Since then, dozens of studies have proven the plastic-cancer link. We now know that when lab animals are exposed to these plastic chemicals, they develop cancer. We also know that when you keep food or water in certain plastics, some of the chemicals leach into that food or water.

But not all plastic is alike. While some forms of plastic are highly toxic and highly volatile, others are safer and more stable.

How can you tell which ones are safest and which ones are dangerous? Simply look at the recycling number on the container. (If you look at the bottom of the container, you’ll see a little triangle with a number inside it.) Then follow these guidelines:

Containers with a 3,6, or 7 on the bottom are the most dangerous of all. They contain a dangerous and volatile chemical called BPA, and should be avoided at all costs.

Containers with a 4 or 5 on the bottom are generally considered safe. But you should probably use them sparingly. And you should never use them to microwave.

Containers with a 1 or 2 on the bottom are the safest. These include clear water containers, as well as most cloudy containers you normally find water and milk in. These containers, called PETE and HDPE, are safe for storing food and drink. But again, you should never use them to microwave.
Article from Bottom Line/Natural Healing

We have personally done away with most of these containers and are now using Tupperware and glass containers for storage and freezer containers. We also use Corelle, Corningware, Pryex, etc. for heating in the mircroware.

We are going to be on the lookout for these at estate and auction sales. Hopefully we will find some and will be offering them to our customers for very reasonable prices on our website.

With cancer on such a rise, we need to do all that we can to protect ourselves and our families!

As you look through them, you will probably see at least one that has a picture of a favorite cartoon character of your past days (or maybe present).  There are even boxes made in the ’70s that have flowers and psychedelic swirls on them.  Surely you will find one you like.                                      

We all have odds and ends on our desk – things that just don’t fit in any particular category but we want to keep handy.  Why not pick that character lunch box to corral those “have-to-keeps”.  Hmmm….might be a great place to store those computer application CDs or CDs you like to play on your computer while you are working.

A lunch box with a favorite cartoon character on it would make a great place for your children’s crayons, markers, erasers, scissors, etc.  What a great way to keep from losing those little Polly Pocket dolls and their accessories.  Hey, the box could hold Matchbox cars, Transformers, Legos…..it goes on and on.  They have good strong latches and could be carried from room to room without dumping them along the way.

A lunch box makes a great carrier for snacks for those long trips in the car, or even on a plane.    It could also hold small toys for those trips.   

I know you will think of many more uses – just think outside the “lunchbox”!

Take a small towel, pour some liquid fabric softener on it and throw it in with your next dryer load instead of a fabric softener sheet.

You can use the towel for several loads before re-dampening the towel again.

No more expensive dryer sheets and a bottle of fabric softener will go a long way and save you money!

• In case of an electrical failure, you can put them in a cooler to keep milk, luncheon meats and condiments from spoiling.
• Use them in a cooler for beverages during the summer instead of buying ice.
• If left in the freezer during a power failure, it will help to keep the contents from thawing for a longer period of time.
• Will help to keep the ice in your ice maker from having that stale taste because you are rotating the contents.
• Use them in your ice cream freezer instead of buying ice.

As you can see there are many ways to make use of what you already have to save money.  Every little bit of savings adds up in the long run to help trim your budget.

            This winter there were landslides in the Northwest from too much snow and rain, the Midwest and Northeast battled blizzard conditions…again.  This year Nola and Nancy had their turn at the heavy ice storms that wrecked trees and power lines.  Last year we went from the ice storms that left us without power for a week at a time, followed by too much rain that flooded entire towns…it has gone on and on, both here and around the world.

            One thing that the ice storms taught us is how ill prepared we are today to do without electricity.   In both our storms we used my grandmother’s kerosene lamp; I have no idea how she did mending at night…or children did their homework!  We have electric heat so we had to rely on a kerosene heater that took the two of us to carry in and outside to fill.   The refrigerator worked fine…we just left the door open; it was so cold in the kitchen it was easy to chill things!

            We had no water; the rural water district was without electricity to pump for several days…that at least kept our pipes from freezing.  No phones either except for the cell phone which had to be used judiciously to conserve the battery; our portable phones went out with the lights.  We can talk about it tongue in cheek now; then it was pretty primitive…and not one bit fun!             

When the second ice storm hit us, we were better prepared…we’d figured out a few things to have on hand “in case it happened again.”  (Surely it wouldn’t!  It did!)  The biggest lesson we learned is how dependent we are on our modern ways of life!   Very quickly we learned to “go back to basics.”

            With the current upheavals in our economy it’s become a good idea to think about this again.  We adjusted our driving habits to cope with high gas prices; we started watching the grocery budget.  We’re all concerned about income, whether on the job or in retirement funds…the bottom line is, folks…we’re all in this together!   Same lesson, different twist, but it’s time again to pay more attention to the basics!

Most of the things we’ve already heard…and we’ve discussed a lot of them here…are in tune with doing our part to help the environment.  Take steps to conserve energy:  turn down the thermostat, cut down on the plastic throw-away materials that are clogging landfills and now the oceans.  Not only are these ideas earth and conservation friendly, they are also now becoming things that make “thrifty” sense as well.  It’s become a matter of re-acclimating… or as you’ve heard us say, re-use, re-purpose, and re-cycle.

            The new store we’re opening in late March will be dedicated to helping all of us re-create our lifestyles, to embrace some of the tried and true ideas that have been around longer than we have.  We’re going to take the approach that we might as well be positive about this…if we can help you save some money here, try a new idea there, and have some fun along the way, we all may just wind up enjoying life more than we thought we could in these circumstances.

            One thing we believe in wholeheartedly is the resilience and roll-up-your-sleeves ingenuity of the American people.  We will get through tough times just as we did ice storms and floods; if we find ways to live “smarter” and “simpler”, we might just wind up healthier and  happier (and more than a little satisfied that we did things for ourselves).  The environment will thank us too!

            How long has it been since you stopped long enough to enjoy a sunset, or took a walk just to smell the morning air, or found a wild blackberry to pick instead of using one. Finding ways to re-create may well become re-freshing.  There are a lot of great ideas just waiting to be shared….stay tuned! 

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