Food Waste Friday continues

It's Friday, and we don't have any food waste this week. But we'll have to work hard to avoid having any next week, because there are a lot of leftovers in our refrigerator.

If you're new to this blog, on Fridays I usually talk about food waste and even post a photo of the food that went bad over the course of the week. It's an effort to become conscious of how much food we throw away, so that we can try to buy less and waste less. The idea of posting the photograph came from Kristen of The Frugal Girl, and a lot of people have joined in the effort.

Why should we care about wasted food? Simply put, it's bad for the environment and it's bad for your wallet. Here's just one alarming statistic: Americans waste 40 percent of the food that they buy. And all that food sitting in a landfill adds to the greenhouse gas problem.

If you want to find out more, check out Wasted Food. So far, what's worked for us is to buy less in the first place, keep track of our leftovers, and create an Eat Me section of the refrigerator.

Are you watching your food waste? How did you do this week? What are your favorite tips for wasting less food? Please share your ideas and advice in the Comments section.

Friday Freebies

FREE STUFF ALERT: It's the first weekend of the month, which means it's time for Bank of America's "Museums on Us" program. This Saturday or Sunday, hundreds of museums, zoos, and science centers across the country offer free admission with a Bank of America debit or credit card. Click here to find out about participating museums in your area.

I'll be back later with a Food Waste Fridays post.

Thrifty Threads

Welcome to another installment of Thrifty Threads, AKA Most Stylish Compact-y Outfit, where readers model their favorite secondhand clothes.

A Compact-y outfit is used or recycled, from Goodwill, a thrift store, or a consignment shop.

Today's model is "Non Consumer Girl," who was the very first model for this series, and I'm so happy to have her back for a return visit. She got this lovely dress at what they call a "frock swap" in Australia. It's a clothing swap where everyone brings nice clothes that are in great shape but just don't suit them, and then hopefully they leave with something new for free!

The dress is a brand called Filo, and NCG says it fits her perfectly. Even though her husband rarely comments on what she's wearing, when she put it on he said, "that's a nice dress!" and offered to take this photo.

And if you're like me, you can't help noticing the killer shoes. I think her year on The Compact has turned her into a brilliant shopper, not just for finding those shoes, but for picking them up for a song. They're Tony Bianco and had only been worn once or twice, and she bought them on ebay for $8. They would retail at around $120. Now THAT'S a bargain!

Thanks so much for sending in that photo, Non Consumer Girl! You look amazing! Imagine getting that entire outfit for just 8 dollars. Click here to read all the details of the frock swap she attended, how they set it up and organized it, etc.

Readers, it's your turn! If you shop in thrift stores, put on your favorite outfit, snap a photo, and send it to me at barton.angela@gmail.com. I always need more photos, and we all want to see your fabulous finds! Just look what's out there!

Do you shop secondhand? What are some of your best tips for scoring great stuff? Tell us in the Comments section. And click here if you want to check out previous installments of Thrifty Threads.

Are you happier?

I read this article from Time magazine a couple of weeks ago called "The Happiness Paradox: Why Are Americans So Cheery?" Are we cheery? Is it possible that there really is a silver lining in this recession?

The author suggests that maybe the silver lining is in the downsizing, especially the downsizing of expectations. People had gotten exhausted with keeping up with the Joneses, and they're a little relieved that the era of excess is over.

I like the last paragraph: "Whatever you make of the psychology of happiness, we know something of its physics. It rises as it ricochets off other people, returning to us stronger by virtue of being released. It gets bigger when we don't care if it gets smaller; we stopped buying all the stuff we didn't need that was supposed to make us happier, and we seem to be happier for it. And who would have expected that?"

Who indeed? I won't go so far as to say that I'm happy about the recession or the global condition or the fact that so many people I know are out of work. But I am happy lately, and I think it has a lot to do with The Compact, and with blogging about it. Becoming a non-consumer has definitely been liberating. I've got more money, more time for things I care about, and I feel more in control. It's a little bit like when I quit smoking cigarettes. One of the things I had come to hate was feeling like someone else (the cigarette companies and their advertisements) had control over my behavior. I didn't want anyone else to have that power. To the best of my ability, I want to make my own decisions. And I feel more connected, part of a simple living/frugal/non-consumer community.

