Yup, they’re all a thing, but if you’re a die hard, dark green eco-warrior like me you don’t care because every day is a celebration of the big blue and green mama. In this house it’s AEAYR (All Earth All Year Round), but this time of the year is definitely my favorite. Spring is springing, the flowers and gardens are blooming, and this is when everyone pays a little extra attention to the Earth.

So without further ado (or “a-dew” if you tend to be a bit punny) it’s time to send out the email with all my favorite companies that are celebrating Mama Earth with some awesome specials and discount, it’s my way to help out the green and save you some green at the same time. Feel free to check out last year’s Earth Day article HERE, which was chock full of companies that in my opinion were very AEAYR-worthy.

This year I’m doing my best to live a more minimalistic life and buying less, and I wanted to share with you 20 ways to celebrate that cost either no money or very little. I am forever grateful for all of you…my amazing, fantastic readers and I try to give you links when I can but since you live all over the world I suggest you use your favorite, trusty search engine to find places near you (Ask Jeeves isn’t going to work for everyone). There’s also a TON of great non-profit organizations that are doing fantastic work so I urged you to go local.

For 2023 I’m taking a more minimalistic path, but it’s still paved a lovely shade of green. Won’t you join me?

Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

1. Donate gently used clothes you don’t wear or have outgrown to a local organization. Many have bins so you can easily drop them off.
2. Participate in a beach/park/town cleanup.
3. Check out your local farmers market, support local businesses and reduce your carbon footprint.
4. Check out your local library and sign up for a card. Libraries have ditched the confusing card catalog and offer so much more now, even online. Mine offers movies, events, and even free tickets to local museums saving me money.
5. This is it! This is the year you’re going to turn off lights when you’re not in the room, turn off the water while brushing your teeth and only run the washing machine and dishwasher when it’s full.
6. Clean out one junk drawer.
7. Get outside and take a walk or ride your bike. Want a great idea to get walking every day? Find a local animal shelter and donate your time to walk a dog. Great way to keep yourself accountable to walking every day and you get time in the great outdoors. And if you’re already a pet-parent then take them on an extra walk, you’ll both appreciate it.
8. Start composting.
9. Plant a small food garden, herb garden or join a community garden. You don’t need a lot of space. I grew herbs in small planters when I lived in an apartment in Brooklyn and I have friends who grow veggies in planters/pots.
10. Pledge to say no to plastic straws. Use stainless steel straws (be sure to keep them clean) for lemony drinks to save the enamel on your teeth.
11. Regrow kitchen scraps. Click HERE to see how.
12. Make a pledge not to buy anything you don’t NEED for a month.
13. Eat less meat. Try Meatless Monday – there’s tons of great recipes. I love everything from Nora Cooks and first tried meatless meals with the help of Lisa Project Vegan.
14. Unplug your electronics when you’re not using them. Phantom electricity is a real thing.
15. Go paperless. Pay your bills online.
16. Sell your unwanted items on Ebay, Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, Poshmark.
17. Call catalog companies that you don’t use to stop sending them to you. Click HERE if you live in the US and want to stop junk mail.
18. Sign a petition on the Earth Day website.
19. Lower your heat by 1-2 degrees. Raise your air conditioning by 1-2 degrees. You won’t even notice it.
20. Plant a tree with The Canopy Project for as little as $1.

The post Happy Earth Day 2023 appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

So all kidding aside, I didn’t raise my electric usage so how is my cost going through my solar panel-covered roof? Well my friends, after some investigating it turns out that much like my dating failures in the 90s the problem isn’t me…it’s them. Without any notification my electric company just decided to increase their rates.

As you probably know by now I’m a bit of a talker (or typer) so I got on the phone with my electric company to get some answers. The representative I spoke with was an absolute doll who felt bad for me and told me about this hidden gem that’s going to change my life.

T.O.U.

Ever heard of it? Nah, me neither, and I was shocked when she told me.

