HERE'S SOME IDEAS FOR YOU - ECONOMICS OF A HOLIDAY SEASON - KEEPING THE SPIRIT WITHOUT SPENDING

We had a small traditional Thanksgiving feast, laid back, and let "Black Friday" and other sales events go by without a purchase.  That's because we're on a budget and committed to keeping the spirit of the Holidays alive while staying on that budget.  We're committed to spending our money wisely, recycling, giving away things we don't need (without a tax deduction), being innovative and creative. 

We don't think that a Christmas Tree piled high with gifts is important.  In fact, this year we will decorate without a Christmas Tree.  The drought has raised prices on real ones and we will not buy a fake one; they're bad for our economy and not biodegradeable.

Here are some ideas for you:

Instead of buying Christmas stockings (they get bigger every year) go traditional and put out one knee sock or one shoe.

Use old Christmas cards again by using them hung on string in windows, cut them to make your own present-tags, or use them to make tree ornaments.

Use old Christmas wrap again.  Cut out the ripped, taped, or worn out parts and wrap smaller gifts with it.

Use fabric scraps or scarves for gift wrap.

Don't buy a tree.  There is no reason that gifts must be under a tree.

Ornaments can be shown off and appreciated by placing them in bowls for the table.

Pull out old, ethnic recipes, and give things like casseroles that can be frozen and thawed out for meals, as gifts.  (Call ahead and tell the person that's what you're giving them to be sure they will appreciate it and have room in their freezer.  Reuse the small #5 Plastic containers from store bought frozen meals for smaller portions.)

Have a "misfit" toy party.  You and your children's friends wrap a toy they used but which is in good condition that they are through with, bake a cake, and have the kids grab bag the toys.

Don't forget about caroling; cheering up others by appearing at their door with song is still a great gift... go by the nearest Assisted Living place in your neighborhood.  Last time we did this people cried "You remembered us!"

MAKING A FALL DOOR WREATH INEXPENSIVELY

We're making a fall wreath and all we bought was the wheat circle, which we found at a thrift shop for 75 cents. 

We have some glue sticks and a hot glue gun, purchase before we were so committed to buying in the USA, it's made in China, as are the sticks.  When we run out of glue sticks we'll see if we can locate any made in the USA. 

We decided to keep to our budget and start picking up seed pods and dry leaves and branches, whatever looks interesting, when we take our dog for a walk.  Now we have pine cones and so much else to glue to our wreath at no cost to us and we're getting our exercise too!

You might make a wreath using pop bottle tops or other items that are already bought when you bought the pop or whatever.  Corks from wine bottles and spools from thread can be used again as art materials.

Inexpensive or free items that can be recycled are art materials you can use to make so many crafty projects!

Don't forget to buy a pumpkin for Halloween that can be eaten.  Toast the seeds for snacking!

At Christmas buy a tree with roots that can be planted and skip the polluting bonfire!

MAKE YOUR OWN GROCERY CARRY BAGS RATHER THAN PLASTIC OR STORE BAGS MADE IN CHINA

Shame on Ralphs, Food For Less, (The Kroger Company), and all those other stores that are being forced by laws or who want to slow the use of PLASTIC BAGS! They are selling us junk for a buck or more, and so far I haven't found one that was MADE IN THE USA.

SHOW ME a Grocery or Shopping Bag substitute that is MADE IN THE UNITED STATES! I want to preserve manufacturing jobs and this economy as well as this ecology!

SHOW ME a Grocery or Shopping Bag that really LASTS, that can be used over and over again without breaking!

RECYCLE ! A THRIFTY HABIT TO GET INTO NOW

This morning I saw a crowd around the closest recycling center. Seems that due to finances, more people are recycling - and that includes dumpster diving and otherwise picking up bottles and cans that one did not purchase beverages in, in the first place.

RECYCLING is a HABIT to get into because it is also GOOD FOR THE ECOLOGY!

And check out some of the new plastic bottles like that of DASANI WATER, a product of the Coca-Cola Company that uses PLANT-BOTTLE TM technology; 30 percent of this plastic is from plants!

SUMMER - SCHOOLS OUT and VACATION IS DUE

Though we know that in some places there are YEAR ROUND SCHOOLS, for most of us summer is the time to have a vacation from school and maybe go on vacation away from where we live.

Depending on where you live and what your budget is, remember LOCAL PLACES and PLEASURES.

For others giving through short term volunteer work is the key and with all the natural disasters taking place in the USA - Nashville ? - this may be part of a clean up effort or RECYCLING EFFORT!

KROGER COMPANY's RALPHS selling RECYCLED BAGS MADE IN CHINA

Recently I made a purchase at Ralph's Grocery company of some organic plastic bottled drinks. The offer was a steep discount on the bottled drinks with a Ralph's Grocery card - more than a dollar off per bottle - as well as the gift of a Ralphy's grocery bag subsititue for plastic throw aways if you bought five of them. The problem was that this bag is MADE IN CHINA, imported by a company called "EarthSound" (Which sounds very earthy!) which is found at www.intramericanproducts.com (no mention of Asia on that .com). I don't know how these two products were teamed up, but Kroger company owns Ralphs as well as Food For Less, and with that kind of buying power, you would think they could come up with a MADE IN THE USA resource!

FREECYCLE.ORG has 7 million members who want to...

....turn over the things they don't want to own anymore and don't want to throw away either!

It's a WIN-WIN SITUATION. For you. For them. For the ecology... And the economy!

"Welcome! The Freecycle Network™ is made up of 4,859 groups with 6,795,000 members across the globe. It's a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It's all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills."

PAPER or PLASTIC ? ECONOMY or ECOLOGY

ECONOMY or ECOLOGY ?

Today many stores are offering a recycled bag alternative for your purchases, as an alternative to going out the door with paper or plastic grocery and other bags.

Which should you use?

First of all, PAPER BAGS are far more biodegradable than PLASTIC BAGS. However, the recycled bag alternative may actually not be made of recycled materials itself and is probably not made in the United States. The ones of a fiberous looking material, I find, do not hold up for long and I wonder just how many plastic bags I didn't use because I load groceries in plastic bags into these.

Canvas or other heavy cloth bags that are well sewn to hold weight are a good alternative for carrying things since cotton cloth is also more biodegradable than plastic and washable.

FIND A HEAVY CANVAS BAG THAT IS ALSO MADE IN THE UNITED STATES and you've done the best you can for our economy and our ecology...

Patriotic Purchase