7 11 response to my letter about plastic wrapped banana's

This morning I received the following email from 7 11. I wrote them about not liking the idea of plastic around banana's. Here is what they emailed me.

 Thank you for your response.  Del Monte is currently working on a sustainable packaging solution.  As was reported, we are testing the product to learn consumer response.  We know that our customers want yellow bananas, and for them to stay yellow longer.  Interestingly, there is a positive environmental impact from carrying wrapped bananas. Because their shelf life is now doubled, the number of truck deliveries are reduced, which provides a corresponding reduction in the carbon footprint.  With a longer "shelf life", there is less waste; and food waste does come with an environmental cost.  Many may not know that imported bananas are transported in plastic bags that control ripening, dehydration and respiration, whether they are organic, large commercial or fair trade bananas.  Also, there are customers who do not like others touching food they plan to purchase -- even naturally wrapped bananas - particularly during this period of heightened flu-virus awareness. Thank you for your comments and we will take them into consideration." 

My response: "Also, there are customers who do not like others touching food they plan to purchase

Even naturally wrapped banana's-particularly during this period of heightened flu-virus awareness."

Are you kidding me? You think your gonna get the flu virus through a banana? You walk around all day

walking through others "coughing" without even noticing. You touch door handles all day long, shake 

hands with people, and touch who knows what all day. So to say anything about the flu virus and a 

banana not being unwrapped just leaves me speechless. Serious? 

Environmental impact-How about this idea, try getting your items local? All produce bought local would 

really lessen your carbon footprint. 

"With a longer "shelf life", there is less waste; and food waste does come with an environmental cost." It does not have to be this way. How about investing your 
profits into greening up your company? You will have happy customers, happy distributors, and happy 
green in your wallet because people will shop more with someone who has a lighter footprint on this 
earth. Maybe you could spend more time on this than "convenience". Convenience means lots of things.
It means more packaging, plastic, preservatives, fatty food products, and toxic waste. 

I could go on and on about this whole situation. In one way why should I try to fight a company as 
big as 7 11. I will never win. But in another way if we don't, how will we change the thinking of 
these companies? If we don't speak about what we do not like, how are they suppose to learn? If we 
do not support companies who are doing this, maybe this will get their attention. 

Conclusion: In my personal opinion, I do not shop in places like this. Yes they are getting better 
about selling more healthier items but they are surrounded by lots of unhealthy choices. Soda, energy 
drinks, candy, chips, hot dogs, jerky, and lots of other random junk that I just do not need. I would 
much rather stop by a grocery store or local market and get a piece of fruit or something. Will my words
to them change their mind? Probably not. Will I make some sort of impact? I'm hoping so. Do you think 
I'm fighting a endless battle? Probably. Why do I do it? Because it matters. Every little bit matters and
makes some sort of an impact. And its not just me doing this. Lots of other people like me taking a stand
against this sort of thing. Lots of little impacts making a large impact. We can all hope at least.

Goodies for Giving *Caramel Apples or Dip*

This recipe is great for neighbor kids. Its super easy to make and you do not have to wrap them if you give them to neighbors. Just gather the kids and have fun making these.

Caramel Apples or apples with Caramel Dip

Caramel Dip

1 stick of butter

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

14 oz bag caramels

Apple's of choice sliced

Combine first 3 ingredients in a slow cooker for 3 hours; stirring occasionally. Serve with fresh sliced apples. If desired, peanuts can be folded into the caramel dip.

Caramel for dipped apples

14 oz bag of caramels

Popsicle sticks

Wax Paper

Sprinkles

Combine first 3 ingredients in a slow cooker for 3 hrs; Stirring occasionally. Take off stem of the apple by twisting it. Shove a Popsicle stick into the top of the apple by the stem. Dip your apple into the caramel half way or all the way. Dip bottom of apple in sprinkles and then set aside onto wax paper. Caramel will harden up.

Frugal Finds

Today I spent the day with my 4 yr old twin daughters shopping for groceries. Since I am having my issues with Fred Meyers(btw still no email or call urr), I had to shop Winco and Whole Foods . While I was shopping, I found some amazing deals I had to share with you.

