Natural Eye Makeup Remover

Hey Ladies (and some Gents!)

I don't know about you, but I am tired of having raccoon eyes after a night of fabulous eye makeup! I had tried to use only face soap to get the makeup off, but as you know, it can survive a night of blubbering with the girls! I bought the eye makeup removers but was always nervous about how it stung my eyes! I would have bright red eyeballs, but no makeup! So I started thinking natural. I noticed that the makeup remover that I had been using was a mixture of an oil and a chemical. I decided to grab my extra virgin olive oil and see what I could do with that. WOOHOO it works! I drop some on a cotton ball and swipe across my lid, put a little on a q-tip and get my liner off. It does not burn! It even moisturizes :) So give it a try ladies! I have a huge bottle of EVOO that I use for more than just cooking. It is a miracle worker!

Hold a Clothing Swap!

Hey ladies and Gents! So here is a green idea for you. Now that fall is here, go through your closets and weed out those clothes you know you will never wear again. Break out the old boots that you thought you were going to wear last year but never got around to. Get rid of some of those hats, scarves and gloves that you bought bc they were just the right color 2 years ago. (you get the idea!) Bake some vegan cookies and pour the hot apple cider. Invite your styling friends over that you always admire and trade your old goods with their old goods! You will be surprised how many cool items you can get for free! It is a refreshing way to recycle your wardrobe. So get those BFFs together, feed 'em, trade with 'em and be green!

Cleaning windows with vinegar and newspaper!

I am sure you have heard from your mother how she had once used newspaper and vinegar to clean her windows. Well, I have tried it and it works. I also just saw a woman in Costa Rica cleaning her storefront windows with newspaper. So this is my green tip of the day!

How is it green you ask??

You get a chance to put those old newspapers to good use.
You don't have to buy/use excessive paper towels.
Using vinegar cuts down on toxic chemicals in your home.
It is Cheaper!!

Here is a link with directions on how to dilute the vinegar (or lemon juice).

http://www.ehow.com/how_2228008_use-vinegar-newspaper-clean-windows.html

So go clean you windows and save some $ and trees!

How to sharpen your garbage disposal for FREE

Hey everyone! I hope the word FREE caught your attention :) This is a little trick I learned from a maintenance man at an apartment complex I lived at. He told that when I noticed my disposal taking too long to munch everything up, sharpen the blades by dropping ice cubes in!

If your sink is smelling stinky, drop half of a lemon in it and grind away! This will sharpen the blade, kill bacteria and make the kitchen smell like citrus! So get off the computer and go sharpen some blades!

Hope this helps :)

Green money saving tip of the day: Unplug your electronics!

I know I have heard it a million times, but still up until last week had a few things laying around that were still plugged in! They give these appliances the term "Energy Vampires." My guess is because the plugs look like fangs and they drain energy and money! According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). These vampires drain about $10 billion a year!!! It accounts for 11% of all US energy use. WOW!

So if you are reading this, take it seriously! Go run and unplug your toaster. It may seem harder to unplug larger appliances such as the tv and dvd player, but to make life simple, put them both on the same power strip, then unplug that from the wall. It will be simple to plug it back in when you are ready to watch tv.

I guess being green really does save $$

Money Saving Tips!

Ok I am all over the place with ideas for this blog! Today will be a money saving tip that doubles as a green tip! Here we go....

Cut your sponges in HALF!

I was told once while in line at Trader Joes to cut my sponges in half to save money. I think this was one of the best tips ever! I have been cutting my sponges in half for years now and save a ton of money, not to mention create less waste!

If you haven't already, start buying plant based sponges. I sound like an advertisement for Trader Joe's over here, but they have an awesome brand that I believe is from France. They are yellow, and squished flat in the packaging. I was sticker shocked the first time I saw the price, but cutting them in half really saves on the wallet! PLUS: They don't get stinky for a long time! They lack that chemical treatment that is supposed to be antimicrobial (aka not good for the enviro!). If you notice the sponge to being yucky, throw it in the dishwasher!! Don't have one, drop it in a pot of boiling water! This kills the bacteria!

Share this idea with a friend! Or better yet, gift cut sponges to a friend to try them out! I gave my mom the pack of sponges cut in half a year ago and she is still finishing them up!