So, are you happier? Do you think being more or less happy is related to your economic situation or your status as a consumer? Do you identify yourself as a non-consumer, a conscious consumer, or something else? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section. Read the entire article here.

My Parsley Problem, solved

What I used to refer to as "my parsley problem" was the fact that I wasted so much of it. It's a staple in our house, I use it for a few of our favorite meals, and so I'd buy it at the market almost every week. And every week, I'd toss out at least half of it, or the whole thing if we hadn't had clams linguini or salmon patties. It usually lasted a couple of weeks, but it was never used up. I know some people have this same problem with cilantro or other fresh herbs. You want to have it on hand, but at the same time you never use the entire bunch.

This was the easy solution. I bought a parsley plant for about a dollar, planted it with whatever potting soil I had, and made sure I watered it a couple of times a week. Now every time we have clams linguini, I just go outside and clip off what we need. No waste, ever.

It's a small thing, but you know my philosophy: baby steps. It's easy to change a habit by incremental degrees.

Maybe I should be posting this the next time we have zero food waste, but I felt like mixing things up a bit! Do you have any examples of a problem you'd accepted for years, that you were able to change with one small action? Something that saved energy or food or time or money? Tell us about it in the Comments section.

Meatless Monday recipes

The Meatless Monday campaign is an effort to get people to give up meat one day a week, for their health and the health of the planet. Click here to go to their website and read all about it.

This week I've got some great reader suggestions for simple meatless meals.

1) Tom says he's mostly vegan and for people new to vegetarianism he suggests pasta meals as an easy option. One of his favorites is Trader Joe's rice noodles, sliced olives, cut small tomatoes, and minced onion. Sprinkle with vegan cheese and olive oil for a simple vegan meal. I agree with Tom that pasta is one of the easiest ways to make a meal so delicious you won't miss the meat.

2) Carla says her family eats meatless most days of the week even though they're not vegetarians. Most of their meatless meals revolve around legumes and grains in some form with added green and yellow vegetables. It's hearty and sustaining food, on top of being delicious.

3) Castal says one of her favorite meatless meals is a big pot of veggie and bean chili with a cast iron skillet of corn bread, served with either cheese or sour cream. Or just plain, because it's tasty as is. Castal says they eat meatless several times a week in order to use up their CSA box of fruits and vegetables. That's true in our house as well. We're eating less meat since we've been getting the CSA delivery.

4) Emily says Manicotti with Three Cheeses is a favorite at their house. Here's the simple (5 ingredients!) recipe: 12 manicotti shells, 4 cups shredded mozzarella, 8 oz. soft cream cheese with onion and chives, 3 cups marinara sauce, and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Cook manicotti according to package instructions. Grease a baking dish. Mix 3 cups of the mozzarella with the cream cheese, stuff the manicotti and place it in the baking dish. Top with marinara sauce, sprinkle with remaining mozarella, and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Sprinkle with parmesan and bake 10 more minutes. I'm going to make that on the next cold day, it sounds like great comfort food. And I can tell you right now it's going to be a favorite at our house as well.

5) And finally, Catherine at Vegan Good Life offers this recipe for portabella with vegan gravy. Scroll down the page for the recipe. She also brings up a great point: olive oil, shallots, and spices like rosemary and thyme do wonders for vegetables. I agree. Roasted with olive oil and spices is my favorite way to make veggies.

Thanks readers for all your great ideas!

What are your favorite meatless meals? Please share them in the Comments section and I'll include them in the next Meatless Mondays recipes post. And click here if you want to check out previous Meatless Monday recipes.

Time for recharging...

I've been thoroughly enjoying the long holiday weekend, seeing movies, making gifts and baking, taking walks and hanging out with my husband.

