We have been talking to my 7 year old twins about how Santa expects them to be good all year and not just for this month. As I'm telling them this I started to think about if I had been good. After a few minutes I started to realize that maybe I should practice my own medicine. Or mommy would be getting a big fat lump of coal this year.
So today I decided to write myself a good and bad list of things I have done this year. This way I could see everything and determine whether I would be getting any coal under the tree or not.
NAUGHTY LIST
-Stopped making & using my own liquid laundry soap. I really missed the smell of store bought soap so I have been using the Eco friendly kind. I am using half the amount to save money.
I can fix this by using up my store bought and start making my own again. This will save me a bunch of money. Just suck it up Nancy sheesh.
-Driving my kids to school when I should be walking & driving more in general.
Since I carpool with neighbors this isn't all that bad. BUT I now will walk anytime its not raining. I live only 3 blocks away so there's no excuse. I have been driving my bug more because its mine and I can only drive it by myself when the kids are in school. But it uses less gas than my euro van and makes me happy. Wanted a bug since I was little and I finally have one.
-I stopped making my own bread.
Well I get my bread free from the bread store so I'm saving money this way. BUT all the bread items come in plastic. I went from zero plastic waste with making my own to several plastic bags a week. Ugh. I will start making my own bread again but still get the free bread when I need it. I would be making bread non stop otherwise. 4 kids lunches a day is a lot of bread.
-I have been eating out more.
Okay I admit I'm hooked on Starbucks Salted Caramel Mocha. DAMN THEM!!!! I bought a few of them this last month and I should of known better. Damn liquid happiness! I will stop buying them and cry in the dark by myself. I sometimes meet my husband for lunch but its never fast food and only once in a while. This is the first year were able to do this so I won't stop this naughty thing. Sorry but I love my time with my hubby.
-I purchased beauty products instead of making my own.
I started to notice lines around my eyes and completely freaked out. Up until now I have been able to make my own products and have good luck with them. Obviously I need more moisturizer and work. While shopping at my favorite natural store I came across some beauty products for 75% off. So I snagged myself some goat milk all natural eye cream, moisturizer, and face mask for around $10. That's a screaming deal. So I feel bad for spending that money but don't feel bad about spending it on myself.
-Spent more money on new clothing
I bought myself a pair of jeans for $24, spent $35 on undies and bought myself a $20 dress. Until this year I have not allowed myself to buy myself anything new unless it was under garments. Due to my thin build its hard to find jeans so when I found them that cheap I snagged them. Undies are always new but this time I bought some "wow factor" ones...I'll just leave it at that. And the dress ....well it screamed "me" and it was over 50% off. I buy my children everything so this year I decided to once in a while splurge on myself. I'll try to only buy if its a really good deal.
NICE LIST
-I expanded my garden & was able to store my produce to use for the whole year.
We build 2 very large garden beds using untreated wood. Topped them off with copper to keep the slugs out naturally. I also purchased and used my greenhouse for many things. I rotated my crops and planted things all year long. I also expanded my garden to the front yard by adding a few beds up there using left over wood. End results were plenty of produce which I canned, froze or dehydrated. This way I can enjoy green beans all year long and make pumpkin baked goods anytime I want. Also saved me a bundle of $$$$$
-Replaced all our windows in our house.
Wow is all I can say. After we replaced them we never had to put our A/C during the summer. I am truly amazed what new windows can do to your home. We did all the work ourselves which saved us a bundle of $$. Total spent for 8 odd shaped window and a sliding glass door was $1,500. Woot woot!
-Added insulation to our attic.
We just did this last month so I'm not sure exactly how this will help out. We spent about $700 for materials and the machine was free because we bought over $200 in products. My husband was up in the attic spreading and I was in the garage stuffing the machine. Only took about 2 hours so it was pretty fast. We saved a bundle because we did it ourselves.
-I ran the Helvatia Half this year and improved my time.
I have always enjoyed running but it wasn't until 2010 that I actually ran in a race. I plan on running the Helvatia Half each year and plan to add a new one each year as well. 2012 my new run will be the Hippie Chick Half with my oldest daughter. Each race I will try to improve my time and enjoy the whole experience. From improving my health to enjoying my surroundings.
-I volunteer at my daughters school two times a week.
I also volunteer for events when they need me. Just recently I helped with 3 of my daughters Fall parties. My children LOVE when I'm at their school and get to see them. I love helping the teachers out because they need it so much these days. Instead of planning my volunteer days around my life I decided to plan my life around them. Its a win win if you ask me.
-We are gathering hats, scarfs, gloves, jackets and blankets to hand out to the needy this winter.
My husband is the one who brought this up this year. What a great thing to teach to our children. We are blessed and healthy so why not try to help others? I have been gathering things from friends and family and been buying them when I find good deals. So far we have a good stash but are in need for more. So if any of my friends/family have more let me know. For those I don't know I encourage you to give to the needy. Clothing or food it doesn't matter. Just give!
After making this list I believe that I will be getting no coal for Christmas. I realize I'm not perfect and I make mistakes just like everyone else. My mistakes are not the usual ones and may seem silly to some but they are things that I feel bad about. I have this inner struggle with being as green as possible but I am human and have my cravings and wants. I can change my mistakes very easily and will learn from them. I also can better myself each year.
What about you?
Do you have a inner struggle when it comes to being green?
Try to make a naughty/nice list and see if you learn from it.
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