Rubbish Diving

I dived my hands into the recycling bin at my mums unit block and then our unit block. What do you think of that? I thought it was a bit eww as I felt squeamish, however worth the 5 minute effort.

Cash for Cans our 1st Loot.

In my town, marked cans and bottles will be exchangeable for cash. 10 cents per item to be exact. I told Dolly we can earn some extra pocket money getting our neighbours beer bottles and soft drink cans (we will ask them to save them for us, to prevent future diving). Our block of 6 flats overfill the recycling bin each week. We have 8 people who drink a minimum of 1 beer per night. We can easily collect $5.60 to $11.20 a week and split it between us.

At $5.60 x 52 weeks = That's a minimum of $291.00 a year or $145 each. Not too shabby for a 4 year old.

The best part is this will give us a money project together where we can make a little cash, look at the coins and discuss their history/worth/possibilities, plan goals, talk about recycling & ecology, discuss work choices, look at banking & interest, count and use math skills. (If any one can recommend an excellent website or fun book teaching younger children about money please let me know.) I think this will be an interesting project for us.

Oh... and my 5 minutes hand diving... I pulled out 37 bottles and cans just on the top of the bins. There were many more lower down. That's $3.70 to start us off. Pretty cool I think. What do you think? Would you do it? What if they were given to you by neighbours? Would you bother exchanging them? Many people can't be bothered and that is where I think Dolly will reap in the rewards.

Update: One of our neighbours gave us 11 bottles today and will keep all his beer bottle for us. Yeah! So that's 37+11=48 $4.80 head start.

Not Too Proud To Accept Your Castoffs

Many people feel too embarrassed or superior to give hand-me-downs to people they know. Either they give directly to charity shops or worse throw the stuff in bins so that no one can benefit from them.

Others feel too embarrassed or superior to accept hand-me-downs. They prefer to purchase everything new. Would never dream of accepting a castoffs or heaven forbid, step into a second hand shop.

Well not me... And my credit card is not maxed out, actually it's usually a $1 in positive credit. I use it sparingly and pay off any purchases within 2 days of using my card. I don't give it much of a workout because I don't buy much "new" stuff.

So when you give me your castoffs, hand-me-downs, outgrown stuff, unwanted items, used things - I LOVE IT! I can sort and take what I want, give to to others, put some on Freecycle or give to my local op shop. Not only are you making me happy with your used gifts but you are helping me save money towards my mortgage and you are helping the environment by giving the stuff another chance. Once I'm done with your stuff it will be passed on, repurposed, recycled or composted depending on it's use and state.

Our friend Nathalie and her gorgeous daughter gave us this lot of out grown books and CDs. We didn't say "No thanks" or feel embarrassed. We were thrilled to receive such a cool stash.

English Books and CD.

French Books and 8 CDs of Stories.

We sorted Dolly's book shelves to make room and have now prepared a bag of 10 outgrown books to give to a baby in the block of flats next to ours. We are not too proud to give and they are not to proud to accept and so the cycle continues.

We are not poor and could buy stuff, however we have decided to use our money wisely and want to look after our planet. How about you? Are you too proud to accept other peoples unwanted stuff?

Free Fridge From Freecycle

Our Snake Bean Community Garden group is looking at getting chickens very soon and also swapping produce with each other. As many of us garden at different times of the day and week some of us rarely (if ever), see each other. So we discussed trying to find an old fridge from somewhere - anywhere as to store eggs to buy, fresh produce to swap and stock fundraising sell-ables.

As all good things tend to come my way when I keep my mind and eyes open that is just what I did. Oooh Lucky Lucky me, I spotted a giveaway fridge on Freecycle within days of the group's discussions. So I emailed the lovely Lyell (Thank you) and was thrilled to be the lucky recipient. And even more lucky... The fridge was just a 3 minute drive from the garden so 2 of the staff headed out to collect it, as there is no way it would fit in my little city car.

Cleaning Racks and Compartments - Dolly Eating Malabar Spinach.

