PLASTIC REBELLION

Stick it to the man I yell with my fist thrown in the air. In this case “the man” is plastic and by “stick it” I mean get rid of it. Plastic is dominating our homes and bodies and it seems that there is nothing we can do about it. I’ve been very reluctant to research and write on this topic because I know I wasn’t going to like the answer. Ignorance is bliss I say. Oh wait, that’s not at all what I say. Guess I’m going to have to shed some light on this confusing topic whether I like it or not.


So what’s the big deal anyway? It’s convenient, doesn’t break, and is cheap. The problem is that it’s also toxic to make, use, and dispose of. As Homer Simpson would say, “Doh.” The explanation for why it’s so toxic can get really scientific. But hey, this isn’t a science blog so I’ll spare you, and myself, from the scientific explanations. Feel free to research that aspect on your own if you’re really interested in PCB, PAH, PCDD/F, and PVC. Generally speaking, the compounds that make up plastic are toxic and those chemicals can leach out of the plastic and into our food. The simplest explanation I found was from Wikipedia. (1) It also explains that the more plyable the plastic is the more toxic it can be. This is due to the level of toxins that are used to make that type of plastic. The Food and Drug Administration use to call the plastic that got into your food an “indirect food additive.” They are now calling it “Food Contact Substances.” What does the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer call it? A KNOWN HUMAN CARCINOGEN!

Hopefully at this point you are convinced that plastic isn’t good for you. What carcinogen is? But surely I’m not asking you to completely get rid of all the plastic in your lives, am I? What about your sandwich bags, milk jugs, cling wrap? Alas, do you really think I’d leave you without a reasonable solution? If you’re really on board to sticking it to the man, you could completely remove plastic from your life. Apparently it’s possible because one woman is doing it. I’ve attached her story below for those who are interested. (2) Now if you want to stick it to the man without completely upsetting your way of life, there’s another answer.

I knew from previous research I did that there are different levels of plastic and levels of toxicity. What I didn’t know was what those little numbers on the bottom of our plastic containers were. Interestingly enough, it tells you what level of toxicity it is. Unfortunately, it’s not a system where 1 is the best and 5 is the worst. The levels to AVOID are <1>, <3>, <6>, and <7>. Levels that have been deemed “Safer” are <2>, <4>, and <5>. See this link for more detailed information. (3).

ATTACK PLAN
• Buy and store food in glass containers whenever possible.
• Avoid levels <1>, <3>, <6>, and <7>.
• Never heat plastic. Includes putting it in dishwasher.
• Recycle.

EXECUTION
• Take inventory of the plastic in your kitchen and what level it is. Think of simple ways to switch to glass containers.

• Bring a cheat sheet with you when you get groceries. It will help remind you which plastics to avoid. Grab that glass jar of mayo instead of the plastic one.

• Use cloth bags when grocery shopping. They sell them now for your fruit and vegetables.

• Try to buy your food in bulk and then store them in glass when you get home.

• No more plastic water bottles. Use water filter and stainless steel bottles. My kids love theirs.

• Wrap your food in butcher paper, waxed paper, or cloth alternatives. A friend of mine provided me with two awesome websites that help you pack lunches and snacks without using plastic. (4)

MY KITCHEN
Take a peek into my kitchen and see what levels I found and what I plan to do about it.
• Coconut oil <1> = Purchase different producer that uses glass.
• Natural peanut butter <5> = Switch to glass jars when I get it home and then recycle container.
• Gallon milk jug <2> = I use to buy our milk in glass containers until our Metropolitan Market went out of businesses. Since it’s a level <2> I’m not going to change this habit.
• Kids apple juice <1> = Purchase from different producer that uses glass.
• Kids apple sauce <5> = Will switch to glass container while at home but still use the plastic ones for when we travel since it’s a level <5>.
• Raisins <7> = Buy in bulk or purchase smaller cardboard containers.
• Cheese. No number listed. This one is what perplexed me the most. Come to find out, wrapping your cheese with cling wrap is a double wammy. Not only does it leach toxins into the cheese, but it’s also not good for the taste. I learned this from some cheese connoisseur blogs. One science article recommended cutting away the cheese that touched the plastic, wrap it in wax paper, then put in a stronger level plastic container.(5) The cheese connoisseur’s seem to believe that you only need to wrap it in wax paper. The technique is shown at this website. http://www.chow.com/stories/10878

By reducing our use of plastics, we can decrease the amount of pollution that is contaminating the air we breath, the water we drink, and most importantly, the food we eat. Let’s get those toxins out of our body. So go ahead, stick it to the man!