Winco

Jonagold Apples 58 cents per lb

They are huge apples and I will be using them to make apple jelly for my girls. We will see how it turns out because I am going to wing it. Should be interesting....

Cheez-It's Family size box $2.28

This is a great price but it gets even better. I noticed a peelie on the side of one of them. $1 when you buy 2. Yahoo! I bought 4 box's of them for $1.78 each! This is such a great deal considering a normal size box of crackers are over $3 each. This should last us for weeks.

Star Olive Oil $5.57

Remember that Star Olive Oil Survey where they sent you 5 $4.00 off coupons just for filling it out? Use one of those coupons and make this for only $1.57 a bottle. Yahoo!

Whole Foods

First of all I have to say I was pretty proud of them for having options for your bag refund. You have 2 options. First one is to get a 10 cent towards your purchase. Cool! Or you can donate it to 3 different places. 1 for the animal shelters,

1 for local food bank, and another one for another place I cant remember (sorry!). What a great idea! I donated mine to the Dove Lewis Foundation for animals. So kudo's for Whole Foods!

Have a love/hate relationship with ziplock like me? I love how convenient they are hate the fact they are plastic and end up in landfills or our earths waters. Horrible! Today I found a solution for some of my ziplock issues.

Natural Valley is available at Whole Foods which makes me excited. Pictured above is their natural colored, non-toxic wax paper bags. 60 count box for only $2.79. Non-toxic when incinerated or put in a landfill. This cannot be recycled but you can throw them away and they will break down and will not leak into our waters. What a great product! Plus you get 60 of them. Compare this with ziplocks-they are both about the same price. One cannot be recycled plus might or might not leak toxins into your food if heated. One can be put in a landfill to break down. I'm choosing the paper ones. The color is slightly off and not clear, so remember this when you buy them. The net had some reviews and this was a complaint. Not clear, serious? I just dont understand people sometimes.

They also sell parchment waxed paper rolls too for $2.39. I will use this to put my meats in the freezer with. I seriously just found this companies products on the web one day ago and almost bought them. So glad I waited!

Another bonus for Whole Foods!!!

Reusable bag pro-A mesh bag for your produce that comes with a adjustable strap. Looks kinda like a mesh bag you would put your bra's in the washer and dryer with. If that makes any sense. They are only $1.25 each. Ive seen the same bags online for $3 each plus don't forget the shipping cost. I grabbed 2 of them and headed towards the check out. Cashier says "Oh they are buy 1 get 1 free." I said charge me for 4! That's a great price!

Now I'm not sure how long these prices will last but hurry and grab them while you can. I believe Winco will have their stuff for about a week, same for Whole Foods. Sometimes Winco will change them over night so the sooner the better for them.

Treid to save money but treated like a thief continued

If you have not read about my horrible experience, read it here

http://hannaqueen.blogspot.com/2009/10/tried-to-save-money-but-instead-was.html

Update:I have emailed 2 times with my complaint and emailed once to have them send me their coupon policy. I have received nothing. Its been 4 days now and counting........

Are you outraged by how I was treated? Contact them and let them know how you feel.

http://www.fredmeyer.com/help/Pages/contact_us.aspx

Don't take it from any store. If you think a store was wrong or you were mistreated, email them directly. Let them know how you feel and try to find out all the policies. Even if they were right, you need to know the policy for next time. Each store has their own set of rules so its good to know what they are.

Keep strong everyone! Keep trying to save money and do not let people judge you for it. Stand up for your rights!

Goodies for Giving *Pancake Mix*

This is a favorite gift of mine for families. If you do not have money to get each person a gift, give a group gift. This recipe is perfect for any family.

Pancakes

1 cup all purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup of powdered milk

Mix everything together in a bowl and put in a Ziploc bag or small canning jar. Add instructions(below)

Instructions:

Whisk together pancake mix, 2 eggs, 1 tsp oil, and 1 cup of water. Cook on skillet and enjoy!