I asked each member of my family what they thought TOU stood for…

My adoring husband: Take Off Underwear

Dark-humored 17-year old daughter: Tunnels Of the Underworld

Social Media obsessed 15-year old daughter: Thinking Of U

Wrong (but I like where this is going), wrong (would it kill you to watch a comedy?), and so wrong that’s not how you even spell it (but honestly I thought the same thing).

Welcome to the wonderful world of Time Of Use (TOU) Rates. Here on Long Island, my electric company gives me the option to switch to a program where I save money when I use electric from 11pm-6am. It’s like the cost difference between riding the train during peak and off-peak hours.  I can shift my energy use to a time that energy is less expensive giving me a lower rate. I have an electric car (yes it’s a Tesla and yes I feel superior 😉 ) and I already get a rebate if I charge it during 11pm-6am. But with this new program I switched to, those overnight savings are compounded and if I do nothing else differently then I could save up to $500 over the course of a year. It basically costs them less to provide energy in the middle of the night so it ends up being cheaper for the customer.

So your mileage may vary depending on where you live and what plans are available to you but it’s definitely worth looking into. As an eco-warrior (and a night owl) I plan to do my laundry and run my dishwasher during those hours and save even more money. And as a woman who was born somewhere between 1969 and 1971 I have been blessed with the gift of night sweats. Now I don’t feel so guilty about keeping the air conditioning running all night when we sleep. We still save money and I don’t wake up feeling like I went for a night swim. Not sure if your local electric company has this feature, but you should check their website or give them a call. With a little luck maybe in your house TOU will now stand for Time Of Usage and not That Outrageous Utility.

The post I Love T.O.U. appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

It may be hard to believe but on that day in 1990 I couldn’t have cared less about Earth Day or the environment. I was 20 years old and a student at GWU. I cared about the important things in life like getting tickets to the Richard Marx concert, going to see Pretty Woman in the theater and getting home in time to watch that new show called Twin Peaks. My friends and I happened to find ourselves people watching at the Mall (National, not shopping) on a lovely Sunday afternoon in April. We decided to walk around and ended up joining what turned out to be an Earth Day demonstration because…we were 20 and it was a nice way to kill a few hours before going out looking for adventure.

Fast forward to Earth Day 2022, still no Burt Reynolds (because that would be creepy) but I strut around the house like it’s Ellen Day, although let’s be honest, most days are Ellen Days and I really should strut more. I get dressed up, I prance around my house like I won an award and try to do one really big thing to celebrate . About 11 years ago I got solar panels on my roof, 7 years ago I got a hybrid car, 6 years ago I started a food garden, and last year was my favorite…I brought home Tess (my fully electric Tesla). My whole family’s favorite holiday is Halloween, but Earth Day definitely has a special place in my heart. This is the one day every year that I can do my Snoopy dance and scream at the top of my lungs “if loving the Earth is wrong then I don’t want to be right!”, unfortunately my family believes this is one day too many, but you get the idea.

So while it’s not as sexy as a new car, solar panels or even 1990 Burt Reynolds this past year I’ve been embracing minimalism in all of its forms. I’ve been getting rid of toxic people (if you’re reading this then congratulations, you made the cut), simplifying my life and getting rid of stuff I don’t use or love.

However, this Eco-mama does love a good sale, especially an eco-friendly one.  This year Earth Day falls on a Friday so while Green Friday (yes, it’s a thing, look it up) doesn’t come until November, I think there is room enough on the calendar for another Green Friday. If there are already holidays called Count Your Buttons Day and National Crouton Day then the criteria for adding holidays sounds pretty lax.

While I’m not the shopper I once was (think shopping mall and not National Mall) you can get some amazing Earth Day deals and support Earth loving companies.

Your power is in your wallet. My hubby still thinks his is somewhere else, but we’ll save that debate for another day. The math is simple, If we support more eco-friendly companies and stop buying single use plastic, throw away items and boxed products with more packaging than product then we are sending a message. If you demand more eco-friendly shopping then the market will move in that direction. Never in my life would I have imagined a fully electric pickup truck yet almost every automotive company is in a race to be the first. Ford alone has 200,000 pre-orders for an electric pickup truck so the people have spoken.

