating that it would keep us from having to move for quite some time, to which I insisted: "NO! We need to just get rid of a whole bunch of this crap!"}

So moving provided me some motivation for getting rid of some things, and reflecting on what we have and why we need it. (Something I'm constantly challenged with with when I consider someone like Holly or Sara, both of whom left their belongings to travel. Holly's latest post is even about whether to be tied down with a mortgage or not!)

Some of my quandaries in the Get-Rid-of-Crap Project: Yearbooks from middle school? 5 bazillion pictures? These are things I'd love to keep - but somehow I don't think I look at them enough to warrant their presence in our house. 13 belts? C'mon, seriously?

For a far more eloquent take on the problem of Stuff, check on Sara's post. It's great - really challenging stuff. Maybe I'll attempt to tackle the subject later after I get rid of lots. :)

Hope you're all well! I miss you guys. :)

Make It Work, People

[Note: I'm having a pretty terrible day. But I don't want to write about and dwell on it, because I'm pretty sure that would just make things worse. Thank God for awesome coworkers who listen and care, that's all I can say. Just wanted to warn you in case I come off as really a little moody. ;)]

Something that has really been bugging me lately is....Why is our culture so car-centric?

I’ve written before about how Mike and I choose to just have one car for the both of us. Sure, it makes life a little more difficult. We have to have creative solutions for getting to and from work. (Okay, really, who am I kidding? I drive to work and drop Mike off. He walks home. So really, he just has to sacrifice and I get to be a fat, happy American.) But besides work and an occasional conference or fishing trip, we pretty much do everything (dinners, grocery shopping, day trips, etc. Wait. hahaha! day trips!? Not so much.) together. If need be, I contact a coworker to give me a ride to work so Mike can use the car for the day. Or Mike takes me to work and someone else takes me home.

Bottom line: We can make it work. (I love Tim Gunn with all my heart. Sigh.)

But when Mike started searching for a new job, I questioned our One Car Philosophy. Was he limited by having to find a close job? Maybe we should just get a cheap little clunker just to get him to and from a job? Wouldn't that be worth it so Mike had more mobility?

He sure set me straight: "What about the other costs of a car? Oil changes? New tires? Flushing transmission fluid? Tune ups? Parking passes? Plus, we'd totally drive more, because we could each drive where ever we want."

Uh, okay. Good points. Sometimes, that boy makes me so proud. :)

PS: For an awesome website, check out Walk Score. My goal is to live somewhere I can walk A LOT. For health reasons and for sanity reasons. If I'm ever a stay at home mom, I want to see other people outside and be able to walk lots of places during the day!

A Reusable Coffee Mug - Easy As 1-2-3

I’ve heard (seen?) a lot of confusion on different blogs/comment/forums* about using a reusable coffee mug at a coffee shop. As someone who frequents the coffee shop QUITE regularly (They recognize me by my mug; and last time, veteran barista told newbie, “She brings her own cup” as newbie reached to grab me a disposable cup.), I can speak with some authority on this matter.

Here’s a little “how to” for using your own coffee mug at a coffee shop.

1. Get a reusable mug – avoid plastic if you can; it’ll last longer and not affect the taste of your delicious coffee (or tea or hot chocolate!)
2. Measure how much liquid your mug can hold, so you can order coffee at the shop. Mine’s a tall (12 oz), FYI.
3. Bring clean travel or ceramic mug with you to coffee shop (this means don’t forget it at work the night before!)
4. When you order, show them your coffee mug and say, for example, “I’ll have a 12 oz Highlander Grogg in this.”
5. Make sure to unscrew the top from the mug if it has one and hand them the cup part. There are some reports that at Starbucks they put the lid in a plastic disposable lid so it doesn’t touch the counter. So just keep it yourself!
6. Enjoy your coffee and the fact that there is a little less waste because of you.

I’ve heard people complain that Starbuck baristas sometimes mark your drink on a disposable cup and then throw it away – they’ve created new post-it note stickers to help avoid this, but it’s possible they could be out of stickers or just hate trees or something. Most times when I go to Starbucks, the cashier just verbally tells the barista what my order is as he hands her my cup. (Though now I normally go to the local coffee shop – so there is never any cup writing). If you’ve experienced the wasted cup phenomenon, maybe just casually mention something about not wanting to waste cup?– or just order plain coffee so no marking is required!

