Corraling the Water Bottles and Travel Mugs

One of the challenges that I feel like I face in my house is a place to properly store things. Sure, I can usually find a corner, a basket, a shelf to tuck things away on, but it doesn't always feel very organized to me.

One of the items that have been a challenge to store are our reusable water bottles and insulated travel mugs. Between the ones that we have purchased overtime - with filters/with chilled cores/insulated/fits the bike cup holder/for coffee and the ones that we have gotten through different events - summer reading club/sports/store events/vacation, we have more than our fair share of reusable water bottles. On any given day, several will be occupying the dish strainer in our sink but several need to be stored. The real challenge has always been the varying heights and some of them have straws - so even if I had cupboard space, they likely would be too tall for a typical shelf.

We have what is supposed to be a coat closet at the end of our hallway near our garage door. Because of a feeling of lack of storage space and a desire to have some semblance of order, it has become more of a storage closet. It is where we keep our vacuum, we have two hanging shoe organizers, there is a shelf unit that holds our winter gear, my spring form pans, a roasting pan, my cookie cutters and up until a few weeks ago our water bottles.

Their perch on the top shelf always felt like it was one bump away from having several water bottles come clattering down to the floor.

Then, as I was wondering the web, as I so often do, I randomly came upon the idea of using an over the door shoe organizer to corral water bottles. I loved it. So, the next time that we were at Target, I picked up this inexpensive over the door shoe organizer and set out to organize my water bottles and travel mugs.

My hall closets and pantry all have bi-fold doors, so they weren't options for me for hanging it, so I settled on the back of the laundry room door. It keeps them out of the way, but still readily accessible, just a few steps from the kitchen.

I really am pleased to be able to store 24 water bottles and travel mugs out of the way. The crazy thing is, I still have 4 or 5 in my kitchen - the one I take each day to the gym, one for each of the kids to take to their near daily sports practices or games and summer camp, the one that I take coffee to work in each day and one other for those days when we have back to back sports and need more than one water per child.

In addition, now I have regained a shelf, plus some random other space where some additional mugs were tucked away, that allows me to better organize other things.

This post shared at Works for Me Wednesday.

JAWS Cleaner - a review and giveaway *

* information and product was supplied for this post by the manufacturer.

A while back, you may remember that I shared with you about JAWS cleaners. I wanted to let you know about the current special running at Beuhler's. From now, through April 28th, you can save $2 off on JAWS cleaners at Buehler’s (www.Jawscleans.com). It’s normally $4.99 a bottle at each store (with one refill included) and is $2.99 on the sale. The sale is on the JAWS Glass and Hard Surface Cleaner; JAWS Multi-Purpose Cleaner/Degreaser and Bathroom Cleaner/Deodorizer.

Each bottle’s extra cartridge refill lets you keep reusing the same cleaning bottle – and save on plastic waste. Here’s how it works: Use up one JAWS bottle, then refill it with tap water and insert the cartridge, screw on the lid and you have a second bottle of cleaner. More refill cartridges are available in a separate two-pack.

The JAWS line will clean from kitchen to bathroom.

JAWS - or "Just Add Water System" - comes in the form of a super-concentrated cleaning cartridge and a reusable spray bottle. You fill the spray bottle with water to the line on the bottle, pop in the cartridge, insert the spray wand as you tighten it on, the cleaning solution in the cartridge is dispensed into the water. Give it a little shake you are ready to use the cleaner.

In addition

· JAWS products work are effective in all types of water, including hard water that can be found in many homes in Northeastern and Central Ohio.

· JAWS was created and is manufactured in Ohio – Toledo to be more specific.

· Purchasing JAWS products is not only helping the planet and helping you cut cleaning costs, it’s also contributing to the betterment of the regional economy through both JAWS International and the more localized retailers they partner with."

I have been using the product since I shared about it last year. I find that it works well for me. I like that not only is it environmentally friendly that the refill cartridges are small and make a full bottle of cleaning solution, but since I always feel space constrained when it comes to storage, I am able to keep extra on hand without having to find a place to store full bottles. In fact, I can keep the next cartridge with the bottle, so I'm not searching to locate it when I'm ready for a refill.



Giveaway!
Thanks to the folks at JAWS, one lucky A Busy Mom of Two reader will win a JAWS cleaner gift pack, valued at $15.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through May 7th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

No compensation was received for this post. JAWS provided information about the product, a sample for me and the gift pack for the giveaway. All opinions expressed are entirely my own or that of my family.