My goal here is to show you how to go green while saving some green. And if you’d like to give back then send this article to your friends, families, enemies and neighbors and have them subscribe to my newsletter. Whether you’re a fan of Burt Reynolds, Debbie Reynolds or Ryan Reynolds we all like to save some money and we should all be interested in saving the Earth too.

Enjoy your Earth Day and be especially kind to mother Earth today.  And while you’re at it, it wouldn’t kill you to call your mother, you know how she worries. If for no other reason she will probably get a kick out of a Golden Girls and Burt Reynolds reference and she’ll explain who Debbie Reynolds is.

I listed just some of my favorite companies that are celebrating Mama Earth with some specials and wanted to pass the info onto you. Click on the images and it’ll take you right to their site.

Some of the links in the post are affiliate links. For more information see my disclosure policy.

The post Happy Earth Day 2022 appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

1. They’re about half the size of a Top 10 list, so you can finish reading before your legs fall asleep.
2. They give you enough information to be helpful without making you eco-overwhelmed.
3. Let’s be honest, our attention spans aren’t what they used to be. I could explain this further, but you’d probably skip ahead.
4. They force me to prioritize the things I don’t want you to miss instead of dumping ten years of eco-nerd knowledge in your lap.
5. You can jump around and read whatever catches your eye. No guilt. No quizzes afterward.

It’s not like each of the 5 has a DON’T SKIP ME label on it, because that would be cheating. So anyway let’s get down to it…here are my Top 5 ways to go green and save money in your shower.

DON’T SKIP ME #1

Rethink Your Shampoo and Conditioner

You ever been at the bar late at night in your 20s when someone yells “Last Call!” Suddenly your options aren’t nearly as good as they were an hour ago. The same thing happens when you run to the pharmacy ten minutes before they close. You’ll find something that works, but it probably won’t be your first choice. To make your life easier, I did the research for you.  My point is if you want more options then you need to put in some effort.

Option #1: Shampoo and conditioner bars. They seem strange at first because they’re basically bars of soap for your hair, but after a week or two they become completely normal. You realize the bottle of shampoo was all water anyway so why waste space in your shower and all that packaging. I liked the Badger Shampoo Bar.

Option #2: Refillable subscriptions. We use Plaine Products and absolutely love them. They ship shampoo and conditioner in aluminum bottles. When you finish one, swap the pump onto the new bottle, stick the empty back in the original box, slap on the prepaid label and send it back to be cleaned and reused. If subscriptions aren’t your thing, you can simply order replacements whenever you need them.

Option #3: Zero-waste refill stores. Yep, they’re real. Bring your own container, fill it with exactly what you need and head home. It’s one of those ideas that makes you wonder why we weren’t doing this all along.

Option #4:  The DIY route. There are a ton of recipes to make your own. Skip the conditioner and make your own apple cider vinegar rinse (just google that one too). Or you can always reach out to me as I’ve done a lot of the work already. I’d be happy to share some of the recipes that have worked out for me (as well as some that haven’t).

DON’T SKIP ME #2

Drop Your Soap

I haven’t bought soap from a store since 2016! I have a soap dealer, yes you read that right. Years ago I was at a farmer’s market and came across a vendor selling homemade soap. This person was not the creator, just the seller. I had just had a conversation with my husband who swore he’d never leave his favorite green St. Patrick’s Day-themed brand of Leprechaun lather. Long story short, we never purchased green soap again (that’s a whole other story that you can read about here). Now as much as we loved our new soap it was expensive so I took out the middle man. I contacted the creator directly and we made a deal. We meet up (I’m dressed like Carmen Sandiego with dark glasses and I carry a briefcase, she dresses normal), I buy her soap in bulk and she gives me a discount. There’s no chemicals, it’s locally made, no shipping charges and lowers my impact on the environment. Biggest bonus…I’m supporting a local business and I know what’s in it. But if you can’t seem to find your own soap dealer there are tons of toxic free options on Etsy. Just be careful. My soap dealer says to make sure you read the ingredients (if they don’t list them then don’t buy it).

