I'm officially addicted to Groupons. I've never been much of coupon lady, since they mostly seem to expire or get lost when I need them! Yet Groupons are different.

I was skeptical at first, but I'm a true convert.  Through collective buying power, they are able to offer you steep discounts for local restaurants and services. You get an email of the daily Groupon, most discounts are over 50% of the regular prices. I truly love them because there are great deals at local places and services where I go already, so no driving to the burbs for a bargain!

Here's what I've bought so far:

• $45 haircut or mani/pedi at a new salon, Strut Salon, just two blocks from my house (paid $20)
• $50 organic grocery delivery from Spud! (paid $25) - A service I've used for years
• $70 at a favorite swank place, Chameleon, where I've met with Mama friends before. My friends bought too so now we'll plan a night out! (paid $30 for 2 Groupons)
• $25 for delicious pizza in our old neighborhood, Pizza Fino. I emailed a friend and she bought 2 Groupons, now we're going to reconnect! ($12)
• $30 at a pizza place haven't tried, Bella Faccia Pizzeria. A colleague saw the Groupon and her husband loves their East Coast pizza, maybe we'll meet up too! (paid $14 for 2 Groupons)

If you don't get what all the excitement is about, check out a little video about how Groupon works:


Learn How Groupon Works! from The Point on Vimeo.

I didn't realize that you only get the deal if enough people buy, but that hasn't been a problem so far. It's been super popular in Portland and my new local salon sold over 700 haircuts/mani-pedis at $20 in 7 hours! The minimum for the deal was 50, and I can guarantee you that this small local spa has never seen such sales in one day. While obviously people will use their Groupons over time, it will also likely bring them many return customers.


Plus, in addition to all of the other fabulousness of Groupon, they also offer a great $10 referral deal.  That means that I'll get $10 for each of you who sign up through my referral link, and you'll in turn get the same when you pay it forward to your friends.

Have you used Groupon yet? Any fun stories?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Diaper duty comes with the tasks of parenting. It's a resource incentive chore in all regards costing time and money, while impacting the environment.


Funny enough, I was dissuaded from trying cloth the first round from another green Mama friend who had been overwhelmed by them with her new born (If you're intimidated, plan to wait a few weeks or until they clearly fit). In my experience, once you've got a routine down cloth is pretty simple and worth the extra effort.


I love the fact that I can now go to Costco without throwing away another $50. BumGenius claims that you can save up to $1,200 and 1 ton of landfill waste.


In our family we've tried several different methods, so I'll share a bit about our experience (Round 1 = BigGuy, Round 2 = Girly):


Round 1 

• G-Diapers - We bought from the first batch of G-Diapers to hit the market (which is a hybrid of cloth and a flushable/disposable insert). We had mixed results regarding leaks and blow-outs, but used them most of the time for the first three months. Unfortunately, they weren't kind to our vintage toilet and after a $200 plumbing bill on a Sunday, we decided to take the plumbers advice and not risk replacing our toilet in an effort to be "green." 
• Seventh Generation Diapers - When the G-Diaper cloth shells were soiled we used 7th G brand diapers. We were really pleased with how they functioned. (I just heard that 7th G has reduced online prices for bulk purchases.)
• Kirkland Diapers (aka Costco) - After a year of trying to do the "right" thing, economic reality set in for us. I was between jobs and we bought a case of generic diapers at Costco. This led us to buy a membership and sprint toward potty-training.

Round 2


Cloth Diapers - Partly because we felt we had sold out, and partly because our (then) child care center offered a free cloth diaper service, we chose to try out cloth diapers when Girly was born.

