Brummet's Conscious Blog

4 Easy Steps That Save Water Too often the media is full of negative information. Studies show that by being fed negative information people tend to get into a state of apathy and become depressed with a sense of powerlessness in the face of the problems of the world. Sadly, this frame of mind has us ignoring how much impact very small actions can have. Let us look at some positive information. Let’s examine 4 simple actions that can conserve water and save you money: - Save 5 gallons of water per washing by doing dishes in a few inches of hot soapy water. Start with the least soiled items first, keeping the water as clean as possible for the upcoming items. It may seem funny to do this - but by turning the hot water tap on to rinse the dishes over the soapy sink the level will slowly increase and will maintain a hot temperature. This means you won’t need another sink full of water solely for rinsing. We use excess rinse water to pre-soak stuck on dishes as well. If the water i...

4 Ways to Be Green in the Kitchen There are many benefits to reusing water however we want to clarify this a little for you before we offer the 4 tips below. To avoid overwatering, attracting pests or causing disease: choose a different group of plants every day, working your way around the deck or patio and lawn or garden. You may find you no longer have to irrigate or fertilize. If you find you have excess water, pour it over the compost pile or give it to the boulevard tree outside your yard. That said - lets take a look at what a few changes in the activities around the kitchen sink can do. - After meals, scrape your dishes into the compost bucket before rinsing. While rinsing, place a large bowl in the sink and fill it with the most soiled dishes and utensils; as you rinse the dishes the water will begin to fill the bowl and starts the pre-soaking process - reducing labour and water use. Anything caught in the bowl can be dumped on the lawn or compost bin. ...

The Power of Being Resourceful * Submitted by Jennifer L. Fouts What does it mean to be resourceful, exactly? It is not the same thing as being stingy or "cheap". When I hear a word like "being resourceful" I take it to mean making good use of resources, being creative, perhaps in a thrifty way, and maintaining a habit of it. If you are anything like me, you are resourceful if you believe "time is money", you do not like to buy unnecessary things, and you figure out clever ways to get what you want or need, perhaps by making something out of ordinary materials. What influences a more resourceful attitude than others? Many rags to riches celebrities, who may have grown up knowing dire poverty, may have a carryover of being frugal in life even when they encountered fame and fortune. They knew what it was like to live in lack or scarcity in the past, and it might have been a character building trait for them later on. Even with ...

 -- Quote of the Day --  “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”   ~ Rabindranath Tagore -- Brummet's In the Media --  Check out my latest article on natural pest control in the garden - great tips for a frugal, organic gardener and for anyone interested in living more green.  Published at this wonderful site:  http://www. gardenfurniturecentre.co.uk/ blog/natural-pest-control/ Find Dave and Lillian Brummet, excerpts from their books, their radio program, blog, and more at: http://brummet.ca * Support the Brummets by telling your friends, clicking those social networking buttons, or visiting the Brummet's Store - and help raise funds for charity as well!  

How To Pay Your Bills When You Are Broke * Written by: Oliver J Kingsley It seems like your bills keep getting bigger and bigger and you are barely getting to the next paycheck. Maybe you can't even pay all of your bills anymore. What can you do to get bills under control so you have more money available? The easiest way to get started turning your financial situation around is to quickly cut spending to free up some cash. Everyone has some spending they can cut and then use that money to pay down bills. At first, you may think that you don't have any "extra" spending, but almost everyone has optional expenses they can cut to get more cash right away. You have to decide it is worth some effort and sacrifice to find some things you can live without and break some spending habits you have developed. Here are 10 ways to cut expenses quickly to get cash to pay bills: Cut cable TV / satellite TV- most people could save...

-- Quote of the Day --    "Frugality is one of the most beautiful and joyful words in the English language, and yet one that we are culturally cut off from understanding and enjoying. The consumption society has made us feel that happiness lies in having things, and has failed to teach us the happiness of not having things." ~ Elise Boulding -- Chatter --  I'd like to open a discussion here today about living with less... Dave and I - for instance - have been living with one vehicle since '95. At times it has been difficult to simply schedule shopping and outings around each other. When I was working outside of the home, one of us would get up early to drive the other to work in the morning and then either he or I would walk, bicycle or take a bus home if the person with the vehicle was unable to pick us up from work. We managed to do this fairly well with few if any conflict of need. And all those years we paid one insura...