June is FREE Month!

To celebrate our summer-time freedom, I thought June would be a great month to go FREE!

Paper-free to be more specific. This month will challenge us to ditch all the extra paper we use daily. Less paper in = Less paper OUT!

I will be addressing some (*ahem*) more extreme methods of losing the paper...feel free to skim over those or embrace them whole-heartedly!

There are a few key areas to address when going paper-free. Let's get started!
*Bills, bills, bills...we hate getting these in the mail anyway so why have them sent snail mail? Nearly all service providers & credit card companies offer FREE paper-free billing so start signing up today! Some companies are offering a billing discount if you sign-up because you are saving them postage costs as well.
TIP: Create a new email account solely for bills/business type correspondance and check in at a regularly scheduled interval. Go all out and schedule automatic payments and save yourself some time responding to those bills!

*Printer paper...Hopefully, you are a little bit better than me about NOT printing out ever little thing that you think you might need to actually carry with you. This is one reason that I love laptops and especially internet-accessible phones! Many times I have directions or recipes that someone has emailed to me and I feel compelled to print away...I have been trying to re-use printer paper as much as possible and re-format my printables so that more than one thing can fit per page. I would love more tips on how to economize on the printer paper!

*Paper Products...The easiest ones to get rid of are paper towels and napkins. Simply replace with regular household cleaning cloths and or cut up some old t-shirts/baby blankets/sheets/etc...to make your own! If you have already done this step you are ready to move on...

Next, what about all those pesky tissues that you need to keep buying and tossing? How about trying it the old-fashioned way with handkerchiefs? Make sure your family members hankies are color-coded (or something similar) and use this thrifty, resourceful option instead! Wash these in hot with a few drops of tea tree oil along with your regular detergent to clean and disinfect. Moving right along...

Once you have freed yourself of all those paper products, what about giving cloth diapering a try? Why throw all that money into a landfill? Check out Jillian's Drawers for a fantastic tester package filled with all the major types of cloth diapers (not all brands are included) risk-free! (Well, there is a $10 program fee, but much cheaper & easier than scouring the internet & ordering the different dipes one by one.) Definitely take the plunge and test some cloth wipes as well! Right-o...here we go...

Now that your baby is not wearing a paper diaper anymore, why are you? Test out some fantastic mama cloth! (I have not had the opportunity to "test-drive" mama cloth as I have had no "reason" to basically since August 2005...well, there was that one chance back in October 2007....) If you are interested in another type of "containment" device...check out the Diva Cup. Some additional benefits (other than environmental) to these products are anecdotal reports of shorter, lighter cycles with less cramping. WOOHOO! Sounds good to me...

Finally, if you really want to go paper-free...check out some family cloth. Doesn't that just sound better than "toilet paper"? I have heard many, many different ways to take this plunge and just honestly cannot quite make the leap.I have also seen recommendations to color-code each family members product. One of the best suggestions I have heard was to use it mainly for girly wiping (i.e. #1) and to continue to use regular t.p for everything else (i.e #2) followed by the "freshening up" with family cloth. Hmmm...whatever works...

(I cannot find a link to someone selling family cloth at the moment although I know I have seen it on Hyena Cart. I will keep looking...let me know if you have one!)

Gro Baby Rave (random)

Here is Grant's cute bootie!

I heard the buzz about Gro Baby and I had to try them. Overall, we LOVE them!

Pros: Very absorbent, organic cotton soaker (we go overnight in them w/o the booster b/c sometimes I forget to stuff it in there)

GORGEOUS shell (we have mandarin and the color is so yummy! I also love the natural color snaps)

Super trim

I love the soft "velcro" part (no scratched up tummies! Love, love, love this! You can customize the fit better than snap dipes, but no red irritation especially if you have tummy sleepers!)

Super quick dry shells!

Cons: The velcro is really sticky and sticks to everything (like GSP fur that is taking over my home. :(

I don't have enough! :(

Here is Evan. Yeah..don't mind "George the Steamroller" in the background...lol!

Get 'em here:

The Natural Baby Co.

No...really...go get them! :)

Paper Towels?

A few months ago, we stopped using paper products in our kitchen to reduce waste (and conveniently save money at the same time!). My dad is a paper towel-aholic so he brings his own roll to my house if he is watching my kiddos for any length of time longer than 5 minutes. (Yeah...I'm working on it...) He left his last roll here in case of any catastrophes.
We had one.

