They say confession is good for the soul. So, today, I'm coming clean.
Deep breath, now: We haven't bought laundry detergent in over 2 years.
Wait, wait, it's not that we've given up doing laundry, it's the fact that we've been making our own detergent. There, I've confessed, I feel better already!
Now, why would anyone want to do that, you ask? For us, we do it for several reasons.
1. IT WORKS GREAT! I don't care how cheap, green, or politically correct something is, if it doesn't work, why bother?
2. CHEAPER! I can make 3 batches of my own detergent for less than 1 box of store brand detergent.
3. NO MYSTERY INGREDIENTS. I know exactly what's in there, because I put it in, myself. If you have sensitive skin or allergies, as I do, this is a HUGE Plus!
4. No toxic, polluting ingredients! Nothing to harm our septic system or the ground water supply.
5. It's safe to use with High Efficiency Washers!
Wow, this confessing feels great! Here's another:
We make our own cleaning products as well!
Uh-huh, that's right! We make our own soft scrub, all-purpose cleaner, furniture polish, fabric softener, etc!
Call us "GREEN", it would be an honor! I call us "SMART".
If you'd like to be "GREEN AND SMART" as well, visit our store, today. You can download the "recipes" for all our cleaning products and try them for yourself!
If you'd like more information on what we use and why, see our blog archive and read all about them. http://hangingtreelodge.blogspot.com/2009/04/q-what-ingredients-are-used-in-your.html
Find handmade gifts, recipes and tips all designed to be Eco-friendly AND Budget-Friendly! Enjoy!
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Showing posts with label budget. Show all posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Colorado State Budget Shortfall "solutions"
Ok, so over the years, I've learned it's best not to discuss politics or religion. Helps keep the peace and such. But, today, I received an email from a friend regarding proposed solutions to Colorado's budget shortfall, known as HB 1189 through HB 1200 (or the DIRTY DOZEN), and by golly, I just couldn't help myself. Rather than just blindly resending this message to my senator, I decided to try to make it a bit more personal. Here is what I sent to our state Senator, Abel Tapia. If you are also in his district and would like to send a message, here is his email address: abel.tapia.senate@state.co.us
Dear Senator Tapia,
We are a RESPONSIBLE, rural, “middle class” (translation-don’t qualify for and don’t ask for ANY “help”) family. Well, we are asking for your help, now. In our humble opinion, the state’s budget is short because of many factors and we are one of them. In our case, for example, our minimum water bill has increased by 33% in the last 3 months, from 49.95/month for the first 5,000 gallons, to $75.00/month for those same 5000 gallons. (We were paying $39.00 a month 8 years ago). Gasoline/diesel prices continue to increase, making it costlier to get to work/school (Yes, we actually have JOBS and work hard to keep them. Our child goes to public school, EVERY DAY! Does take fuel) Our vehicle registration renewals have gone up, car insurance rates, up, (yes, we have ALWAYS insured our vehicles, even before it became state law) yet our cars have gotten older, our property taxes and homeowners premiums have increased, health insurance costs have gone up. Propane prices, to heat our home, cook our food and heat our water have also risen at a ridiculous rate. However, our income has decreased, due to pay cuts and government “adjustments” (taxes).
When gas prices shot up, people couldn’t afford to pay for other things, like their MORTGAGES. If it’s a choice between paying for gas to get to work and buying a can of soda, with additional tax added to it, that’s a no-brainer, for us. We drink water! (As long as we don’t go over our 5000 gallons and incur even HIGHER CHARGES).
Think about it, we’ve already cut out the LUXURIES, like sodas and heating our home above 67 degrees with propane, because like most rural areas, that’s the only choice for us, PROPANE / wood, just to afford to feed our family!!!! (Try coming to Beulah in January if you think that isn’t a bit chilly. It’s 25 miles SW of Pueblo, in the Wet Mountain Valley). If you want to punish us for trying to save some cash for gas to get to work/school, by purchasing some items online, thanks for your help . It’s not like we have much to spend anyway, so maybe we’ll just use that to pay for an additional gallon or two of gas to go get wood to burn for heat.
Both of my elderly parents volunteer at a local charity, not just to qualify for the homestead tax credit, which you’ve done away with, but because they’ve worked all of their lives and have always helped out others. Now, you’ve made it rougher for them, as well. Will it stop them from volunteering? No. Will it cut further into their discretionary spending? You bet. More business’ will continue to fail, more jobs lost, foreclosures will continue to rise. Will tax revenues go down further? Yup. Tell me, sir, how does that help balance the budget?????
Discretionary spending is already at rock bottom. How can you honestly look at yourself in the mirror and think that these proposed solutions to the state’s budget shortfall won’t negatively affect the “middle class” people of our state, the backbone of the nation’s economy??? Please, do something to help us with the prices of ESSENTIALS, utilities, gasoline, food. CREATE JOBS by making Colorado the place to establish business! Help us KEEP THE JOBS we have! Please, please, be our HERO! Use some common sense and persuade your constituents to do so as well.
