Shopping

My Grandpa Clyde was one of the great handymen of all time.

He could repair just about anything. Before Clyde bought something, the first thing he'd ask was whether he could get parts and supplies to repair it himself when it broke. If the answer was "no," he wouldn't buy it. If the answer was "You don't need to worry about it, Mr. Yeager. This will never break," Gramps would thank the salesman politely and walk away, rather than accuse him of being a bald-faced liar. As Grandpa Clyde was fond of saying, "Automatic means you can't fix it yourself," and he wanted nothing to do with it.

Unfortunately, times have changed since Clyde's day. We now live in a world of planned obsolescence and one in which it costs more to repair most items - if they can be repaired at all - than to replace them. That's not only costing us more, but it's a massive waste of the earth's resources. America's nearly 2,000 landfills stand as sad monuments to our throw-away culture.

But sometimes it still pays - financially and, of course, environmentally - to repair rather than replace, even if you're not as handy as Clyde and have to pay someone else to repair it for you.

[Related: Surprising Ways to Reuse 24 Household Items]

Here are some rules of thumb about whether to repair or replace:

The 50% Rule:
Financial pundits often talk about the "50% rule" when deciding whether or not it's more cost effective to repair an item rather than replace it. The conventional wisdom was that if a repair was estimated to cost 50% or less than the amount you paid for an item, it was usually better to have it repaired.

This is still a good guide to keep in mind, although many consumer products (e.g., electronics, furniture, appliances, even clothing) have continually dropped in price (in inflation adjusted dollars) in recent generations.

So now, to be more accurate, the 50% rule should be based on replacement value, not original purchase price, or even on the estimated current market value or resale value of major items like automobiles. Regardless, it's simply one rule of thumb among many other considerations.  [Related: The Most Affordable Fuel-Efficient Cars]

Appreciating Appreciation:
Before you decide to replace something instead of have it repaired, carefully consider whether the item you're thinking about trashing might appreciate in value over time.

In the case of a well-made piece of furniture that is likely to become an antique, the choice to repair it is probably obvious. But it may not always be so apparent: When they needed repair, I wanted so badly to pitch those clunky old stereo speakers my dad passed along to me when I was a teen, and buy some trendy new (cheap) ones at Kmart. But Dad wouldn't let me; now those JBL speakers are classics and worth nearly as much as my 401-K (sadly, in that sense). [Related: My Six Best Thrift Store Finds]

Around the House:
Well-made, older appliances may be worth the cost of repair (if you can still find parts and someone to do the work), but you need to factor in that most older appliances use considerably more energy than newer models (see energystar.gov), so in the end it's often more cost effective to replace them when they need repair.

On the other hand, replacing older windows in your home (if they're still in serviceable condition) with more energy-efficient ones may not be a smart investment, taking a good many years in most instances to recoup the significant upfront investment.

What about the roof over your head? Investing in maintenance and even fairly major roof repairs to prolong the life of a roof - provided that it's in generally sound condition - is often more cost effective, particularly for larger roof surfaces. [Related: 25+ Home Improvement Projects that Pay Off]

Rags or Riches:
When it comes to clothing, the priority should be on taking proper care of it (don't use the clothes dryer!) to make it last rather than investing in repairing it.

Because most non-designer clothing is relatively inexpensive, it's usually cheaper to buy something new once garments become threadbare.

Even if you put on a few pounds, tailoring garments usually only makes financial sense with higher-end apparel items, unless you're a seamstress yourself. [Related: Five Ways to Save Money on Laundry]

Is It Plugged In?:
A friend of mine who owns an electronic repair business once told me that nearly half of all the items people bring into his shop are simply suffering from a faulty electrical cord, plug, or other connection problem, or something else with a simple fix like cleaning out an air filter or replacing a worn-out belt.

If that's the case, then repairing it will save you major currency (get it?). But, if it's something more major and requires special parts, even my friend admits that most new electronics are so inexpensive that it's probably not worth the fix.

Jeff Yeager is the author of The Ultimate Cheapskate's Road Map to True Riches and The Cheapskate Next Door.

Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc

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Back in 1976, when the Union Square Greenmarket opened in New York City, the notion of a greenmarket in the center of one of Manhattan’s most blighted public spaces seemed odd, if not foolish. At the time, there were individual drug dealers doing more of a brisk business than the entire farmer’s market itself.

Fast-forward a few decades and the park is considerably cleaner and safer and the Union Square Greenmarket is booming with four days a week of bustling sales of everything from wild-caught fish to local organic blackberries. It would be difficult, if not impossible, to look upon this little quadrant of urban renewal and scoff or find fault, as urbanites are given access to farm fresh food and farmers are given access to a new, and enthusiastic, customer base. What is not to love?

Since those early days where farmers markets were in their nascent stages, the proliferation of green, or farmers, markets has been staggering. Presently more than 100,000 farmers in the U.S. sell food directly to local consumers, and back in 2007 the USDA estimated that direct agricultural product sales grossed $1.2 billion. There are about 7,175 farmers markets currently in operation, with over 1,000 of those being established just this year, which amounts to a lot of apples, artisan cheese, and spelt loafs being sold.

The mark of a farmers market opening up in a neighborhood or town signals a certain amount of prosperity, as well as civic refinement. It signifies both a sense of community as well as a collective investment in local farming and local economics. But as it is with all progress, there are growing pains.

As The New York Times reported recently, the overabundance of farmers markets has “outstripped demand” and in many communities, made it less profitable and more challenging for farmers to squeeze value out of participating in the farmers market system.

As the Times reported, some farmers say small, new markets have lured away loyal customers and cut into profits. Other farmers say they must add markets to their weekly rotation to earn the same money they did a few years ago, reducing their time in the field and adding employee hours.

Add to this general competition, inflated fuel prices, and the sizable commitment of time and energy required to run a successful farmers market stand, and the whole endeavor becomes an exercise in diminishing returns for some farmers. I have personally spoken to a number of farmers who have elected to opt out of the whole enterprise, claiming that the investment is just not worth the meager profits (these farmers mostly opt to sell directly to restaurants or distributors - leaving little direct connection to the average consumer).

To be sure the upswing in farmers markets have been largely a positive thing for most farmers and virtually all communities lucky enough to have local markets. Stacy Miller, executive director of the Farmers’ Market Coalition, a nonprofit organization that supports farmers’ markets, said that the growth had been a boon to most communities and that many places still lacked markets that connect residents with fresh, healthful food. Still, with competition and the general excess of farmers markets (especially in upscale urban and suburban areas), it becomes a tricky balance to maintain the benefit for consumers and sellers alike.

Do you support your local farmers market? Have you found any downside to having a local farmers market in your neighborhood? Do you feel there is room for everyone in the farmers market game, or do you feel that having a surplus of these markets presents a problem?

More healthy and green articles from Care2:

• Celebrate Your Local Farmers’ Market During National Farmers’ Market Week
• What Makes a Farmers' Market Great?
• Get the Most Out of Your Local Farmers' Market

 

As mom to a high-schooler and a fourth-grader, I am now a veteran school supply shopper. Fortunately, buying eco-friendly school products for my kids has only become easier in recent years. Earth-friendly products can now be found everywhere from convenience stores to big box stores, as long as you keep an eye out.

Here are some cool and widely available eco-friendly school supplies to look for this season.

Pencils: Paper Mate’s Earthwrite pencil looks like your basic pencil except that it’s made from 100% recycled wood. Dixon Ticonderoga’s taken a different tact and skipped wood altogether with their line of Renew pencils made from recycled tires. Forgo the electric sharpeners with these sleek black pencils. And I just can’t resist the whimsy of scented Smencils constructed of recycled newspaper.

Notebooks: Staples’ Sustainable Earth brand carries stylish sugarcane-based notebooks in a couple of different sizes. They’re made from 80% sugarcane plant fiber waste left after sugarcane is processed to make sugar. Stone Paper Composition Books are tree free, made from a mixture of mineral powder and a bit of non-toxic resin. The result is paper with a feel that’s heavier, smoother, and I swear almost cooler to the touch than tree-sourced paper. Definitely noteworthy. Greenroom eco makes snazzy notebooks as well as binders and file folders using recycled paper and non-toxic soy inks. They’re available at Target.