I was determined to spend less time at the computer, and that meant no blogging for a couple of days, but I'll be back to my regular posting schedule this week, including Meatless Monday recipes, Thrifty Threads on Thursday, and Food Waste Friday.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Sleep In on Black Friday

Take part in "The Great American Sleep-In" at Global Giving.

On the day after Thanksgiving, ditch the mall and snuggle up to this earth-changing idea for gift giving. Here's how it works:

• Sleep in, spend time with your loved ones at home, and avoid the crowded stores and long lines.
• Stay in your pajamas and order Global Giving Gift Cards online. Give the card to someone you love, they go to Global Giving and pick a cause that touches their heart, and use the card to donate to their favorite project. It's the gift that changes lives.

Find out all about it here.

So give the holiday gift that's both non-consumer and experiential. You'd be amazed how far a modest gift of $10 or $20 can go towards some of these worthwhile projects.

Happy Thanksgiving

I am so grateful for my family and friends, my health, and most of all for my wonderful husband. And this year I'm also thankful for all my new blogging friends and my brilliant readers, who inspire me every single day. This experiment has been a marvelous adventure, and given me much more than I could have ever dreamed. My heart is so full.

Thank you all and have a wonderful holiday.

Wine Finds

Just in time for Thanksgiving, it's another installment of Wine Finds, where I tell you about a delicious bottle of wine for under $10. I'm not a wine expert, and have never even taken a wine-tasting class, but I love wine and I drink a fair amount of it (it's still good for you, right?) As long as I don't drink an entire bottle by myself... That's only happened once, and I'll never tell when...

So if you really like to leave things until the last minute, or just didn't want to spend too much for wine for the holiday, this Fetzer Valley Oaks Merlot might be an option for you. It's an old standby of ours, kind of a nice all-around wine. It's not going to win any big awards for complexity, but hey, it's only $5.99 a bottle.

I was also happy to read recently that Fetzer vineyards is recognized for its "sustainable, earth-friendly practices" by the EPA and several other organizations. They practice responsible waste management, recycling, energy and water conservation, and are moving toward a goal of using only organically farmed grapes in their wines. That makes me feel better about making this one of our go-to bottles. Personally, I haven't been that impressed with the other varieties I've tried, but I think their Merlot is quite drinkable. I have a soft spot for Merlot, which you can read about in this post from back in July.

Fetzer winemaker Dennis Martin describes it this way: "I think our Mendocino roots show in every glass of our Merlot. It has an easy, approachable style with aromas of ripe plums and flavors of blackberry and cherry. This wine goes great with just about any meal, making it a good choice to have on hand for every day. (That’s what I do.)" Well said, Dennis. I agree.

This wine is available at Trader Joe's, and I've seen it at World Market and BevMo as well, although maybe not at the $5.99 price.

What are some of your favorite wines for under $10? Share your picks in the Comments section. And click here if you want to check out previous installments of Wine Finds.

Reusable bags

Those are some, but not all, of our reusable bags. I just grabbed the ones I could find easily. Lately I've been encouraged by this story about Target and CVS promoting the use of reusable bags, but at the same time I'm still surprised and saddened by how many people still use plastic bags at the supermarket.

If they knew the cost of those bags on the environment, I don't think they would do it. Sure, some of them wouldn't care if every baby seal on earth was strangled by their plastic beer rings. But most people would be shocked and alarmed and immediately buy a reusable bag. I think a lot of people just think it's some kind of a scam to charge them more money.

I recently read this fact on my friend Leigh's blog, Compact by Design:

"An estimated 1 million birds and 100,000 sea turtles and other marine animals die of starvation each year after ingesting discarded plastic bags which block their digestive tracks."

Oh, that's so sad. Why, oh why, is it so hard to stop the madness?

If you're like me with the stupid paper towels, and have a hard time developing this habit, here are a few tips that helped me. I switched over several years ago and virtually never need to use the plastic anymore. The key is to have plenty of bags and to remember to bring them into the store.