• Cloth diapers have become advanced technology these days, and I think you'd be surprised by the options and how great they work. The fact of the matter is that blow-outs happen, and I'd say they are pretty even on that ranking.
• All-in-one cloth "pocket" diapers - Cloth diapers first got a bad rep because they didn't work well at night and often leaked, but these diapers are super soft and fleecy and work terrific as night diapers. Even if you only used them at night, if your child was potty trained by 2 1/2, you'd still save almost a thousand disposable diapers! They are spendy up front, around $15-20 and I've bought some on Craigslist and at resale shops. Plus, they are designed to fit from size small to large, so they are worth the cost. These are my favorite brands: BumGenius, Fuzzibunz, HappyHeinys.
• Wraps - Thirsties is the best diaper cover I've found, partly because they have a new "duo" line that makes it so you don't have to buy sm/md/large. They function really well, and once solids were introduced, we can usually use just one wrap per day (yes, changing the cloth regularly!) I like Bummis too, they even has swim diapers and training pants, which are super expensive as disposables!
• G-Diapers - Even though the flushables did work for us, we did use the cloth diaper portion with cloth liners with good results. My Mom even made fleece inserts that worked great. This was definitely more affordable than the flushable inserts too.
• Flushable liners - Bio-liners collect all the solids and can be flushed down the toilet. These are the secret weapon for poopy diapers!   

Random Cloth Diaper Notes:

• I bought enough diapers so I only do 2 loads of diapers per week. 
• My "diaper pails" consist of airtight plastic tubs. I have a big one next to the laundry and two smaller ones that I transport a day's worth of diapers from the bedroom and childcare. They really are airtight and smells open briefly when you open (remember that disposables stink too!)
• At 8 months my Girly started at a childcare without a diaper service. I carry a tote bag with a small plastic tub. It's not very heavy my BigGuy even helps carry it to the bus sometimes. The hardest part is the one mid-week laundry load, but now that I have my routine it's pretty easy to manage. While not the norm, the childcare teachers have been open to learning the new routine and respect my choice.
• Buy Larger Clothes - If you opt for cloth, remember that clothes are now sized for disposables, so figure that your child will use a size bigger than expected.   
• Less Trash, but More water/power - Cloth diapers have helped us with our one garbage can per month service. We also have an efficient washer and dryer that helps keep the water/electricity impacts and cost down.

If you want to read more, the best post I read was from a Dad's perspective on CashMoneyLife, it was just written and he's a big fan of cloth. There's also a bit of discussion taking place on the EnviroMom blog. Consumer Reports, and Labor of Love blogs have some decent pro/con lists to consider, although some of the cons against cloth diapers are outmoded, like diaper pins. Thankfully, diaper pins are a thing of the past, I used them as a babysitter and there isn't much harder than trying to not poke a wriggly baby!


Have you used cloth diapers? 
Do you have any tips?


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I'm so tired of shuffling receipts. It's both a big waste of paper and colossal waste of energy.


One of the reasons why I look forward to completing our bank account merger is because I'm dog tired of fumbling crumpled paper to update our budget. Our current system consists of me checking my accounts online to update my half of the budget and then going through a stack of Hubby's receipts for the half (and assuming that everything else is on auto-pilot). It's time consuming, and surely causes errors. Plus, Hubby is always teasing me about having a "George Costanza wallet" with receipts spilling out.


Once we finally have everything in one place, I'll be able to  update everything from the computer without having to organize and subtotal each line item of receipts. Our new system will be to file away any long term household purchase receipts/info, tally up cash purchases by receipt, and then recycle the rest. Hopefully there will soon be more places that will ask you if you want a receipt. Each time I'm able to say "no thank you" it feels like a little victory.


If you're tired of receipts, you can sign an online petition asking retailers to limit receipts. According to AllEtronic "600,000 tons of thermal receipt paper used by stores each year. It takes 15 trees, 19,000 gallons of water, and 390 gallons of oil to make a ton of paper." If you use these numbers, it would mean that 9 million trees, 11,400,000,000 gallons of water and 234 million gallons of gasoline. Wow, I really never realized how much all those small pieces of paper add up!
 
Do you avoid receipts? Reuse them? Anything creative?


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I've always been hopeful for the day when solar energy would be affordable for my family and no longer be considered an "alternative" to coal generated power. I was totally psyched when I found out about an effort to purchase solar panels in "bulk" through my neighborhood organization dubbed Solarize NE (Portland that is...here's the Oregonian article). It's very much a DIY effort and there are a series of workshops to inform residents about net metering and other solar lingo.