DON’T SKIP ME #3

Trade Razor Burn for a Safety Razor

Our shower caddy used to have at least 2-3 plastic razors in it, pink for me and blue for him. It looked like a goth gender reveal party and it was really just a lot of crappy plastic that we were paying for. Over the years we dumped the disposables and opted for buying the razor handles with the detachable heads, we were on the right track but still a lot of wasted material. Fortunately there is an even eco-friendlier option regaining some popularity. When I was a kid medicine cabinets had razor blade slots where you would toss used blades into an abyss. This was really just a hole in the wall where they would pile up. I’m not saying this is an excellent idea, especially for the contractor who finds the surprise when redoing your 1960s bathroom, BUT the old fashioned safety razor is making a comeback. It’s plastic free, sturdy (seriously this might be the one and only razor you use for the rest of your life), has steel recyclable blades and is WAY better for the environment. I have a test subject in mind (let’s call him husband) so be on the lookout for an article about that experience in the near future. Bonus option…if you’re an eco-loving, hairy crazy woman like me you can ditch the razors and shaving cream forever and go for laser hair removal. Warning – it’s EXPENSIVE but seriously it’s the best. I shave maybe once or twice a year. I figured with waxing, buying razors and shaving cream I’ll end up saving money over my lifetime.

DON’T SKIP ME #4

Low Flow Is Good to Go

I’ve been talking about low-flow shower heads for years. When low flow shower heads first came out all I heard was you’ll lose all your water pressure. Not sure what changed but they’ve come a long way and I have zero complaints about mine. My hubby loves all the different spray modes, they’re super easy to install, and they save both water and money. Here’s one of my picks to get you started. Bonus idea…you can get a Berkey shower filter to attach to make sure you’re bathing with clean, chemical free water.

DON’T SKIP ME #5

A Better Option Than Paper or Plastic

I first learned about soap bags when I cheated on my soap lady and ordered this bar of soap that caught my eye. It came with a soap bag. I thought it was just for packaging, but turns out it’s great for exfoliation and foaming up. It dries in between showers keeping it from disintegrating which also saves you money. When your soap bar gets super small it won’t matter because it’s in the bag and won’t keep falling out of your hands (which means one less thing rolling around your shower floor). So if you don’t want to be feeling around on the wet shower floor with your eyes squinted shut like Velma looking for her glasses (Scooby Dooby Doo!) then you should definitely check these out. They sell tons of them on Etsy and Amazon (like this one) and if you buy a good one, you can wash it and use it for a really, really, really long time.

I should point out, my husband made his own Top 5 Shower list for me. It went about as you’d expect.

It came as no surprise that every single suggestion somehow involved showering with me.

I chose not to publish his version.

You’re welcome.

The post Top 5 Ways to Go Green and Save Money in Your Shower appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

But…there’s one song that always makes me sing along (out of key) and get up and move (usually like Carlton from the Fresh Prince). We always called it “The September Song”.

Do you remember, 21st night of September?

Love was changing the mind of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

 That’s right, my go-to jam (which no wedding is complete without) is September by Earth Wind and Fire. Sure, it’s not Piano Man or Captain Jack, but I might just love it the most.  September was always my favorite month for a number of reasons. It was my birthday month (where my Libras at?!), all my TV shows came back, school started up again (super-nerd), and fall clothes shopping was the highlight of the year for me. I always hated the heat, never worshipped the sun, and my Sassoon jeans and Benetton sweater collection was on point.

But now that I’m older, I’ve cut the cable-cord and watch Netflix and Hulu whenever I want, school shopping has become dragging 2 complaining kids from store to store, and September is the dreaded month where my heating bills may start up again.  In short, September has lost some of its luster for me.

So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to my new favorite month…April. Why April?  Is it the sunshine? Seasonal allergies? Start of baseball season?

Nope! It’s Earth Month.

Come on, how long have you all been reading my blog?  You knew Earth Day was coming at some point!

So as you may already know, Earth Day is April 22^nd, but thankfully with all the renewed interest in climate change one day has turned into a MONTH-LONG quest to kick people in the ass to make changes to help heal Mother Earth.