Pens: Zebra’s Eco line includes the Eco Jimnie Clip Pen, a refillable pen made from 75% post-consumer recycled materials. The packaging is made totally from post-consumer waste. Corn-based material comprises the bulk of the Paper Mate Biodegradable Retractable Ballpoint Pen. It is refillable (always a green plus) and the company claims the majority of the pen will biodegrade within a year in soil or compost. Instructions are included on what parts to bury and what parts to toss.

Miscellaneous: Westcott Kleenearth carries a line of products for kids including scissors, rulers, and compasses that contain recycled materials. The handle on their scissors, for instance, is made from 70% recycled material and of that 30% is post consumer. I found a display with these products at my local Staples.

This won’t take care of your whole supply list, but it’ll get you off to an earth-friendly start. Keep your eyes open and be ready to read labels. You can always fill in missing items at specialty eco-stores online or in your area.

More from ecomii:

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Natural beauty is a wonderful idea, but sometimes a gal needs a little help. We're not opposed to a touch of makeup or a bit of hair styling, and there are many great, eco-friendly brands available. However, fashion magazines and stylists (not to mention sales clerks) may try to convince you that you need tons of different tools and gadgets to make yourself look beautiful.

So many products on the market seem redundant, ridiculous, and perhaps even harmful. We toured the beauty shops online and found some of the worst offenders - avoid cluttering up your bathroom with this junk, and you'll feel lighter and more gorgeous immediately!

 

1. Electric Face Brush and Toner
Promising "sonic technology to cleanse your pores," these rotating brush devices cost a couple hundred dollars and scrub your face. How about a washcloth instead?

 

2. Roll-a-Lotion
We feel a little sorry for someone who doesn't have a friend to rub sunscreen on his or her back and is forced to buy this Roll-a-Lotion gadget.

 

3. Eye Half Lash Curler
Because apparently those "shorter, more inaccessible lashes at the inner corner of the eye" need special attention and a separate curling tool. Who knew?

 

4. Callus Shaver
Youch! Shaving skin off the bottom of your feet doesn't seem wise. In fact, the American Podiatric Medical Association advises against cutting calluses with any instrument.

 

5. Pimple-Popping Tool
Here's another tool encouraging you to do things you know you shouldn't. Several types of these so-called "completion extractors" are available. And they probably leave worse scars than if you just popped the pimples with your own fingers.

 

6. Hair-Removal Mitts
Just rub down your legs with sandpaper-like gloves, ladies. It's faster and easier than shaving. Not to mention a million times more painful.

7. Bumpits
So you want that oh-so-Sarah-Palin high hairstyle? This tool looks like the easy path to being a GOP goddess. But the instructions clearly state to tease your hair and use hair spray to get that full "bump" - so, really, you don't need a piece of plastic underneath.

 

8. Frownies
"Reverse the signs of aging, naturally" - any product with this claim is not to be trusted. Besides, Frownies are little more than adhesive paper you stick on wrinkles overnight in the hopes that the wrinkles will be smoothed away by morning. Good luck.

 

9. Spa Gloves
They look like Mickey Mouse gloves, and they promise to moisturize and soften your hands. You may have to wear them 24/7 for the gloves to work, and that's only suitable if you live in Disneyland.

 

10. Spring Sprong
This isn't the only coiled-spring hair-removal device, but Oprah endorsed it, so this could be the best known. Compared to an old-fashioned tweezing or waxing, this gadget is an overly complicated way to get rid of a few hairs.

 

11. Hairbrush Cleaner
It's good to clean your hairbrush regularly. But we bet you already have a tool to do this - it's called a comb. That and maybe your hands will do the trick quite nicely, along with a little soak in soapy water.

 

12. Neck Genie
The big promise at a low cost should be a clue that this is a plastic piece of junk to be avoided. "Dramatic results without expensive cosmetic surgery" - the only way that happens is usually with photo-editing software.

 

13. Lighted Tweezers
For when you want to pluck your eyebrows in the dark. Perhaps it's time to consider a new light bulb (maybe a bright white CFL?) in the bathroom.

Check out Yahoo! Green on Twitter and Facebook.

