Coupon Apps and E-Coupons: an Eco-Friendly Way to Save

06. April 2013 · Comments Off · Categories: Household, Money Saving Tips

Try this eco-friendly slant to shopping.

I’m happy to share today’s guest post on coupon apps and e-coupons; this eco-friendly shopping method can save time, money, and trees. 

Coupons are an effective way to save money on the products and services your family uses on a regular basis. Nowadays, as eco-friendly products gain more mainstream popularity, you can even find coupons for such eco-friendly products as Method cleaning supplies and Seventh Generation paper products in weekly store circulars and in the coupon section of your local newspaper. Mainstream manufacturers, such as Scott Brands, are also making eco-friendly versions of their standard product lines.

However, clipping coupons to save money on the eco-friendly products you love presents a conundrum: to get the savings, you end up contributing to the non-eco-friendly practice of killing trees to print the coupons. And that’s not even taking into the account the trees killed to print the newspapers that come with the coupons.

So, how do you save your family money without compromising your ideals? Sure, you can reuse and recycle the paper, but why not focus more on the “reduce” part of the eco-friendly equation?

Enter e-Coupons and Coupon Apps

e-Coupons are electronic coupons that you can load onto a store shoppers card, or redeem online by entering a code obtained from a coupon website.

Store shopper cards have several advantages beyond saving trees: they save you time because instead of clipping or tearing out each coupon you need, you simply log into the store website and click on the coupons you want. Shopper cards also offer additional store discounts on top of the
coupon deals.

For example, a store could have a coupon for Seventh Generation diapers and, at the same time, have an in-store special on all Seventh Generation products resulting in double savings. Another advantage is that you no longer have to try to organize your coupons, and carry them with you, while you are trying to shop – especially if you also have to keep track of your kids at the same time. You also don’t have to keep track of expiration dates because the coupons automatically drop off your card when they expire.

The only down side is that you have to keep track of what coupons you have stored, but that is often a simple matter of visiting the store’s website before you visit the store. Also, some stores have mobile apps that let you add coupons to your card on the fly, and review your stored coupons on your smartphone or tablet. Some stores also offer rewards for shopping, such as discounts on gas or rebates. You redeem e-coupons by scanning your shopper’s card at checkout.

Coupon codes are primarily used for online shopping at vendor sites, such as PetSmart or Kmart. By using coupon codes, you not only save money, you also reduce fossil fuel emissions and energy consumption because you can shop at multiple stores without having to drive to each location. You can find coupon codes at coupon code websites, or by doing a product-specific search. For example, a web search for Brownells coupons, or coupon codes for Brownells, brings up several results for sites with codes for purchase discounts and discount shipping. You redeem coupon codes by copying the code from the coupon code site, then shopping at the company’s website and pasting the code into the “coupons and promotions” field at checkout.

Coupon Apps

Coupon apps, for your mobile phone or tablet device, offer the speed and advantages of shopper’s cards, but they also reward shoppers with money or credits for the items they buy. Shoppers can then redeem those points for cash, or withdraw cash rewards, to be deposited into a bank account. Unlike the shopper’s card, coupon apps find deals from multiple vendors and manufacturers to find you the best deals. Some apps also allow you to make shopping lists and find coupons for the items on your list. How you redeem the coupons is based on the functionality of the app. In some cases you purchase the products at the store price then scan your receipt to redeem the savings in the form of cash rewards or points. In other cases, the app provides you with a coupon code.

Regardless of which method you use, the greatest advantage to all of them is that you help the environment by reducing your energy use, drive time and paper consumption.

 

Reusing Everyday Household Objects

11. April 2012 · Comments Off · Categories: Homemade Products, Household, Money Saving Tips · Tags: , ,

Please enjoy today’s guest post on reusing everyday household objects.

Being a parent is rarely regarded as a creative, entrepreneurial job, but it darn well should be! Raising a child, especially in a healthy, eco-friendly atmosphere, can be one of the more challenging tasks an adult can take on. Don’t believe me? Consider asking your parents living at your local Brookdale assisted living center what the hardest job they ever had was. A good number of them will say raising their kids. Make things easier on yourself, your wallet, and the environment by reusing household items. Here are some of the more obscure examples:

T-shirts—Most households have attics and basements full of old clothes. You can always donate these clothes to Good Will. Or you could reuse the old t-shirts for a variety of applications. Cut out square patterns to create a blanket, sew certain shapes onto jackets, or use them as cleaning rags.

