2017 - A Year in Review

 As we move into the new year, let's reflect on the awesome things we've discovered this past year. Thanks for hanging out with me through 37 posts in 2017!

Travel: 

• The Costa Ricans show that Pura Vida extends to their view on waste.
• The Container Park is a sustainable gem in the heart of Sin City.
• My hotel in Tempe saved on packaging by providing full sized, refillable toiletries and saved $5 per night by declining housekeeping.
• A Detroit restaurant uses reclaimed materials for its furniture!

 Clothes: 

• I saved $37 by thrifting a top and using the Buy Nothing gifting community for some jeans.
• I saved $100 by scoring an awesome peacoat as a hand-me-down.
• I saved $60 thrifting a bold patterned top.
• We discovered that going green is even trendy with the celebs!
• I found online thrift stores make thrifting as easy as any online shopping.
• I saved about $100 and added months of life to my pants with some quick mending.
• I saved $32.55 on brand name digs at a consignment shop in Portland. 
• I saved $41.24 by DIYing my own crazy Halloween costume from thrifted materials.

Non-clothing Thrift: 

• We recognized Half Price Books as a way to both save money on books and earn money selling books for others to enjoy.
• We discovered stores that focus on "creative re-use" where you can get craft supplies for about 80% off!

Health, Bath, and Body: 

• We reduced packaging and saved 22% ($1.96) by buying bathroom products in bulk.
• I saved $18 by investing in period panties. 
• High end nail polish comes with friendlier ingredients at no extra cost.
• We saved packaging materials and transport costs by buying concentrated bath products.
• We sent the year out with a sparkle, by recommending eco friendly glitter.

Home and Garden: 

• We grew vegetables for free from our scraps. Free food and fun hobby! I saved $2 after a couple small rounds of harvesting. :) 
• Reusable flatware saves on plastic utensils, and bamboo doesn't add weight to your bag.
• Wool dryer balls save you dryer sheets and significant drying time!
• I saved $4 by regrowing my store-bought basil.
• We saved on plastic produce bags by getting reusable mesh bags - and also discovered a tag on Etsy for more eco shopping: "teamecoetsy".
• We recovered rare earth elements by recycling our old phones.
• We reduced food waste by purchasing imperfect produce.
• We substantially reduced our paper mail by signing up for 2 services.

Around town: 

• Community dog parks save money and resources by collecting users' grocery bags for waste pickup and collecting rainwater for doggy drinking water.
• We reduced fuel use by shopping local small businesses for Christmas.

Cool eco projects:

• The Washed Ashore Project makes giant sculptures creates beauty and educational pieces from collected ocean debris.
• We discovered 3D Printing and Knitting as options to upcycle plastic.

And finally, we forgave ourselves when we could be perfect greenies all the time. :)

Overall, we saved about $401.75 by making some smart choices, and made a huge dent in our environmental impact! Way to go Thoughtful Consumers!