Did you know that you can write-off the value of charitable items on your taxes? Yes this is true, but please consult your your tax preparer for details in your particular situation.

It is unbelievable that in the United States we throw away perfectly good items every day. Did you know that the U.S. is know as the throw away society around the  world? We have been so blessed in America that we are now taking things for granted. This has not always been case in the U.S. During our history we were innovators of using our resources to the fullest. I can remember taking a bath in shared bath water. We had six kids in my family and when we were little we took turns cleaning up in the same bath water then spraying off to rinse.

Of course hand me down clothes were the norm. Top to bottom through all of us kids in the family and then onto the neighbor kids. The same for our bikes, sleds, and cars.

It seems in recent times that we are considered “low on the totem pole” or “underneath society” if we have used items. But I know a few very well to do families that have always shopped at flee markets and garage sales saving a tremendous amount of money every year of their adult lives. So maybe it is time to reconsider our thinking in our current economic situation we have in America.

An Excellent way to save money and “be green” is to reuse items that are not brand new. This goes both ways. You can shop at thrift stores for used items. (Some items are just like new!) You can sell your used items for cash to get a bit of spending money. But I think a good thing to do for your local community is to donate your items to charities in your area. There are food banks, thrift stores and the like all across our nation. I’ll bet there is one or more in your town too.

One charity that I have recently been involved with is located in Harrison, Arkansas. Harrison is a town of around 12,000 people and pretty average for wages earned by national standards. But in all cities and towns across America, budgets are tight and cuts are being made.

Candra Conway and a few of her friends decided they wanted to do something for the community children, so they started Children’s Charity Ministry. They involve children to be volunteers to help needy children in their community. First is is an all volunteer, not for profit organization (waiting for their 501.c.3 status to be approved). It used to be run out of people houses or where ever they could meet.

They started by putting lunches together for kids, then added hygiene packages, helped where they could when fires hit families or an emergency car repair. They still do all of this work, but have now opened a thrift store which provides space for physical donations and a place for the kids to put the help packages together.

They have also teamed up with: the local fire department to help victims of home fires, local churches for support and for helping a wider area of people in need.

I know that they are in the process of upgrading their web site because I am building it. I consider it an investment into the community that I plan to retire in, in the near future. I will be very much involved when I finally move, but I will be involved as much as I can from afar for now.

So please find a charitable organizations that is making a difference in your area. Provide what you have for their needs and get your tax deductible receipt for your year end donation to the government. Wouldn’t you rather give donations to organizations that spend their resources wisely.

Donate, save money, go green, and feel good about helping your community. It’s easy

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

If you want to lead a green lifestyle, don’t forget to go green with your grocery shopping. Here are some tips and suggestions for making your supermarket experience as green as possible.

1. Cloth bags

Most grocery stores sell these for a low price. If not, simply use your own cloth totes or re-use those brown paper shopping bags with handles. You can even make your own shopping bag from old clothes, blankets, or other materials. Using your own totes reduces the use of plastic grocery bags, which endanger sea life when dumped in oceans and do not biodegrade in landfills.

2. Choose your grocery store wisely

Look for a grocery store that sells local produce, or, if possible, shop at a locally owned grocery. Food that is grown locally does not require a lot of gasoline or jet fuel to get from the farm across the globe to your store. Check with the policies of your grocery store regarding recycling as well. Do they have a recycling bin for customers to put their used plastic bags in? Choose stores that sell organic produce, too. Organically grown produce is far better for the environment, as it does not involve the use of dangerous agri-chemicals.

3. Only pay for what’s necessary

This is an important aspect in green shopping, and it is one of the most neglected. We often pay for unnecessary things without thinking, but everything from packaging to preservatives are not necessary for a healthy diet and can generate a lot of waste when packaging is thrown away. Here are some things to keep in mind when trying to make your dollar go as far as possible and reduce waste.

-Buy in bulk. Bulk foods sold in bins do not have packaging, so you are paying for the food only. Bulk buying can also include large containers of canned goods or cereal that can be divided up into individual serving containers at home (re-usable containers of course). Not buying individualized portions reduces your consumption of packaging materials such as plastic, metal and paper.

-Whole foods are foods in their most basic form, with no additives or unwanted ingredients to deal with. When you buy whole foods, you are not paying for the preparation and packaging.

-Read labels – don’t pay for ingredients you don’t need or that are bad for the environment.

4. Plan your meals and make a list

Meal planning can reduce your waste quite a bit. When you plan meals, make a list according to what you’ll need for those meals and nothing more. This prevents impulsive spending and over-buying, and generates less waste than simply buying whatever looks good.