Today being Sunday, Dolly and I went to the garden with our eco cleaning products (bicarb, vinegar, eucalyptus oil, water and old rags). We cleaned it thoroughly and now have a gleaming working fridge waiting for it's 1st lot of goodies. Can't wait for the other gardeners to see it, another happy jiggy dance :-)

Will Be Loved By Many - Not Destined For Landfill.

Waiting to be Filled with fresh Produce.

I love Freecycle it keeps stuff out of landfill and allows you to take and give from like minded people. Tomorrow I'm giving away Dolly's porta-cot to a Freecycler. I've had an amazing week with lots of really good happenings, have a couple of Giveaways in the pipeline and have lots and lots to tell you. But for now I'm signing off and off to bed. Goodnight :-)

Did anything good happen to you this week?

Gift Giving and Gift Making

Dolly was invited to a 5 year old Birthday Party. Now that she is involved in preschool and many out of school activities, the invitations are becoming more regular. And that means more gift giving. I decided on a $10 gift giving budget per person and that items need to be of quality and preferably not plastic toys.

Todays Birthday Girl gift package was a mixture of purchased and home made. Dolly started her home made gift project on Tuesday night and I completed it at 1 am this morning (Sunday). At one stage even The Rambling Expat was in on the action cutting a couple of fabric pieces for us. The gift took many hours but was well worth the time and effort as I think it turned our super cute.

Using a Great Sewing Book, Preloved Clothing and a Few Vintage Scraps.

Dolly Commences Her First Of YoYo Sewing.

Gaining Control As She Tells Me To Let Her Try Alone.

Selecting Buttons From Our Button Jar We Were Gifted.

Sewing In the Vintage Button Selection (We still have this YoYo for another project).

2 Nights Latter, 2nd YoYo Near Completion.

Independence.

Finished Product - Necklace Ribbon From An Old Top.

Modelling.

Gift Pack - Sketch Book, Metallic Pencils, Bag of Clips/Rubbers/Elastic Bands.

The total Gift Package came to $9. The biggest cost was time: 1 hour of gift shopping and roughly 5 hours of hand sewing.

My small eco steps were:

• the Happy Birthday is from an old card I cut up, 
• Light Pink Ribbon for the Happy Birthday Card and Knick Knack Bag is from the inside of a top (to hang on a clothes hanger), 
• Fabric and Ribbon on necklace are all from second hand items which we have worn and outgrown or damaged and now repurposed. 
• Buttons were from an op shop jar which we were gifted as a Thank you by backpackers staying with us. The op shop staff cut off buttons from clothing which is too damaged to sell on their racks, but sell as rags to tradies who don't need the buttons.
• Plastic knick knack bag is from packaging on another item which I saved and reused. 
• And lastly the ribbon holding it all together is also from a preloved top.

I've linked up my repurposed necklace to Erica at Recycled Fashion:

What do you do for Gift Giving for children? Buy, Make or Cash?

Do You Give Peel?

Everyday I see people throw good looking peels and scraps at work. I thought what a waste of such great organic material! Its all going into landfill and releasing methane into the atmosphere!!!

Then I had a lightbulb moment. I went out and purchased a lidded box, wrote a message, stuck it on and placed it near the office lunchroom rubbish bin.

Office Lunch Scrap Bin

It has been a hit, including a nice little post it note telling me what a great idea it was. I have been taking a box full of lovely fruit and veggie peels to the compost bins at the Botanical Gardens Community Garden Plots every second day. The rubbish is now being turned into composted soil full of lovely rich nutrients. It's cheap and it's good for my planet and that makes me one happy girl indeed.

My Message To The Peelers and Scrapers.

Have you taken any "new" little eco-frugal steps lately?

We Got Down & Dirty and Sowed Some Seeds

Gardening has been my project this year to get my shopping costs down, be more sustainable and have local organic produce.

While I garden The Rambling Expat usually tinkers at home or goes fishing for pleasure and food. However on this day he donned his fishing clothes and joined me to get my bottom plot more fertile for planting while Dolly played in the gardens around us.

The Rambling Expat Serious as Always.

