Grocery Shopping By Bike

Front and rear racks

 Have you been considering using your car less and your bike more? Well, we have made that change in our life and we love it. Last year we decided to cut down how much we use our car. Every time we used our car we made poor choices (fast food, general waste). We were neglecting our health, our family time, and always seemed to be in a rush. So, we slowed down. We did not make the choice based on financial reasons; but have seen extra money in our bank accounts at the end of the month.  This post is for the beginner to help out and show what we have learned.

Wald 520 Amazon

GET THE RIGHT GEAR:
Wald makes a rear basket/rack {the 520} that will carry at least two large bags of groceries, and  you can strap a few more to the rack. We have this setup on my moms vintage 1968 Western Flyer bicycle. She likes the weight in the back, so it doesn't interfere with her steering.  This setup is ideal if you will heed our advice and shop frequently as apposed to loading up and forgetting you don't have a trunk.  This is not for the person who wants to take off the basket and only use it occasionally. (This basket is bolted to your bike in several locations to make it secure.)

Linus panniers

Rack and panniers:
Similar to the Wald 520, only not as permanent. There are several great racks on the market; but when shopping for groceries - you need one that can hold the weight; groceries are heavy.
Panniers come in different sizes and materials. We have two kinds, one made by Linus, and one set we purchased on eBay. The Linus set is great for light weight loads but I'm sure they could hold a lot more than we toss in them. Our eBay set is from a Chinese store and we paid around $20.00. Our Chinese panniers have zippers, pockets, reflective tape and hold the weight without flopping about. The Linus set however, can roll up into a neat little bundle.

TIPS:
DO NOT FORGET TO BRING A LOCK, AND USE IT
Shop more frequently. Think Daily or Weekly not Monthly
Plan your trips. If out at night bring lights and reflective gear.
Try to purchase whole foods and purchase less processed foods.
Buy a quality rack we like the Wald 215 they have two colors and a wood version.
Enjoy you new Slow Life and take the time to smell the roses.

Our Dutch Bicycles

Sew Your Own Pet Clothes Upcycle

I found a few patterns while I was shopping at my local fabric store. I inquired at a few big stores like Joann and Hancock to see if they were there too, and they are. The patterns run for about $17.00 US, which is pretty steep, but if you shop at a pattern sale you could score them for a dollar or two, so keep your peepers open. Patterns 2695 and 2755 are from Simplicity, and are for upcycled pet clothes you can search for them online by typing Go Green Simplicity. 

Homemade Cat Litter

Have you ever thought about making your own cat litter? Well, if the answer was YES... I have stumbled across a few ideas. First off; we have a darling family of fur-babies, four to be exact. One of our lovelies Mr. Chin developed a urinary tract infection when he was two. When we got the terrible news from his vet we decided some things needed to change around our house. One of the things we changed was our cat litter. Our veterinarian is a huge fan of eco cat-litters. So we purchased a few bags of Yesterdays-News and a box of Swheat. These products were well loved by our babies, but they are very expensive. So after about a year of using Yesterdays-News we decided to try making our own litter. The first thing we tried was just shredded newspaper.....BUT THIS IS VERY MESSY... so we opted to try the wet method. This method is as followed....


NEWSPAPER LITTER
(1) Shred or chop several newspapers "for extra try going to nursing homes, hospitals or contacting your local paper for extras to recycle". 

(2) Put the shredded papers in a bucket or empty pool. Pour water over the shreds until it is workable. If your local paper does not use soy based ink add a small amount of dish detergent to the water mix.

(3) Mix the paper-water mix until you get a pulpie mix. {think homemade recycled paper}

(4) Squeeze the pulp making sure to remove as much water as you can. If you needed soap, squeeze the water out and then rinse the pulp once again. 

(5) OPTIONAL once you squeezed the water add some baking soda to the pulp this will help with odors and we all know every cat won't use a stinky box. {bobs redmill or arm and hammer}

(6) Place the pulp to dry in the sun on a screen or in a box spread out so that it can dry thoroughly. The texture is up to you fine or chunky. Simply just break it into smaller clumps. I recommend the box method if you are going for a fine litter. 

Option 2

Wheat litter:
When  you first buy Swheat or other name brand wheat litter, you are fooled into thinking this litter is special. Well, it's not. All this litter is, well, WHEAT. And you can make it at home for a fraction of a fraction of the cost at home. 

(1) Purchase bulk wheat berries at a grocer that sells bulk wheat, or hit up a grange/pet store and buy animal grade wheat. {any wheat berries will work}

(2) Grind in a blender,food processor or grain grinder until it is a coarse consistency. 

This method also works with corn and oats very effectively. However, for some reason unknown to me the wheat clumps better.

If you know why? Put a comment in the message box.

But if these ideas don't appeal to you, you can still make some snazzy "Tidy Cats" reusable bags.