5. Sales and stocking up

Although sticking to your list has many advantages, keep an eye out for sales and stock up when you can. While you are shopping for your meals you have planned for the week, you can do a bit of the reverse – plan your next week’s meals based on what was on sale! The more you can buy in one trip, the less gas you will use making multiple trips to the grocery store.

Whether you are just getting started with your green shopping commitment or are looking for ways to improve your green lifestyle, keeping the above tips in mind should help.

Related Posts:

• Making Environmentally Sound Decisions
• Going Green with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Cars
• The Importance of Padding Your Pipes In the Winter
• How To Measure and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint
• Eco-Friendly New Year’s Resolutions

What do solar panels, windmills, cars, cell phones, cordless tools , and lawn tractors have in common?

One thing:  RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES.

So let me ask you this…

How would you like to extend the life of your batteries by 50% to 80%… and keep them as good as new for years and years… with almost zero effort?

It’s simple – with a process called “battery reconditioning”

Yes it is true. You can greatly extend the life of all your batteries.  However, you can actually grow a full blown business from these methods or just working on the weekends making a little extra cash.  You can even learn where and how to get “dead” batteries for free and “revive” them using a this very simple process!

Visit the website below – it will give you crucial information that can save you thousands of dollars when building your solar or wind power battery bank! (Explains the best ways to get deep cycle batteries for free!)

It’s simple – with a process called “battery reconditioning”

My husband Jay and I already use this process on all of our batteries. We have a lot of “toys” including motorcycles, tractors, cars, battery operated tools and such. But we’ve also decided that this process is so simple that we are going to start accumulating, reconditioning and selling them for big profit. If you collect these for FREE, spend a small amount of time reconditioning them, then sell them for profit you can make pretty good money in your spare time.

So once again I’m showing you that it is both good to do smart things to help the environment and make money at the same time. Making money by going green. This is a good way to make some extra cash in these hard cash flow times.

As usual, I only promote items that my husband and I use ourselves. If we try something and it doesn’t work, we don’t waste your time. Think of use as your personal guinea pigs on green products.

Keep Going Green!
Lynne

Related Posts:

• No Related Posts

1. Start Them Young

If children learn to recycle everything as soon as they are old enough to understand the concept, it will quickly become second nature to them. Many adults have to train themselves towards this idea, because we may not have been raised that way. You  an make it easier for your kids by showing them at an early age that everything should be recycled (and explaining why).

2. Make It Simple

It’s easier to teach kids about recycling if it’s something they can easily understand. While there are many important theories behind this, for kids the main thing is to give them simple tasks they can get into the habit of performing. By having clearly marked boxes or bags at home, your children can easily get into the habit of recycling.

3. Make Recycling Fun

You can make recycling fun for kids by turning it into a game. If you are doing some house cleaning, for example, you can have a contest to see who can collect the most cans or newspapers. You can combine visits to the recycling center with a trip to the ice cream parlor or something else they enjoy. Make recycling fun, not a chore!

4. Use Books and the Media

There are many books, television shows and videos geared towards children that explain the need for recycling. Expose your children to some of these, so that they can learn more about this issue in an enjoyable way.

5. Teach Kids to Recycle Everything

Get your children into the habit of recycling not only cans and bottles, but clothing, toys and other items they no longer need. You can also get them to appreciate acquiring recycled items this way. Teach them that “new” isn’t always better.

6. Teach Them the Value of Conservation

Or to put it more simply, teach them to not be wasteful. One way to do this is to make them responsible for cleaning up what they don’t use, whether it’s leftovers at a meal  or toys they no longer play with. If you clean up everything for them, they will assume that things just take care of themselves.

7. Stay Positive and Set a Good Example

Try to make recycling a fun but daily habit. Don’t turn it into a grim or very serious issue that creates an atmosphere of anxiety. One way to do this is to practice good recycling habits yourself! Teaching kids about recycling doesn’t have to be difficult if you go about it in the right manner.

We are currently in an environmental crisis, so it’s more important than ever that we establish environmentally friendly habits. Many people recycle but it’s vitally  important that we teach kids to recycle. There are many fun recycling projects you can use to teach your kids to recycle. By making recycling fun, you can help them grow up to become adults who recycle.

Keep Going Green!
Lynne

Related Posts:

• Making Environmentally Sound Decisions
• Going Green with Hydrogen Fuel Cell Powered Cars
• Green Shopping 101
• The Importance of Padding Your Pipes In the Winter
• How To Measure and Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

1. Use Less Gas – you can walk or bike short distances, which is good for your health as well as the environment. When you do need to use a car, organize your trips so that you carpool, and make fewer trips to buy necessities.