Earth Day *

*information for this post was in part supplied by Hormel Foods through their Hormel Extended Family Blogger program.

Tomorrow, April 22nd, is the 44th anniversary of the celebration of Earth Day. This year the Earth Day Network announced that the main focus of Earth Day will be to help put a face to climate change. One of the easiest ways to help prevent climate change is through a commitment to minimizing waste and recycling as much as possible.

At our house, we have made several small changes over the years that have not only helped us be more environmentally friendly, but have also had a favorable impact on our wallets.

We reduced our usage of paper towels, by using wash clothes and old diapers for cleaning and dusting. We are able to use it for a little while and then, I simply rinse them and toss them in the wash. We still use some paper towels for certain clean-up, but generally use less.

We reduced our usage of paper napkins, by purchasing and using cloth napkins everyday. My family was a little hesitant at first, but now has fully embraced them. You can see my post on moving to cloth napkins here.

We reduced our usage on paper plates by purchasing a set of plates that we can use for game night, birthday parties and other social gatherings at our home. When we are done, we simply fill the dishwasher and clean them up. We actually recently extended our purchase to include not just 24 dinner plates, but about 15 snack plates too. For those that want a smaller plate. You can see my post on eliminating paper plates here.

We reduced our usage of plastic utensils by purchasing a set of inexpensive silverware that we can use for game night, birthday parties and other social gatherings at our home. We found a set of silverware at Sam's Club that allowed us to get enough place settings to meet our needs even at our larger gatherings. You can see my post on elmininating plastic utensils here.

From Hormel:

Each year Hormel Foods strives to do their part in the conserving energy and reducing pollution. In 2011 they reduced their solid waste to landfills by 29 percent and completed 33 packaging reduction projects to reduce materials used by 4.2 million pounds! To learn more about these successes and many others please visit http://2011csr.hormelfoods.com/goals/.

There are plenty of simple ways that you and your family can help out this year, including:
* Next time you want to enjoy a picnic, pack-up an eco-friendly basket with dishes from home instead of paper plates and plastic utensils. Enjoy a healthy spread with products that are known for their eco-friendly and sustainable packaging. One example is Hormel® Natural Choice® deli meats. Hormel® Natural Choice® deli meats comes in packaging made of 100 percent recycled material – making them the only national brand that features 100 percent recycled packaging. Just last month, Hormel® Natural Choice® launched their new line of Family Pack deli meats – perfect for feeding a large group and cutting down on your trips to the store.
* Pack lunches in reusable containers instead of plastic zip-lock bags that can only be used once. Take it a step further by saving and using plastic containers from take-out meals.
* Opt to receive bills and notices through email instead of by mail. Most banks and organizations offer a “paper-less” option, which will not only help cut down on wasted paper, but shorten your stack of mail that comes in every day.
* Offer your support through a contribution to the Earth Day Network! Or check out the many opportunities to volunteer in your community. http://www.earthday.org/take-action

What efforts do you and your family make to try and minimize your carbon footprint? What is your favorite “eco-friendly” activity?

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some product and some of the information for this post.

Kalahari - Being Green

When you think of the impact that one person can have by being green, imagine the impact that Kalahari Resorts with the world's largest indoor water park can have when make it a priority to maintain Eco-friendly practices to help reduce water and energy consumption. They feature low energy consumption water pumps throughout the parks, use low-flow dishwasher spray heads and low-flow shower heads that reduce water consumption by 2.46 million gallons/year. They use roof top solar panels to heat more than 50% of the hot water for the resort's facilities. They use low energy consumption pumps to move the water in the park and are installing massive fans to lower heating costs by pushing the warm air near the ceiling back to floor level. They also are upgrading to digital thermostats in guest rooms.

In fact, they were the winner of the 2006 Partners for Clean Air Recognition Award and continue to lead the hotel industry in energy conservation and reduction of our carbon footprint. They partnered with Clean the World organization, the largest global recycler of hotel amenities, to collect and recycle their resort soaps, shampoos, conditioners, lotions and gels to help fight the global spread of preventable diseases - helping to prevent the millions of deaths that are caused by hygeine-related illnesses every day.

