Hydrogen Peroxide Craziness?

I really don't go blindly agree with everything I read. I guess I have the research gene. I read something and think ummm I wonder if there is some study to prove that is true. Really I get on line or I open a tab and search that stuff..  Like this hydrogen peroxide pin craziness... I searched and found no medical site that agreed with the claims.....

So I found this site from Truth or Fiction  that said basically that the cleaning proprieties are on the mark but the beauty parts or "cures" not so much.  I have hydrogen peroxide in my laundry area for the bloody noses and female opps from my daughter so I know it breaks down the blood cells.  Don't think I would drink it or use it as a cure for cancer.   I found a site that a woman died because she was getting IVs of hydrogen peroxide to cure her cancer... scary...

It's like bleach.  It is the ingredient that "oxygen" bleaches contain! So you can use it on clothes, cutting boards, food and counter tops. So I will keep my bottle with the spray head in the kitchen and the bottle in the laundry area. To clean. guess it can't hurt right?

Shirt restyle

I have been busy lately sewing.  I have taken some of my shirts that fit funny or was too tight or big and made some new t-shirts.  I have some ripped or really stained bad and cut them up for extra material.  I also found a extra large t-shirt at Good will that was the color of the day so I paid one dollar for it!  I used that as my t-shirt yarn.

  What is t-shirt yarn you ask? Ok someone might have asked... T-shirt yarn is the material I used to lace up my shirts I have pictured here.  I cut about a 1/2 inch thick piece of the t-shirt.  If you keep going you can cut one long piece.  Kinda like a spiral around the t-shirt.  I hope that makes sense.  But it very easy to do and you can make as thick as you want.  Just be careful cause if you cut it too thin it will break.  Plus it will curl over and look like rope very easily.  You just stretch  it out.

 
    I have had many  t-shirts  that are/were a little too tight in the neck and arms. I work at a wholesale warehouse so I have some arm muscles. I like my arm muscles.  I also like the looks this petite old lady gets when she just whips that heavy items up.  hehehe I am stronger then I look!!  So I do this like these pictures to help them fit better.


  My daughters got me a t-shirt from the first line of clothing from Twilight.  It says BAD VAMP.  Cause I would tease them that the bad vampires where hotter... LOL SO they got me that shirt.  It was marked down to $2 at the mall! AS you can guess a t-shirt made for teen girls is way to small in the shoulders after a few washings.  So I cut the top of the tee and sewed in a couple panels of material. There where about 5 inches wide, have to remember the seam allowance.... and I took my very think pieces of my t-shirt yarn I made from the top of the t-shirt and criss-crossed it.  It turned out great just can't take a picture of it cause I did it in the same black color of the t-shirt.  The picture didn't really show it true coolness..

  One of my favorite shirts is just where I had a shirt that had a messed up front and the collar  was falling apart. I cut the long sleeves off of it and about 5 inches off the bottom.  Then I sewed them on a shirt that the sleeves where cut off because they were ripped. Then I sewed the extra material to the bottom because the shirt was shrinking the wrong way for work.  That way the two colors look like they belong together

PLUS working with colored icing stain my clothes so I just wear things that I don't wear out to work.  It's almost like when I was little... I have work clothes (play clothes) and do something nice clothes (school clothes) Do moms still do that? LOL I did guess most do cause dirt and grass stains...

Well then again I found many ideas on  Pinterest   Another thing that keeps me very busy... LOL
And Craftster 

Proof that I was on the right track!

Shine on Yahoo has a slide show that debunks the Healthy Drinks claims! The blog post I entitled Local heros was right in the money! Don't you love it when you use your common sense and  the you see what you said (thought was right all along!! LOL
Yea I am purring out my chest braggin about myself.....
There are a couple things that are not local that are proven good for you but so is many of the local fruits we have!

Spring cleaning

I do spring cleaning by getting rid of clutter. Cleaning out closets and cupboards.  I have 3 boxes already of stuff in my mud room waiting on going to Goodwill. Stuff that has been connecting dust in my kitchen was the first to go.

I had a couple days off and just got bored with the TV and the net. Restless I guess. I was going crazy with the things  I use being too high to comfortably reach.  With my new found love of baking and cooking from scratch, my mixer being on the top shelf wasn't  working for me.  Seeing how I only stand about 5 feet tall... it was getting to be a chore to get what I needed out.  So I rearranged the cup boards finding things I forgot I had and really never used....  Into the boxes things went. Really don't need a blooming onion plastic thing. A ugly punch bowl hand me down, that I used to hold smaller stuff I never use, but did find my potato masher in there. I have been looking for that for months!! LOL

I have room at the top of my cupboards now for storage of things that I get in bulk. Carry and go things.  And those egg holder thing that I only use for Spring holidays...  Plus my storage containers are neatly stacked.. Yea if you ever saw that commercial of the plastic containers flying out and knocking down that woman I felt like my containers could do that at any minute... I have a few left from before I said I would cut down plastic (why not use them but replace them if damaged with glass when I need to). Plus they are a recycle code 5 meaning no BPA and light weight for lunch bags. So they stay. Better in my kitchen then the land fill. 

