25 MORE Ideas for a Simpler, Greener, More Intentional Christmas

I really connected with Kelly from Imperfect Homemaking's post 75 Ideas for a Simpler, Greener, More Intentional Christmas.. After all, that is the exact focus of my blog. 

Living a simpler, more intentional, and green life. 
So I decided to add a few more things that we are planning to do this Christmas (on top of dozens listed on her list).

1. Have your kids decorate their own wrapping paper 
2. Take a little extra time to write out your Christmas greeting cards by hand - it's more personal
3. Listen to Christmas music for free on Pandora.com
4. Use last years decorations instead of buying new ones 
5. For every new toy your kids receive, teach them to donate an old toy to church or a thrift store. Or even better - donate the brand new one!
6. Remember the True Meaning of Christmas
7. Decorate with less snowmen, nutcrackers, and Santas and more nativity scenes
8. Use a shovel to clear your driveway instead of your snow plow - and enjoy the exercise!
9. Enjoy the ambiance of candle light
10. Ask your family not to buy any gifts - and if they insist ask if they'll donate it to your favorite charity or shelter
11. Do NOT go to Target!
12. Create a "Countdown to Christmas" paper link chain - and let your kids tear off (and recycle) one each morning
13. Drive to visit family... even the ones you don't care for
14. Decorate a house plant as your Christmas Tree
15. Knit or crotchet your own scarf and hat (and some for your kids!)

16. Take your spouse on surprise date... and go sledding!
17. Diffuse cinnamon and peppermint essential oils throughout the day
18. Sit by the window and watch the snow fall

19. Shovel your neighbors sidewalk
20. Share your favorite memories and Christmas traditions from your childhood
21. Have a Charlie Brown or felt Christmas Tree

22. Host a potluck with friends
23. Have a cookie decorating party
24. Fill stockings with healthy homemade snacks, new socks, and personal letter instead of pointless little toys and unnecessary candy
25. Read the Christmas story from the Bible before opening any presents on Christmas morning

Linking up with Simple Living Thursdays, Life As Mom, and the Barn Hop!

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity & contentment. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to future posts!

Tips for Reducing Your Waste (Part IV): Composting

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This post is linked up with The Prairie Homestead for Homestead Barn Hop.

This is Part 4 of the Tips for Reducing Your Waste series! Don't forget to check out Part 1: Conscious Shopping, Part 2: Recycling & Repurposing, and Part 3: Donating!

Part 4: Composting 

Let me preface by saying I am in no way an expert composter. In fact, I should have had Tommy write this post because he's read several books on composting. But my main purpose of this post is to show the general how-to and why we began composting

If you talk to any major gardener or farmer they will tell you the benefits of composting are the rich, nutrient-filled soil it creates to help feed your crops.

At the moment, we do not use our compost. We simply have it set aside to decompose and then disperse it in the woods. My primary reason to begin composting was to reduce our waste production. I was actually inspired by a post on Young House Love and decided it was the next step in my waste-reducing-life.

What can you compost?

Honestly, just as I talked about in my recycling post, you'd be amazed at how many things are compost-able! The most common contents of our compost pile include:

• Banana peels 
• Coffee grounds
• Use tea bags
• Egg shells (read: we over 3 dozen eggs a week in our house)
• Apple cores
• Peeled potato skins
• Vegetable scraps (broccoli stems, celery ends, etc.)
• Peanut shells

There are literally dozens of other things we COULD be composting (such as toilet paper rolls, used matches, and stale bread) but we're still new and our space is limited so some things are just easier continuing to recycling or toss out. 

The System

In our kitchen, we have an old bucket to throw our compost fixings in throughout the day. My original plan was that I'd take it out to our DIY compost bin every few days as necessary.

Our Lovely Indoor Composting Bucket

DIY Compost Bin

However, it turns out when your house is eating 2-4 bananas and 5-7 eggs everyday, a tiny bin fills up reeeeally quickly.

As in after only a week of composting it was obvious that we needed to create an actual pile for all this goodness...

(Don't freak out. It's just scraps and dirt.)

Thankfully, my YHL had the solution and we upgraded our baby compost bin to a much more spacious spot. (The added bonus is that we can now have enough space to add our grass clippings and turn the pile which helps to speed up the decomposing process.)

Evelyn helped me build it. (And this is before I threw are old food scraps in there I promise!)

