things

MinM

- the weather here has been crazy. Up and down, up and down. I was happy to wake up to some rain, but it is going to get below freezing tonight. Saturday should be warm enough to do the yard work we had planned.

- I got the bill from my HSG (the test where they checked to see if my tubes were open). It is almost $500, after insurance. Man...this sucks. I am going to have to set up a payment plan, which will establish me making payments to two different hospitals and H to one. What a delightful way to spend our money.

- I wear daily contacts. I think I am going to ask my doc if I can go back to traditional contacts, because I hate throwing away the lids (the bottom plastic part is recyclable). Trash has been bothering me a lot lately. I don't know why.

- H and I want to host a St. Patty's/anniversay party the weekend after SP. I am thinking it might be a bust because we got married over Spring Break. Oh well, we'll see how it goes.

- Anyone else watching Better With You? I like it, for what it is...

VarunaTT

The trash thing is getting on my nerves, too.  It bothers me to just throw stuff out.  WE have the beagles old worn out dog bed that I can't figure out what to do with, but visions of it just sitting in the dump is annoying me.  I also now have 3 teflon pans sitting in my storage closet b/c no onen around here recycles them and I don't want them just sitting in the landfill either.

I think I'm taking the recycling thing too far. 

**O-Face**

-the top aluminum part isn't recycleable?  Oops.

-I feel your pain (somewhat) on the bills...booo to medical payments.   

-The weather here is typical February, which makes me laugh because people here are ready to bust out shorts and uggs.  No...not ever.

MinM

Varuna - me, too. But yes to the visions of landfills. What is the issue with the dog bed? I have repaired dog beds far past their expiration dates. One of our crate pads is actually a XXL pug rescue volunteer shirt that I repurposed into a crate pad (the whole 'reuse' part of the three Rs). 

OFace - It doesn't say that it is recyclable and unless there is a number on it (lthe foil lid does't have a number on it), most places won't accept/recycle it. I am really running into problems because, upon closer inspection, most of the beauty products packages I have don't have numbers on them. I am looking for a brand that 1) makes me look like I have the skin of an infant, and 2) has recyclable packaging.  

**O-Face**

BOOOO.  I guess I'll have to rip the tops off.  It just made sense that aluminum is recycleable to me.  Poop.

I also look for numbers on the bottom, and happily toss them in when I am done.  I am thinking I also want an inside composter again.  I am tired of tossing out old food....tired of it. 

MinM

Man, with as much food as H wastes, we could have an awesome compost pile. However, I am sure the pugs would make me crazy trying to get into it. There is no way we have room for an inside composter. I am starting to realize, we are outgrowing our current space. Blerg....

If we want to keep a guest room and make an office for H, we are going to need at least three bedroom. If we want to get a bigger house, in case we have kids, then we'll need at least four rooms. However, I refuse to buy in our current location. That would be like admitting we are going to stay and I REFUSE to do that.

baconsmom

Eh, Min, we bought in PHX, knowing we wouldn't stay. It was actually a good thing - we got out before the bubble burst, so we made a profit on the house and were able to pay off my car and get a better house up here because we had a bigger downpayment. YOU know you'll get out for something better, and that's what's important. 

**O-Face**

I mean an INSIDE composter, in a bin, that filters smell/etc.  But of course I never want to pay the $$.

MinM

BMom - people say we should buy here because we could always rent it out. However, renting to college kids from a remote location just doesn't seem like fun. I see too many 'for sale' sign to even think we could sell, much less make a profit off of, a house here.

Oface - an inside one in the garage would be nice. I heard them reviewing them on NPR a long time ago. I forget which one they said they thought was the best.

6fsn

-boo to the bills.  Does your insurance have a max medical?

- I'm always amazed when I see how much trash our neighbors put out.  EVERY week.  Even after missing a week and doing the nursery project we still had the least on the block.

- I love our outdoor composter.  It also gave us some rogue butternut squash and tomato plants.

baconsmom

6, we got rogue potatoes! Like, two years in a row. And of course when we planted them in the garden, on purpose, they totally didn't grow. 

- Y'all should feel great about your recycling, though: we don't do it at all. 

VarunaTT

We bought new dog beds.  Zelda, 61 lb beast that she is, outgrew it and Bennett is getting older and doesn't sleep curled up much anymore, he has to stretch out more.  It's perfectly fine and I've considered donating it to the shelter, but I don't know that they'll take it.  We're a flea free home, but they don't have proof of that.  I just need to call them.

Sams Club had big bin composters you can use, from around $100-$150 depending on what you want.  We bought two and they sit up and the dogs can't get in them.  The only thing we make sure to do is hose it down after spinning.

Between those 2 things, we barely have a trash bag a week. At this point, our trash service is a racket.  DH is seriously considering canceling it and just taking it to his dumpster at work as needed.

MinM

6 - yes, it has a max and every year, I get >< this close to meeting it and then a new year starts and I am back to zero. GAH!

GBCK

Ugh, dye tests suck--paying for them sucks more.

Re: cosmetics-stuff...youw ant lush.
Their stuff rawks AND they're very green and hippie.

I know, I know, I'm not a makeup person--but makeup people LOVE their stuff to, IME.

http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/face/cleansers/