Personally, I think that it is great that they are doing so much to help keep the planet a great place to live. There are things, like recycling soap and shampoos, that I never would have even thought about, but certainly with all of the 1/2 bottles of shampoo that we have left behind on various stays, I can imagine that it adds up really quickly.

Don't forget, you can still take advantage of the special package offers for A Busy Mom of Two readers at Kalahari Water Park.

No compensation was received for this post. I am participating in a Kalahari posting program through US Family Guides. As a participant, my family will receive a one night stay at Kalahari. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Method Products & Giant Eagle - a giveaway

Method Products - "Made up of biodegradable products that clean like heck, smell like heaven and leave nothing nasty in their wake, Method is ideal for People Against Dirty. With naturally derived ingredients, free of parabens, phthalates, triclosan or EDTA, moms can feel secure using Method around the house and with the kids."

One of the things that I really like about Method Laundry detergent is that you get 25 loads of product in a nice small compact container. I feel like I have limited storage in my laundry room, so the compact size is nice. Plus, it takes up less space in the garbage can too. It is a concentrated detergent that can be used in both standard and HE machines. To compare, here is a bottle of another HE detergent with about 25 loads compared to the Method 25 load bottle:

We also use their hand wash refills. Unlike other refills we have used, they come in a stand up pouch with a pour spout at the top. They offer the same refill, but they take up less space in the trash after we use it.

I have purchased the Method Laundry Care at Giant Eagle before, but now you can also find additional Method products at Giant Eagle. New at Giant Eagle - Method Handwash, foaming and gel and Method Dish, for hand-washing or the dishwasher.

Use the coupons from the recent coupon inserts to save more:
* $1 OFF any one (1) Method Hand Wash
* 75¢ OFF any one (1) Method Home Care Product

Like Giant Eagle on Facebook to take advantage of a limited time Facebook eOffer (quantities limited) and Save $2.00 OFF any one (1) Method Product.

You can find Method online at mehtodhome.com and Giant Eagle at gianteagle.com.


Giveaway!
Courtesy of Giant Eagle, I am able to offer to five (5) A Busy Mom of Two readers a chance to try Method with VIP Free Coupons for Method (up to $5).

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Giveaway will remain open through November 30th. Giveaway is open to residents of the US only. One winner will be selected through Rafflecopter. The winner will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


No compensation was received for this post. Giant Eagle provided a Method product sample pack, information and coupons for this post. All opinions expressed are my own or that of my family.

Happy Earth Day!

Today marks the 42nd anniversary of the celebration of Earth Day.

Did you know that about 80% of Hormel Foods' product packaging by weight is recyclable and/or made form recycled materials? Over the past few years, Hormel has found many ways to reduce, revanmp and change the size nad material of their packages. When you think of some of the little changes that they have made and how quickly it adds up across the business, it makes you take pause and consider how each little change you make as part of a greater population can have a significant impact. As an example, when in 2009, they reduced the height of their Jennie-O Turkey Store turkey burger carton by just 1/2", they generated a 68,000 pound annual paperboard savings. That is a lot of paperboard! You can learn more about their efforts on package minimization on their site.

It's interesting, a number of things that we have changed in our lives over the past few years for the purposes of convenience and/or money saving, have brought about some environmental savings as well.

When my son was a baby, we started using wipes to clean him up after a meal. Very quickly, we realized that this would amount to a lot of wipes over the coming years. We picked up a 10-pk of white washcloths at Kohl's and have been using them ever since. We used to keep a basket of them next to the bibs, now that the kids are older, they are under the sink in the half bath. These work great for cleaning up the kids boo-boos too! I can't even begin to guess how many wipes this has saved us over the year...all of those wipes and plastic containers have been saved too!

Another change that we made was the move to using cloth napkins at the table. My goal was to reduce the amount of money that we were spending on paper napkins. Understanding that I do laundry on a near daily basis, I figured that having a couple of sets of cloth napkins would work well for us. I wasn't concerned on coordination of the napkins, so I picked up some beige ones at a post-holiday clearance and pulled out some that I had in my linen closet. If we try, we can all four use the same napkin, but generally there are at least 2 or 3 different ones on the table. We haven't bought paper napkins other than some themed ones for the kid's birthday parties in over 2 years. That is a lot of paper napkins not thrown away.