(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plastic#Toxicity
(2) http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/health/2010/06/01/gupta.life.without.plastic.cnn?iref=allsearch
(3) http://healthychild.org/5steps/5_steps_5/?gclid=COWS3Kzd-KICFQQtawodsElQig
(4) http://www.kidskonserve.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/RosyUndPosy?section_id=6024786
(5) http://www.aerias.org/DesktopModules/ArticleDetail.aspx?articleId=60

CUTTING THE FAT RATHER THAN COUPONS: Ten Ways to Save Money Without Using Scissors

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Let me begin with this disclaimer, I am not saying you shouldn’t cut coupons. If that saves your family money then by all means go for it. Here’s my issue, there usually aren’t coupons for whole organic foods. This means I spent fifteen minutes scavenging through a paper to find a coupon for $2 off razors. So began my quest for cost cutting without coupons.


REFINANCE
Whether it is your car, house, or any other kind of loan, take the time to see if refinancing is right for you. For example, I spent a little time finding a better car loan and reduced my loan by $50 a month! Same amount of loan time, just a better rate. That was time well spent.

GOOD COP BAD COP
When purchasing a large item or haggling over service price, I like to play good cop bad cop. It goes something like this. I’m usually the good cop when my husband isn’t around. I’ve done this with my cell phone service and cable company. I express how happy I am with our service but that my husband wants to leave because of cost. (All of which is true) Then there’s a little bit of “Help me help you” to the salesperson. At the end of the conversation I look like the good guy and get a lower rate. When my husband and I go to purchase a large item I get to play bad cop. That is, I express over and over how we don’t “need” it in the first place. (Which is also true) This also helps us get a lower price.

LIBRARY
There is this place where you can borrow books and movies for no money at all. All you need is photo ID and patience. It’s called a library and I am now a more frequent customer. I love books. In fact, I love books so much that I purchase them so I never have to let them go. With this economy, it’s time to save money and space and let go of the books. Even though I get a good price on Amazon, it’s still $6 bucks here, $15 bucks there. I’m finding that the library can get me the books I want to read for free! One of my friends is an avid movie renter from the library, something I’m not on board with yet since I don’t like watching movies that are 5 years old. But hey, it works for them and might for you too.

TRACK THOSE DOLLARS
Where exactly is your money going? I know one couple who began keeping track out of curiosity. They had no kids and both worked so had lots of money to burn apparently. They discovered they were spending $500 a month on restaurants and take-out. They put themselves on a budget of $200 a month for restaurants and put $300 more towards investments. I personally was shocked at how much I was spending on coffee, more on that later. Easy Envelope Budget Aid “EEBA” is a good way to help you track. You can use it on your computer and/or install app on your phone. It’s free on the web.

STOP SPENDING MONEY
Crazy idea I know. One idea I got from a friend was “No Money Mondays.” The idea is to not spend one penny on Mondays. I think this is very clever and sad at the same time. Clever in that it gives us a small goal that is obtainable, stop spending for one day a week. It also saddens me since there are so many people out there who would love the ability to spend money one day a week. Food for thought.

FIND FREE FUN
Who says the family needs to spend a lot of money to have fun. There are many free activities in your local area if you just search a little. Start Googling resources that can assist you. I subscribe to Parent Map and look at local park websites. Another trick is to pack your lunch when out and about. Free events are fun but they usually charge an arm and a leg for food.

MAKE IT YOURSELF
Take the time to sit down, look around your house, and think about what you could be making instead of paying full price for. Here are a few examples of things I do.

Make laundry detergent: I was spending $18 to wash 64 loads. Expensive because my family has skin allergies and I wanted environmentally friendly product as well. Now I spend $4 on 64 loads and that’s with me using an expensive bar of soap. Here’s the recipe: 2 Cups Borax, 2 Cups Washing Soda, and 1 bar of soap. Shave the soap into fine mixture, similar to parmesan texture. Mix all ingredients well and use 2 Tb. per load of laundry. For those nasty stains I throw a bit of Oxyclean into a load. Something I did with previous detergents too.

Make your own gifts: After tracking my spending a while back, I realized I was spending $50 to $100 a month on gifts. There are birthdays, weddings, showers, etc. Now I make my own gifts. It does require a little creativity, but hey, if this uncreative lawyer can do it, so can you. You’ll still need to be thoughtful in you’re giving. Although I usually give my homemade sugar scrubs as gifts, the men in my family won’t be getting them.

Bread and Jam: I started to make my own bread and jam. This saves me $3 on every loaf I make and $3 on every jar of jam I had purchased. That’s a $20 savings a month for us. You’ll want to see my previous article entitled, “Not by Bread Alone…Need Bread maker” for more information.

GROCERY DO’S/DON’T
The word loathe comes to my mind when I think of grocery shopping. It’s an evil necessity though since I don’t have a personal assistant. Here are a few suggestions on how to save.

• Don’t be fooled by the 3 for $5 bit. This past weekend I saw a sign for BBQ sauce that read 10 for $10. Seriously? Who needs 10 jars of BBQ sauce? I grabbed one for a dollar and moved on.

• Stock up, modestly, when there’s a good deal. Every time I see my organic frozen veggies go on sale I stock up. However, be careful not to buy something you normally wouldn’t just because it’s on sale.