Through a bulk purchase, residents can expect a 25% discount and when you tack on tax incentives, a 3-kilowatt system would cost you about $3500. Depending on the system you install, you could have a return on your investment in just a couple years. Tax incentives can vary by state, but you can save up to 80%! Interestingly, I just happened across an article about how solar energy has become so widespread in California that there is a legislative bill trying to put a cap on net metering (solar energy sold back to the utility.) This would be a big disincentive for families looking to save money and live green. Alas, most parts of the country don't have this problem yet.


I met for my home consultation with the Energy Trust rep this past Friday (on my Flex Day) Our meeting turned out to be pretty brief, because it turns out that roof simply doesn't work with current solar panels (the Victorian style is a hipped gambrel roof with multiple steep angles). I was told that you need at least 200 square feet minimum for a cost-effective solar system. It's really too bad. She calculated that after state/federal tax incentives, a 2.5 kw system would cost us only $1,788. 

The silver lining is that she still thinks that a solar water heating system might fit on our small roof angles. There are also incentives water heating systems, since they typically suck 14-25% or your household energy use. An electric system saves 1,800-3,000 kWh/year, and would save you $150-300 in energy costs per year. With current incentives and credits the return on investment would be about 10 years. I'd obviously want to look into the specifics of our household bill to make sure these estimates match, but it could be worth looking into.

Has your family looked into solar savings? 

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Sustainable Family Finances  The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

After a weekend of preparing our spring garden, and enjoying the oddly rare Pacific NW winter sunshine, I came across this short video from a panel on supporting your local economy and living green. She rambles a bit, but shares a few things that have inspired her, which in turn inspired me, which I hope will inspire you...


Let me know what you think...

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Beyond being thankful for meaningful work and earning a steady paycheck, I'm eternally greatful for the "invention" of Flex Fridays. Getting every other Friday off makes getting up early and putting in long days totally worth it, especially when for the most part our kids remain in child care. Now we've got a double bonus, since Hubby was just approved for a Flex schedule (after six months!). And no, I'm not lounging around in a hammock, but this image does make me smile even if it is a fantasy.

Now how does our work schedule relate to family finances? On top of fewer miles to commute/pollute, there are plenty of financial implications regarding your work schedule:

• Time to run errands = more time for family fun
• Time to exercise = better health and wellness. fewer sick days
• Time together as a couple = paying for a babysitter less often
• Time for extended holiday weekends = fewer vacation leave used
• Time to do house cleaning = not needing to hire a maid
• 
  Time to do laundry = constant chore made a bit easier

All this time is valuable for busy working parents, and there's a movement afoot to shift our entire culture toward flexible scheduling. MomsRising, my favorite moms activism group, has flexible work as a top priority on their policy agenda. I couldn't agree more and 89% of employees think that flextime or telecommuting are an important factor in evaluating a prospective position (LifeMeetsWork). 

I know that in the scope of history, we have things pretty good, but I truly believe that flex schedules are the next wave of labor policy. It's really essential for productivity both at work and home. If you think there's a chance your employer might be receptive, there are some good tips to requesting a a flexible schedule.

Do you have a flexible schedule?
How does it help your family and your finances?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Trends change, and lately they are turning a darker and darker shade of green. In college I met an environmental lecturer who said that we would know that we were reaching a sustainable society when the clothes on our backs no longer destroy local cultures and environments. Apparently the darker the dye the worse the practices, and I happened to be wearing a brand new pair of black pants and eggplant purple top; I felt chagrined.

The runway shifts may have begun with a few local "trashion" shows, like Portland's Junk to Funk, which shows how reused materials can become fashionable. Now the hot handmade online trading site Etsy has it's own Trashion network for crafters with a knack for upcycling. A quick search also came up with a list of the Top 50 Green Fashion and Design Blogs...I'm definitely going to have to take a peek.

This week the Seattle Times had a interesting article on how "Green is the New Black."  Apparently even during the recession earth-friendly apparel is moving fast. I find this interesting, because despite the appeal we can't afford Patagucci or local boutique baby clothing. I bought an overpriced bamboo shirt two years ago, and I still feel a twinge of guilt. I also have a little bit of mommy-guilt around this issue too, because my Mama sewed our clothes until we started asking for store bought in grade school. Yet, as a busy working Mama, I can barely manage to keep my kiddos in clothes that fit them, none-the-less sew them myself!