A giant milk spill while all my kitchen towels were spinning happily in the dryer.

Uh oh! I decided to grab the paper towels since they were here for this. exact. reason.

I grabbed one off the roll and headed in to attack the spill. Hahahahahaha!
One paper towel didn't even make a dent in the milk spill...by the time it was over I used a huge handful and was pretty P.O.ed! Seriously, I had been using paper towels for years and I never realized how inefficient they actually are. One of my kitchen towels could have easily cleaned up the milk and lived to tackle more messes. Hmmmmm....

Just a little prelude to June...(June is FREE month!)

Sell-Off Status Update

Craigslisting: Ehhhh...I like it when things sell fast, but I get aggravated if a potential buyer asks 10 million questions and then drops off the face of the earth. All my single baby stuff is gone, but my twin stuff is just sitting there....

Ebay: Gah! I really must say this is not my favorite outlet for selling smaller lots...too many fees and rigamorale...

Yard Sale: Well, I am still trying to determine my pricing strategy for the yard sale. I typically like to price things a bit higher and then immediately mark them down (can you tell I spent many years working retail?), but I am not sure how that will work with a yard sale? I am counting on people trying to make offers though so I do think I will price a bit on the higher side...any suggestions?

I haven't tried out Consignment selling, but I wanted to add 2 other selling venues for baby/mama gear (and some other stuff too!):

Diaper Swappers

Spots' Corner

Both of these sites allow you to sell items that you are no longer using to mamas that may need them. You would want to save these sites for gently used clothing/shoes/maternity items b/c they would need to be shipped. (ummm....I won't tell you how this is working out for me... ...I'll just say try to post your items and run without looking at anything else!)

Let me know your status!

Craigslisting Craziness!!

Okay..you caught me! It's true...I am a huge blog slacker...it seems whenever I actually think about what I want to write I can't get anywhere close to the computer, but on days when I have nothing to say I seem to have unlimited computer time. Ugh!

I promise to TRY to do better.

Anyway, by now you should have had plenty of time to organize your stuff. Unless of course you are blessed to have a hubby that collects crap (oops, I mean stuff!). If you do, then you might run into a problem. (Or if you collect "stuff" too you might have an even bigger problem!) There are 2 ways to deal with collections:

* If the collection is a genuine, legitimate collection that your spouse (or you!) loves, the best bet is to find a good place to actually DISPLAY the collection. This may seem like going against the BtoB way, but you may actually have to find & purchase (or swap for or barter for or whatever...) a storage unit to keep the display neat and free from tiny, grabbing hands.

*If the collection is made up of "I can't walk past the $5 DVD bin at Walmart without grabbing at least 5 DVDs"...then you can institute the Golden Rule. The Golden Rule of BtoB life is: "If one comes in, one goes out!" That means for each new addition to the DVD collection, one DVD needs to find a new loving home. This rule requires you & your family to really think about whether or not to make a new purchase.

On to the Craigslisting...
*Take great pictures of your gear in an area free from clutter and with good natural light!
*Post your listings on the weekend when lots of people are already in "shopping mode" and most likely just got paid!
*Include as much description as possible for your item...google it (better yet Swagbucks it!) and get the manufacturer's description to copy and paste into your ad.

Another great idea...CONSIGNMENT SALES!
If you don't have time to deal with individually selling items yourself, look around for a nearby consignment shop and have them do the work for you! We do not have any really close in my area so I have not gone this route, but I have heard great raves from other mamas about this method!

Alright mamas, post your craigslisting tips or success stories here!

But I want more babies.........

Yes, it does seem a little silly to think about clearing out any baby gear before you are done having babies. But here are a few things to consider when you are taking inventory of the baby booty (no, not your baby's booty...you know, all their loot!):

*Did it work for you? Did you like to use it or did you spend hours each day cursing it out and wishing you had a different version?

*Does it expire? (This probably only applies to car seats and baby food, but hey, who knows?)

*Will you most likely get good use out of it again? Is is seasonal? Is is likely that one of your own kiddos will actually get to use it again? (Seasonal baby clothes are a tough one to decide what to do with...basically, you need to have another same gender/same season baby to get the best use out of those little-bitties and even then it is a crapshoot! My twins were unable to wear ANY of their older brother's summer gear even though he was born in May and they were born in June.)