I found this beautiful stainless steel platter awhile ago and when I found it in my cupboard I noticed 2 small rust stains.. OH NO!! I really don't want to get rid of it... I put it on the table thinking I could maybe cover the platter with a tea towel  or something  when serving from the platter.  It kinda bummed me out.  It has these very delicate designs around the edge.

So when I moved to my bedroom to clean up clutter I noticed my dresser with many things just thrown on there and it hit me! I could use that beautiful  platter on my dresser.  I could use finger nail polish for the rust spots.  Maybe if I can find some... I really can't stand the smell and it is full of toxin ingredients..  But the simplest thing I did was place the candle holder and the black goodie case over the spots.  You can't see them, but you can see the designs in the platter.  Plus I love the look with my wrought iron candle holder.   I give to goodwill but I also shop there! I know I feel kinda classy with my beautiful dresser now... Plus I got to keep my platter that I really like and keep stuff out of the landfill
Not bad for being bored one afternoon!!

Live at Noon!

Today at Noon the local news station News Net  5 had a segment about the best time to buy consumer goods. I had to take notes!!!

January- electronics
March winter clothes are  on clearance
May-mattresses
Mother's Day- cell phones
June and July -jewelry
Fourth of July or Labor Day- furniture
Fall - appliances, big and small
Sept- Cars

Many times the good sale prices are to make way for the newer products or next year models.

Eco-friendly cat litter

So we the cat owners (or should I say care givers?) that cat are very finicky creatures that hate change. If you change there food they may stop eating. Change where the litter box is well, they find a place they think it should be... SO the best thing to do is slowing start adding a new product to the old.

My problem is I find this great advice  at the Greenwala site but now I get to find an animal feed supply or farm/ranch store in my area.  I live in a urban area. SO I will blog about the ideas and maybe find a store where I can get the products and tell if they work.  Heck maybe just to add to the cat litter to help control cost for a while!




corn based cat litter..
simple corn scent - no added perfumes or chemicals
cats easily adjust to it
Clumps naturally
Absorbs odors natural
BUT
mold can grow from the moisture
GM crop....

Greenwala suggestion:
Chicken scratch (otherwise known as cracked corn).

Wheat based
earthy smell - with no chemical additives
Clumps naturally
Absorbs odors natural
Biodegradable, flushable and compostable
Uses natural enzymes for odor control
BUT
cats eat the litter
tracking through the house
hard to scoop
GM crop

No subs.........

Wood pellet
Woodsy smell
can be reused as mulch
Sold a the big box stores
BUT
some cats hate it.
Very heavy
pellet end up all over house (doesn't most litter??)

Greenwala suggestion:
natural wood fiber horse bedding

Well idea saved... too bad my grandfather isn't still around;  he would  have had either (both!) and let me have a little to experiment with...... No he would tell me, "Get out of the city girl!! Breathe some fresh air and get some dirt between your toes"......... Giggle..........

The new dirty dozen.

Last year I wrote a blog on the dirty dozen.  The fresh food items that had the most pesticide according to the   Environmental Working Group. There is a PDF version of the guide plus a page with the full list of all fresh fruits and vegetables to help you decide what foods to buy organic. So they updated the list after testing the foods.

The Dirty Dozen:

(worst)Peach (highest pesticide load)
Apple
Sweet Bell Pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes – Imported
Carrot
Pear

Tomatoes have their name taken off the dirty dozen. The Environmental Working Group. is not sure why they have tested with less pesticides. Humm maybe more companies are listening to the reports then we thought....

The least to have a high pesticide residue:

Onions
Cabbage
broccoli
sweet potatoes



Fruits and vegetables that have a thick skin are protected from pesticides:
Avocados
Pineapples
mango
Kiwi
Corn
Sweet peas
eggplants
papaya
watermelon

But wash the outside before cutting them anyway.

Free software....