We’ve all seen the “Buy Local” signs popping up in stores around our towns, and most of us have a sense that it would be good to follow their advice. But do we really understand how crucial of a difference our buying habits can make? We know it can help our communities, but by how much? And is buying locally really a key factor in helping the environment and the world as a whole?

These questions and others are explored in the infographic below, and you’ll find some startling answers. For example, did you know that a carrot typically travels 1,838 miles to become a part of a family’s meal? This not only means that your veggies aren’t very fresh, but also that all those miles are contributing to fuel wastage, environmental degradation, and a buildup of packaging products in landfills. You wouldn’t get any of these problems if you bought your carrots at the local farmer’s market.

In order to show the cumulative effects of these issues, the infographic visualizes a trip from the shipping yards and landfills far from our communities to the interactions of small businesses within a single community. Through this journey, you can see that it’s in the small choices, like buying from your local bookstore instead of a national chain, that you can make a big impact. With these changes, you can improve the economic health of your community and the environmental health of the world.

CLICK FOR LARGER VIEW

Infographic Created by eLocal.com

Top Photo Credit: Ambro

Related:

• Eight Reasons to Support Farmers’ Markets
• Buy Local Beyond Food

By Susan Lutz, ATH Co-Editor of Organic Living

I am constantly amazed at the array of organic products becoming available on the market, outside of organic foods. It’s exciting to see that “organic” is losing the label as alternative and instead becoming a normal, preferred way of life. From top to bottom, from pests to pets, we can all go more natural and chemical free. Price can still be an issue with a few items but adding a product here and there can be a way to ease into the system.

With some strategic thinking, you can choose to spend a little more on the items that really count when it comes to organic. Here are five items you might not think to buy organic, but probably should.

Organic Mattress: It’s said we spend a 1/3 of our life sleeping. Imagine how many particles of inorganic chemicals we’re breathing every night. Where you rest might be a great place to control more of your environment. Wouldn’t you rather snuggle up to organic cotton or wool?

An example of an organic mattress can be found at Janice’s. However, there’s no need to stop at the mattress. The entire bed can be an organic haven complete with pillows, sheets, and covers. It’ll make counting sheep so much easier and that much better for you and the planet.

Organic Mosquito Repellent: Bugged out this summer? There’s no question that DEET - the chemical used by many major brands of mosquito repellents - works. But at what price? Mosquitoes are a pesky problem, and the use of harsh, chemical-laden sprays and lotions will eventually take a toll on the liver in the detoxification process. We also must not forget that choosing chemicals also means supporting a system that makes our planet more toxic. Not only do we have to manufacture it, we have to dispose of it.

I’ve fought back many mosquito climates and swear the alternatives work. The only difference is to use it often as the natural scent will wear off. A few good examples I like are Bite Blocker or Burt’s Bees Herbal Insect Repellent, which just smells so yummy it’s kind of nice to dab a little on even when there isn’t a mosquito in sight!

[ Six Ways to Beat Mosquitoes Naturally ]

Organic Pet Toys: We just can’t leave our pets out of the organic revolution! Sure most of might know organic pet food is available, but did you know you can get organic chew toys?

A favorite I’ve found is by Simply Fido. It’s a plush bone that is great for a puppy’s chewing stage or a larger dogs comfort toy. In the case of my dogs, which were more like the “Marley and Me” kind, it helped as a safe alternative to chewing the couch to bits. Simply Fido sites the fact that by adding pets to our organic list in the home, we do that much more for the environment. It adds up. With 43 million households in the U.S. alone owning dogs, it can make a big difference.

Organic Shoes: Shoes seem to be a natural step in going organic, as our feet are the foundation of our bodies and contain insight into our overall health. Mahalo shoes says its organic line gives a more natural way to put one foot in front of the other. When going barefoot might not be a good option, organic shoes are perhaps the next best choice.

Organic Teeth Whitener: Right in your own cupboard are quick, affordable, and easy ways to whiten your teeth. Teeth whitening methods can contain lots of chemicals including bleach. Sometimes making decisions under the glaring light of the dentist’s chair with all those sharp instruments nearby is not the best place to decide on what to do with stained, yellowed teeth.

