Green Challenge is back.

It’s been a while, hasn’t it?

I’ve tried a couple products and have some more on the way. (I SO heart you, Internet Shopping!) So the upcoming weeks will be filled with eco-friendly product reviews.

I’ve also still been trying to change my unfriendly habits. The area I have been really trying to improve on lately is grocery shopping.

Normally, I go to Cub Foods for my dairy, meat and produce. Then I go to Wal-Mart for the non-perishables (So Much Cheaper!). This usually leaves me with about 20 plastic bags that I have absolutely no use for (because I already have so many). I recycle the bags, but it’s always better to Reduce before Reusing and Recycling. So when Cub Foods offered their Cub canvas tote bags 2/$7, I managed to get the last one.

It has been wonderful! I never imagined it would save so many bags. I can fit almost everything from one trip into the bag and have used it at least five times. It makes me feel really good to walk out of the store using it.

I still need to find a solution to Wal-Mart’s excess baggage. Since they started recycling their bags, the bags have been weaker. The cashiers solve this by using two. I think my only solution is going to be to buy another tote (or do you think it would be okay to use my Cub bag there??) and make them let me bag my own stuff. Knowing how many bags I save at Cub makes it hurt that much more when I walk out of Wally’s with three times that.

I’ve also been trying to cut out the extra packaging. The kids take sack lunches to school so this isn’t very easy. I’ve been on the lookout for those little single serve holders for Pringles – something I saw EVERY time I went shopping before and now that I want them can’t find them for the life of me. Chips are not even the worst of it, though. They usually take a cereal bar and juice box as well. Thankfully, school is almost out and I won’t have to worry about that until next year. And then hopefully next year, I’ll be able to get them all kinds of reusable containers during School Shopping Season.

We’ve also been working on our meat consumption but that’s a whole different post!

Want to get your hands on a canvas tote? I did some searching and found these:

Amazon.com has a wide variety. But these are my favorite.

These are from ECOBAGS. What I loved most was reading the reviews and seeing that both people had the same comment about feeling good walking out of the store.
I also found ECOBAGS’ website, where they are slightly cheaper (and you get a deal when you buy more) – I didn’t, however, check shipping costs, which could make it a toss up on who is cheaper.

Uncommon Goods has a cute Cowgirls bag for $20.

Then there is the Eco-Friendly bag Superstore, Reusablebags.com, where you can not only find a wide variety of reusable bags, but you can also get the activist’s kit for $3 (plus shipping).

For more information on using plastic shopping bags, check out this website or Ideal Bite.

As you may have already guessed, this weeks’ Green Challenge is to look at your own shopping and find one way to make it more eco-friendly. Maybe pick up a tote, or buy something in bulk and put it in your own individual containers at home. Or, if you don’t already recycle your plastic bags, you can start doing that! ;)

Website Review: Endless.com

My SIL is a pretty savvy chick. She finds The Coolest Stuff Ever on this here Internet. So when she sends me a link, I know I have to check it out. Especially when she says it's to a place with cheap shoes.

Within five minutes of receiving said link, I had a hot pair of peep-toes picked out. But then Rational Me stepped in and said "Hey, remember you just bought some peep-toed heels? And just how many times have you worn them?" Frivolous Me muttered, "Once ... Cheap Bitch."

So I waited until I got home and bought THESE:


I really like them. They're comfy. They remind me of the1920’s a little bit. I have nothing to go with them.

I need a pair of flats really bad and had hoped these would do the trick, but they just don't go with the three pair of dress slacks that I have NO SHOES for.

**BIG SIGH**

I'm worried I might have to send them back. Though they were only $19.79, I'm really not supposed to be buying shoes but saving for something else.

Endless.com seems to have a good return policy, though, so I might just have to try it out.

The site was a breeze to get through. They have just about every way to search you can think of...by brand, style, color, even HEEL HEIGHT. They have a huge selection of shoes (I didn't get to look into the handbags yet). My only problem with the search was that after I got a good chunk into my search results, I accidentally clicked a link and lost the search.

Cute shoes, low prices and groovy searches aside...let me talk about their little offer that I couldn't refuse: -$5.00 shipping. (So, my shoes ended up being under $15.00) Yeah...they pay YOU to ship it OVERNIGHT. But only for a limited time.


Overall Rating: My New Favorite Shoe Store!!

Tuesday's Gone

I'm getting Anti-Work right now, so I thought I'd take a break before it got hostile.

Ms. Vacations-Up-The-Yang is gone again.