Around the same time, we returned to using more clothes for cleaning. We have old cloth diapers (actually for us they were just burp cloths) and a set of wash cloths that are unique from our actual dish cloths to avoid confusion. We use them for cleaning and then rinse thoroughly before dropping into the laundry. This has reduced our usage of paper towels.

The next move was a change from paper plates to reusable plates. I struggled to find the right solution, finally settling on Correlle dishes, found at the outlet allowing me to purchase just the dinner plates. It was a bit of an investment to move to the reusable dishes, but now that we have them we can use them for every birthday, picnic, etc., saving us the repeated purchase of paper or foam plates and saving the environment all of that waste.

Once we started using real plates, the next move seemed natural...dumping the plastic silverware. It just makes more sense to use real utensils with real plates. It took a while to find just forks, spoons and knives. The answer was found at Sam's Club. They sold 24ct packages of individual types of silverware. We bought one each of forks, spoons, and knives. A handy storage container picked up at Target has allowed us to store them easily between parties.

None of these changes were 'major' for us. All of these changes have saved us money and has reduced the amount of trash that we are generating.

Another change that has saved us a little bit in the form of discounts from the store are reusable bags. For a while, our grocery store was offering a 5c per use discount which essentially paid off the initial investment. They don't that anymore, but Target and CVS still reimburse - Target at 5c per bag used and CVS at 25c per visit in the form of a $1 ECB after four visits. Personally, I am most glad to not have all of those plastic bags to deal with. Now, to be honest, we don't use them 100% of the time, but when I go to the store for my weekly trip and when I go to CVS, I use them everytime. It's those little stops for an item or two or when my husband is running errands that they don't always get used. This is fine, because we do reuse those plastic bags and it is good to have some on hand.

Not a change, but another way that we like to live green is planting a summer garden each year. It is a great way to not only teach children, but also a wonderful feeling of accomplishment when you eat a tomoato or cucumber or other vegetable picked from your own garden.

How are you living more green?

No compensation was received for this post. All opinions expressed are mine or those of my family. I am completing this post as a participant in the Hormel Foods Extended Family Blogger program. Hormel Foods provided some of the information for this post.

Real Utensils Instead of Plastic

I have previously shared how my family made the move to cloth napkins for everyday use. My husband was skeptical when I first implemented this idea, but over a year later, it is still working well for us.

Then, late last year, I made the move to using dishes for parties and gatherings, instead of paper plates. This has been working out really well for us. Now that we are in picnic season, I have been pulling out the plastic plates from our cupboards for the kids to use - I just feel that they are even more drop proof.

Plastic ware had some challenges for me. We always seemed to use the plastic ware at different rates. I generally would purchase the bulk packs at the warehouse club to get the best value on plastic utensils, but with the uneven use, I found myself having to pay more to get a box with a single type of utensil. As a result, it seemed that before every party, there was always the question of do we need to run out and pick some up - will we run out part way through the weekend, or do we have enough. I was always worried (just because I am me) when I had to pick up something new and the plastic ware didn't match.

(my party silverware in my organizer basket for party use)
Well, a few months ago, I finally made the move to real utensils for parties and gatherings. I was able to get 36 place settings of forks, spoons and knives at Sam's Club for under $30. To help keep it together for storage, I picked up a stacked organizer at Target for under $10 (I don't remember exactly how much).

I can't calculate (well, I actually probably could - but won't) how much we have/will save by not purchasing plastic for all of our events, but I know that in the long run, it will be a net cost savings and it certainly has simplified life around parties and gatherings.

That Works for Me.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Paper Plates No More

Lately, I've been trying to be both a little more green and save some money. A while back, we made the move to cloth napkins. This has been going very well for us. We still use paper napkins on occasion at dinner or lunch, but generally, we are using the cloth napkins. My husband was uncertain that it would work, but with nearly daily laundry, we rarely are without napkins in our napkin basket.

After my son's birthday party, I identified another opportunity to save money and be a little more green. Paper Plates. (Although, really, most of them are other materials, I just still think of them as paper plates.) Purchasing disposable plates was an infrequent expense since we bought larger packages of plates, but a still something that we used regularly enough for the assorted picnics, parties and more.