Thank you for your time. I’ll be looking forward to re-election time, as I’m sure you will be.
If you aren't feeling particularly up to venting, but would still like to voice your opinion to your Colorado Senator, here is the original email I received. Just copy and paste it into a new email and add your name/phone number to the bottom.
I am a voter in your Senate district and I ask that you vote against HB
1189 through HB 1200, also known as the "dirty dozen." Colorado's
economy is very fragile, unemployment is high and families in my
neighborhood are struggling to make ends meet. Increasing taxes in this
economy is the wrong approach.
These bills will drive business from Colorado and make Colorado high
technology businesses and farmers and ranchers less competitive than in
other states. Even worse, these bills will impose higher taxes on
Colorado's already strained families. Senator, how can we ask a taxpayer
who is unemployed to pay increased taxes on soda or purchases they make
on the internet? How do we look a farmer in the eye and ask them to be
less competitive than their counterpart in Kansas just because Colorado
government needs the money?
I ask that you vote against these bills and work in a bipartisan way to
find solutions that will solve the budget shortfall. Simply increasing
taxes is not smart fiscal policy in the middle of a recession.
Sincerely,
Dear Senator Tapia,
We are a RESPONSIBLE, rural, “middle class” (translation-don’t qualify for and don’t ask for ANY “help”) family. Well, we are asking for your help, now. In our humble opinion, the state’s budget is short because of many factors and we are one of them. In our case, for example, our minimum water bill has increased by 33% in the last 3 months, from 49.95/month for the first 5,000 gallons, to $75.00/month for those same 5000 gallons. (We were paying $39.00 a month 8 years ago). Gasoline/diesel prices continue to increase, making it costlier to get to work/school (Yes, we actually have JOBS and work hard to keep them. Our child goes to public school, EVERY DAY! Does take fuel) Our vehicle registration renewals have gone up, car insurance rates, up, (yes, we have ALWAYS insured our vehicles, even before it became state law) yet our cars have gotten older, our property taxes and homeowners premiums have increased, health insurance costs have gone up. Propane prices, to heat our home, cook our food and heat our water have also risen at a ridiculous rate. However, our income has decreased, due to pay cuts and government “adjustments” (taxes).
When gas prices shot up, people couldn’t afford to pay for other things, like their MORTGAGES. If it’s a choice between paying for gas to get to work and buying a can of soda, with additional tax added to it, that’s a no-brainer, for us. We drink water! (As long as we don’t go over our 5000 gallons and incur even HIGHER CHARGES).
Think about it, we’ve already cut out the LUXURIES, like sodas and heating our home above 67 degrees with propane, because like most rural areas, that’s the only choice for us, PROPANE / wood, just to afford to feed our family!!!! (Try coming to Beulah in January if you think that isn’t a bit chilly. It’s 25 miles SW of Pueblo, in the Wet Mountain Valley). If you want to punish us for trying to save some cash for gas to get to work/school, by purchasing some items online, thanks for your help . It’s not like we have much to spend anyway, so maybe we’ll just use that to pay for an additional gallon or two of gas to go get wood to burn for heat.
Both of my elderly parents volunteer at a local charity, not just to qualify for the homestead tax credit, which you’ve done away with, but because they’ve worked all of their lives and have always helped out others. Now, you’ve made it rougher for them, as well. Will it stop them from volunteering? No. Will it cut further into their discretionary spending? You bet. More business’ will continue to fail, more jobs lost, foreclosures will continue to rise. Will tax revenues go down further? Yup. Tell me, sir, how does that help balance the budget?????
Discretionary spending is already at rock bottom. How can you honestly look at yourself in the mirror and think that these proposed solutions to the state’s budget shortfall won’t negatively affect the “middle class” people of our state, the backbone of the nation’s economy??? Please, do something to help us with the prices of ESSENTIALS, utilities, gasoline, food. CREATE JOBS by making Colorado the place to establish business! Help us KEEP THE JOBS we have! Please, please, be our HERO! Use some common sense and persuade your constituents to do so as well.
Thank you for your time. I’ll be looking forward to re-election time, as I’m sure you will be.
If you aren't feeling particularly up to venting, but would still like to voice your opinion to your Colorado Senator, here is the original email I received. Just copy and paste it into a new email and add your name/phone number to the bottom.
I am a voter in your Senate district and I ask that you vote against HB
1189 through HB 1200, also known as the "dirty dozen." Colorado's
economy is very fragile, unemployment is high and families in my
neighborhood are struggling to make ends meet. Increasing taxes in this
economy is the wrong approach.
These bills will drive business from Colorado and make Colorado high
technology businesses and farmers and ranchers less competitive than in
other states. Even worse, these bills will impose higher taxes on
Colorado's already strained families. Senator, how can we ask a taxpayer
who is unemployed to pay increased taxes on soda or purchases they make
on the internet? How do we look a farmer in the eye and ask them to be
less competitive than their counterpart in Kansas just because Colorado
government needs the money?