A good place to start the decision making process is at home. Baking soda, lemons, and orange rinds rank as a good place to start getting a brighter smile. Other tips are changing a few habits like drinking staining beverages such as coffee and red wine; using a straw; eating more crunchy vegetables; and simply rinsing with water after you’ve indulged in any of those darker drinks. What better way to avoid the dentist chair than taking charge of your health care right in your own home? Then, if you still can’t do without that super-pearly white smile, at least you’ve gone in informed and instilled with a few more healthy, organic lifestyle choices.

Related:

• 15 Reasons to Buy Organic Food
• 12 Toxic Fruits and Vegetables

 

By Cris Carl, Hometalk

There are few downsides to using concentrated cleaning products, especially if you want to reduce your carbon footprint. The use of concentrated products is generally a money saver, and the environmental effects are even greater.

The benefits of concentrated products boil down to a mathematical equation: If the product is manufactured with less water, less paper, ink and plastic, less ends up in landfills and more space is freed up in shipping. More product can be shipped at a time to distributors and less fuel is needed to move the product. Less fuel being used means fewer emissions in the atmosphere and less greenhouse gas being produced. If you purchase concentrated cleaning products they will last longer, saving you trips to the grocery store or wholesale club.

Other benefits of concentrated detergents

If you remove the water from a cleaning product or detergent, the product actually works better in most cases. With concentrates, you can clean more clothes with less detergent. The bottles take up less space and are easier to handle and carry. Many new concentrated detergents are being formulated for greater removal of various types of stains and grease. It is important to read the labels and use the suggested amount. You may think you are good at “eyeballing” a measurement, but you may be wasting enough detergent for a load or two of laundry over the life of the bottle. Concentrated detergents also come in varying degrees of concentrate such as 2X or 3X. Again, it is important to read the directions for use carefully.

Buying in bulk

When you purchase concentrated cleaning products in bulk, you also reduce negative effects on the environment. Wholesale clubs have inherently promoted the use of concentrated cleaning products. If we can make ourselves side-step a bit of laziness, we can refill those shampoo, or all-purpose cleaner bottles — or add water to a concentrated product. You will need to invest in spray or other types of bottles or dispensers, but you will cut way back on plastics being used and ending up in landfills, oceans and other bodies of water. Some time ago, I bought a pretty glass bottle soap dispenser and a gallon jug of hand soap. It took me years to use up the entire jug of soap.

Some products are being developed as “super” concentrates. One example is G-Clean concentrated products, which come in gallon-sized collapsible bags. Just add water and you end up with 21 gallons of cleaning product and very little waste. Just a few more concentrated products you can easily purchase include: Soaps, glass cleaner, floor/carpet cleaner and fabric softener.

We live in a society that thrives on the concept of “bigger is better,” but when it comes to concentrated products less truly is more, especially for the environment.

Related:

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• Are Green Cleaning Products Really Safe?
• Guide to Cleaning Product Labels
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Earlier this week, I discovered the health food store County Sun Natural Foods in Palo Alto. It’s just wonderful. The employees are friendly, the selection of products is excellent, the outdoor seating area is very pleasant, and my co-worker says the Marin location it the only place she buys her meat.

But the best part is that it’s a local, independent business that has been around since 1971, and it supports local suppliers. On the store’s website, the owners state, “We are committed to supporting our local suppliers because local food is fresher, has better flavor, reduces the use of fossil fuels, and benefits the local economy.” I was genuinely impressed when I read this. If you’ve been following the news about Monsanto and Whole Foods, you appreciate the value of local retailers.

It’s easy to focus on organic food but forget about supporting local business. And to forget about the importance of nourishing ourselves the way nature intended – with local, seasonal food. Choosing organic food, of course, is very important. But selecting organic coconuts and pineapples in the middle of winter may not be the best way to go. Produce that’s shipped over a far distance has lost a significant amount of its nutritional value by the time it hits the shelves, and it has a much higher carbon footprint than local alternatives.

