Thrift Store Shopping For A YEAR!

Trying to save the planet has put a huge damper on my wardrobe.

  

Before going "Green" I used to LOVE going shopping and getting new clothes! Now I can't pick something new off the rack without these thoughts running through my head:


- How many pesticides were sprayed to make this?  Did you know that cotton is considered the world's dirtiest crop due to its heavy use of insecticides, the most hazardous pesticide to human and animal health? 

-  How much water did it take to make this?  Did you know that it takes about 1,800 gallons of water to grow enough cotton to produce just one pair of regular ol' blue jeans?

globaldimension.org

-  Did kids and/or adults have to endure hours of work in a sweat shop to make this?  Did you know that according to laborrights.org, the official inductees of the 2010 Sweatshop Hall of Shame were: Abercrombie and Fitch, Gymboree, Hanes, Ikea, Kohl’s, LL Bean, Pier 1 Imports, Propper International, and Walmart?

waronwant

-  Were animals hurt to make this?  You might already know about the abuse animals have to go through to make fur and leather, but do you know about the animals who suffer so you can have wool, cashmere, angora, silk and down?  You can read about it here: Global Action Network

www.happycow.net

Let's just say that my shopping trips never end with me buying much.  Good for the earth, animals and my wallet, not so good for my wardrobe.  After years of empty shopping bags and a closet full of organic t-shirts from Whole Foods, I have decided to try something new.  

This year I am determined to look as good on the outside as I feel on the inside without buying any "NEW" clothes.  It's time for me to stop putting a label on what I think a "GREEN" person should look like. 

How am I going to dress up my life without buying any new clothes for a whole year?  

The thrift store!

Did you know:

-  The Salvation Army is a non-governmental relief agency and is usually among the first to arrive with help after natural or man-made disasters.

-  Goodwill's numbers for 2011:

• People served through employment and training programs:  4.2 million
• Mission services provided: 107 million
• People who earned a job with Goodwill’s help :  189,000
• Estimated total earnings of people who earned a job with Goodwill’s help: $2.95 billion
• Personal and family support services provided: 10 million
• Total revenue generated by Goodwill organizations: $4.43 billion
• Total revenue spent directly on programs: 82 percent
• Total number of donors (includes repeat donations): 79 million
• Total number of retail stores: Over 2,650 and an online auction site, 

-  Retail sales for Goodwill in 2011: $2.59 billion!  That's a lot of money to help people in need!

-  The Salvation Army's Adult Rehabilitation Centers are 100% funded from the proceeds of the Family Stores, allowing them to be self-sustaining.

-  The Salvation Army is deeply committed to the modern-day fight against human trafficking (for sexual and labor purposes) and forms of commercial sexual exploitation innately linked to sexual trafficking.

-  The Salvation Army provides Group homes, emergency shelters, and transitional living centers for people in need.

-  The Salvation Army's red Kettle at Christmas brings in millions of dollars each year to aid needy families, seniors, and the homeless.

 Go to their websites to read more about all the good they do:

  Salvation Army 

Goodwill 

 

Shopping at the Salvation Army or Goodwill helps a lot more than just the environment. After doing research on thrift store shopping, I was in total awe by the amount of people they help.  I love the idea of not buying anything new, giving to people in need, saving money and stocking up my wardrobe all at the same time!    

After telling my husband about my idea of not buying anything new for a year, the first thing he said was, "What about all the people that NEED the clothes?  Aren't you just taking from the poor?"  My response to that is.......... I have NEVER seen a thrift store that was out of clothes!  Usually the racks are so packed its hard to look at what is there.  I also always bring any clothes or furniture we don't want or need back to the Salvation Army or Goodwill.  It's like I am paying to borrow it for awhile. :) 

You might be thinking, "Isn't shopping at the thrift store dirty?"

Do you remember the bed bug outbreak at Juicy, Hollister, Abercrombie, and Victoria's Secret?
Do you wash your new clothes when you get home?
I always come home from the thrift store and throw all the clothes into the washer and dryer before wearing them.  The dryer will kill any bedbugs or other living creatures that may be lurking in the clothes.  If the clothing item is dry clean only, you can get Dryel bags that can be put in the dryer before you wear them.

* There are a few items I won't be buying at the thrift store this year:  underwear, bra's, bathing suits, socks and shoes.