What I've learned while composting

• If you want to use it for a garden, there really is a science to it. Our ultimate goal is to be able to use the compost; I'd love to have twice as big of an area to be able to add even more scraps/worms/turning potential to make optimal planting soil
• If you don't add dairy products, have your bin ventilated or have an open pile, there actually isn't much smell (thank goodness)
• Animals love compost. Thankfully for us it's not an issue as we're on a few acres and our pile isn't too close to our house, but I've definitely interrupted a raccoon's lunch once or twice... If you live on a small lot, definitely read about how to properly secure your bin to avoid pests
• Like recycling, it just becomes a habit. Sometimes I feel awkward when I'm cooking somewhere other than home and I have scraps but no where to put them. I've almost considered bringing a doggy bag and bringing them home versus throwing them away... 
• Overall, I would estimate that composting has decreased our waste output by 30%.  Recycling is still our biggest waste reducer (easily 50%+), but composting comes in a close second (and if we composted some of our recyclables - they would be neck and neck).

What does your composting system consist of? Do you have any tips for creating garden compost?

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12

God Bless!

Tips for Reducing Your Waste (Part III): Donating

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This is Part 3 of the Tips for Reducing Your Waste series! Don't forget to check out Part 1 and Part 2!

Part 3: Donating 

One of my favorite blogs The Year of Less wrote an inspiring post recently about Choosing a Better Thrift Store.

I'll let you read the full post, but to summarize: She spoke about how in the past whenever she was clearing out old clothing, decor, and unneeded household items she always took them to the largest donation center because it was the most convenient - but perhaps not the most intentional. 

While reading it, I realized I do the same thing. I love shopping at Goodwill and Salvation Army. They are 5 minutes away, I can drop off my old items as I head in to shop. As I'm typing this I have three trash bags sitting by my door full of baby clothes waiting to be donated.

I know donating may seem like an obvious way to reduce your waste, but I felt sharing this perspective of being intentional about donating was inspiring enough to include it as it's own post in this series.

From now on, I decided I'm going to take our unwanted items to a different donation center.. Not just somewhere to keep it out of a landfill, but somewhere that they can be used by someone who may not be able to shop even at Goodwill.

Be sure to check back for Tips for Reducing Your Waste Part 4: Composting!

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12

God Bless!

Tips for Reducing Your Waste (Part II): Recycling & Repurposing

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This is Part 2 of the Tips for Reducing Your Waste series! Don't forget to check out Part 1!

Part 2: Recycling/Repurposing 

Before I talk about the main topic (Recycling), I want to cover repurposing.
I mentioned in the first post of this series to look for reusable packages when you're shopping.  Reusing and repurposing items is not only a way to keep them out of landfills but also a way to save money on storage containers, craft supplies, and other materials you may have to buy.

A few of my favorite repurpose-able items are:

• Paper bags: Perfect for wrapping paper (if you want to, have your kids color on it first or decorate with cute designs cut out from scrapbook paper)

• Glass jars: Great for storing change, hair supplies (bobbie pins & ties), and leftovers (instead of plastic tupperware)

• Shoe boxes and the like: Storing too-small baby socks (and hats and other accessories), pictures, art supplies

• Lunch meat containers: Add to your tupperware stash or the kid's kitchen set

• Oatmeal containers: Honestly there was a point where these where one of Evelyn's favorite toys. She would stuff as many toys in it as possible, dump them out, and repeat! Hey, whatever works..

If you can't find another use for it. The best next way to reduce your waste is by recycling.

I was initially intimidated by recycling because in the city we lived in at the time we had to clean, sort, and drop off all our recyclables.  It felt like half of our kitchen floor space was taken over by multiple recycling bins!

Even back then though, it was something I was committed to doing and it wasn't long before the scary world of recycling was an everyday habit that I barely noticed.

If you are fortunate enough to live somewhere that the city provides a recycling service like trash service this will be even easier for you!  We aren't required to separate our plastics/metals/glass anymore, but we still have to drop it off to the recycling center ourselves each week.  It's not a huge deal, but it does take slightly more effort than if I could just drag an extra bin to the curb.

Each state (and even city) has a different method of recycling so research what your options are.  You'll need to know:

• Do they have a bin or can you can have picked up at your house?  If not, where is the drop off location?
• Do you have to sort different materials?  Which ones?
• Do they only accept certain materials?  What materials are NOT accepted?