What’s more, by supporting local businesses, you’re asserting your voice in determining the kinds of foods you want to be available to you. When we patronize large chain grocery stores, we give them an undue amount of power over the food we eat. If a grocery chain decides to carry foods that have been contaminated with GMO seeds, and there’s no local grocery store to take your business to instead because they’ve been run out by the chain stores, then we’ve all lost the ability to determine how we want to nourish ourselves. We’re supporting practices we don’t believe in, because there’s no alternative.

So shopping at stores like Country Sun is a powerful tool that we as consumers should take advantage of. It allows us to demonstrate to the food industry that we believe in local, organic food and that those are the criteria we use in making our purchasing choices.

Related:

• Fair Trade or Local: Is There Only One Choice?
• Eight Reasons to Support Farmers’ Markets
• “Buy Local” Beyond Food

By Jordan Laio, Networx

The dividing line between green living and homesteading is blurry, but probably exists somewhere between recycling and vermicomposting. Wherever you lie on that spectrum, a big part of living a greener lifestyle is doing what’s healthy for the planet and yourself. While truly living green means buying less stuff, there are some things worth buying (at least until you actually move to the homestead).

The following is a list of items, some of them more essential and some less, that should be in every green home’s kitchen:

1. Reusable Bulk Bags: These are simple cloth bags with drawstrings used instead of plastic bags for your produce and bulk items like flour, beans, and nuts. Obviously, they are less useful if your local grocery store has an impoverished bulk section, but many food co-ops and natural markets like Whole Foods have pretty robust bulk sections. These bags are often made from natural materials and can be reused indefinitely. You get extra points for sewing your own bags or re-purposing other cloth bags (like the satchel Tom’s shoes come in).

2. Canning Jars: I think of canning jars as the backbone of a sustainable kitchen. They range in useful sizes from pints to gallons and are great for dry and wet food storage, sprouting (if you don’t have a dedicated sprouting device), canning, and fermenting everything from kombucha to kimchi. Available at your local hardware store or food co-op.

3. Sprouting Device: I’ll be honest: When I sprout, I keep the operation simple with a bowl or jar. But there are also commercial devices made especially for sprouting which you may find in a green kitchen’s pantry. Why sprout your own? It maximizes the nutrition of the foods you already eat and is WAY cheaper than buying sprouts.

4. Gallon Crock: One of the telltale signs that you’re really walking the walk is that you’ve got a nice earthenware crock for fermenting your CSA vegetables. Lacto-fermentation enhances vegetable nutrient value and shelf life and uses about zero energy resources, compared to canning or freezing which both require energy (either heat or electricity). You can occasionally pick up old crocks from yard sales, thrift stores, or antique shops (check for cracks). Harsch makes the most functional crocks, if you don’t mind spending over 100 bucks a pop.

5. Miso Paste: Why, out of all the foods out there, is miso so special? First of all, because it’s so tasty and healthy. How tasty? Tasty enough that foods like miso have their own secret flavor category (other than sweet, salty, sour, and bitter) called umami. How healthy? Miso is probiotic, aids digestion, is a great source of vitamins and minerals, reduces risk of some cancers, is high in antioxidants, and protects against radiation. To ferment it yourself could take a couple years, but to cook it takes about the same time as a Cup-O-Noodles, which we could call the anti-miso.

6. Coconut Oil: Once shunned by the health-conscious because of faulty information, coconut oil is making a big comeback. It’s versatile (the best vegan butter replacer) and tastes great. And compared to refined cooking oils (which are extracted with high heat and chemicals like hexane) coconut oil is much gentler on the environment. It also makes a great skin moisturizer and salve.

7. Rapadura: It’s sugar. Why is sugar in the green pantry? Well, no doubt you already buy sugar in one form or other … why not buy the greenest sugar out there? Rapadura is unrefined sugar with all of its vitamins and minerals still intact. Refined sugar, on the other hand, goes through a process involving chemicals like sulfur dioxide, lime, phosphoric acid, and bleaching agents. Yeah, rapadura looks like dirt, but it’s literally just dried sugar cane juice (not to be confused with “evaporated cane juice,” which is just refined sugar).

8. Dr. Bronner’s 18-in-1 Castile Soap: Use it for body wash, dish soap, shampoo, laundry, tooth brushing, and more. Unlike most “soaps” on the market, it’s biodegradable so you can even take it camping and wash your dishes in the river. And of course it’s magical.

