Reflections and Progress

I wanted to reflect back on my first post and post progress of what we've done over the past year.

• We've done very well with no longer using store bags and using cloth or totes (lol, I had to edit this statement as I accidentally put we only use store bags). We occasionally forget but I now have some bags that fold up really small to keep in my purse so it's easier to have some for unexpected trips. We still have a ton of plastic bags in the basement. I don't know what we're hanging onto them for. Now that we don't need them when we go out to put our dirty diapers in we certainly don't need as many as we have.
• We generally don't buy chemical cleaners. I buy exclusively from the Bio-Life line from Shopper's Drug Mart. I still have lots of things that need using up, like dish soap. We have bought a few bottles of laundry detergent, but we use about 1/4 or less the required amount. I make most of our laundry detergent but DH still likes store stuff.
• Natural body care is harder for me than it sounds. My body rebels to it quickly so I alternate with regular and natural.
• Cloth in the bathroom is half and half. We use some disposable but try to make better choices. We buy Bio-life 100% post-consumer blue box recycled TP, but use some cloth too. We use disposable diapers for DS at night since we could not find a way around the rash and super soaker problems, but use cloth for DD. I use 100% cloth menstrual products (as if you wanted to hear that, lol!) as it is so much better than paper.
• We generally don't use paper products any more. I cannot remember the last time I used a paper towel. We have a case of them; I should probably give them away :)
• Walk more........um.....not happening as it should. Hopefully with improved weather (and if my knee gets better) this will happen. Drive less is where it's at for us.
  
• Buy less is something I struggle with as I love to shop. It doesn't matter what, I just love to shop! I seldom go to Dollarama anymore, unless there is a specific item I want. I try hard not to buy Made In China and try to find things made in Canada (I have DS well indoctrinated in this, lol!)
• All our light bulbs are CFL except maybe one we can't get into the fixture but we hardly use so it's no problem.
• We've been doing very well with energy efficiency.
• we are 100% hanging clothes to dry. We are thinking about selling our dryer as we have not used it in ages, possibly years.
• REcycling goes well, but then again we have to ;)
• We are going to try to garden this year but I have better plans this year.
• I almost never buy books any more and we extensively use the library. Thank goodness for Inter Library Loan!!
• We have gotten rid of TONS of stuff, probably literally, lol! We are constantly dropping stuff off for donations. It is an ongoing process, daily.

So as you can see, we've been doing pretty good. We have lots of room for improvement, but that's ok. I am good with where we are. Some of stuff is a little embarassing to talk about, but I think if we don't talk about the things we do, we won't open doors for people to explore new ways of doing things.

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