Nasoya Coupons {expired}

1. Enroll in Tofu U and pledge to cook tofu at home (Link Below). Their Tofulosophy shows you why it's important!
2. Feast your eyes on the recipes, or see what the Dish Whiz serves up based on your own ingredients.
3. Discover what to do with tofu (from buying to cooking) through the quick video tips, ranging from beginner to advanced.

   Take the pledge. Get rewarded.

   You will need to pledge to cook tofu once a week for one month.

   Why should you take the pledge?

   It's all about Nasoya Tofulosophy: a new outlook on tofu, empowering you to embrace the healthy protein in your kitchen. Discover the history of tofu. Uncover the environmental benefits. Learn the health benefits. Become a tofu extraordinaire with video tips and start cooking simple and tasty tofu recipes in no time!
   To get you started, they give you a $1 Nasoya coupon that you can download instantly. And then, they will email you a new coupon each week for one month! Then write down 4 'Tofu U' recipes and send in the UPC's from 4 participating Nasoya products along with the form and you can get a Mens or Women's t-shirt or gym shorts for free.
   
   
   Link For The Form { HERE } Expired
   Join Tofu U { HERE } Expired

Make A Bee Condo

I recently stumbled across the Global Bee Project a website that promotes bee guardianship . Well I thought it was cool enough to write about. I have a garden and I don't know what I would do without the little bees pollinating everything for me . I have noticed that I don't have the bees that I did a few years ago "may-bee" it it the lack of marigolds (my sister is allergic) however it has bugged me since my squash numbers have went down ,so I built my self a bee condo above and placed it along my neighbors fence. I am also going to make a bee nest out of either bamboo or dried blackberry stems . Bee condo's don't attract colonies just solitary bee's like masons the bees which are not aggressive and don't sting. These bee's like to dwell in holes that are 3-10 inches deep and 3/32" and 3/8" in diameter . Place you bee condo facing east they like morning sun. Don't spend money buying one when they are so easy to make all you need is some non-chemically treated wood ,a drill ,and some nails .

Save Money And Go Green

You might have been wondering "how can I save money and go green?" Here are my top ten tips to save money while enjoying a greener lifestyle. My motto has always been: don't spend money to save money.

MY TOP #3

1. Pack Waste Free School/Work Lunches: Waste free lunches are great for the environment and for your pocketbook. A typical lunch at a fast food restaurant can cost upwards of $5.00 each, and school lunches are not always the best choice for your children. In our school district they give children "gasp" greasy pizza, chips and soda! You will need a pvc free lunch bag or box, a cloth napkin, a BPA free water bottle, reusable containers, BPA free sandwich wraps, reusable utensils (fork spoon knife.*) *check with school district Don't blow your budget, just do your homework, all the above items can be found around your home or purchased inexpensively.


2. Change your lightbulbs: If you haven't changed to using Compact Fluorescent bulbs consider it. If every household replaced just three 60-watt incandescent bulbs with CF bulbs, the pollution savings would be like taking 3.5 million vehicles off the road. On average a home will save about $47.00. CONCERNS> CF bulbs do contain trace amounts of mercury. But don't worry — there is far less mercury in CFs than in thermometers or even old thermostats. Years from now when they burn out and you can recycle them. Visit Recycleabulb to find your closest recycling location.


3. Coupons: Yes couponing does take a little time but it can pay off! 

Print coupons at Organic Valley save on milk eggs cheese and more. 

Print coupons at Horizon Dairy . 

Print coupons at Brown Cow Farm . 

Mambo Sprouts , they are a great resource and you can print coupons from great natural and organic companies. 

Print coupons at Simply Organic great spices seasonings and baking needs.

 Print coupons at Ecover and save on cleaning products. 

Print coupons at Seventh Generation sign up for free. 

Print coupons at Santa Cruz Organics

Seven More Tips

1. Make your own laundry soap and cleaning supplies: find links on side bar


2. Don't buy bottled water, filter tap water and fill-up a reusable water bottle.


3. Use real dishes and avoid disposable products such as plates, cups, napkins and cutlery.


4. Defrost fridge and freezer: freezers work best when near capacity and fridge no more than 3/4 full also check seals and clean coils.


5. Fix leaks a leaky sink that drips 1 drop per second wastes 3,000 gallons of water a year.. so fix it! Toilets can leak up to 200 gallons a day check toilet by adding cranberry juice to toilet wait 15 minutes if you see pink you have a leak then flush the toilet to avoid stains. Replacement parts are cheap, it is a EASY FIX!
6. Use reusable towels and dishcloths in place of paper towels and disposable dish sponges.

Free Hip Reusable Bag Pattern

I came across this beautiful reusable bag idea. It was created by a super awesome lady Kendra Stanley of San Fransisco . She had a incredible idea not only to move from plastic and paper : she came up with a way to reuse old raincoats. Kendra has a fantastic and hip pattern at
city bag trade
Click on the link for the free down-loadable pattern and instructions. This would make a great handmade gift idea for the person that has everything !