I hope this has inspired you to shop more, save more, give more, and WASTE LESS.  Don't be "green" for yourself.......be green for your kids, and their kids, and their kids, and their kids.  We only have one Earth, let's not wait for someone else to clean it up. 

My year of not buying any new clothes began on Feb. 14th, 2013.  I will keep you updated with my awesome finds!  Please join me in my year of shopping, giving, sharing, saving and loving. 

Alone we are weak, together we are strong!

 xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

             

Here are some pictures of Brandi rocking her awesome thrift store buys!

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Have You Shaved Your Sweater Lately?

There is no better time than on cold winter days to break out your favorite comfy sweater.  I don't always remember to wash mine inside out and almost always forget to keep them out of the dryer, which leaves fuzz balls all over them.  I have a few sweaters that were filled with fuzz balls and I would only wear them to bed. I couldn't get rid of them but I didn't want to wear them out of the house looking the way they did until...

I started shaving them!  Who knew a simple razor could make my sweaters look brand new again!

During Shaving

After Shaving

 Look at all the fuzz I shaved off of ONE sweater!

All you need is a razor!

Make sure you don't press too hard while shaving.....you wouldn't want to put a hole in your favorite sweater.

It took me about 30 min to do the whole thing.  Now I don't have to keep this one in my pajama drawer!
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

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Dog Treats

DIY Dog Treats

 Have you ever looked at the ingredients of most dog treats?  

My new puppy has become a big part of my family and I like to feed my family healthy food.  There are a lot of treats you can buy without all the extra ingredients, but they are more money then I want to pay.  Is there a way to have cheap and healthy dog treats?  YES!

Here are two great recipes to make for "mans best friend".

Sweet Potato Chews

Only 1 ingredient- SWEET POTATO

I used three sweet potatoes I got from the farmers market.  Tell them you are making dog treats and see if they have any sweet potatoes that aren't "pretty" enough to sell. You can usually get them a lot cheaper. 

 1.  Set oven to 250*

2.  Peel you SP

3.   Slice your SP.  I used my food processor to slice the SP about 1/3 inch thick.  It was VERY fast this way, but if you don't have a food processor then just use a knife. 

3.  Put SP slices on baking sheet covered with parchment paper

4. Bake for 3 hours.  Turning once.

5.  Let cool and then put in refrigerator for up to three weeks or freezer for up to 4 months

Recipe from:  http://www.dogtreatkitchen.com/sweet-potato-dog-chew.html

Sweet Potato and Apple Dog Treats

Ingredients:

-  1 sweet potato

-  2 1/2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

-  1/4 Cup Unsweetened Applesauce ( I just used a peeled apple that I put in the blender)

-  2 Eggs

1. Cook your sweet potatoes.  Prick with a fork and Microwave until tender, about 6 mins or cook in oven at 350* for about 45 min.

2.  Scoop out about 1 cup of sweet potato and put in bowl and mash.  You can feed the skin to your dog as a treat while your cooking.  

3.   Mix the applesauce, flour, and eggs in with your sweet potato.  I just put the applesauce, sweet potato and eggs in my blender and then added it to the flour. 

4.  Form a ball and roll out 1/2-inch thick on a floured surface.  (I have mats that I used instead of the floured surface)

5. Cut out shapes using cooking cutters.  Arrange cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet.

6. Bake until crisp, ~35 to 45 minutes. 

recipe from: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/super-simple-sweet-potato-dog-treats/

These are even safe for your kids to eat!
My older boys thought they were gross, but the youngest liked them.

Lets see if Posey likes them................... 

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DIY Canopy Curtains

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2 Weeks of Lunches in Under 30 Minutes

 First off, let me say that my husband has to be one of the pickiest eaters EVER!  He doesn't like sandwiches from home, beans, mushrooms, lentils, gravy, eggs, soup, shredded chicken, yogurt, potato salad, pasta salad, most salads, eggplant, tuna, roast beef, and the list goes on and on and on!  He would be happy with a hot pocket or corn dog but I would really love to keep him around for awhile so I had to come up with something healthy that he would actually eat.

My husband is a PASTA lover! He could eat it everyday........ and he does!!!! Once every two weeks I cut, dice, and pack 10 lunches. It saves me money, time and a lot of stress doing it this way.

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