1. Buy bags every chance you get, in lots of different sizes. If you only have big bags, you might not bring them in for just a few items, or if you only have small bags, you won't use them for larger items. My husband and I both have huge IKEA bags in our car (although I haven't used mine during my Compact year), and we each have lots of different-sized bags in our car, and in several rooms in the house. My husband keeps a few on the back of his office door, and I keep a bunch in my armoire. But the main thing is to have them in the car trunk. That way you can use them for any kind of shopping.

2. Once you get in the habit, it will be easy to remember to grab a bag when you're walking into a store. But until you do, make sure they're always in the car. If you've left some in the house and forgotten to return them to the car, it won't matter if you have five other bags in the car.

3. If you realize you've forgotten your bags while you're in the store, go back out to your car and get them. You'll probably only need to do this once.

4. If you only have one or two items, you don't need a bag at all. We've been so trained that we need bags for everything, and that's fine if they're reusable cotton, but NOT if they're plastic.

Until they completely stop making plastic bags, you can do your part by getting a few reusable ones. If you don't like the idea of paying for them, I'm sure you can pick some up for free somewhere. Many of mine come from environmental organizations I donate to.

Do you use reusable canvas bags? What are some of your tips for making it a habit? Please share your thoughts in the Comments section.

Meatless Mondays Q&A

This is a special edition of Meatless Mondays, because today the Meatless Monday website includes a Q&A interview I did with Terri Wahl, the founder of our CSA delivery service. You can check out the Meatless Mondays website here, and my interview with Terri here.

I'm such a big supporter of the concept of Meatless Mondays, that after I'd been writing about it for awhile on my blog and sharing meatless recipes, the editor of the website emailed to thank me. After a few exchanges back and forth, he invited me to submit a Q&A with someone in the world of food. They are a nonprofit corporation, and I was not paid for any of this, I just believe in the cause.

There's also a link to my pumpkin bread recipe this week in the recipe section.

Have you pledged to go meatless on Mondays? What are some of your favorite meatless meals? Please share them and I'll include your ideas in my next Meatless Mondays post.

A Green and Grateful Thanksgiving

I know my readers are all about being green and grateful, so if you want to add some of that good stuff to Thanksgiving this year, check out this article by my friend Danielle Davis. Danielle blogs at Less is More Balanced and is the green living contributor at L.A.'s own Your Daily Thread. The article is all about how to make the holiday more meaningful.

There are a few links I still have to check out, like a list of organic and biodynamic wines. I don't even know what biodynamic means, but it sounds kind of like bionic, so I'm guessing it's a good thing. Stronger, more powerful wine. Wow.

Baby steps challenge update

This will be a short post: I LOVE microfiber cloths! I can't believe it took me so long to discover them.

The baby steps challenge for this month is giving up paper towels, you can read about it here.

Thanks again for your great advice!

Food Waste Friday Follies

I realized after I wrote last week's post that I had meant to say "follies" and not "food waste friday frolics." So here it is Friday again, and I bring you my folly...

No picture, no waste! So I'll make this short. Every week I take photos of my food waste, a concept started by Kristen at The Frugal Girl, in order to be more aware of how much food we're throwing out. So far we're wasting a lot less than we used to, which saves money and is better for the environment.

Check out this cool site "Love Food, Hate Waste" to find out about why cutting food waste matters.

How did you do this week? Let us know in the Comments section.

Free H1N1 vaccine

L.A. residents: If you're in a high-risk group and haven't been able to get the H1N1 vaccine, click here for information on free vaccinations available through the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.

People not in the high-risk groups (defined as pregnant women, health care workers, those under 25 years old, and individuals with compromised immune system and/or chronic health problems) are advised to wait until more vaccine becomes available.

Super-Frugal Holiday Gifts

Welcome to part 3 of a series on non-consumer holiday gift ideas. Today I'll talk about super-frugal gifts, or gifts under $10. I'm trying to stick to non-consumer items, which can include food and other things which are "Compact-friendly." Thrifty Threads is suspended for this week, and I still need more photos!

