So, as we established earlier, the economy is doing pretty badly right now. And, from what I hear, it may take a few years to recover. Enough of the sad stuff!!! Even though we are saving money or do not have as much money to spend, we should still try to grow some plants, fruits and/or veggies. Growing them can help save money and you know what chemicals you are (or you are NOT) using on them.

Growing every plant whether it is a flower, fruit plant or vegetable can be space and time consuming.  So, in my neighborhood, we give each other seeds or extra plants that we grew. You know, the ones you are not going to use! It seemed like a good idea, to me, to expand this swap system. So, if you have extra seeds, veggie plants and/or fruit plants post the type of plant and a location you would be comfortable meeting someone to swap.

I will do the first post:

Plant: extra lettuce plants I grew
Location: I would feel comfortable meeting at the Lowe’s in New Haven.

Any takers? Any swappers?

This post is by Talia at http://backtobasics-talia.com. Talia can be contacted by e-mailing her at talia@backtobasics-talia.com.

In celebration on Earth Day how about trying a BLT (Bacon, Lettuce, and Tomato) sandwich? A typical BLT is lettuce, tomato, and bacon placed between two slices of bread. Try out this recipe for a BLT by Whole Foods Market, but if you grow your own lettuce and or tomatoes opt for those instead:

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 4 strips all natural, uncured turkey bacon
• 2 teaspoons butter, or to taste
• 2 slices whole grain bread, lightly toasted
• 4 spinach leaves
• 2 to 3 slices tomato

Method:
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp, turning once. Meanwhile, butter both slices of bread. Layer bacon, spinach, and tomatoes onto one slice of the bread. Top with the remaining slice of bread and serve.

Nutrition:
Per Serving (128g-wt.): 270 calories (140 from fat), 15g total fat, 2.5g saturated fat, 4g dietary fiber, 6g protein, 27g carbohydrate, 10mg cholesterol, 370mg sodium

So, I am going to do a few posts on things you can make yourself and save few bucks. This one is on facials. Even though you may not have as much money as you did before or you are trying to save some money we still must treat ourselves. So, I give myself a facial here and there. I aim for at least once a week (child and chores permitting ). And, make sure your face is clean and without make-up before you apply one. I usually give my face a quick wash before I apply it. I do 3 really basic facials: an Exfoliator, a Honey Mask, and an Avocado Mask.

Sugar Exfoliator:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons olive oil

It makes a nice paste when you mix them together. Then you apply to the face and neck. It gives a nice deep scrub. After I exfoliate I rinse it off. If my skin is not too dry at the time, I sometimes use a little face wash to wash off the excess olive oil. It is very moisturizing. I like doing this exfoliator in the shower.

Honey Yogurt Mask:

• 1 tablespoon yogurt
• 1 teaspoon honey (honey & lemon…for your specific use)

So, I put the honey in the microwave for a few seconds to make it warm. I think warm it gives a very soothing mask. Now, if you have acne issues you may want to add a squeeze or two of lemon. Lemon is said to help keep acne at bay and even lighten acne scars. If you have dry skin you may want to add a bit more honey. Honey is said to be a good moisturizer. I do that especially in the winter…my skin is SO dry during the winter. A note about yogurt: I would not use flavored yogurts. I use plain yogurt. So, I mix all this together then liberally apply to my face. Depending upon the time frame I have I leave it on for between 5 and 15 minutes.

Avocado Mask:

• ¼ to ½ of an avocado mashed

This is a great moisturizing mask too! It is super simple and easy. All you do is mash the avocado and apply to your face. I would let it sit for 5 to 15 minutes. Then rinse it off.

Face Steaming:
My mother would always do steam facials. And, I have to say she has GREAT skin! This type of facial is a nice and easy way to clean your skin and clear away blackheads and other pimples. There are two ways I have done it. But, I will give you the safest way.

Things you would need…

• Boiling water
• Mixing bowl
• Towel
• Note: Put hair up to keep out of face

So, you bring a pot of water to a boil. Then get a mixing bowl. Pour the boiling water into the mixing bowl. Lean over the mixing bowl so the steam is hitting your face. Then place a towel over your head to create a tent. This keeps the steam going only to your face. I would make sure your face is about 10 inches to a foot away from the bowl. I would stay in the position for about 10 minutes with my eyes closed. So you should probably find a comfy place to do this facial because you will be in that position for a bit. After you steam your face you can easily pop pimples or extract (as the fancy folks like to say). But, I do wash my face after steaming to get the last but of dirt from my skin and the cooler water helps close your pores back up.