* Hey, I spend a lot of time, online, what can I say? Yesterday my husband sent me this article. Maybe he was passively trying to stage an intervention?

Yep, I'm Pretty Much a Weirdo

This morning as I was doing the dishes, I paused for a moment and wondered how many other people actually wash out their Ziplock bags to use over and over again. Sometimes I really forget how weird I am!

Here's something to think about though - I have not had to buy any kind of plastic bag for an entire year. For trash bags, we just use Target bags (or whatever other store we happened to go to and not bring a tote bag. Even though we make an effort to bring our own bags to the store, we are not in danger of running out anytime soon of the plastic bags from the times we forget.) For food storage, I continue to reuse the ziplock bags, used plastic containers from food, and cute little Corningware dishes.

I remember the first time I'd ever heard of someone reusing Ziplock bags. I was in middle school, living in Thailand and our housekeeper (no, we weren't rich, everyone had one) would rinse out the bags, turn them inside out, and stick them to fridge to dry. My little American self thought her Thai ways were strange. I was a product of a country who valued disposability and the temporary nature of our merchandise. Now I see that she saw no reason to throw away something that had just been used once.

It's definitely to the advantage of a company to create disposable products, because consumers will need to keep spending their money to buy replacements. But we really don't need to - not when we buy products that will last or just use products longer. Sometimes it's good to be weird. :)

Check it out. It was a Winter Wonderland. No cars! (Except the dozens at the car dealership.)

The One with the Zits

Just a quick note before I head out of town, then have my family visit me. Yay. I'm pretty excited. My mom is coming here JUST TO SHOP AT TRADER JOE'S. Over three hours in the car. To shop at TJ's. And, oh yeah, to see me...right?

Let's talk about skin for a moment, shall we? I feel as though I am not privy to the knowledge that most women have - like how to put on makeup or taking care of your skin. I have three sisters who are all MUCH more into that than I am. Only just know am I learning to find good products. And I tend to get really excited when I find something that works really, really well. (like OMG! Tweezerman tweezers! great!!) Spending a little more on a product if it works REALLYWELL is worth it. Because then you won't waste money guessing.

My sister, T, is just a year younger than me but a world different. I have no idea how she knows SO MUCH about make up, hair, and skin - but that girl wrote an assignment about how to put on makeup in middle school. And - I distinctly remember this because I thought it was so odd - she included little known tips like, "If you blend white eyeliner into the length of your nose, it will appear thinner." I am not kidding you. I mean, maybe this is common knowledge...but c'mon! That's just a little too much for me. I'm happy if I put the eyeliner and mascara in the right place. Then I cover up my blemishes and call it a day.

When it comes to my skin - I was spoiled by inheriting my dad's skin. My mom has never had PERFECT skin, whereas my dad was the poster child for clear, pale skin in high school. (And apparently, HUGE tinted eyeglasses. And ridiculously skinny appendages.)

In high school, my skin was flawless. No make up, no face washing, just. perfect. Since then, I tend to get a few blemishes every now and then, but I have NO IDEA how to take care of my skin. I mean, I'm used to people being jealous of the fact that I can not wash my face ever and have clear skin.

Now, I'm like a skinny person in a fat body. (Or. A pimple person stuck in a clear body. Um, that analogy sounds awkward no matter how you put it.) I can't accept that fact that I'm now bound by having to take CARE of my skin. Sunscreen!? Floppy hat?! (Okay, that's NEVER HAPPENING unless you show me a really cute floppy hat.) Face wash?! And then comes the "what the heck do you with a zit ahhh" part.

(Side note: I fear I'm sounding too dramatic. I have two blemishes on my face. I'm not like a teenager, just a 20-something with penchant for not taking care of her skin. No more rambling. I promise.)

Well, instead of having someone teach me - I made it up. I used to use toothpaste (not gel) and put a dot on the blemish. It worked really well.

