Master list

When scoping out big-ticket items at a garage sale, it helps to have some sort of a running list of things you need. On our list, we had dressers, a kids bike and a salad spinner.

So yesterday when we happened upon dressers for our two girls, we hadn't actively looked for probably about a year. But there it was. A three-piece set popped up out of nowhere for $80 (after my husband talked the seller down $20) and it only took us three car trips to haul that bad boy home.

The result, we have pretty decent dressers for both girls. It's not the steal we got last year when we bought our oldest daughter's big-girl bed, or the deal in the classifieds for our tiled dining room table, but it's still a great deal and it's totally recycled.

Reusable awesomeness

I just want to say, those Parmesan cheese containers in the cooler section (like Kraft or off-brand cheese that's totally not the good stuff but that is much cheaper than the good stuff and you know you kind of love it) make great snack containers.

They have cool lids. A wide section for crackers. A shaker section for raisins. The lids screw on which means less spillage. They're a great size.

I haven't done this yet, but I'm thinking of letting the girls paint one. Giving them ownership of this handy-yet-disposable item might (fingers crossed) make it less likely they'll leave it behind.

Cheap Green Tip 8: Recycle

Technically, this isn't going to save you a ton of cash. I guess, if I were really stretching the term cheap, I could say you save on trash bag cash. Or maybe I could argue that by recycling your batteries and newspapers and furniture that you're keeping items in circulation and saving money for the planet.

Hmmm. Not working. Well. Just recycle, that's why.

Just because we know you're busy blah, blah, blah, half of all communities have curbside recycling. It's really just as easy as tossing your plastic bottles in a container separate from your trash can. In my community, we have bins set up throughout the city that allows me to recycle at my leisure, which I kind of like.


And what I've noticed? My family of four never uses more than a single trash can each week. And once you get rolling, you can focus your attention on reducing waste before you bring it home.

For instance, I've just stopped buying water. Those plastic bottles are really a burden on the landfills. And I buy products with less packaging, which in turn produces less waste.

Amazing how that works.

Tip: Visit Earth911 for all things recycling. They have ways you can recycle the basics (cans, bottles and paper) along with other items you might not have considered like electronics and pharmaceuticals, although I'm unsure as to why anybody would throw Vicodin down the drain.

Cheap Green Tip 7: Borrow

PBS has this great new ad. It shows all these things — a library, a school, the shoreline, beautiful landscapes.

After each, the screen says, "This belongs to you."

Really, I'm getting weepy right now just thinking of the ad. All those things, PBS included, DO belong to me.

Libraries, for instance, are great sources for all sorts of entertainment. Most libraries aren't limited to books. There are DVDs, music CDs, computer games and sometimes even toys. I could not afford to buy what I borrow every year from the library.

Don't forget to bring your own bag.

Speaking of bags, why not borrow instead of buy, if you're really into bags which I understand some people are. For a fee, almost anything can be rented. One company has a Netflix-like service for toys.

But really, the free stuff is the best stuff.

Take a walk to the city park and enjoy a picnic. Climb the playground equipment. Chase your kids. That land belongs to you, so you might as well use it.

Tip: Moms, lend out some of those giant maternity muumuus you're keeping, just in case. Your friends will give them back if the vasectomy doesn't hold. Same is true for the baby bath, cutie newborn duds and crib.

Cheap green Tip 4: Have patience

So I'm a little, let's say, frugal. This is not eco-friendly scrimping that have made sites like Freecycle and Zwaggle so darn popular, but rather an innate cheapness aided by too many years of Ramon noodles as my main source of nutrition.

But re-sale goodies, especially on the big stuff like furniture, can help keep quality items in circulation. It's always better to buy something used than new, even the greenest-of-green products.

I once bought a tiled oak table for $250 and our bed frame (which was broken, but just barely) was a scant $30. And with kids, because they use things for such a short amount of time, it's crazy to buy some of this stuff new if you can help it.

Take my daughter's big-girl bed, for instance. We found this Pottery Barn masterpiece at a garage sale for $200, including the Sealy mattress and two identical princess quilts. The key was patience. We looked for months before we found what we wanted. And we didn't want junk because a)we don't like junk and b) junk is a lot more likely to end up at the landfill.

So this summer when we go searching for my 4-year-old's first bike, we won't be paying the bike store $100, and we won't be buying junk from Wal-Mart. C'mon garage sale season. I know you're out there.

Tip: Don't forget about the old-fashioned classified section. Sometimes when people move, or get divorced or whatever, they need to get rid of some big-ticket items fast.