2. Save Energy – remember to turn off light switches when you aren’t in the room. Replace old bulbs with energy efficient ones, such as compact fluorescent light bulbs, or CFLs. These use far less energy than conventional bulbs. You can also keep your thermostat a little lower in the winter and only use air conditioning if it’s extremely hot in the summer (exhaust fans work well the rest of the time).

3. Conserve Water – water is our most precious natural resource, so use it with awareness. Take shorter showers. Don’t buy new bottles of water to drink every day. Get a bottle you can carry with you and fill it up using filtered water.

4. Recycle Clothes and Furniture – there’s no shame in acquiring used items that are functional. You can find many such items in good condition online, at yard sales or at stores that specialize in such merchandise. Likewise, when you are finished with something don’t simply throw it out, but donate it.

5. Eat with Awareness – shop locally when possible. There are more farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture (CSAs) where you can buy produce. If you eat meat, buy from local organic farms rather than factory farms. Reducing meat consumption helps the environment, as it takes a great deal of energy to raise livestock.

6. Clean with Non-Toxic Products – you can buy gentle and organic cleaning supplies rather than commercial ones, which are made from harsh chemicals. You can also make your own cleaning supplies from lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar.

7. Reduce Paper Use – do more tasks online to save on paper bills and other paper products. Bring your own bags to the store so you don’t require paper or plastic bags every time you shop. Remove yourself from junk mail lists.

These are some examples of practical things you can do to save our environment. It mainly takes awareness of how the little things you do add up!

Keep Going Green!

Lynne

If you are interested in more information about going green and the new green technologies:
http://www.renewableenergyexplained.com

Related Posts:

• Renewable Energy Explained – All you need to know to Go Green!
• How to Make Your Own Non-Toxic Window Cleaner
• Water Conservation for Everyone
• 5 Ways to Protect Your Organic Garden from Pests
• The Benefits of Composting

It’s great to finally see that somebody has thought of the little guys when creating a product.

Jay and Lynne Mueller have really simplified what renewable energy is plus how and why to go green.  But that is not all, they show you how to go green and SAVE MONEY at the same time.

What Do You Get When You Invest in this Book? 

Learn the what, how and why to Go Green with a brand new ebook called “Renewable Energy Explained” from Jay and Lynne Mueller.

* What is Renewable Energy and Alternative Energy?  This is all explained in their eBook.

* How do you go green?  It simpler than you think.  Jay and Lynne explain the simple things that you can change in your life to help the planet and save you money at the same time.

* Why should you go green?  This book gives you all the details why it
makes sense and what the results can be by going green.

How can I get “Renewable Energy Explained?”  Simple.  Click the link
below.

Get “Renewable Energy Explained” NOW!

Bonus #1:  Right now you can also get a second eBook FREE from Jay and Lynne called “Going and Living Green” to sweeten the deal.  This book includes more details about improving our planet for the future.

Bonus #2:  In addition to the two terrific eBooks, Jay and Lynne have
included a FREE 10 Part Series about going green and keeping green in your life.

These three products have just about all you need to know to protect our planet in the future while saving a BUNCH OF MONEY!

I think this offer is worth your valuable time and money.  Learn more about this offer at:

Get “Renewable Energy Explained” NOW!

You will REALLY LOVE this Great Deal.  We lowered the price on “Renewable Energy Explained” and are GIVING YOU “Going and Living Green” and the Going Green Mini- Course FOR FREE.  DON’T MISS OUT!

Jay

Related Posts:

• Seven Easy Steps to Becoming Environmentally Friendly
• 5 Ways to Protect Your Organic Garden from Pests
• Save Water and Money by Installing Low-Flow Faucets
• Seven Reasons Why We Should Go Green
• Greener Cleaning

According to the EPA, recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a 100 watt bulb for 20 hours, a computer for 3 hours, or a TV for 2 hours. A used recycled can be made into a new can in approximately 2 months.

Aluminum cans also can be recycled to raise money for worthy causes. Cans for Causes raises money for Habitat for Humanity, schools, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Lions Club, YMCA’s, PTA’s, and various other organizations. Just think you can recycle and also help out your favorite organization at the same time.

Aluminum foil is a widely used household item. It can be used to wrap you food. Americans recycle 65 to 70% of the aluminum they use in the household. Most of which is aluminum cans. Americans throw away three pounds of aluminum foil every year. It takes almost 400 years for aluminum foil to break down in a landfill.

Keep Going Green!

Lynne

Related Posts:

• Teaching Kids Recycling
• Seven Easy Steps to Becoming Environmentally Friendly
• Renewable Energy Explained – All you need to know to Go Green!