Once you've found the answers to these questions, here are some simple, non-intimidating ways to start your recycling efforts:

Easy Ways to Start Recycling

1. Set up a convenient system

It may be as simple as setting a box in your kitchen or ordering your pick-up bin or can from the city!

In our garage, we have a row of garbage bins for our recycling.  Like I said, we recycle a lot.  And we live in a house with seven people.  You may only need one bin or a box for your family initially (The black containers were $10-20 at Target and Walmart I believe.) 

During the day, I usually pile recyclables on the counter or by the garage door until I have a minute to run out and throw them all in the bin at once.  In the basement, I have a second trash can for recyclables.  I either bring it up when it's full or when I am taking my load to the recycling center each week.  This is a convenient and easy option if you don't have a garage near your kitchen or time to run outside each time you have a piece of paper :)

2. Start with paper products.  Paper products are not only the easiest to recycle (because they don't require rinsing) but they are also the largest form of waste.

Use your designated trash can or box for junk mail, cereal boxes, cardboard egg cartons, paper towel and toilet paper holders, old receipts, church bulletins, old bills and any other products made from paper or cardboard (I recommend shredding any bills/junk mail).

3. Beverage containers.  Here in Michigan, cans and bottles have a deposit on them (meaning you pay more initially then have to return them to the store into a machine and receive $0.10 for each one).  It's not my favorite way to encourage recycling because I hate picking through a sticky bag of old pop cans one by one just for $5 but it is what it is.

If your state doesn't have a deposit system, have a place to throw pop bottles, beer cans, milk jugs, juice containers, water bottles, and any other beverage containers in (if your city doesn't require you separate materials, it can be the same place you throw your paper products!) You will want to rinse these items beforehand.

4. Everything else.  When I started noticing how much less trash we we're creating by just throwing beverage containers and paper into separate bins, I started to question everything before it went into the trash. Could this be recycled?

You'd be amazed at how much CAN be. This website has a great list, include items such as: tin cans, aluminum foil, broken glass, yogurt containers, empty shampoo bottles... 

Many recycling center even accept everything from old TV set, appliances, batteries to bricks and engine oil.

Don't let recycling be overwhelming.

Even just starting with one material like paper makes a huge impact in how much waste you produce AND how much landfill space is saved.

What are your favorite repurposed items at home? If you recycle, what motivated you to start?

Be sure to check back for Tips for Reducing Your Waste Part 3: Donating!

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12

God Bless!

Tips for Reducing Your Waste (Part I): Conscious Shopping

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It wasn't long after Tommy and I were in our first apartment that I realized the incredible amount of trash we were creating.  Maybe it was because I was physically hauling a 10 lb garbage bag down three flights of stairs to the dumpster every other day.

Actually I guarantee that's it. It was disgusting. And I felt like for every 5 lbs of food we ate they was another 5 lbs of packaging getting thrown away after opening it.

I then read that the average American produces over 1,600 lbs of waste each year.  SIXTEEN HUNDRED POUNDS!  That's over 4 lbs of trash each day for each person in your house.

No wonder the dumpster I parked my car next to was always overflowing only 3 days after it was emptied...

I decided I wanted to make an effort to reduce the amount of waste we were producing.  So, this week I am going to spend four days talking about main (and somewhat creative) ways we've dramatically reduced the waste in our home:  Conscious shopping, Recycling/Repurposing, Donating, & Composting.

Part 1: Conscious Shopping

It actually wasn't until I started recycling obsessively that I became a conscious shopper.  Had someone been teaching me, I could have been even more efficient in reducing our trash output even earlier.  But hopefully I'll make up for those extra pounds of garbage by sharing my experience here!


My goal when I am grocery shopping is to buy as few packaged foods as possible - but if you do have to buy something in a package, here are some thing to consider:

1) Is the package reusable?

Glass jars and bottles are easy to wash out a reuse for storing leftovers, dry goods, craft supplies, change, pencils, etc. (more on this tomorrow). Reusable = Not going into a landfill = Good. An added bonus is that they are also less likely to contain harmful chemicals founds in plastics.

2) Is it recyclable? 

If you can't reuse something, the next best option is to recycle it. For example, buy your eggs in a cardboard carton versus styrofoam one (styrofoam is not recyclable). Cardboard is easier to recycle than plastics are, but I'll talk more about recycling tomorrow.

3) Is this the largest size offered?

