Eco-friendly Cloths...Your grandma would approve!

Yes, organic cotton, bamboo or other eco-fabric clothing can be expensive. But there is a growing market for these items and the prices are dropping. I mean, it says a lot when you can purchase organic clothing from baby to adult at Wal-Mart...and yes, they are quality. My son has a pair of PJ's from their organic baby line and they are super cute! But ultimately when shopping for planet kind apparel we want to support grass-roots companies that started out with the planet and health in mind and not just a company looking to profit off of the growing market (not that that is bad, just a different principle). Here, in Columbia, there is a shop that is doing just that...Kd's Treehouse on Devine Street. I LOVE this shop! Yes, they carry "boutique" brands but they have a continuously growing collection of pocket friendly brands that are adorable! Plus, a thrifty shopper like me heads straight to the ever-changing clearance racks for the best deals. My family went there last weekend for the Devine Street Sidewalk Sale and got some AMAZING deals! A sundress for $8, a swimsuit for $7.25, a swing jacket for $12.00, and other hard to beat prices. Plus, if you are on their email list you ALWAYS get a discount when you shop there (excluding artist consignment items). In December I purchased a pair of yoga pants for myself for only $2.50 (originally $58!) and a shirt for my son for $1.25 and they are both Kate Quinn...a super cute high-end organic brand! These prices are the equivalent of what I would pay at Belles & Beaus Consignment Sale. Which leads me to the point...to shop green think outside of fabrics...reduce waste by reusing! Grandma would be proud...her generation wasn't ashamed of hand-me-downs and our children shouldn't be either. I'm not talking old, worn-out clothing; everyone knows kids (especially young ones) grow so fast that they don't have time to ruin most clothing. Consignment is a win, win...you sell your old/outgrown items for a reasonable price and you get to purchase other's at a reasonable price; the planet and your pocket both win! Another option is making clothing for yourself or your kids...channel your inner Martha Stewart! Some things are super simple; you can quickly create a cute sundress out of pillowcase and ribbon or if you knit, make a hat, scarf or sweater (eco-yarn of course!) for yourself or a little one. Options are endless if you tweak your perspective...so whether you shop greener, reusing, re- purposing or creating every little bit helps!

[The items in the picture above are from Kiwi Industries sesame street line; all organic and super soft! Cookie monster's name is in English, French and Spanish]

You CAN save money on organics!

Today I went to Publix, coupon notebook in hand, for some great deals...some would have been even better if the items were a part of the B1G1 sale but we needed them and I had a coupon. I plan on going back for some great yogurt deals I saw but didn't print the coupon for yet...organic greek yogurt on sale?! not something I'm going to miss!

Before I share my savings, I would like to share a glimpse of my money saving tips for eco-food shopping and my families prespective on eating organically. I would say that about 85% of the grocery items we purchase are organic and/or local. We feel that not only is it a health conscience desision (did you know hormones in conventional milk are directly corrilated to earlier breast development in young girls?) but it treads lighter on the planet. We want to teach our children Biblical principals and that includes being good stewards of this earth (an important principle that we MUST return to). But...I digress...back to money saving!

The internet an amazing source for organic coupons, between sites like Mambo Sprouts and Organic Deals, and brand specific sites like the one's linked below, and even Facebook, options are everywhere! Plus, you can email many of the organic brands and they will mail you coupons for their products. Locally, we have a wonderful shop called 14 Carrot Whole Foods that carries two coupon booklets that come out about every two or three months (Healthy Clippings and Mambo Sprouts) and they are stocked full of great manufacturer's coupons and best of all they are FREE! Also, while coupons for produce are rare finds 14 Carrot offers 30% off all produce on Thursdays and Sundays from 1p until 530p (and it's all organic and/or local). It's a great deal and often makes produce less expensive than the convintional stuff.

So, now that you have an idea about where we get our coupons here's how I did on my quick stop at Publix:

Cape Cod Chips : 2/$5 ( $1 off of 2 from sunday paper)

Organic Russet Potatoes: $2.99 (sale price)

Cascadian Farms Fries, Raspberries and Cherries: $2.99 each

($1.00 off coupon for each from Healthy Clippings)

Apple & Eve Fruitable Juices: 2/$4

($.75 coupon off of 2 from A&E website)

Hartz dog biscuits: $2.99 ($2 off coupon from sunday paper)

Organic Valley Butter: $5.99 ($1.00 off from Organic Valley website)

Organic Eggs: $3.99 ($.50 off from sunday paper; publix doubles!)

Yeast packets: $1.49 ($.40 off coupon from sunday paper; publix doubles!)

Cream of Wheat: $3.59 ($1 off from sunday paper)

(not organic, let me know if you know a good sub because I have been hooked since childhood!)

Newman's Own Salsa: $2 (sale price)

Honest Kid's Juice Pouches (3): B1G1 @ $3.49

( 3 $.75 off from Honest Tea website, WOW only .99 cents each! )

Cost before coupons and sales: 54.16

Spent: 28.45

Saved: 25.71 (47% savings!)

By the way, the main deal I went for was the Honest Kid Pouches... you can't beat the price and they are a WONDERFUL product; I even take them in my lunch for work. They have 9g or less of sugar (that's right SUGAR not High Frutose Corn Syrup) and great fruity flavor! Grape is the favorite in our house; what will yours be? Give them a try and let me know what you think!

And so it begins

Hello all! I have been thinking about creating an eco-lifestyle blog for sometime know. So...in the spirit of jumping in feet first...here it goes!

I hope to inspire you to think a little greener, tread a little lighter and to "be the change you wish to see in the world" (Gandhi).

I plan to talk about a WIDE variety of topics, to include: cloth diapering, eco-crafts, money saving ideas for organic foods, Christianity and the green movement, plus so much more!

So join me on this journey to greener world!