There is an awesome series at Telegraph.co.uk about growing your own wedding. From the flowers to the food, if you’ve already got a small plot of land, you can grow it all and you can save BIG bucks. This is also a super choice for an organic green wedding.  The series looks at the possibilities of growing your own wedding - is it possible, what you could serve, and how to manage it all.

Some of the cool ideas offered include:

• Peach or raspberry Bellinis for guests, made with some fruit picked from the garden.
• For canapés with the early drinks, lots of different bruschettas made with garden tomatoes, garlic, and plenty of home-grown basil and a minty bean humus as well.
• Plates of just-picked baby vegetables – radish, mini carrots, peas, purple-podded mange touts, and the late, mini broad bean ‘Stereo’ – on plates covered in ice.
• Crisp courgette wedges with anchovy mayonnaise and stuffed courgette flowers with goat’s cheese and honey.
• Fresh salads and new potatoes served with dinner.
• Lebanese tahini salad, home-made mint jelly and platters of salad scattered with blue borage and orange marigold flowers included with the main wedding meal.
• Flowers such as, Cosmos ‘Purity’ and dill flowers for decor, table centres of potted acidanthera, and a bouquet of roses, alchemilla and sweet peas.

I LOVE this idea; they offer some great creative ideas, and I see how you could expand it to all sorts of cool events - grow your own… potluck, graduation, baby shower, birthday, the list goes on and on. Growing your own food and flowers for a major event is a super way to cut costs and makes for such a charming event too. Plus, it’s so versatile. You could grow all sorts of different items for various events.

Read the series:

• Grow your own wedding: part 1
• Grow your own wedding: part 2

See more ways to save money on your wedding.

[images via stock.xchng]

Today, yet another way that green can save you money and in just two words no less…

Rechargeable batteries.

Gaiam NiMH Batteries & Chargers - shown above

If you haven’t jumped on board with rechargeable batteries, you really should. The benefits are huge, both on a planet and money saving level. According to the Daily Green, “More than 15 billion batteries are thrown away each year.” WOW. Batteries not only NEVER biodegrade but they contain toxic gunk that can leak out of said batteries and contaminate soil and water. Now, if the planet is your only concern, you can recycle batteries - check Earth 911 for a recycling center near you.

However, if part of your game plan is also to save money (I know it is) get some rechargeable batteries.

Do they really save you that much money?:

Yes, they actually do. It may seem overwhelming because start up costs can be high, especially if you own many electronics that require batteries, but in the long run, you will save $. Grinning Planet offers a good rundown of just how rechargeable save you money and also note when they don’t. For example GP says that, “There are some uses where rechargeable batteries simply do not make economic sense… [such as for] low-draw devices like battery-powered wall clocks, smoke detectors, and remote controls, or devices that have long idle times (measured in months), like emergency flashlights.“

Which rechargeable to buy?:

Aim for quality at the get-go. If you’re paying for them, you may as well get decent ones. Check out Gaiam NiMH Batteries & Chargers which are good in my opinion or read, The Best Rechargeable Batteries and Chargers Of 2009.

We all want to plan healthy meals, but some of us (ahem, me) aren’t born cooking geniuses. Some of us need some recipe help.

That said, healthy cookbooks can cost a bundle, both for our budgets and the planet. Very few cookbooks are made with recycled content, so each new cookbook you buy wastes money and trees. However, you can make a cookbook of your very own with very little cash, and save some trees in the process.

MAKE YOUR HOMEMADE COOKBOOK:

First grab a basic three ring binder - I actually have a few; basic meals, baking, and desserts, holidays, & treats. Fill it with page protectors (this is your big cost factor here), and slip recipes into said page protectors. You can go cheaper and use no page protectors, but page protectors allow you to have your cookbook folder in the kitchen and protects the pages from splatters (did I mention I’m not kitchen friendly). Note: plastic page protectors are not so green, but one better choice are UniKeep page protectors made with 100% recyclable polypropylene.

ADDING RECIPES TO YOUR HOMEMADE COOKBOOK:

• Browse blogs and websites for good recipes and print them out using both sides of the paper.
• Head to the thrift store or a garage sale and buy up all the old magazines they offer related to food. These cost anywhere from 10 cent to $1.oo which is a huge saving over typical cookbooks. Tear out your fave recipes and recycled the rest of the magazine. You can also score free magazines sometimes if you get them from a friend or if you visit a doctor’s office or hair salon (ask nicely for their discards).
• Check out good cookbooks from the library and jot down your favorite recipes.
• Share. Most folks I know have at least one or two real cookbooks. If you hold a cookbook swap, you can snag your fave recipes from all of them.