Does your family purchase eco-friendly attire?
Or would you if it were more affordable?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Now that we've doubled our household members, I want to calculate my family's carbon footprint. As promised, I'm planning to test out several calculators to make sure that I'm getting an accurate baseline to track our progress.

The first is the EPA's Household Emissions Calculator, here are the results:


As described on the page, it was pretty quick and only took me about 15 minutes once my energy bill averages were on hand. It was really intuitive and seemed to cover all the household basics. It included our house size, number of family members, gas/electricity bills, car miles and mpg, and recycling habits. According to the calculator our household emits an average of 1,021 pounds of CO2 per person, while the average American emits 20,750.  Yet, it seemed too good to be true, and based on the info I provided it just doesn't compute.

The calculator automatically identifies that ways for you to reduce your footprint and estimates how much money and emissions you would save per green action. In fact, when I promised to do every action suggested, it calculated that we would have negative annual carbon emissions. We may try to live green, but that's ludicrous. Talk about bursting my green bubble! My family is a long way from living a net-zero lifestyle, certainly a trek from the off-the-grid cabin where I first grew up.

However each energy savings step was pretty interesting. It calculated that if we replaced our energy hog of a refrigerator we could save $51 annually, 479 pounds of CO2, and reduce our total emissions by 47%. If I were to manage hang drying half of our laundry we could save $40 a year, 375 pounds of CO2 and reduce our total emissions by 37%. I couldn't think of hang drying our clothes until our Girly is potty trained from her cloth diapers (I'm barely managing to get the ironing done as it is!) But it is very helpful to see specific steps and the expected results from each actions, it makes them as simple to take as they really can be.

So, while not entirely discouraging, I'm glad that I set out with the plan to test various online calculators, hopefully we'll find the best of all calculators. 

Have you used this carbon calculator and get accurate results?
Did it help your household habits?


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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

You may still have a month left to file your taxes, but in our household they get done as early as possible, mostly because we usually get money back. We just had the discussion again whether or not we should adjust our deductions so that fewer taxes would be taken out on a monthly basis. We both agreed that for us it feels better to get an annual "bonus" than an unbudgeted bill to pay. On a daily basis I do my best to not fret over taxes, so why would I want to stress every spring? 

Since the invention of TurboTax, my Hubby has taken the lead on our taxes. I have to say that it's a relief to have this annual chore taken care of, plus I think Hubby secretly looks forward to accomplishing. Coming home from work last week, I was pleasantly surprised to find that he had filed our taxes while taking care of our feverish/cranky/teething BabyGirl. Talk about multi-tasking...way to go Daddy-O!! (Yes, I did promise to thank him publicly for his chivalrous acts of parenting and tax prep.)

The better news came when he told me that we are expecting a $4k refund! I have to admit that the first thought that crossed my mind was "Denmark," returning to my adopted homeland. Yet, Hubby promptly burst my bubble by reminding me that our first family financial goal is to increase our emergency savings fund back up to $10k. We would reach that goal if we saved our tax refund. An emergency fund doesn't scream family fun, but financial peace of mind in times of layoffs is worth it. I also know that we pay our share of taxes, but I'm not about to balk at funding essential social services. You've already heard my rant on green taxes.

Is your family getting a tax return? 

How do you plan to spend/save it?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

This blog is the story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Call me married with children, but my heart just doesn't pitter patter over Valentine's Day like it did when I was a girl. It feels like the holiday is more about consumption than companionship.