Egg cartons—One of the best uses for egg cartons is as portable seed sprouters. The little oval shapes are the perfect containers for a bit of soil and some seeds. Get your kids involved in this project. You’re teaching them two valuable lessons at once: how to reuse household items and how to sprout seeds, which are very healthy and delicious on salads.

Greeting cards—You probably have hundreds of all greeting cards laying around—birthdays, holidays, get-well-soon’s. Since you can’t really reuse these in the traditional way, cut them up, reappropriate them and create your own new greeting cards. Or, if your kid is into arts and crafts, use the pictures and textures as the raw material for a mobile or a collage.

Coffee Grounds—After making a pot of coffee you’re stuck with a turgid black-as-night mess that you would normally toss in the trash. Not so fast, though. Coffee grounds makes for a great fertilizer for your garden or compost.

Glass bottles—Start collecting multi-colored glass bottles and create your own fun and creative lamps. Any shape, any hue will do—all you need is a light bulb fixture.

Toilet paper roll—You’re thinking, what on Earth could this possibly be reused for? The answer is wires. The average living room or home office has dozens of pesky wires connecting various appliances to various outlets. Use toilet paper rolls to bundle them together.

There are hundreds more examples of how every household items can be given a second life. Collectively, if we all started reusing many of the objects laying around our houses instead of throwing them away, we would save more money for our families and protect the environment too.

Lip Balm Sale at The Giving Essence!

25. February 2010 · 4 comments · Categories: Money Saving Tips · Tags: , ,

Healthy lips - the Perfect Way to Kiss Spring Hello!

 

DkMommy Spot’s very own online store The Giving Essence is having a pretty exciting sale right now, if I do say so myself.  For those of you who may not know, I make a pretty mean handcrafted lip balm, and normally you can buy a set of three 1-ounce tins for $15.  (A 1-ounce tin, by the way, is 6 times the size of a chapstick tube!)  For a limited time, I have the sets of three on sale for only $10, and of course you get to mix and match from the six flavors.  (No coupon code necessary.)

All the lip balm is completely natural, made with sweet almond oil, beeswax, honey, Vitamin E, and essential oils.  Sets of three come in a cute little organza bag.  And of course a portion of all proceeds goes to charity! For February, we’re focusing on Haiti relief, and proceeds are going to the Red Cross.  (With the exception of Peppermint Lip Balm; 100% of its proceeds go to breast cancer research!)  Also with every purchase comes a free sample of another TGE product, and for U.S. orders over $30 there’s free shipping.

If you’re a lip balm addict as I am, a set of three gives you the chance to keep one in your purse, one by the bed, and one in the bathroom.  Or one in the living room, one in your backpack, one in the kitchen.  Or all three in your pockets.  Endless balmy possibilities.

So swing by The Giving Essence for some natural lip balm and ditch the chapstick quick.  Spring is on the way; time for fresh skin.  Your lips will thank you!

How to Naturally Darken Your Hair – Successfully!

22. January 2010 · 11 comments · Categories: Mommy Care, Money Saving Tips, Remedies · Tags: , ,

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For these photos, my hair was dried straight so you can see the color differences.

I used to color my hair regularly, and for about 20 years (egads!) it’s been varying shades of red.  For the past 3 years, I’ve switched to more natural hair color from my health food store, but still I knew there were chemicals in there I’d rather not deal with.  Since I went no ‘poo  8 months ago, I’ve colored my  hair once – with what I’d consider disastrous results.  My hair went back to the way it was on shampoo.  It straightened.  It flattened.  It lost the shine and softness I had come to expect from being no ‘poo .  So here I am several months later with the bottom 2/3 of my hair a faded light red and the top third dark, dark brown.  With white highlights.  (I’m young yet – they’re called highlights.)  So how was I to naturally darken my hair, and with success?  The answer may just be black walnut hull.

I’ve had a batch of black walnut hull in my cupboard waiting for me to try it for months, but I have to be honest I didn’t think it would do much.  I also have a couple bags of henna sitting around, but I really wanted to try and match my natural dark brown color.  So finally I decided to try out the walnut.  