Earth Day in my house is a huge deal all year round, but in April we go BIG.

• One year was putting 47 glorious, heat loving, solar panels on our roof.
• Another year, I said goodbye to my gas guzzling SUV and got a hybrid (twice).
• Another year was the birth of my raised organic food garden.
• Another year we got a rain barrel.

Sure, radical BIG changes are great, but lots of little changes are great too. One person putting solar panels on their roof is certainly awesome, but thousands of people turning off the lights when they leave a room can have an even bigger impact. One thing I’ve always taught my girls is sometimes a little bit of effort can do more than spending a lot of money.  Little changes can make a big impact when we all work together.

So this April, I’m posting super short Facebook and Instagram videos (no singing, I promise) each day giving you ideas on how you can SAVE MONEY while SAVING THE PLANET. I tend to be a little wordy, so these are short enough to watch while you’re waiting for your coffee to brew.

Make sure you stop by each day this month for your daily tip and later this month learn what I’m doing for Mother Earth this year (hint: it’s HUGE!!)

So while I still love me some Earth, Wind and Fire…right now it’s just about the Earth. My gift to you is a month of tips to help the Earth and to help yourself. And maybe you won’t remember the 21^st night of September, but it’s my job to make damn sure you remember the 22^nd day of April.

The post Goodbye September…Helloooooo April! appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

Here’s one source of plastic I never really thought about until recently…my daily vitamins. Yep, even the mayor of Awesome-town takes her vitamins. I try to stay on top of my Vitamin C, Vitamin D and probiotics. (When my hubby talks about me getting my Vitamin D, he means something completely different…and sadly, it isn’t a daily supplement.)

Much like this weird guy Steve I used to work with, most vitamins come in plastic containers. Please don’t ask how I know Steve came in a plastic container. Some questions are better left unanswered.

Fortunately, I found a win-win with Truvani. It’s a company I already trusted, but what really caught my attention was that their vitamins come in glass jars instead of plastic. It’s a small change, but those little choices add up over time. Saving the planet doesn’t always mean installing solar panels or buying an electric car. Sometimes it’s as simple as choosing the glass jar instead of the plastic one.

So this Earth Day I’m saying no to plastic, hell no to Steve, and yes to Mother Earth.

💰 Save Money. 🌎 Save the Earth. 😀 Save Yourself.

The post Plastic ain’t Fantastic appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.

It’s here! It’s here! No, this level of excitement isn’t about hump day or as I like to call it “Inappropriate Mortician” day but that’s moderately exciting too (Yawn)!

I get more excited about this one day than just about anything else on the calendar.  Today is EARTH DAY, mother fuckers! (And father fuckers too. Everyone’s welcome.)

My whole family loves Halloween, but Earth Day is my holiday.   This is the one day every year that I can do my Snoopy dance and scream at the top of my lungs “if loving the Earth is wrong than I don’t want to be right!” and only get a minimal amount of funny looks.

Another great thing about Earth Day, it’s like Black Friday for the eco-friendly…that’s right GREEN WEDNESDAY!! You may have heard of Green Wednesday before and it was probably associated with a different cause but what I’m focused on is I get to order all the most expensive shit I drool over all year on this one day because these eco-friendly companies offer Earth Day coupon codes.  These are companies that rarely offer coupons or discounts on anything so it’s time to check out some of the fine products you’ve heard me talk about or maybe something “Earthy” you’ve been eyeing all on your own.

Even Google loves Earth Day, so I’m not going to focus this article on going green but on saving your green.  That’s right, I’m embracing Green Wednesday and I’ve added some of my favorite sites below. Click on the images and it’ll take you right to their site.

Enjoy your Earth Day and be especially kind to mother Earth today.  And while you’re at it, call your mother and wish her a happy Earth Day, she’s your mom for crying out loud!!

My fandom of these sites is based solely on my opinion. Others may have a different opinion or experience. I did not receive any compensation – I buy their products with my own cold, hard cash.

The post Happy Earth Day 2015 appeared first on Living Clean and Dirty.