Presentation: Put pancake mix in something creative. Maybe a glass measuring cup, basket, bucket, or in a mixing bowl. One year I made these for my family. I found baskets at thrift stores (super cheap!), added my mix, wooden spoon ($1 store 4pk), vintage aprons (found at thrift stores) and a small jar of honey. Try to use things vintage, 2nd hand, or things free from friends or family. Get creative and save money!

Optional: Want to make creative pancakes? Try to throw in 1 tsp of cinnamon. Like banana or pumpkin pancakes? Put in the instructions to add banana flavoring (baking section) or pumpkin puree. Or if its a child's gift throw in some chocolate chips into your master mix. Have fun with it!

Goodies for Giving *X-Mas Cappuccino Mix*

This recipe I used a few years to give out to my coworkers. It was a big hit considering we (meaning retail companies) could only function the Christmas season with coffee in our veins.

Christmas Cappuccino Mix

2 1/2 cups instant chocolate drink mix 1 cup instant coffee granules

8 cups powdered milk 8 0z jar vanilla flavored non-dairy creamer

2 cups powdered sugar 1 bag of mints (the cheap ones)

1 box snack sized Ziploc bags

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, then store in a airtight container until ready to use. Add instructions (below). Put 1/4 cup of mix into Ziploc bag.

Instructions:

Combine 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup cappuccino mix and one mint with one cup of hot water; stir to blend. Makes one serving.

$ saver tip: Use store brand and buy in bulk to save money. Winco sells powdered milk in the bulk section for a little over $2 a pound. You will need maybe 1 lb for this recipe. You can make enough to give at least 20 people one serving of this.

Gift giving idea-I bought a $1 bag of paper bags and let my girls decorate the outsides with stamps and paint. I made my own instruction tag and used a hole punch to attach it. To keep the bag closed I also punched 2 holes and threaded some cheap ribbon with a pretty bow. Get creative and use what you have on hand. The whole point of this gift is to not spend much money so try to get creative with things you have in your home already. You will be surprised how crafty you truly are.

Goodies for Giving *4 legged treats*

This ones for you Tamara!

We all have our other children. Those 4 legged animals who some how find their way into our lives. For me, I have 2 of them. Tabby our cat who we found in a Walmart parking lot. A family was trying to give away kittens to anyone who would take one. Riley our pooch who we adopted from a shelter. We heard puppies were there, we scouted which one we wanted and we waited for days till they were finally ready to be taken home. We were the first there and she was ours.

Our animals are treated like our children. Nothing but the best for them and we love them all the same. So why not treat your loving animals at Christmas too? You could make these treats for special occasions or just because you love them.

Meow Munchies

1 cup canned tuna drained 1 1/2 tbsp oil

1 1/2 cup whole grain bread crumbs n 1 egg beaten

1/2 tsp brewers yeast 1 tsp garlic

In a medium bowl, use a fork to separate tuna into tiny pieces; mix in remaining ingredients. drop by 1/4 teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate. Makes 4 cups

Catnip Cut0Out Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour 1 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup soy flour 1/3 cup milk

1 tsp catnip 1 tbsp molasses

1/3 cup powdered milk 1 egg

2 tbsp wheat germ 2 tbsp melted butter

Combine first 6 ingredients in a mixing bowl; stir in milk, molasses, egg and butter. Roll dough into 1/4 thickness on a well-greased baking sheet; cut into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes; let cool and store in an airtight container. Makes 5 to 6 dozen pieces.

Bone Appetite Dog Biscuits

3 cups all purpose flour 1 tbsp brewers yeast

3 cups whole wheat flour 1/2 cup powdered milk

2 cups cracked wheat 3 cups beef broth divided

1 cup cornmeal 2 tbsp milk

2 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in 2 cups broth to form a very stiff dough; gradually mix in remaining cup broth to form bread-dough consistency. On a floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 thick thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut dough into shapes; place biscuits on greased baking sheets. lightly brush tops with milk. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes; turn oven off without removing biscuits. Allow biscuits to sit overnight. Store in an airtight container. Makes 4 1/2 pounds.