*How far apart do you plan to space your kiddos? (One thing I discovered even with only 2 years between my kids is that there was TONS of cool new gear available by the time my 2nd & 3rd were born. Some of it we were easily able to bypass, but some of it was just callling our names. By purchasing it from craigslist and keeping it clean and resellable, we were able to have some of the best new gear only while we needed it for a fraction of the cost.)

Want to keep it, but don't have enough space?

What about lending it out? Be sure to set very clear, firm ground rules before lending out any items including a return date (even if you don't really know when you'll need it again). Explain you would like the item returned in the same condition it was lent out in (although it may not come back perfect...if this expectation is in place it will encourage the borrowing mama to be a little more careful with your gear) Be careful who you lend to. A good rule of thumb is if you would trust them to babysit you can trust them with your stuff! Keep track of who has what either on your computer or in a notebook.

**If you want to "lend" out clothing, go for it! Just don't expect to get any particular pieces back and you will probably be happily surprised with the outcome!**

Any other ideas about what to do with all this stuff, mamas?

May Challenge: SELL OFF

For our first challenge, I thought it would be appropriate to try and make some $$ to start us off on the right foot! (Yeah...yeah...I know it isn't technically May yet, but I thought I should give us a little head start.)

May is SELL OFF Month!

*Week One: ORGANIZE THOSE TREASURES!! As you decide what items are getting the boot from your valuable space divide them into FIVE CATEGORIES.

1. Craigslist~This is where you should put firmly priced items that are large/awkward/difficult to ship. No local craigslist? Is there one nearby that you could make arrangements to meet with buyers on a predetermined date to sell your goodies? You can put the pickup date right in your ad to limit interest only to those that can meet your schedule. (Note: Please carefully read the craigslist guidelines before posting your ad or it may be flagged.)

2. Ebay~This is where you should put easy-to-ship, high interest items. CDs, DVDs, video games, children's clothing & shoes, and maternity clothing are all great items for this category.


3. Yard Sale~ This is great place for books, smaller kid's toys, all those weird candleholders your MIL gets you each Christmas... (Can't host a yard sale at your house? What about teaming up with a friend, family member, or co-worker and having it at their home?)

4. Freecycle/Goodwill~ Have some stuff that you aren't sure you can sell, but don't want it to wind up in a landfill? Try Freecycle. (Now this isn't where you try to unload broken beyond repair items, but I believe that you can offer "fixer" items on here if you clearly describe the problems. Check the rules of your local Freecycle before posting. This is also a good place to offer up things that didn't sell at your yard sale!) Don't want to mess around with people picking up? Drop off your good used condition items at your local Goodwill. (Don't forget to keep a record of your donation because it is tax deductible!)

5. Repurpose/Recyling Bin/Trash~I wish there was a way to avoid this category, but in reality you may have some things that just cannot find another home.
This is obviously not the place for things you simply don't want around anymore, but if it is broken beyond recognition or otherwise unusable this might be the right spot. If possible, take items apart and recycle or reuse parts of them and try and keep your trash bag as empty as possible. For example, have some super stained t-shirts that are unwearable? Cut them up for great cleaning rags! Have some damaged children's picture books that are missing some pages? Cut out and "laminate" the remaining pages using clear contact paper and use them as cute placemats! (They can be used to create great artwork for your child's room as well!)

TIPS:
**Don't think you have anything to sell? I didn't think I did either until I made several hundred dollars selling things I wasn't using daily. Look around at the things you use less frequently and ask yourself if you already have another item that could serve that purpose. If the answer is yes, SELL IT!

**As you organize your stuff, keep a running price list either on your computer or in a notebook so you aren't creating double work.

Introduction

Welcome! This blog is intended to be a friendly place for those that are new to the "Back to Basics' lifestyle. I will use it to host the monthly/weekly challenges designed to help us all save $$ and lessen our negative impact on the environment. Each month will be a separate challenge with weekly goals. (If you are already living the dream, we value your input and tips, but please remember that this blog is designed for NEWBIES and we are taking baby steps! ;-) )

Disclaimer: By completing these challenges you will NOT wind up living in the woods, building your own log cabin from freshly felled logs, using a stream as your only source of running water, and trapping your own game with handmade traps. You WILL hopefully have a less cluttered home and mind and save some $$ on your utilities, groceries, and entertainment!