September 2010

Green Equals Green: Cloth Napkins

Published on September 16, 2010September 27, 2010 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Today is the start of a new series: tips and ideas to help you live a greener life style, while saving some green. Some ideas are super simple to carry out and very cheap (level 1), while others are slightly more difficult, but a knowledgeable DIYer could tackle (level 2). Others are best left to the professionals (level 3), but all showcase eco-friendly options.

Our first idea is a level 1, so easy a cave man can do it. Let’s say a family of four uses 1 roll of paper towels every two weeks, at the price of $1.17 per roll (if you buy the cheapest paper towels in bulk from Costco). The total spent in one year on paper towels (used only as napkins) is $30.42. If you want to do something a little more eco-friendly, but still use paper towels, you can buy Seventh Generation Recycled paper towels. If you opt for this route, you’ll spend $46.54 per year.

Compare those prices to $1.99 for four cloth napkins from IKEA, ours are IRIS, but I can’t find them online. Our napkins are white with a subtle checker board pattern. I chose not to buy pretty napkins, as they’ll look ugly after one use, but I love not having to buy a ton of paper towels. I think the Earth loves us, too.

If you don’t have an IKEA, you can always buy fabric and make your own. Definitely invest in at least 8, so you always have some on hand. Just throw them in the wash with a full load and reuse!

In the Kitchen: Baby & Toddler

Published on September 15, 2010September 15, 2010 by Our Humble Abode3 Comments

Our readers out there with children know all too well that kids have a ton of stuff. Toys, strollers, clothes, shoes, diapers, and movies. Well, kid clutter extends into the kitchen, too. Why can’t manufacturers make more collapsible, easily stored, square items? I don’t know, but personally, I find it annoying. Anyway, I’m here to share a few tips on storing bottles, formula, sippy cups, plates, bowls.

Tip number 1: Keep plates, bowls and silverware at toddler height. This limits the “No, I don’t want that one” argument Vincent and I often had. Instead, he can pick out his own bowl/plate/spoon/fork without arguement and he can help empty the dishwasher by putting his items away. We also keep cloth napinks his drawer for easy, eco-friendly cleanup.

Tip number 2: Keep one small cabinet of cups, bottles, formula, and other random kitchen items. Using a small cabinet limits the amount of accumulation, while keeping the ugly out of sight, but close at hand. Store the most often used items on the lower shelves and less often used on the higher shelves.

Tip number 3: Invest in a few “cleaning faces and hands” only rags. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to have my face wiped with the same rag used to clean the chicken parmesan mess. Just sayin’.

Wonderfully Wordy Gimme a Giveaway Winner!

Published on September 14, 2010February 10, 2011 by Our Humble AbodeLeave a comment

It was so much fun to read your responses on how you organize your home. A few out there would love to hire someone to come in and do all the organizing for them; if I lived near you, I would love to do that. Yep, I’m that crazy. Your comments also proved that I’m not the only crazy one out there. In the kitchen and pantry, all labels must face forward. Closets must have matching hangers (I prefer the wooden ones with turning heads) and clothes are organized by color (preferably rainbow order) and sleeve length. To those of you with those comments, you’re after my heart. And thanks for proving I’m not completely crazy!

This weeks lucky winner of a custom set of pantry labels from Shelley at Wonderfully Wordy and House of Smiths is…

Michele who just painted her pantry this weekend and needs labels! Congrats, Michele! If you didn’t win, don’t hesitate to contact Shelley to get a set of your own. She’s fantastic to work with and can customize to fit your needs.

Glass Container Sale: Part Deux

Published on September 13, 2010September 27, 2010 by Our Humble Abode11 Comments

If you recall, Hobby Lobby had a 50% off sale on all glass items a couple of weeks ago. On my first trip, I left with a few canning jars, a small apothecary style lidded jar and a tall glass container for spaghetti. When I returned home, I realized the tall jars would be perfect for our pantry, so I went back to buy 6 more. Add a few pretty labels and we were done.

Well, in that same trip, I picked up the larger apothecary style jar and another footed, covered container for our main bathroom. I filled the largest with soap, the medium with cotton balls and the smallest with Q-tips.

This is the bathroom our guests use, so I wanted to keep some often used items out to limit searching. And I love that everything is white and pretty.

We haven’t had any visitors since this addition, but I hope it is useful. If not, I still don’t mind looking at them. What about you? What do you do to make your bathroom more guest friendly?