But then I got the eco-guilt and thought "ah! chemicals! ah! plastic!" and decided to try something else. I figured, baking soda is used for tooth paste - and when you get a bee sting - maybe that'll work. I put a pinch of baking soda in my hand and mixed it with a drop or two of water. And smeared it on the problem (one of those pesky under-the-skin pimples. so painful.)

And?

It totally works! It dried it a bit so it wasn't so big, wasn't so painful and was gone quickly. Plus? It's super cheap, there is little packaging, and it's not damaging to the environment. How can you lose?

sooo not as good as baking soda.

Coffee Makes Me Smarter

So, I might like coffee. Just a little.*

Let be honest, I could have an entire blog on coffee. It’s addictive nature, the best places to get coffee, the best kinds of coffee, how happy I get when I drink coffee (I mean, really, it’s my Prozac!), how I’m scared of the no coffee rule if I get pregnant some day, and the best lattes to try.

But, I’ll spare you the pain of my ruminating on the joys of coffee.

I never had a coffee pot because I didn’t want to enable my addiction. So I unloaded what possibly amounted to thousands of dollars at coffee shops (and subjected myself to some cheap, nasty instant coffee into which I melted Snickers bars. I am not joking. Although am possibly really gross.)

Upon getting married, we were gifted a veritable mountain of money. In Target gift cards, that is. We had discussed getting a coffee pot to help defray the cost of my addiction, but didn’t register for it because we couldn’t find the Perfect Pot. Oh I wanted all the bells and whistles. I wanted to be able to program a pot of coffee for the instant I woke up, at the temperature I desired, made with a little plastic as possible.

Then I got this pesky email that annoyingly made me consider the most energy efficient way to brew coffee. I mean, it’s a blessing and a curse, really, to learn about something like that. It’s always great to know that there are better ways to do things – but, I reallywantedthebellsandwhistles, darn it!

According to Ideal Bite, here are the coffee brewing methods from most-to-least energy efficient:

1. Cold water brewing (no idea how THAT would work or taste)
2. French press
3. Moka pot on the stove (again, no idea)
4. Plain old electric coffee pot

So we went right out and bought ourselves a cute little French press from Target. It’s pretty easy to use, but I’ll admit it’s more work than a plain old coffee pot.

Why I love our French press:

• Less waste! You don’t need filters so just wash or rinse it out every time
• Cheaper – it was less than $20 and there are no filters to ever buy.
• Smaller – we live in a teeny space. Have you seen our kitchen?! So we need every square inch we can get! It doesn’t use up a plug and takes up about a 5 inch circle on our shelf. Plus, we don’t really need a 10 cup coffee maker, so our little 24-oz press is perfect for us.
• Materials – it’s made out of 80-90% glass with just a plastic handle. So someday I can recycle it! Plus, it’s just a lot less resource-intensive than a hunk-o-plastic coffee pot
• Saves energy
• It tastes SO GOOD since the coffee is freshly ground and brewed by hand. Plus it’s kinda fun (except when I’m running late and rushed! Which is every. single. morning. without. exception.)

Why it can be a pain:

• We can’t use ground coffee for drip coffee makers; we buy whole beans and have to grind so we don't get little tiny particles of grounds in our coffee.
• We have to manually boil and pour the water. Just a little more work and a little less convenience.
• No bells and whistles. At all.

Happy coffee drinking!

This is actually a freakin' awesome coffee shop in San Francisco - they have a compost bin next to their trashcan so you can compost your wooden stirrer and compostable coffee cup. SO cool.

* My heart flutters at the mere mention of coffee.

Biker Shorts are Hott

Today, a poem. :) (aka: Today, I'm lazy)

We got bikes from the thrift store,
2 bikes for $20.
It was awesome.
We rode to the market on Saturday morning
The grocery store 10pm on Saturday night.
We rode for fun,
We rode to work.
We rode along the river,
We rode along the street.
We laughed as rode,
We raced and I lost.
Then it got cold.
Oh, winter.
Why you always gotta ruin our fun?

Nevertheless, at least we saved a little bit of gas, got in better shape, and kept some CO2 out of the air. We still have our legs, shoes, coats, and mittens for walking. Drive Less, Live More, Baby.