If you have a lot of gifts to buy, for extended family, and coworkers, neighbors, teachers, and the person who delivers your mail, you probably need some ideas for gifts that are thoughtful but inexpensive. But not cheap. So here goes...

1. Tea. I think tea is a great gift because it's encouraging the recipient to take a break, to stop and smell the roses. I've only started appreciating tea in the last few years, but a good cup of tea really is relaxing. It can also be rejuvenating. There are so many different types and flavors. One of my favorite brands is Republic of Tea, and they have a large variety of choices. They also come in little mini travel tins.

2. Imported beer. A great choice for a beer lover, especially if they've cut their budget and haven't tasted anything other than Budweiser for awhile.

3. Wine. You can usually get a pretty good bottle of wine for under $10, especially if you live in California or another wine-producing region. I love getting a nice bottle of wine- it tastes great and it doesn't clutter up the house. In fact, I would love wine clutter. That's clutter I can live with.

4. Soap. Almost nobody splurges on $5 bars of soap for themselves, but almost everybody loves delicious-smelling soap that makes your skin as soft as a baby's bottom. One of my favorites is a nearby shop that uses a lot of olive oil and natural scents like lemon, lavender, and coconut.

5. Chocolate. Ten dollars can buy you some delicious chocolate. I always get my husband a box of See's, with a custom picked selection of all his favorites. You can also get several bars of dark chocolate for less than $10. Who doesn't like chocolate?

6. Candles. You can make these yourself if you want to make the gift more personal.

7. Good hand lotion. This is one of my favorite gifts. For some reason, I never splurge on lotion, soap, or bubble bath for myself, but I love receiving all of those things.

8. Really cozy wool socks. My favorites are sold at REI.

9. Food. Any of the homemade baked goods from yesterday's post would work as frugal gifts as well. And if you're pressed for time, you can put together a great gift bag or basket of food goodies from places like Trader Joe's or World Market.

Most of the handmade gifts I talked about yesterday are also frugal. And secondhand can work for gifts, so check Goodwill, Craigslist, eBay and Freecycle. Last weekend I just missed some never-used photo albums that went up on Freecycle. That would have been a great gift for my photographer brother. And things like picture frames, boxes, and household items can be found secondhand. I always see breadmakers at our Goodwill.

Which brings me to a taboo subject: regifting. Don't be afraid of it. Obviously if you're getting rid of a gift because no one would want it, regifting isn't cool. But there are a lot of times regifting can work, especially if it's a nice item that you either already own or just isn't your thing. Examples: jewelry, books, a fondue pot, glassware, scarves or hats, toys, and games. So I think you should rethink the whole regifting thing. It's been labelled as socially unacceptable, tacky, and totally uncool, but is it better to let whatever it is sit in a closet unused?

One of the gifts I'm giving our niece and nephew are old coins that I've saved over the years from different countries. They both collect them, and a friend made some really cool drawstring bags for each of them to stash the coins. I think it's a great gift because I know they love coins, plus it's used and frugal.

A coworker gift that was a big success one year was mini-bottles of liquor, like they serve on airplanes. People were sick of getting candy and cookies, and were glad for the change. Of course you have to know that people drink, and it's best if you know what they like. The janitor especially appreciated this gift and never stopped thanking me for it. I had a spotless work area the following year.

For more frugal gift ideas, check out this post at Budget Confessions and this one at Moneyfunk. They're not entirely non-consumer, but they've got some great suggestions for shopping on a budget.

What are your favorite inexpensive gift ideas? Please share them in the Comments section.

Handmade Gifts

This is the second part of my 3-part series on non-consumer holiday gift giving. Yesterday I talked about "experiential" gifts, tomorrow I'll give you some ideas for super-frugal (under $10) gifts. Today we'll talk about handmade gifts.