This post is by Talia at http://backtobasics-talia.com. Talia can be contacted by e-mailing her at talia@backtobasics-talia.com.

A company called “Caterpillars Pure Soy Candles” offers a nice collection of Soy Candles, as well as wholesale soy candles.

They offer many different candles, which also includes their “Create-A-Candle kit”, which of course makes a great gift. Aside from candles they also offer soap and candle accessories.

Something that many of you if not all of you will appreciate is their “SPECIALS” and “ON SALE!” section. Their “SPECIALS” section includes any of the items that they currently have a special on.

This is a sponsored review.

Tell us what you think here!

The product that I found is called SleepyTime Tonic, which is all natural, put out by Happy Tails Spa. While their SleepyTime Tonic product can be bought from off of their website I purchased mine from PupLife. I just received my bottle of SleepyTime Tonic in mail today, which I was practically praising PupLife due to receiving my order so quickly. Suprisingly, I also got a free sample of doggie treats along with my order from PupLife.

Being that I just got the bottle of SleepyTime Tonic today I can’t really say whether or not it is working, however, you will be hearing from me when I find out whether or not it does work. When I spoke to someone at Happy Tails Spa via e-mail they told me to spray SleepyTime Tonic once on my dog’s food/treat/water in the morning and then once again in the evening since my dog is aggressive more often than just during a thunder storm, fireworks, etc. After I do that for a few weeks they said to adjust the dosage that my dog receives after that based on his behaviour. Expect to hear how the results are going by sometime next month.

If you have ever used SleepyTime Tonic, etc. before please post your thoughts on how well it did or did not work for you.

Calling All Writers/Bloggers!

Green Living On a Budget is now looking for guest bloggers. Guest bloggers are non-paid, and can write as many posts as they want, whether it be one or five, etc. at any given time. Guest posts require a minimum of 150 words. Any topic is allowed as long as it is related to green living and or the environment. If a topic is on green living involving purchasing products then the listed products must be in an affordable range for almost everyone at the very least.

If you are interested in submitting for a guest post please send an e-mail to Green Living On a Budget with a subject title of “Guest Post Submission”. Within your e-mail include the guest post and who the credit should be given to for the post. When your post has been received you will receive an e-mail informing you that your post is under review, and if accepted you will be notified of when it will be posted on the website.

Thank you, writers/bloggers, and good luck!

Money.co.uk is one of a few places online where you can go for help in order to look for some of the best quotes on travel insurance. They help you find cheap insurance cover for your holiday, and allow you to search for some of the best travel insurance quotes available in their travel comparison tables. No matter where you plan on traveling Money.co.uk helps to make finding travel insurance hassle free.

If you have some stuff that you want to get rid of, consider if your stuff can be reused without being thrown away.  If your stuff still has value, you can always sell your stuff on eBay, put a notice on the work message board, or just sell it at car boot sales or garage sales.  If you don’t want any money for your stuff, you can always give it away to charity shops or post it on a freecycle forum.  You can also pass on your unwanted items to your friends and family.

On the other hand, you can always buy 2nd hand where possible. You can look on freecycle for items or ask around with your friends and family to find out if they are looking to get rid of something you want.

Recycling your stuff is only one step you can take to reduce landfill waste.  You can also reduce your waste by considering what products you are buying and the packaging that they use. You can buy products that only use recyclable packaging such as glass, certain plastics, paper, card, etc. If you buy in bulk, you can typically save on packaging compared to lots of smaller items. If possible, you might be able to use your own containers to get re-fills for products, such as egg boxes.

Quite a few products have far too much packaging or have packaging that has long been non-recyclable, such as yoghurt pots, shampoo bottles and tetra packs (milk or juice cartons). If you feel particularly passionate about it, you can always write to product groups and encourage them to try harder with their packaging to make it more recyclable.

With some creative thinking an initiative, you can re-use packaging to increase the number of times it’s used before being discarded. For example, using plastic bottles to protect garden plants from slugs and snails. Perhaps using old CDs on a line of string to scare off birds from your vegetable patch. Using old glass jars or plastic containers as food storers or for other bits and pieces around the house. You can even use cleaned out yoghurt pots as plant pots for seedlings.

Reducing waste isn’t just about recycling stuff, it’s about re-use too!

This post was written by Daniel Harrison, who loves green gadgets and has his own blog where you can receive more daily eco tips just like this one.