When possible, buy the biggest package possible for shampoos, cereals, peanut butter, etc. Bigger containers actually use less packaging overall and are typically a better deal price-wise.

Bringing Your Groceries Home

The best option is to convert to reusable grocery bags. They are inexpensive and actually much studier than plastic or paper bags. You can even make Reusable Produce Bags! I know some store actually give a discount if you use your own bags.

If I do forget my reusable bags, I try to use paper instead of plastic. Paper bags can be re-used (perhaps for wrapping paper), recycled, or torn up to decompose in your compost pile - which we'll talk about on day four :)

If you MUST use plastic bags, consider using them as mini-trash bags in your bathroom or returning them to the plastic bag return bin at your grocery store instead of throwing them away.

Do you use reusable grocery bags? What other ways do you reduce your waste by shopping consciously? 

Be sure to check back for Tips for Reducing Your Waste Part II: Recycling/Repurposing!

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12

God Bless!

Freshen Your Bathroom Naturally for Less Than $4 a YEAR!

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Linking up with The Pistachio Project for Simply Natural Saturdays and The Prairie Homestead for Homestead Barn Hop!

As we first began living a more green, eco-friendly, and financially conscious life, I learned pretty quickly that my beloved air fresheners and candles were probably not the safest or affordable way to freshen our home.

I tried buying cheaper candles, but noticed they don't really let off much of a scent.

I don't know the specifics of the science, but it's pretty obvious when you look at the label on any air sprays that they're probably spraying more than just a freshening scent in the air. We don't use store bought cleaning products, so I needed an affordable way to make my bathroom smell clean when it was clean instead of smelling like a pile of dirty cloth diapers... which are stored underneath the sink...

I also didn't want anything that was releasing harmful toxics or anything had a flame that would undoubtably attract my children and result in something that would probably not make my dad, a retired fireman, very proud.

So, I found this tutorial on Pinterest. All you needed was baking soda, a jar, and your favorite essential oil. It took me about 3 minutes AND it looked cute (bonus!)

The baking soda is supposed to "absorb" the orders and the EOs obviously release and enjoyable smell. I was excited! I WAS CRUNCHY!

But, I noticed after only a day it wasn't really the lavender-in-your-face smell I was hoping for anymore. I tried poking more holes in the top, adding more essential oils, even just leaving the top off all together but I still wasn't getting the fill-the-entire-room smell I was hoping for needed. It was more of a stick-your-face-right-by-the-jar smell.

Fast forward two months later

One day I accidentally bought the wrong essential oil from the health food store. I had meant to buy lemon but instead bought a lemon-scented-locally-made-fake-essential-oil-thing. Honestly, I don't know what it's called but it's not for topical or internal use (which I wanted) it's only for scent. I blame my mistake on the fact that the entire time we were in the store I was distracted by Evelyn trying to chuck the glass jar of probiotics at Will's head.

I checked my receipt and sure enough I had only spent $3.75 instead of $43 like most essential oils. I decided to keep it and opened it up. It smelled wonderful. And clean.

Our bathroom was exceptionally stinky that day so I filled one of the sinks with a little bit of warm water and put a few drops in. Ahhhhhh LEMONS!

And it continued to smell like lemons.
Until I let the sink drain that night.
But even then it stayed lemon-y for awhile longer.
And I did it again the next morning.

And that was my solution. I still keep a little jar of baking soda by my diapers (it doesn't really bother me so I figure why not?) but every day I fill up one sink, drop in two drops of my lemon scent and let it sit all day (or until I need the sink.)

If your bathroom only has one sink, I imagine you could also just set a little bowl of water on the counter and drop them in there!

A week or so later I randomly read that Crunchy Betty does something similar. It's been over a month and my lemon essential scent oil is barely empty at all (I'll admit I don't really use it on the weekends or days when we are out and about).

What about you, what are your favorite ways to freshen your bathroom (or home) naturally and affordably?


EDIT: Many of you are asking what the lemon scented oil is called and where to find it. It is an essential oil however the label stated "for fragrance use only". My brand is made locally by our little health foods store. I haven't tried it personally but did find this brand on Amazon which looks like a great option if you are unable to find it somewhere locally!

Thank you following along on our journey to simplicity. Please be sure to learn about our family, like our page on Facebook, and visit the right column to subscribe to our posts :)

"I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

Philippians 4:12

God Bless!