If the word handmade conjures up images of styrofoam animals or ceramic ashtrays gathering dust, those are not the kind of gifts I'm talking about. There are millions of crafty blogs where you can get that kind of thing. I haven't done any needlepoint, crochet, or macrame since I was about ten, and I don't think I'll be starting anytime soon. So only a few of these gifts might entail a trip to a craft store, mostly I'll be taking a different direction.

1. Mix CD. A great gift! If I had to get rid of all my CDs today, I would miss my mix CDs the most. I've held onto many of them for years. I love the creative combinations people come up with, putting me in a certain mood or frame of mind. Best of all, I always think of the person who made it for me while I'm listening. Making these can be time-consuming, but very creative and surprisingly fun. Books that celebrate and cherish the significance of the mix tape: High Fidelity (also made into a movie) and Love is a Mix Tape.

2. Herb garden. This is seasonal and weather-dependent, but a few herbs in a pretty pot makes a wonderful gift. My friend made this herb garden for me for my birthday this year, and I love the pretty bowl and have used the herbs countless times. And I think of her whenever I snip off a little thyme.

3. Jam/jelly/marmalade. I've never taken on this project, but I love receiving these gifts. If you want to give it a try, there are tutorials all over the Internet.

4. Baked goods. Since I love to bake, I give a lot of quickbreads and cookies at the holidays. People who work in offices tend to get overloaded with this kind of thing, so I limit it to the people I know really love that particular cookie or bread. Holiday favorites are pumpkin bread, gingerbread, shortbread cookies, and bourbon balls.

5. Other food. If you have an apple tree, a lemon tree, or an abundance of any other kind of fruit, it can make a lovely gift. Even a clipping of herbs can be added to a basket. Or get creative and make food other than baked goods, like candy. I used to make fudge for my grandpa when I was little, and I have a friend who makes beautiful chocolate-covered dried fruit.

6. Beaded bracelets. I love these bracelets that I saw on Compact by Design. I even met Leigh in person and she brought me her leftover beads and some crimps to get me started. So I'm making some of these simple bracelets for my niece, my husband, and a few friends. Michael's or another craft store has everything you need: beads, elastic thread, crimps, and a crimping tool.

7. Other jewelry. It would be a stretch to say I "made" the necklace in the photo, but I did put it together from items at a bead store. And my friend is going to love it! You'd be surprised at the cool pendants and things you can find at bead stores, and even at Michael's.

8. Framed photo or photo album. Digital photography has made a printed photo more exotic, and I love giving and receiving a photograph in a cool frame. The best is one of you and the recipient having a good time. And it's a real labor of love to put together a photo album for someone. My mom did this for me one year and the album with all its notes and descriptions is one of my most treasured gifts ever.

9. Knit hats or scarves. Of course if you knit or crochet, you know that these are awesome gifts.

10. Board games. I once made a time-travel board game for my brother that involved meeting famous people in history and curing diseases, that type of thing. Time-consuming but fun, the possibilities are endless.

11. Ornaments. My parents still hang a little felt Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer that I made when I was about six on their tree every year. But handmade ornaments have gotten much more sophisticated since the 1970s. Check out this link for some great ideas.

12. Bath oils. My brother once had a girlfriend who put together marvelous concoctions in beautiful bottles. She added dried flowers and herbs to the oil and it made a thoughtful gift.

13. Gift tags or bookmarks. Click here to check out Alea's cool designs. If you're giving a book as a gift, make a bookmark to go along with it. And recycle paper with these creative gift tags.

I already mentioned the photo album my mom put together one year as being among my most treasured gifts ever. The other two are a quilt made by a friend and a collage my husband gave me. When you come up with an idea and sit down and put your hands together to make something for someone else, you're giving them something that can't be bought in a store for any price. And even when it doesn't quite work out, they'll still love it. I'll never forget the sweaters my mother made for all of us when she learned to knit back in the 70s. They were different color combos, but they all had a lightning-bolt design on them and the yarn was really chunky so they really weren't the most flattering items of clothing. But my dad wore his every winter for years.

Good luck with your projects! What are some of your favorite handmade gifts? Please share in a Comment.