• Leave the spouse at home. My husband was surprised while standing in the check-out line on what our bill was. Frankly, so was I. I turned to him and said when I go alone it’s around $25 less.

• Go less often. I swear you would see me at my local grocery store every day of the week. As you read earlier, I loathe the place, so why am I there so often? I decided to only go twice a week. I’d say one day a week but fresh fruit and vegetables will go bad towards the end. This will require you to plan meals ahead of time, another cost and time saver. Now when I say grocery shopping I mean picking up anything at the store. If you remembered you needed something on one of your non-shopping days, too bad. You’ll have to go without. Harsh I now, but couldn’t we all use a little lesson in doing without.

SUBSTITUTION
If you are able to make any substitutions for what you’re currently doing, go for it. One of my substitutions is my coffee run. I would spend around $4.50 on my favorite specialty drink at Starbucks. I’ve now switched to a tall latte with flavoring. Since I registered my Starbucks card online, I get free syrup. (.40 savings) Now I spend $2.50 on my delicious coffee, saving me $2.00 a drink. On hot days, iced coffee with cream and sweetener does the trick for about $2 less.

We also put our Netflix subscription on hold, and started using Redbox. This is saving us around $10 a month since we really don’t watch movies all that often.

PRINT COUPONS
Alright, so you’re probably wondering how coupons got in here since I said you wouldn’t have to cut anything. But hey, printing coupons is not cutting. Go find your favorite products online and check to see if they have any coupons. Almost our entire dairy comes from Organic Valley. This is because their cows are grass fed and pasture raised. The importance of this will be in another article. It is the most expensive dairy product out there, but a choice our family makes for our health. You will rarely find coupons for their products in the paper but can easily go online and print them off.


These ten ways to save might seem small… but that’s the point. They are not big life changes but can add up to a great deal of savings. Feel free to try one of these tips at a time or all at once. Any one of them will start you in the right direction.

TO GO ORGANIC, OR NOT GO ORGANIC? THAT IS THE QUESTION

As I devoir my spinach cheese enchilada casserole, I’m not considering whether my organic spinach tastes better than the non-organic kind. How could I tell anyway when it’s slathered with a delicious enchilada sauce? My body on the other hand is very thankful for my organic choice.

There continues to be debate on whether organic produce is better for you than non-organic. Not to get all conspiracy theory on you or anything…but let’s just say one side has more expensive lobbyists and the other has science and common sense on its side. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states, “By their very nature, most pesticides create some risk of harm - - Pesticides can cause harm to humans, animals, or the environment because they are designed to kill or otherwise adversely affect living organisms.” * According to the Environmental Working Group, the top 12 pesticide-contaminated produce contain 47 to 67 different pesticides per serving. But if the government says it’s ok, it must be safe right? The EPA also states, “Laboratory studies show that pesticides can cause health problems, such as birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time. However, these effects depend on how toxic the pesticide is and how much of it is consumed.” ** Common sense makes the answer clear to me. Chemicals in my food are probably not good for me.

Organic produce has something else going for it other than being pesticide free, it’s more nutritious. There are numerous studies out there that confirm organic produce contains more nutrients and higher concentration of antioxidants. In fact, you’d have to eat three non-organic apples to get the same nutrients in one organic apple. When the produce doesn’t have pesticides to fight their battle against enemies, they are forced to be stronger. That strength translates to more protection for our bodies too.

There might be some of you out there who would like to go organic but get sticker shock when actually purchasing it. When my organic red peppers go for $5 each, I quickly push my cart right on by and revise my menu. Luckily for us, there is a middle ground. The Environmental Working Group compiled a list of produce that was safe to eat and those we should avoid. It was based on 96,000 studies done by the USDA and FDA between 2000 and 2008. The “Dirty Dozen” are produce that contained the most amounts of pesticides and the “Clean Fifteen” contained the fewest. The EWG has a handy dandy cheat sheet you can print out and hang on your fridge to help you remember.
http://static.foodnews.org/pdf/EWG-shoppers-guide.pdf

Health, environment, and finances are all things that one balances when deciding to purchase organic products or not. Hopefully the lists below will assist you in making those decisions. I would like to end this article on a funny note, but my morning sickness is preventing me from finding humor right now. When baby number three arrives and the sleep deprivation sets in, things might get more amusing. Either that or more confusing.

THE DIRTY DOZEN
Celery
Peaches
Strawberries
Apples
Blueberries – US Grown
Nectarines
Sweet Bell Peppers
Spinach
Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Grapes – Imported from outside US

THE CLEAN FIFTEEN
Onion
Avocado
Sweet Corn
Pineapple
Mango
Asparagus
Sweet Peas
Kiwi
Cabbage
Eggplant
Papaya
Watermelon
Broccoli
Tomato
Sweet Potato

* http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/about/#what_pesticide
** http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/food/risks.htm