We started off with an extremely thick layer of wood chip which I had been watering everyday for 2 months to aid the breakdown. We covered this with a 5cm compost soil.

Original Wood Chip

Raking with Style

We watered the soil and added a thick layer of mulch and we watered some more.

Mulched

We set up 2 tressels on each side of the plot. We planted a passionfruit plant at one side and 3 cucumber seedlings on the other. We also planted 3 capsicum seedlings, 1 chilli seedling and a lone pumpkin seed. Now I water and wait with impatience for the millimeter by millimeter growth.

A few days latter I went shopping at the dump shop... twice. The girl likes the shop if the product is good and the price is right :-)

Home Made Bike at the Dump Shop

Human Power Mowers at the Dump Shop.

I purchased a cage without a base ($2.50) to protect my pumpkin seed that has been growing beautifully. I purchased an old wooden clothes rack ($2.50) to protect the cucumbers and chillis. A lady came by and donated a few tomato seedlings for my garden plot. So I placed an old wooden table base ($5 - from the dump shop) to protect them from THIS. Those cheeky birds LOVE to dig up lovely rich garden beds and seedlings.

Your Trash = My Treasure

Once my seedlings are established and less vulnerable I will use the rack and base as tressels to allow my climbing plants to grow upwards. It's a slow work in progress as I learn the skill of gardening little step by little step.

And not long after Dolly and I made a lovely scarecrow to give our plot some extra girl power.

(I've been searching for a blog on a family in USA that decided to grow their own, buy local and become more sustainable. They wrote a book of their years experience. Do you know it? Can you point me in the right direction? I remember they showed their bountiful harvests in lovely photo's. I want to borrow the book at my library and I know they have 2 copies but because I can't remember the title I can't find it and neither can the staff. I think the family consisted of a mum, dad and 1 daughter.)

Thanks to Lisa's comment I found the book title I was after - and my public library has 2 copies!!! Can't wait to read it. Take a look. HERE. Have you read it? Did you find it informative, entertaining or not for you?

Op Shopping Fantastica

I LOVE op shopping (thrifting). It's frugal, it's green and the chase is thrilling.

Many people think op shopping is "dirty and gross" but everything can be cleaned in some manner and re-used. There is always so much to go through to find your gems, but there is a lot out there and many wonderfully unique pieces too. Once you start op shopping regularly you will find you get used to running your eyes along the racks quickly and finding the good stuff.

I love being able to purchase items on a small budget and feel guilt free too. I see my purchase as saving stuff from landfill and preventing the over production of new stuff.

I op shop not only because it's frugal and green, but also because I'm Rubenesque meaning clothing shops with my size are ridiculously over priced and very limiting in range. So I'm very lucky I have Op Shops around me and even though I'm in a small town I still find many gems.

So don't be shy, go and browse your local op shop. My hints are; take cash as some op shops don't use cards, take a shoulder bag to keep you arms free for the items you want to check out, look carefully for stains and holes and have fun. 

Here is what I purchased in the past 2 weeks: TOTAL PRICE $14, all items in pics below.

• Novels in French for my partner: $2.50 for two.
• Professional development book for myself .50cents.
• A really cute leather headband for myself, $1.00.
• A book I really wanted last month but refused to fork out $45 for, and there is was... Urban Eco Chic only $3.00!!! I was so EXCITED... it's a beautiful book.

Books and Headband = $7.00

My Gorgeous Book!!! = $3.00

• Cooper Street dress with a teeny weeny burn. $2.00, purchased for sewing projects. (New Cooper Street dresses start at $159. The fabric is luxurious.)

Cooper Street Dress = $2.00

• A white wool beret for an up coming trip to France $1.00.
• Trial size make-up from Mary Kay $1.00 for a whole lot.
• Sewing hooks & eyes I needed for a sewing project, Lucky me! .50 cents.
• Salt and Pepper shaker by an Italian company $2.00.
• Maori doll for my daughter .50 cents.

Beret, Make-up, Doll, Salt & Pepper Shakers and Eyes & Hooks = $5.00

Do you Op Shop? What have you found lately?