I found a great site called Giveaway of the Day. Software that is absolutely free. That means – not a trial, not a limited version – but a registered and legal version.  It will be a full 24 hours that you can download the software of the day. Then it will remain on the site and you can add your reviews and comments at any time. Or even check out reviews to see if this is a software you would like to purchase. You get updates, information and special offers from the companies.   It like when bloggers review items.  It brings people to the companies site and free advertising for their company. If you like a free download, you might get other programs from their site.  Word of mouth advertising is a growing popular idea online. 

Ok I haven't downloaded anything yet because I got there a day late for a program I would like...  wouldn't ya know?  But I thought I have to bookmark this! While looking around I found a button for their site.  Ok better yet I could post a blog sending people to the site... I will be remind of the site when I work on my blog........

Check them out... oh also if you have a gamer in the family there is the Game Giveaway of the Day.

More green frugal things I do

So after I write my last blog entry I find more things that would be concerned green by frugal ideas. Just to make me laugh at myself. So to remind me that I do have more ideas to share.

Opening my refrigerator door I see a couple more ideas. There is a salad dressing in old bottle that use to hold steak sauce. Not just the bottle being reused but the way I got he label off. I soak it for 30 minutes or so in hot water (as hot as you can get it). When it works right the label comes off in the water, but sometimes it is stubborn. I peel what I can off. I then get peanut butter on a washcloth and rub into the glue residue. I know what you are thinking but it really works! I didn't believe it at first but tried it after running out of GOO Begone. The peanut butter is usually the stale peanut butter that someone left out opened or got jelly in. We use it for the dog special treats (we hide meds in a big spoonful) and for glass goo. My cold boo boo pack. I found some rice behind the cabinet and sewed up a fabric oblong bag and filled the bag with the outdated rice. I made heat-pads for friends with both rice and beans that I found hidden in my cupboards or behind them.

Then I go to take my kitchen scraps in a reused coffee container out to the compost bin. I really forget that this is green because I have been doing this since I was little. I use to throw my scraps in my flower garden when I first moved into the city and had my neighbors freak. they didn't know what I was doing throwing foodstuff on the ground and dig up my front yard by my house.

Lastly I was going to take a bath before bed. I don't always take baths just for aches and rashes. I reach for the magic salts and see my oatmeal bath. You guess it. I made both. My expired oatmeal became my bath for rashes. Bath salts are equal amounts of Epsom salt, sea salt and baking soda. I add a EO (essential oil) for a nice aroma. Oatmeal bath was oatmeal I put in the blender until it made a fine powder, it cheaper than the oatmeal bath you can get a the store. It makes your skin so soft.

Speaking of skin so soft. Yea I have that too. It is used mainly for flea treatment rinse for the dog.

I'm sure that after this blog I might be reminded of even more green but I thought they where just frugal ideas. What about you? Have frugal ideas that you found out where green?

Green? I thought I was being Lazy and/or Frugal!

It is everywhere.. the evening news, some of our favorite shows on TV, magazines and on line; hints to help you go green. The simple ways you can save energy and reduce your carbon footprint.

Many of them I do out of the way I was raised. My parents grow up on farms. Way Way Way long time ago. They learned to conserve water just because they had to get it from the pump out in the back yard. If you used all the water you had to go pump more. They raise their family that way. Conserving helped with the bills and of course left more disposable income. Pinching pennies as my dad called it.
I can hear them now:

Turn off the lights if you are done in there.
You have been in that shower long enough Young lady
Shut the refrigerator door!
Shut the door you are letting all the heat out!!
Are you done watching TV? Turn it off.

So I been told that paying my bills on line is green, huh I thought I was being lazy. I don't have to find a place to park. Stand in line forever some days.... Then be greeted by a very bored sounding teller. I want to say I am sorry my deposit is boring you.

Making things from scratch. I could make a cake cheaper than they want at the store and MINE taste better. The other half will not be thrown away because it sat on the counter for two days.

Eat one vegetarian meal a day will help cut carbon emissions. Ok so I have a vegetarian daughter so to make 2 different meal would be not worth it at times. I really do like pasta without meat and vegetarian chili.

Grow your own food. I'm trying to do that, I have a couple little green tomatoes and a pepper... Free food!

The microwave and crock pot are energy savers. I love using my crock pot! It cooks slowly and makes the food so tender. I can home from work and my food will be done. How easy is that. The microwave is good for quick snacks and defrosting. 60 seconds away from a hot snack.

Run only full loads. First off I don't have a dishwasher but I think I make sure it was full before washing them. My luck I forget one glass or fork and have to start the cycle over!! Laundry isn't hard to have a full load, ask any mom. Just keep your teen-ager away from washing that favorite pair of jeans by themselves!!

Did think that the things you do to save money really had a green shade to it? I guess I am a dark shade of green then I thought..........