9. A Good Cutting Board: A good cutting board is like a badge of honor. It shows that you value your food and that you’re buying those vegetables fresh from the farmers market (not pre-chopped at the supermarket). A good cutting board is one solidly built and made out of renewable wood (I’ve never met a plastic cutting board I liked … not to mention it’s not renewable). Extra points if it’s made by a craftsman rather than by a multinational corporation.

10. The Encyclopedia of Country Living: If you’ve got this book in your kitchen, you are well on your way to crossing the green living/homesteading threshold. It’s the bible of DIY skills, from baking bread to churning butter to building a chicken coop. Make sure it’s left on the counter as a conversation starter.

Some other non-essential items (but for which you get major green-living cred): A grain mill, dehydrator, beer carboys, and your own oil extractor for producing fresh vegetable oils.

Related:

• 15 Foods to Ban From Your Kitchen
• 7 Tips for Green Eating
• 5 Ways to Reduce Food Waste

Are you a power shopper? Do you subconsciously use shopping as a form of entertainment? If so, you probably spend more money on things you don’t need than you would like to admit.

What if you could channel your shopping passion toward acquiring healthy, satisfying food? You might find your home more comforting, your health stronger, your bills less alarming and meals more pleasurable.

1. Think of food shopping as an on-going game; how can you find the freshest, organic foods at the best price?

2. Buy produce featured in local weekly grocery flyers, which is in season and that makes it delicious, sustainable and affordable.

3. Rather than splurging on fresh flowers for your home or office, find a beautiful wooden or glass bowl for displaying a bountiful arrangement of seasonal fruit. Enjoy snacking all week.

4. Using two cylindrical glass vases of different heights, hang a green bunch of bananas from the top edge of one and a riper bunch from the edge of the other for decoration and to minimize bruising. Mash a ripe banana while your morning oats cook, and add to the pot. Leave the lid on for a moment for caramelized banana oats. Sweet and delicious without added sugar! Add almonds and dried fruit Yum!

5. Slice the ripest bananas and freeze them in a freezer bag to add to juice or almond milk smoothies, add other fruit, cinnamon, nutmeg, mint, oat flakes, nuts or basil.

6. Most dried spices, sadly, are irradiated to extend shelf life, so choose non-irradiated brands. Try something new such as, chipotle powder, which is really nice with veggie broth, pureed veggies and beans for a quick soup. Use tarragon to create a French style “mock chicken salad.” Add tarragon to mayonnaise with orange juice, red grapes, celery and raw cashews. A delightful vegan lunch treat.

7. Purchase toasted nori sheets to make sushi hand rolls with brown rice, rice vinegar, avocado and veggies.

8. For a sleek, yet rustic kitchen decoration, purchase large glass canisters and galvanized scoops. Watch for boxed cereal sales and coupons. Pour a mixture of cereals into a canister with salted pepitas or sunflower seeds. A delicious way to sneak protein into the kids’ breakfast before a long morning at school.

9. Stock your freezer with frozen vegetables on sale. They are pre-cooked, so move a bag from your freezer to refrigerator for thawing and a gentle steam. Toss with olive oil, pepper and Himalayan salt for a side dish or mix with cannellini beans, pasta and Herbes de Provence for a quick entrée.

10. Buy bread that is on sale and immediately freeze, taking slices as needed. If you buy fresh bread to keep on the counter for a few days, make some pinhole sized holes in the bag to allow air in and discourage mold.

11. Consider potting fresh herbs in the garden or in the kitchen. A fresh sprig of basil upgrades an inexpensive bowl of spaghetti and makes a baked pizza gourmet.

12. Jars of spaghetti sauce are expensive. Instead, use a can of crushed tomatoes with garlic and a small can of tomato paste. Add a touch of olive oil to the pan, add veggies on special at the market and sauté (zucchini or onions) then add tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes.

With your healthier shopping habits, no longer will you chant “I owe, I owe, it’s off to work I go”. Instead it will be “I glow, I glow, my weight is now so low...”

Sherry Brooks is a healthy, happy and trim “Frugalista” living the lean and green life near Malibu in sunny southern California. Follow Sherry on Twitter.

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