Money, Money, Money

Unsurprisingly everyone is blogging about money. Well, I just wanted to give you an update on our ‘frugal January’, so you’re getting it from me too, horray!

 

Well, I’m happy to tell you we were within our budget this month. We had a few unexpected LARGE pay outs which would have normally meant we would have spent well over our budget but because we really cut down we were still within the budget which is great!

 

So what did we do? Here are some of the things that really helped us save the pennies…

 

Reducing Waste – Net Bags

Rhonda over at Down to Earth recently blogged about reducing throw away waste and it motivated me to continue trying to reduce the stuff that we regularly dispose of.

I was especially inspired by the net bags she has made for holding vegetables, fruit and nuts in shops instead of using the clear plastic, or paper bags.

We generally get recyclable paper bags when we go shopping, but reusable ones are even better!

2009 Resolutions

This time last year I was blogging about my resolutions for 2008. We were still fairly new to the idea of simple living then and my resolutions reflected that. There were big changes to be made and as a result, our eagerness made some of our resolutions a bit naïve.

We’re Back! Happy New Year

We are back from Devon! I will do a proper update of all our news very soon. At the moment I am in a little room with nine other people trying to conserve warmth- apparently it’s -3 outside! That’s eco-friendly for you!

Happy New Year!

Proposal

Our office is probably the best example of a non-ecofriendly work space around. Although it’s a small space we leave both our copiers, all three computers, two printers and a scanner on all the time, even when they aren’t in use.

We are paper eaters too– I don’t even want to think how many trees we consume each year. If the church congregation need to know something, why just tell them once? Instead we could print it out on several different leaflets and drum it in that way. Lights and heaters are left on everywhere too.

 

Reclaim Christmas! Shop less. Live More.

If you know me and you don’t get a Christmas card from me, don’t be offended. I’m not a scrooge, and I don’t hate you either. I just don’t do cards for people that I see at Christmas time.

 

Don’t get me wrong, Christmas cards are a great incentive to pull your finger out and get down to writing all those letters to your far-away friends that you have been putting off for months. Then they are really worthwhile. But why write a card to someone you see every week?

 

To Mabel

Have a great Christmas

from Josh and Rachel.

 

Hmmm, that’s really worth wasting some card for…Did you know that 333,333 trees are used for Christmas cards every year?

If I can see you it seems much more meaningful to give you a hug and wish you a Happy Christmas to your face, rather than handing you a piece of card.

 

So, when you’re sat writing your Christmas cards, think before you write. Am I just doing this for traditions sake?

 

Check out this site for some more ideas on how to reclaim Christmas.

 

Okay rant over… 9 days to go before we are on holiday! Eeeeeeeek!

Aqua Balls Update

So we’ve tried out our new ‘Aqua Balls’ a few times and I’ve been pleasantly surprised actually.

To be honest I wasn’t expecting them to work – especially on stains – but along with the stain remover included it works really well and leaves a pleasant but subtle fragrance. The Bio-D stuff we’ve been using for the last few months really doesn’t smell great so this is a vast improvement!

There are a few other similar options, including Soapnuts, but if the Aqua Balls live up to their claim we should be alright for another 116 washes yet!

Laundry!

Have I already mentioned that we have a new washing machine? I don’t think I have…but we do. It was free too, which is always the best price!

We got it from the Rector and his wife, Stuart and Pru on long loan – it’s great to be able to work through the huge pile of laundry that’s been building up since our last machine broke back in July.

Anyway, we finally decided to try out some ‘Aquaballs’ instead of conventional powder. They cost £15 and are meant to last for 120 washes.

“The Aquaballs clean by releasing ionised oxygen which increases the pH level of the water in your wash and activates the water’s molecules. The molecules then penetrate deep into the fibres of your clothes lifting away dirt without damaging the fabrics.”

Apparently they “are the natural alternative to chemical laundry detergent and softener. You simply throw the balls into your washing machine and clothes are left sparkling clean, fresh and soft without any of the nasty residues of harsh detergents.”

Hmm…I’m still a little bit dubious, but if they work it will be great. I’ll keep you updated.