BENEFITS:

1. Super cheap.
2. No nonsense - you only get the recipes you like.
3. Healthy - um, don’t look for unhealthy stuff (no brainer).
4. Green - less paper used.

How do you score cheaper and healthier recipes?

[image via stock.xchng]

I don’t usually like to post sales; I’m more of a tips sort of person. However, being that it’s Earth Day, and being that I mainly write in the green genre, you would not believe the sales hitting my inbox. That said, I figured I’d share the love.

One of my favorite green shops on the web, Night Owl Paper Goods, is having a massive Earth Day sale today. I LOVE this shop because not only are their products totally sweet and beautiful but they’re sustainable and useful as well. See ad below for details:

Origins, king of natural body care, is holding some good sales as well for today only such as, you can choose 4 FREE samples with any order + get Free Standard Shipping with $50 order.

It’s Easy Being Green offers all sorts of energy efficient green goods for the home. From weatherization products to greener lighting to energy saving kits, they’ve got it all, and today everything at the site is 25% off.

RFF Press is celebrating Earth Day for the entire month with a cool 40% discount on ALL published book orders placed April 20-May 20, 2009. RFF Press is a very cool shop carrying eco-reading material so you can get up to speed on the green you need. To claim your RFF Press Earth Day discount, enter Discount Code ‘EARTH‘ at checkout.

Amazon Green is having a major Earth Day sale with discounts on everything from greener cleaning products to beauty products to baby care and lots more.

So if you’ve been needing some green, now is your chance to save…

If you’re looking for general Earth Day tips today read, Plan for 365 days of green this Earth Day.

Now that spring has arrived you might be planning your spring and summer gardens. Gardening is overall a budget deal because it saves you money on fresh veggies and fruits (seeds cost way less than store-bought produce). That said, the cost of starting a garden can add up. Here are some ways to save.

Only use reusable or recyclable  planting gear:  Old egg cartons can be used to start seeds or you can make your own growing pots with recycled materials you’ve got laying around the house. If you’ve already got plastic seed starter posts make sure to reuse them (just wash well).

Never buy new garden tools: Thrift stores and garage sales carry every garden tool you’ll ever need, you just have to look. It’s silly to buy shiny new garden tools anyhow, they’ll just get dirty!

Make homemade fertilizer: This is cheaper than store-bought, plus a very eco-friendly way to grow a garden. You can compost all your old coffee grounds, food scraps, grass clippings and more for a healthy soil additive.

Make your own non-toxic weed killer: Mix 1 ounce orange oil and 1 teaspoon liquid soap with 1 gallon of 10% white vinegar. Shake it altogether in a spray bottle and spot treat weeds. You should also learn about natural garden pest control ideas that save you money on store bought pest control.

Save your old seeds: Check to see if they still work - often they do.

Trade with friends: You can trade and share garden tools, plants (i.e. cut and share), seeds, gardening books, and more. You can even arrange to grow different crops. Say you grow corn and your pal grows tomatoes - then share.

Water the garden at night: This saves you water and money because overnight the water has a chance to absorb well, vs. drying up in the hot daytime sun.

Learn about gardening where you live: If you jump into gardening unprepared, you might get lucky. OR you may just waste time and money. Learn about gardening topics that are relevant to your local area. Plants made for your climate will thrive better than exotic plants.

BONUS: Don’t forget, gardening is a super cheap summer activity for the kiddos. You don’t have to pay for an outing if your garden is cool enough. Check out 10 Fun Organic Gardening Projects for Kids for ideas.

Coffee (good coffee; people) can be expensive. You can buy cheaper coffee to save money OR to make your coffee purchases work harder use the grounds up - all the way.

After brewing a pot, set aside the grounds and try one of the following applications…

Place them in your compost bin where they will enrich your compost content. Coffee grounds naturally release nitrogen which plants adore all to pieces. Flowers like azaleas and rhododendrons are especially huge fans of the acid content in coffee. In fact, even if you don’t have a compost bin, you can still use coffee grounds in the garden to enrich the soil. Simply sprinkle the grounds over the soil and flower beds.

Place some of your old grounds in a canister in your kitchen. Rub on your hands after you peel onions or work with smelly old fish. The gorunds work well at removing icky lingering scents.

Coffee grounds also work like baking soda when used as an odor absorber. You can put some into a plastic bin, toss on a lid, punch holes in the lid, and place the whole shebang in your fridge. The bin will absorb fridge odors well.