I ask that you vote against these bills and work in a bipartisan way to
find solutions that will solve the budget shortfall. Simply increasing
taxes is not smart fiscal policy in the middle of a recession.
Sincerely,
Monday, August 10, 2009
Unusual uses for Coffee Filters!
I got an email the other day with these unusual tips for using coffee filters. Hope you like them as much as I do!
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave to prevent spatters. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish to prevent scratches.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
OH, YEAH - THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS
1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave to prevent spatters. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish to prevent scratches.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."
OH, YEAH - THEY ARE GREAT TO USE IN YOUR COFFEE MAKERS
Monday, July 27, 2009
Christmas?? It's July!
I know, I know, who wants to think about Christmas in July??? The truth is, not many of us! But, if you want to reduce the stress and save your budget this year, July is truly the perfect time to start on Christmas! Planning ahead will reduce the temptation and frustration of overspending in December. Here are some ideas and tips to get you started.
1. Make a list! Start by writing down who you want to get gifts for this year.
2. Divide the number of names on your list by the number of payperiods you have until Thanksgiving.
3. Decide your limit on how much you want to spend for each gift and STICK TO IT!
4. Purchase/make those gifts using ONLY the amount you have delegated for them each payday, then WRITE what you've bought and where you've put it by the name on the list!!!!
5. When buying online, try to combine your order. You'll save on shipping if you buy several things at a time and have them shipped together!
Tips: Get creative! Think "couples, or family" gifts. You can often pare down your list by making/purchasing 1 gift that is suitable for the entire family, saving yourself a heap of time and money! How about a Movie Night Themed Gift. Purchase a video, suitable for the couple/family on your list, or give them a gift certificate from a video rental store. Add some packets of microwave popcorn, a couple boxes of "movie theater" style candy from the dollar stores, wrap it all up in a cute basket or box and VOILA, a family gift!
Some "romantic spa" items for a couple is always appreciated! Handmilled soaps (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=14), a soap filled loofah (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=5) and a dog bone pillow (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=7&productId=18) can all be attractively wrapped in a basket for those newlyweds, or couples who would like to feel like newlyweds, again!
Think personal: What would that person truly love? Shopping early gives you time to actually find something you know your recipient will appreciate!
Consider handmade: Starting early gives you the time to actually make something for that special someone! There are tons of free patterns/ideas on the internet for creating your own gifts! Skill levels range from incredibly easy, to quite complicated. If you aren't up to the challenge, consider giving them a handcrafted item made by someone else! We'd appreciate your consideration of the fine gifts made here at Hanging Tree Lodge, http://www.hangingtreelodge.com for any and all of your gift giving needs.
For your "GREEN" friends, consider making them each an eco-friendly, budget friendly cleaning kit! You can find the "recipes" for making these kits, here! http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=2&productId=7
We hope these ideas save you some frustration and $$$ this year!
1. Make a list! Start by writing down who you want to get gifts for this year.
2. Divide the number of names on your list by the number of payperiods you have until Thanksgiving.
3. Decide your limit on how much you want to spend for each gift and STICK TO IT!
4. Purchase/make those gifts using ONLY the amount you have delegated for them each payday, then WRITE what you've bought and where you've put it by the name on the list!!!!
5. When buying online, try to combine your order. You'll save on shipping if you buy several things at a time and have them shipped together!
Tips: Get creative! Think "couples, or family" gifts. You can often pare down your list by making/purchasing 1 gift that is suitable for the entire family, saving yourself a heap of time and money! How about a Movie Night Themed Gift. Purchase a video, suitable for the couple/family on your list, or give them a gift certificate from a video rental store. Add some packets of microwave popcorn, a couple boxes of "movie theater" style candy from the dollar stores, wrap it all up in a cute basket or box and VOILA, a family gift!
Some "romantic spa" items for a couple is always appreciated! Handmilled soaps (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=14), a soap filled loofah (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=5&productId=5) and a dog bone pillow (http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=7&productId=18) can all be attractively wrapped in a basket for those newlyweds, or couples who would like to feel like newlyweds, again!
Think personal: What would that person truly love? Shopping early gives you time to actually find something you know your recipient will appreciate!
Consider handmade: Starting early gives you the time to actually make something for that special someone! There are tons of free patterns/ideas on the internet for creating your own gifts! Skill levels range from incredibly easy, to quite complicated. If you aren't up to the challenge, consider giving them a handcrafted item made by someone else! We'd appreciate your consideration of the fine gifts made here at Hanging Tree Lodge, http://www.hangingtreelodge.com for any and all of your gift giving needs.
For your "GREEN" friends, consider making them each an eco-friendly, budget friendly cleaning kit! You can find the "recipes" for making these kits, here! http://hangingtreelodge.com/product.sc?categoryId=2&productId=7
We hope these ideas save you some frustration and $$$ this year!
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