Yet, I'm not entirely anti-cupid. After all I have two cherubs and a loving Hubby. I was a bit surprised when he asked me if I wanted to go out, since I can't recall the last time we went out to dinner on Valentine's Day. Here are some suggestions for how to create a more heartfelt and finance-friendly holiday:

• Homemade dinner - I'm planning Hubby's favorite - Italian stuffed shells.
• Chocolate chip cookies - the kids will have more fun baking cookies than with any heart-shaped box.
• Fresh cut tulips - I love roses as much as the next girl, but paying for an overpriced bouquet doesn't make me gush.
• Nursery gift certificate - If a supermarket bouquet doesn't cut it, try a gift certificate for a perennial that will have a lasting impact on your sights and senses. Daphne is one of my favorites, because it blooms so early and smells so sweet.
• Library or used books - Share the story of St Valentine with your kids with library books or a some used books.
• Classmate Valentines - We made simple heart-shaped cards with zigzag scissors, a fancy silver pen, and some stickers. I'd like to buy a rubber stamp or two when the kids get a little older, but in general I plan to take their lead on interest level and creativity.
• Babysitter - We've been lucky to develop relationships with co-workers who want an occasional "grandma" fix. We exchange by inviting them to dinner before we head out. If you want quick privacy, hire a babysitter to take your kids to the park.
• Birth Control - I'm very pro-family, but birth control can help you make decisions for your family planning. Following kids, I'm a fan of the Mirena IUD. No need to remember a pill daily.

How do you plan to celebrate your lovers' day?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

We are moving slow and steady toward our goal of simplifying our family finances.  We added Hubby to our local community bank account last week, and now our next step is to start the transition of all the direct debit accounts.

The beauty of automatic bill pay is obvious, but it is a hassle if you ever decide to merge accounts or switch banks. We identified six accounts linked to Hubby's old corporate bank.

• Paycheck deposit
• Mortgage
• Car payment
• Insurance
• Savings account
• Netflix

Given the monthly ebb and flow via deposits and debits, I also calculated how much is being taken out by these transactions each month so that I can transfer enough funds into to our joint account to make sure everything is covered until Hubby's paycheck deposit kicks in.

I know there is still more work ahead, but I can hardly wait until I can look into one account to find out how much we have available to meet our family needs and wants.

Are there any accounts that you choose to pay the old-fashioned way?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

Have you been accused of being the so-called Green Police in your family?

In our household college football reigns on high, so the Super Bowl is seen as purely superficial and watched mostly for the entertaining commercials. Apparently this year they were even more sexist than usual, but I was glad that Hubby called me in to watch this one with the "Green Police." If you haven't seen it yet, it's absolutely hilarious. I've fantasized about the potential of green police, and love the part about the compost infraction.



I'm sure that Audi's Green Police is thrilled with the buzz it's created, there are several more videos you can check out about how you only need one napkin per sandwich/burrito/hoggie or anteater that sniffs out environmental contraband. I'd be interested to hear some of the conversations that it's sparked amongst the football watching crowd.

I try not to be eco-preachy with my family, and just lead by example. But I did find it intriguing that extended family members have told me that my face pops into their mind whenever they don't/can't recycle something, like some green guardian angel.

Do you think societal pressure plays into people's decisions about whether or not to take green actions?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

As described in yesterday's Clean Energy Works - Part I, we are very excited about participating in Clean Energy Works pilot program to help finance energy efficiency for old leaky houses like ours. The combined CO2 emissions saved would roughly equal our family driving from Portland to Washington D.C. and back each year. While we loved our cross-country road trip camping at national parks along the Lewis & Clark trail, I certainly wouldn't want to emit that much pollution simply by living in our house each year.

With 5,900 cubic feet of air escaping per minute our house needs some serious retrofits. Here is a complete list of all the efficiency measures we will be taking, and the projected energy/CO2 saving:
Air Sealing - actually the most cost/carbon effective of the measures we will be taking.

• Air Sealing Cost - $585
• Projected Energy Savings - 168 Therms a year
• Projected CO2 Reduction - 2,260 pounds a year

Wall Insulation - Green Fiber insulation blown into walls from small holes in the exterior. This also helps reduce outside noise. Cost also includes a recommended kitchen range hood to vent heat (Cavaliere-Euro Z 30 Wall Mounted Range Hood.)

• Wall Insulation Cost - $2,850
• Projected Energy Savings - 127 Therms a year
• Projected CO2 Reduction - 1,710 pounds a year

Attic Insulation - includes Green Fiber insulation to R-value of R-50, and new bathroom fan (a Panasonic Whisper Green Fan for $250)

• Attic Insulation Cost - $1,840
• Projected Energy Savings - 100 Therms a year
• Projected CO2 Reduction - 1,327 pounds a year

Floor Insulation - our master bedroom is partly above the front porch and freezing!