Scrub down in the shower with grounds. I know, it sounds weird, but coffee grounds are actually perfect for various skin and hair applications.

Have your kiddos make a coffee grounds craft - trust me, it’s super cool fun.

Lastly, I’ve heard that coffee grounds will remove (or hide anyhow) scratches on wood furniture. I haven’t tried, but plenty of folks say it works wonders.

Do you have any other uses for coffee grounds?

[image via stock.xchng]

In a word, YES!

Not sure if you know this, but while I do write on other topics, my main interest is green living. It’s what I write about most of the time, what I think about almost all the time, and in my opinion, green living can be applied to almost anything, including finances and your budget.

Here are two green living ideas that can save you money each day:

1. Using cloth over paper whenever possible: Using cloth napkins, cloths for cleaning, and cloth handkerchiefs is a great way to save cash and the environment.

Example:

Set of basic cloth napkins for a week for a family of four = about $70-100 (note that if you go the thrift store route, you could score cloth napkins for a song; I’m talking $15 for a week’s worth of napkins).

Basic paper napkins for a week for a family of four = about$8.37 BUT that’s also around $435 per year, where as the cloth napkins are a one-time purchase that can last years. So if your cloth napkins last only two years, you still save around $700. Cut out paper towels for cloth and we’re talking HUGE savings.

2. Make your own cleaners vs. buying new household cleaners: This can save you money in two ways. One, ingredients for homemade cleaners are way cheaper and go further than store bought bottles of cleaners. Two, many store bought cleaners are toxic, and who knows if you’ll end up sick and with doctors bills due to the cleaners?

Example:

One bottle of say, store bought toxic tub and tile cleaner is about $6. Or you could buy a bottle of tub and tile cleaner that’s safer, but still around the same price - $6. Either way, if you buy a bottle every two months that’s about $36 a year. NOT counting all the other cleaning products you buy.

If instead, you buy a big box of store brand baking soda for $2, and use that (sprinkle in your tub, scrub with water), you’ll save a lot. One large box of baking soda usually lasts me about four months or more, and I use it for tubs, toilets, sinks, and more. You save about $30 per year IF all you count is the tub cleaner. If you make all your own homemade cleaners you’ll save tons more.

Learn how to make 25 Safe, Non-toxic, Homemade Cleaning Supplies.

If you’re interested in other ways that living green can actually save you green you might want to subscribe to the Thrifty Mommy news feed (it’s totally free!). From time to time, I’ll post other green saving tips.

How are you living green and saving money? Let me know in the comments…

[image via stock.xchng]

I’ve got a few nice links for you today; holiday and thrifty related.

At Tree Hugging Family, I posted DIY Homemade Natural & Eco Chic Soap which is an excellent holiday gift project, one you can even do with the kiddos. It’s soap that you can easily make with lots of recycled products - but it looks totally professional. See:

[image via Bramble Berry]

Read more

Having so many blogs, I’m always posting stuff at one blog, while thinking, “Hey, the folks at so and so blog might like this too.” In this case I recently posted two items at Tree Hugging Family that may interest thrifty folks….

First up you can save money with, Homemade Eco Gifts You Can Make for the Holidays! Many cool goodies you can make on the cheap. Plus, these actually are great gifts, not silly stuff no one would want.

Also I’ve got the 2008 “10 Worst Toys” List - a great list for parents, because a dangerous toy is neither safe (obviously) or a good bargain.

Enjoy!

[image via stock.xchng]

Here is the solar dehydrator I made. As you can see, it is nothing fancy. Just some boxes, some Styrofoam, mesh, a grate, plastic and a black garbage bag.

It generated a fantastic amount of heat and the stuff was drying nicely during daylight hours, but there was so much dew on the box in the morning and it all kind of re-hydrated itself some. After a few days of this, it was obvious that I have too much humidity and not enough light for this solar model where I live.

I think a solar fan would improve things enormously, but I didn’t have one laying around. If you happen to have one, I’d try putting it at the bottom of the heat collector and circulating the air to cut down the humidity and push the heat into the drying rack area faster.

I think you could also use the solar collector part of the dehydrator as a solar heater for a room with a sunny window. I actually burned myself several times de-assembling the dehydrator.

If you want to experiment with solar dehydrators, these were the links I used:

The model I built

Next experiment - an electric homemade model

Technorati Tags: solar dehydrator,make a dehydrator with cardboard boxes

All photos by me (Like anyone else would want to take credit for this set!)