One o'clock Friday afternoon I was getting ready to leave for lunch and to do a little shopping for my Cheerful Givers Party. I'd worked overtime all week to ensure I'd have a couple hours to do this. I planned it out so that I could be gone at JUST the right time. Then Ms. Vuty drops STACKS of files and papers on my desk and starts flying through what needs to be done, what can *probably* wait and what I "probably won't need to worry about." I was SO PISSED that she'd screwed me on my break, I threatened to quit - loudly - a few times throughout the afternoon. Thank goodness Boss was gone.

I had a lovely weekend, to get completely off the subject but stay in time frame. The Man and I had a great dinner Saturday after we played a game on the golf simulator (So. Fun.) and spent an ass-load of money on clothes. Seriously, $25 at one outlet store got me a TON of clothes - including new yoga pants ($3) and a suede jacket ($5...yes, $5). Then I spent FORTY DOLLARS on a pair of running shoes. Like, OMG, FORTY DOLLARS. Remember me all excited over my new Payless peep-toes??? Half as much as these babies! I'm kind of excited and a little sick. Spending money does that to me.

The next day, on our way to pick up the kids, we hit up Kohl's. The Man went on a total shopping spree. Okay, maybe that's the cheap-ass in me, but he got a LOT. It's nice to see him picking out new clothes, though. When we started dating, his sister chastised him in front of me for not even attempting to wear a t-shirt without holes. So, he's come a long way to be buying NEW ones.

We picked up the kids and went SHOPPING AGAIN! We took them to Marshall’s, where I got a Roxy swimsuit for $16 that looks good on me. Also a cool bag.

Having Monday off, we set out on our day-long hunt for the perfect (read: inexpensive but not cheap) beds for the kids. Which we found at four. The Man's reliable BFF showed up an hour later to pick him and the beds up. (Two trips = four hours, jsyk). Nine o'clock rolled around, the kids were sleeping soundly in their new beds, I had dishes yet to do, hadn't made it the grocery store and OMG I MISSED HEROES!!! Not a good ending to a long, headache-producing day.

Also, not a good start to a long, headache-producing week. Which brings us back to NOW. Now I sit here, having freshly realized I HAVE NO IDEA how to do Vuty's work. None at all. This should be fun. I'm imagining all the things I can say to take the heat off me when my boss comes to find out why the shit ain't getting done. Obviously, it's Vuty's fault, right? I mean, SHE didn't bother to make sure I knew what she did before she left. I get so sick of everyone here using "You're smart, you'll pick up on it." as an excuse to not thoroughly train me. I keep trying to think of excuses and in my head, the conversation always ends "I have high blood pressure. HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. I'm TWENTY FOUR, in decent health and I have HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE." And then, me quitting in a Half-Baked-esque way.

I know I can't (financially) leave this job. But I am so scared that it's going to kill me if I don't. I used to think I was dramatic saying that. But now I have HIGH FREAKING BLOOD PRESSURE. At TWENTY FOUR.

How's that for dramatic?

Monday Morning You Sure Looked Fine

Highlights of my weekend:

~Worst part: My new gyno, “Wow! You sure got the stretch marks, didn’t ya?”

~Strangest Part: We stopped at Wendy’s for dinner Friday night, but they were absurdly busy. While we were waiting in line, some guy came huffing into the place, threw his money down on the counter and said, “I’m just going to have to give you this, I can’t use any more gas out there!” Oh, I get it…you can’t afford to burn your gasoline for five more minutes, but you can afford to pay for food you will not be eating?? Maybe he was running really low, but still…Why The Hell Did He PAY For It??? Also…you could see that they were busy before you even got to the lot. If they’re parking people at the drive thru and you’re low on gas…just use common sense!

~Ahem…The best parts...

~I paid full price for a pair of jeans at Tarzjay. To wear with my new shoes (also full price). Not exactly the Maddens and Baby Phat items I’ve been lusting after, but a nice change from Nothing At All…(even CLEARANCE CLOTHES!).

~I finally bought the new Killers CD - which is awesome. (Can you tell yet that I was mad when I went to Target?)

~I bought The Man’s stinking fishing pole offline so it will actually be here BEFORE his birthday.

~I made plans FOR his birthday! We’re going to play virtual golf. Which is actually going to be awesome for me. I got into golf last year, but we never had time to play a real game. Also, I was scared. This way I can get the feel of it without breaking anything, injuring someone or spending the day looking for my ball. Perfecto.

~Valentine’s Day is also Small Change Day…so make sure you check back for the new challenge!


**Title, in case anyone didn't get it, is from Fleetwood Mac...I've been really feeling lyrics lately, thinking about incorporating them more.