Friday, November 20, 2015

Green & Simple Living, Part 6

This is the handout that I passed out at my talk, with recipes to try and resources to check out...

“Have nothing in your houses that you do know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” - William Morris

“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”  - Annie Dillard


Questions to ask yourself:
What does simple living mean to you?  
What is important to you?  
How do you want to spend your life, and how can you structure your days to reflect that?
What can you eliminate from your life to have more resources (time, money, energy) to focus on what is truly important to you?

Recipes:

Deodorant
6 Tbsp. softened coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Combine baking soda and arrowroot powder, then mix in coconut oil, combining well.  Scoop into a small jar for storage.  Use your fingers to apply a small amount to armpits.  During hot weather, deodorant may need to be stored in the fridge to avoid the coconut oil liquifying.

All-Purpose Cleaner
1 1/2 tsp. dish liquid
3 Tbsp. vinegar
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle.

The Best Stain Remover
1 part dish soap
2 parts hydrogen peroxide

Combine in a bottle and shake to mix.  Pour directly on stain as soon as possible and let sit for a bit before washing.




Resources:

www.ewg.org (Dirty Dozen list, Skin Deep cosmetic rating database)

Simple and Green Living Blogs
www.smallnotebook.org

Books:
The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
A Guide to Green Housekeeping by Christina Strutt
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin
Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne
Healthy Homemaking: One Step at a Time by Stephanie Langford (available at www.keeperofthehome.org)
The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyzyn






2 comments:

PUPPPsMom said...

Question for ya. Do you find that the deodorant leaves oily stains on your shirts? I recently started using some with a similar recipe, and I was not pleased with the staining. Maybe it has to do with our well water.

Annaleah said...

I haven't noticed any unusual staining. I've always gotten some perspiration stains, and I still get some of that, at least that's what I think it is! Maybe it is oil and I never realized it! But I don't think so, and it's not much, so I don't think I've had the problem you have. Sorry you've had that, that would be frustrating!