• Floor Insulation Cost - $1,000
• Projected Energy Savings - 26 Therms a year
• Project CO2 Reduction - 350 pounds a year

Rim Joist Insulation - installing rigid foam insulation in the short wall between the first floor and basement, which is currently exposed.

• Rim Joist Insulation Cost - $500
• Projected Energy Savings - 12 Therms a year
• Projected CO2 Reduction - 161 pounds a year

Grand Total Cost - $7,675.00
Projected Energy Savings - 433 Therms a year
Projected CO2 Reduction - 5,828 per year

Thanks to our contractor, Marshall at EcoTech for helping convert the projected CO2 reductions! Energy Trust of Oregon is also doing all the grunt...I mean...paperwork for this project, so they deserve our kudos too.

Do you know if your home is sealed?
Do you think it would pay off to make the investment?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

We love our 1904 dream home, but we knew the moment we bought that we would need to invest in significant efficiency work. We've done home energy audits before. With our first starter home, we diligently insulated everything and made energy-related improvements. Yet, after putting every nickel into buying our house, plus having a new baby, we knew that the home efficiency improvements would have to be put on hold.

Through a stroke of political genius we are now going to be able to afford our green dream home improvements!  We've been accepted into a new pilot program to help finance our efficiency improvements, called Clean Energy Works. The program is unique, because it's the first "on-bill loan" with the payment of the loan added to our monthly utility bill. We will pay nothing up front, for $7,675 worth of insulation and home sealing work. We will repay at a rate of $50 a month (3% fixed over 20 years) on our utility bill.

A big reason why we were accepted into the pilot phase of the program is because our house is so darn drafty. We have a new efficient boiler with old-fashioned radiant heating (which apparently is really efficient, but just went out of style). When we had our home energy audit it clocked our house at loosing 5,900 cubic feet per minute (CFM), and we were told that an efficient home would test at 1,700 CFM. Obviously, we were good candidates.

Here's a little video about how the pilot program will create 10,000 green jobs, and how the program could be replicated nationwide to help more families reduce their energy bills without having to put money up front.

Green For All - Clean Energy Work Portland video from YouTube:

Would you take advantage of the Clean Energy Works program if you could?

More tomorrow on the project's carbon impact reductions...

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

There's not much better than escaping the city to a winter wonderland. The brilliance of a snowy landscape is awe inspiring.

Many people think of winter sports as expensive, thinking about the cost of lessons and lift tickets. Yet is plenty of frugal fun to be had in the snow.

• Sledding - Pure fun can be had by careening down your nearest bunny hill. A great way to introduce kids to the snow.
• Snowshoeing - Snowshoes have become pretty inexpensive (yes, if you watched The Story of Stuff, the price has been externalized). You can also find them second hand or rent gear.
• Cross-country skiing - Swedish family friends  I stayed with would go out for a quick twenty minute ski season to get some exercise and fresh air.
• Hot chocolate picnic - Pack up some special snacks, a thick comforter and hot drinks for a special wintertime outing. We usually plan a picnic with our snowshoeing trips.
• Snow Angels and Snow Families - Creating in the snow can get very imaginative, and it fun to come up with special traditions around snow storms. As a kid I remember using a particular apron and always making a snow woman, sometimes a whole family.

What kind of good cheap fun does your family have in the snow?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

If you haven't seen it already, this little video is as powerful as it is simple. It's truly worth twenty minutes of your time. I'd love to hear your feedback on it.

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

I love our child care center, and adore the villagelike feel of giggly wee ones. I love to visit on breaks and be there when they have a boo-boo. I love the professional and friendly staff with their thoughtful infant curriculum and preschool pedagogy of constructivism. I love the art work and photos of their daily activities with captions about their learning (fine motor/communication). I love the smell of fresh baked granola bars and homemade soups, and the positive peer pressure to eat vegetables amongst kids. I love the field trips and friendships, and how children discover themselves by interacting with others.