I will not question that using a paper plate is simple and easy. But, when I think about the number of plates that we purchase, use and dispose of, it really can start to add up. Here are some of what I saw as the pros and cons:

Pros
Save money over time
Easier to store
Better for the environment
Always have on hand, don’t have to remember to buy before the next picnic/party/gathering
More durable/less flimsy when serving heavy or wet foods

Cons
Initial outlay to purchase reusable plates
Have to wash (but I have a dishwasher)
May not have enough if the crowd is large
Have to replace any that are broken

I struggled to find what I was looking for. I knew that I wanted something that was reasonably lightweight, making them easier to use and store, and something that was durable.

At first, I thought that I would try to go with plastic or melamine for the plates. The problem I was finding is that they were all expensive. One of my goals was to save money by moving to reusable plates that I could use for feeding a crowd, spending the type of money that I would have to to buy these was not going to be a savings. I decided to keep looking and hope for a clearance sale.

While visiting my brother's house after a family wedding, I noticed that he was using some of my old Corelle bowls that I had given him when he graduated college and I was getting married. The bowls had been part of a set and I remembered how the plates were durable and reasonably thin and lightweight.

Then, after my Kraft Homestyle House Party back in September, I found myself with some coupons for the Pyrex store, which also carries Corelle dishes. We have a store at the local outlet mall, so I made a trip to the store. They had stacks of plain beige on clearance. It turns out that it was a color they were discontinuing - who discontinues beige? I had about five coupons that were each good for one item, so I walked up to the register to ask if I could use all of the coupons in one transaction or if I had to break it up. She said that she could use them all in one transaction. The clearance stickers on them were all different prices, but she charged me at the lowest price for all of them. When she rang up the coupon, she wound up taking the discount on not just five items, but all of my plates. I purchased 24 plates and 4 bowls (the bowls are for everyday use - they are the perfect size for oatmeal and ice cream) for just under $40, plus tax.

Understandably, it will take me a few picnics and parties to recoup my cost, but every time we use them, we are throwing away that many fewer plates. After a few events, we will start to save money. Plus, since we frequently have a weekend full of guests when we do have a party, they will get multiple uses on a single weekend.

Do I think I am completely done with disposable plates? No. I still think that I will purchase cake plates to coincide with the themes at our birthday parties. But, overall, I will purchase and use a lot less paper plates. I also think that I will try to pick up a few more plates over time. I just didn't want to spend anymore than I did and 24 should be enough to get me through most events that we have. Plus, I still have my everyday dishes if I need a couple more.

My next goal in an effort to live green and save money - find silverware for using at the picnics and parties. I got the idea from a friend who has a large tin full of silverware that she uses exclusively for gatherings. It would be nice not to have to worry about purchasing all of that plastic cutlery. So far, what I have found is a little more expensive than I want. Part of my challenge is that I pretty much just want the components of a three piece set, but I need service for 24.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.

Moving to Cloth

For months now, I have been reading posts about people that have eliminated the use of paper towels and napkins from their homes. I didn't think it was something that we could do, but I did believe we could certainly reduce our reliance on paper in the kitchen areas.

I brought the idea of moving to cloth napkins up to my husband. He was not convinced that it was a good idea. He wasn't convinced that it would save us that much. First, we would have to purchase the cloth napkins. Second, he was concerned that it would create a lot of extra laundry and that there wouldn't be napkins available because they would be in the wash.

I thought it was possible and figured the best way to find out was to jump in with both feet, so I started scanning post holiday clearance sales for beige cloth napkins. I was only able to come up with 4 napkins, which would not be enough. Then when my husband was shopping the local Kmart that is going out of business, he was able to pick up a total of 8 more napkins.

I washed them up and put them in our napkin holder. I had to fold them in thirds and thirds so that they would fit. There are still paper napkins underneath, just in case we need them, but we have been using just (mostly) the cloth napkins for almost two months now. It really has been easy. My husband still isn't a big fan, but he uses them. Since I already do laundry almost daily, there really hasn't been a time where we were without napkins and since they are small and most days we only have one meal a day at home, it really hasn't increased the amount of laundry that we do. The 12 napkins that we have is working fine for us, but I will watch for clearance deals and maybe pick up a few more.

It has been a small step, but a good one for saving money and the environment. Next step, try to start using old washcloths for cleaning and dusting. I think that will be a harder one for me to fully sell - my husband uses paper towels to clean everything (love that he cleans!), but I grew up using dust cloths and wash cloths for cleaning.

This post shared at Frugal Friday.