My hair after going no 'poo for 7 months. No mousse, no gel, no hairspray, NO shampoo!

 

Black walnut hulls produce a very dark brown tea that easily stains everything, so it’s important to be careful when  using it.  Purchasing powdered black walnut hulls makes the process easier.  I put a couple tablespoons in a muslin drawstring bag that I reserve for this purpose.  I bring almost a full teapot full of water to a near boil, then I pour it over the drawstring bag into an old bowl.  After the tea steeps for several hours (even overnight), I remove the muslin bag and take the bowl of tea, along with a second larger bowl (preferably plastic), into the bathroom.  After washing and/or wetting my hair, I kneel down and lean over the side of the tub with the large plastic bowl in the tub beneath my head.  I then carefully pour the tea over my head, making sure to cover as much of my hair as possible.  Then I pour the tea from the large bowl back into the small one, and pour it over my hair again, as many as 15 times.  Once I’m done, I squeeze the tea from my hair, and then I wrap my head in a nearby OLD towel.  I leave my head wrapped as I rinse out the tub and bowls carefully.  

After the first tea rinse I did, I definitely noticed a difference – subtle, but my bright red hair had the dimmer switch turned down.  I’ve now done the rinse four days in a row, and I’d say the red portion of my hair is pretty much medium brown now, with the red still slightly noticeable in bright lights.  White hairs are now no longer sparkly and glowing, but dimmed.  I’m hoping the tea rinses will eventually darken them more.  They are taking to the tea slower than the rest of my hair, but I’m feeling hopeful.

The best part about these rinses, aside from the fact that it’s natural and chemical-free, is that the color doesn’t rinse down the drain the next day when I wash my hair.  It seems to be permanent, and I don’t expect to do the rinse every day for the rest of my life – just until I reach my desired shade.  There’s also no funky smells left in the hair, and the black walnut hull is cheap and lasts a long time.  

I’ll keep you updated on the powdered black walnut tea rinses.  If you want to try it for yourself, you don’t need to do the rinse every single day unless you’re as impatient as I am to reach a new shade!  You might try a few times a week.  And make sure you’re careful not to get the tea on any clothing, shower curtains, floors, carpet etc. because it does a good job of staining – including hair, thankfully.

If you want to try to naturally darken your hair yourself, you can purchase powdered black walnut hull at The Giving Essence for only $5 a 4-oz bag.  Local health food stores may carry it as well.  Just make sure it’s a simple bag of only the powdered hulls, with no additives etc.  And then come back here and tell me how it worked for you!

A Simple Natural Deodorant Home Remedy

12. October 2009 · 5 comments · Categories: Money Saving Tips, Remedies · Tags: , ,

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Economical, Safe, and Effective - Baking Soda

Economical, Safe, and Effective - Baking Soda

If you’re trying to cut chemicals out of your morning beauty routine, then one thing you’ll want to examine is your choice of deodorants.  I’ve not reviewed many deodorants on this site.  That’s because, in my experience, good natural deodorants that actually work are quite hard to come by.  I usually rely on home remedies for deodorants, and I think I’ve finally hit on something that works far better than anything else I’ve tried so far: baking soda.

I was doing some online research recently, trying to find out what other people used as a deodorant alternative, and I stumbled across baking soda.  I’ve heard of it used, and for some reason I never actually tried it myself.  My husband told me that “in the old country,” baking soda is what everyone used when deodorant was hard to come by.  So we gave it a shot.

Most importantly to us was to find an aluminum-free baking soda. After all, aluminum is one of the main ingredients you want to avoid in a deodorant.  Research suggests aluminum is linked to breast cancer.  So we picked up a small bag of aluminum-free baking soda at our local health food store.  Using just a small dusting on wet palms and applying it to our armpits after a shower, we found that neither one of us were experiencing any sort of odor, even 24 hours after use!  Exercising, stressful phone calls, running around the house after a toddler; none of it seemed to matter.  

I still like to use my homemade deodorant spray from time to time, just because nice scents are fun.  But it’s nice to know I’ve found a reliable odor warrior in a small bag.  It’s extremely economical, it’s natural, and it works better than any of those lonely deodorant sticks under my bathroom sink.

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