Yet, every month when I first check my balance, I'm shocked to realize that half of my salary has been siphoned from my account via "tuition express."  Somehow the automatic debit does numb the pain, since I don't have to see the cash flowing from my hands. Before kids I could have never imagined paying almost $2k in tuition for an wobbler and preschooler. Actually come to think of it, that's about how much money I was making in the non-profit sector.

I recognize that my complaint is privileged, since we can actually still make ends meet even with this "second mortgage." And of course like all working families, we evaluated whether we could afford to fork over $24k annually for toddler/preschool tuition. Every family has their own financial threshold as well as personal preferences. In the end, our rationale was financial, parental and personal:

1. Pay Our Family Bills - We both work full-time in order to pay our mortgage, household expenses and put organic food on the table. Theoretically our bills could be lower if we lived elsewhere, so it's also a lifestyle choice.
2. Graduate School Debt - My goal was to finish graduate school before starting a family. I was thrilled to announce that I was pregnant at graduation, but I was also deeply in debt, $60k.
3. Long Term Net Loss - My Masters' degree meant that my career was poised to advance. Even accounting for childcare costs, I'm fairly certain that if I had left my field for 5 years that my career would have suffered a long term net loss.
4. I love my work - I'm fortunate enough to do work that I truly enjoy, and I couldn't quite imagine my life without feeling a greater sense of community contribution.
5. Early College Prep - Paying for quality care now may even be a better investment than college (at least they are only chugging milk and they aren't ditching class!)
6. Social & Emotional Development - Group child care provides an intuitive knowledge that cannot be taught by a single care giver. They know we love them deeply, but we can't teach them to be friends. With two kids a nanny could be more slightly more affordable, but we prefer the group teaching setting.
7. Location, location - While there are many factors that play into where your child should receive care, location is a big one. Located in my lobby, we pay a premium for this convenience.
8. Light at the End - We'll feel rich when we stop having to pay for child care, even though I know the costs just get redistributed to summer camps and activity fees. I'm hopeful that we'll manage to gain some ground once they hit grade school.

What decisions have played into your child care choice? 
Do you have similar justifications or a differing view?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

One way our family saves money monthly is by limiting our trash to one can per month, saving us $32.90 monthly and $394.80 annually. While not a mountain of cash, our family feels really good about not sending a mountain of trash to the landfill.  

So how does a family of four limit to one trash can per month?

• Reduce - You don't ever have to throw something out if it never enters your home. It can also be thought of as "precycling," continually evaluating how much packaging an item comes in to consider its long term implications. It can also be seen as ReThinking. Do you really need it? How long will you benefit from it? Is it recyclable?

• Reuse - If you think creatively enough, almost anything can be reused. You can also donate for reuse. The School & Community Reuse Action Project (S.C.R.A.P.) accepts donations of all sorts to be used in creative reuse projects, like turning CDs and records into clocks. Portland's ReBuilding Center has been very successful at tackling a big waste source; building waste accounts for at least 20% of landfills. I also found a national organization, ReDo Reuse Development Organization that accepts donations for a variety of items from across the country and helps match you with more local reuse centers.

• Recycle - Not surprisingly, the biggest factor that helps us stick to one garbage can per month is recycling everything possible. We have large roll carts for co-mingled recycling, and we do have pick up service every week, although we usually put it out every other week (no need to make the haulers stop if its half full.) If you don't already, get to know what materials are accepted in your local market. With a little research you might find that some materials can be dropped off special places (like sour cream tubs and plastic bags). One last recycling tip, make sure any plastic bags get separated since they can ruin most recycling conveyor belts.

• Compost - Food scraps typically make up 12% of garbage, and is completely and naturally recyclable. Exchanging garbage for soil is really and environmental no-brainer. There are more and more municipalities offering compost/yard waste pick-up, and even downtown offices have composting.

• Remember - Sometimes it's easy to loose sight of how some handy convenience will lead to a heap of trash and why it is so important. The best reminders for me are age one and four.  Plus, wouldn't it be nice to only take the trash out once a month?!

