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5 Tips For Wasting Less Produce

May 26, 2017 by Larisha Campbell 13 Comments




Disclosure: This post on 5 Tips For Wasting Less Produce is sponsored by Rubbermaid® BRILLIANCE alongside SheSpeaks.  Thoughts and opinions 100% our own.

I remember growing up my mom would tell me that I couldn’t waste food because children around the world were starving. I was a kid though, so I haphazardly listened to her then. In college, I remember a friend telling me that while he was deployed in Iraq, he saw children starving and begging for any food they could get. He said it completely changed his mindset about wasting food.  It was something I’ve held on to ever since.  It’s also something that I’m working to instill in my children.

I learned that approximately 1/3 of the food that is produced in the world gets wasted. That statistic to me was appalling.  How do we have hunger in this world, if we are wasting that much food.  It’s mind blowing really. I’ve done my best in ensuring our family wastes as little as possible. For the foods we do have to waste, I try to compost as much as I can back into our garden for the next year. Today, I wanted to share some tips with you about how we work on wasting less.

5 Tips For Saving Money on Produce

  1. Only Buy What You Need
    • This probably sounds a bit cliche, but it’s true. I found that when I buy certain foods, they always go back before we end up using them.  Unless it’s something that I’m going to use that day, I know based on my household experience that those produce items will go bad. Every year, for example, I buy a bag of fresh cranberries with hopes of making a homemade dish for the holidays.  Every year I forget. So, I’ve stopped buying them.
    • Likewise, if you know you grocery shop every week, there’s no needed to buy 12 different vegetables for dinner and to buy bulk in each.  Just buy enough to feed your family.
  2. Watch and Freeze
    • Every 2-3 days, take 2-3 minutes and glance at the produce you have on hand. Take note if you need to use up something sooner than you thought. In the event you won’t be able to use it right away, pop it in the freezer.
    • Almost all vegetables and fruits can be frozen (some need a little more work than others to prep before freezing). One of my favorite things to freeze is bananas.  Besides eating a fresh banana, a frozen banana can be used in anything just the same once thawed back out.
  3. Use clear containers, like Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE, at eye level
    • Don’t hide your produce in the drawers if you have a tendency to waste food.  Keep them in containers at your eye level so you are more apt to grab them before grabbing anything else.  This also helps to cut down on waste because you see it right in front of you.Use clear, see through containers, like Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE, and store at eye level.

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  4. Meal Plan!
    • I can’t say this one enough.  It’s one of my favorite things to do.  It saves time, causes less stress, and ensures that you are rotating through the food that you’ve purchased. Grab our simple weekly meal planning printable here!
  5. Wash and Cut Immediately
    • This tip not only helps me waste less, but helps me eat healthier too.  By having things washed and able to grab immediately, I find myself not grabbing for the chips and candy. Wash and pat dry your fruits and vegetables and store in Rubbermaid BRILLIANCE containers.
    • Tips: If you wash berries of any kind, and you aren’t immediately eating them, you will need to store them in a container with a paper towel to soak up moisture and prevent mold growth.

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Filed Under: Home Tagged With: produce, saving money, tips

3 Tips to Save Money on Car Seats

May 16, 2017 by Larisha Campbell 1 Comment

You’ve found out that you’re pregnant. YAY!!!

Fast forward to going into the store to register and you’re all “Oh, crap!”. One, there’s a bajillion items in the store.  How do you know what the heck to get.  I remember registering with our first daughter and we were just happily walking through the aisles, scanning everything. It took me a few weeks after registering to realize that half the stuff we put on there, we didn’t even need. Then, I realized that some of the things, I really needed to think about. Fast forward to now having two children and I’m a little more versed on things.

Car seats were one of the hardest selections. So. Many. Options. Seriously, why are there so many car seat options? Do we want an infant seat with a stroller? An infant seat without a stroller? Do we need an extra base? How about a convertible car seat? Do it matter which one we get?  Is the $100 option as good as the $500 car seat? So. Many. Questions.

Luckily, I’m here to save the day.

First, it’s important to realize that every single seat on the market has been tested and approved for the current safety standards.  This means that they all meet crash safety protocols.  Typically, when looking at higher priced car seats, you are paying for more cushion in the seats, higher quality fabrics, or longer ability to rearface and/or use multi-mode (rearfacing, forward facing, belt positioning booster all in one).

Here’s our 3 Tips to Save Money on Car Seats 

  1. Get a coupon if not purchased from your registry
    • Many registries, like Target and Amazon, will give you coupons for completing your registry about a month before you put your due date.
    • For us, we got a 15% off Target coupon to use for anything that was on our registry that someone didn’t buy.
  2. Trade in Events
    • Target and Babies-R-Us both have trade-in events.  They will give you a % off coupon to bring in an old seat and upgrade to a new one. The coupon usually ranges in the 20-25% off range.
    • If this is your first child, try to locate a used car seat somewhere like your local FreeCycle
      • PLEASE NOTE: You NEVER want to personally use a used car seat. If you don’t 100% know the history of the car seat, then you shouldn’t be using it. 
  3. Buy a convertible car seat
    • For us, this was the greatest savings ever. We didn’t realize this was an option with our first, but it’s what we did with our second. (We have a Diono Radian for one and Rainier for the other)
    • Convertible car seats cost more up front typically; however, depending on your child, it could be the only seat that they ever needed.
    • For our first, we switched to a convertible around 6 months.  With our first, she was in a convertible car seat from the day we left the hospital. We used a Boba baby carrier to get her back and forth.

What are your Tips to Save Money on Car Seats?  Leave a comment and let us know!

BONUS!  Check out our 4 car seats for under $100 post!

 

Filed Under: Car Seat Safety, Home Tagged With: car seat safety, natural parenting, pregnancy, saving money


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