I also don't want to make our one garbage can out to be such a big deal, since I know we're not the only family to limit our trash. EnviroMom even has a "One Can Challenge," and the entire City of Portland is shifting the policy to pick up trash only twice a month, once they add composting to yard waste bins.

How have you reduced your family's trash? Could you live with one can?

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Sustainable Family Finances 

The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.

"Drive Less. Save More." is more than a bumper sticker on our family rig, it's a motto that we try to live by daily. I'll share some of steps we've taken to transport ourselves in a frugal and low-impact way.

1) Live close to where you live/work/play

This is truly the biggest factor in our ability to keep our costs and carbon impact low. When choosing your family's home, make sure to account for the cost associated with transporting yourself for home to work and beyond. We can run 90% of our errands within 5 miles; I can walk in less than fifteen minutes to the bank, pharmacy, post office and grocery store, plus the community center and several family-friendly restaurants. Family's often don't take this into account, and end up paying at the pump, not to mention quality of life. 

2) Calculate Your Costs

You've probably seen charts showing that the average American spends over $10,000 a year on transportation, driving an average of 12,000 miles. Metro's "Drive Less. Save More." campaign has a unique Driving Cost Calculator, which shows you what you spend currently, what you could save if you reduced your driving by 15% and 40%. This potential savings can be a good motivator to reduce your time behind the wheel.

3) Take Transit

Taking the bus or light-rail may not be an option for all families, but if it's available near your home, don't be intimidated to try it out. I'll write more on this topic soon, since we take the bus every week day with two small ones. It can be fun and educational to take transit with your kids. If living in the suburbs is the only way to go for you, try carpooling. Most big areas offer programs or you can make connections at your workplace. Friends I've known who have carpooled enjoyed the camaraderie.

4) Mileage Matters

I wish I could say that our family car, a Subaru Forrester, gets great mileage, but it's OK at best. Sadly, there are no good green family vehicles on the market yet. If you've got one you like, I'd like to hear about it! So, in the mean time, before a true eco-friendly family wagon exists, we're going to have to continue to compensate by reducing our trips altogether.

5) Plan Trips Strategically

Often called "trip chaining," planning your trips strategically can save you both time and money, which are both valuable to busy families. Make sure to plan your route to only include right hand turns, which the UPS found to be the quickest and thus most cost-effective. Simply taking a moment to plan out your trip will also help you feel more focused than frazzled, another genuine benefit.

6) Reduce your insurance costs

Insurance may be required, but there's no need to overpay. You can quickly find low cost car insurance rates that will get reduce your monthly transportation costs. There are also some companies that offer pay-as-you-go plans, which gives incentives to driving less.

7) One Car

Owning only one car has always made sense to me. Perhaps it's because I lived in Europe and biked everywhere before I ever got a driver's license, but I promised myself long ago that my family would only have one car. Even when my Hubby worked in the burbs and I traveled to Seattle for grad school, we've always made our schedules work out. I know that those with older kids say that it gets harder, and I imagine it might. But call us wacky, we like going places as a family. If you really think you need two cars, try a ZipCar membership. Believe me, I looked into ditching our car altogether, but with car seats, camping and Doggy, it just wasn't feasible.

8) Use Home Delivery Services

In many urban areas there are plenty of home delivery services, like grocery delivery and dry cleaning pick-up which can save you time and money.

9) Bike Places

I once biked 12 miles a day and loved it, but I have to admit that biking has taken a back seat since I became a Mama. I do know plenty of Mamas who take their kids to school and then head to work by bike. I hope to get back in gear this spring...I'll share more once I'm back on the saddle.

10) Think Twice

More than anything, reducing your family miles relies upon reframing your thought process around what it is possible and what you really need and want. In college friends would ask me how I could afford to travel back to Europe each summer, and the answer was simple: I didn't have the expense of a car. If it motivates you, think about the payoffs or log the savings and put it towards a vacation fund.

Getting from here to there can seem to be the bane of modern existence sometimes, especially when we feel the twofold guilt of the cost and pollution. But you can make a difference by finding ways to reduce your driving and save your family money. Which ways will you "Drive Less. Save More."?

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Sustainable Family Finances 
The story of a family creating an abundant and sustainable life.