Bike Lane Living

Hunter promoted Bike Lane Living earlier in the week and I decided it would be a good idea to cap off the week with a promotion myself! Bike Lane Living is our new blog that promotes bicycling, commuting, offers tips, posts events, and reviews gear.

As an avid bicycle commuter, I enjoy sharing my passion for biking. Bicycling seems to be gaining a foot-hold in many cities with the implementation of bicycle infrastructures in cities like New York, Portland, and Boulder. My hope is that Bike Lane Living will assist in promoting that lifestyle.

Screenshot of Bike Lane Living

Colorful images of bikes engage and inspire readers to ride their bikes. Check out a couple:

Spending time researching bikes makes me want another one!

Do you ride your bike?

I really can’t complain about cold weather living in Southern California. However, I would definitely classify myself as a thin-skinned, cold-weather wimp. It the mercury drops below 68-degrees, I shiver and dream of warmer days. Because of my thin-skin, I’ve figured out inexpensive ways to keep warm rather than crank the heat (but I’m definitely guilty of this as well.)

1. Stay active. There’s something to be said about getting your heart racing on a chilly day – your blood starts circulating and you feel warmer from head to toe. People who are more active, are better able to handle cooler weather.
2. Layer your layers. Layering clothes is a great way to stay warm and comfy in the morning, then cool and comfortable when the sun comes out. For those of you poor souls living elsewhere, ThermaSilk long under garments are a great base layer. They’re breathable, allowing moisture to be removed from your body, and thin enough to wear under almost any piece of clothing.
3. Cover your extremities. Scarfs, hats, mittens and woolen socks will keep your body heat in. You might even want to done a pair of ear muffs for colder regions. Fifty percent of your body heat is lost through your head, so cover up and you’ll stay warmer.
4. Stay warm from the inside out. Warm drinks, like hot cocoa or tea, are a great way to stay warm. For those of age, you might want to add a little Schnapps to your drink for a little more heat. Soups, stews, and baked goods are another way to warm up on a chilly day.
5. Cuddle up. Cuddle your loved ones, be that a spouse or furry friend; they can act as your personal body heaters.

I’m sure those living in colder regions can add some great money-saving tips as well. So please do share! My knowledge only goes as far as 50-degrees.

How do you stay warm in the winter?

The following is a guest post brought to you by Forward UK.

Many people have old unwanted CDs around the home that they no longer wish to listen to. It is often difficult to know exactly what to do with old CDs. Most people simply throw them away without realizing that these CDs can actually be put to good use. There are websites such as musicmagpie that allow you to sell your old CDs. PC games that are no longer being played can also be donated. This is a great idea not only for generating some extra cash for the seller, but it can also be used to donate to charity directly through the website.

The CDs will be recycled and turned into useful items such as coat hangers and car headlights. It is easy to sign up for free and then check to see how much money will be paid for each CD and DVD. It works by allowing you to enter the barcode of the items and then the price that you can expect to be paid will be displayed. There are several ways to send in the items and they are all free. The method that you choose to send them is up to you. Sending in the CDs to be recycled has a very positive impact on the environment. Landfills are full of items that could easily be recycled and put to good use.

Now that mp3 players are so prevalent, many people find that the CDs and DVDs they have around the home are becoming redundant. A lot of individuals no longer listen to their music through a traditional stereo system. These systems are quite bulky and not very portable. Listening to music on iPods and other mp3 devices is now so popular, that entire sound systems have been developed for them. These systems are light and portable and have the big sound expected from traditional stereo systems. Many CDs will be clogging up the landfills in the near future when they could have been used in a much more beneficial way.

There are a lot of second-hand stores that have numerous CDs and DVDs for sale at very inexpensive prices. It might be possible to purchase some to see if the cash received on the website is more than the cost in the store. If this is the case, it is quite feasible to generate a healthy income on the side. This idea can be put to use if you would like to donate your CDs and DVDs for charity. There are several worthwhile charities associated with this website. The concept is the same. You find out how much your items are worth and then instead of getting cash for them you simply donate them to the charity affiliated with this website instead. The process is fast and easy and it feels good to know that these unused items are going to such a worthy cause.

Donating to charity and getting rid of things that are cluttering up the home at the same time is indeed the best of both worlds. Charities depend on people’s generosity to survive. Making a contribution by using this system is so easy and allows the contributor to choose from one or more of the many charities that are associated with this website. There are charities to help children, animals and breast cancer, among several others. If you have friends that are passionate about giving back by donating to charities it might be worthwhile to mention this website to them. Anyone associated with one or more of the featured charities may find it beneficial to hold a CD collection drive and then donate the collected items directly through the website.

There have been numerous studies that show that American’s waste almost 1/3 of the food they purchase. That includes edibles from Grocery stores, restaurants, produce markets and deli’s. That means that 30% of our Nation’s produced oils, fats, grains and dairy products end up in the garbage.

The fact that it’s also a huge energy loss and bad for the environment is a different story. You can save yourself some money by eating what you order!

1. Buy only what you need.

You can immediately start seeing savings by making sure you eat everything you bring home from your local grocery store. Whether you are cooking for two or are a family of five, steps can be taken to help with this. For example: If you’re making 4 hamburgers on game day, do you need a whole bag of buns that are just going to go bad? Try your grocer’s deli. Many markets now offer homemade rolls and buns that you can buy individually. Not only are they fresher and healthier, but you can get 4 delicious buns for those burgers and not have extras laying around. Many of these deli’s also offer fresh sliced meats. Feeling like a turkey sandwich? Have the deli just slice up a few slices for you. You will never hear them complain.

You can also insure you are not over purchasing by keeping your cupboards and pantry’s organized. It’s always silly to buy a jar of peanut butter because you forgot you had some hiding in the back and it spoiled. Make sure you can physically see everything you currently have in your cabinets and stop “repeat” buying.

2.  Stop chucking your groceries.

It’s a darn shame to see food go to waste. I am sure everyone is familiar with ‘cleaning’ out the fridge. That’s where you go through your refrigerator and start tossing out those cheese slices you didn’t get to quick enough or some leftover enchiladas that have been in there for a while. This can be solved in several ways. For example: Freeze half of that cheese when you first bring it home and make sure you store leftovers in the fridge in airtight containers. If you don’t think you’ll be eating those leftover hot wings in the next week, then freeze them. Freezing and storing food properly in the refrigerator will help it last longer so it’s still good to eat when you are ready for it.

3.  Don’t over order at restaurants

I can’t even say how many times I’ve seen a family of four at a restaurant and their table has enough food on it to feed another table next to them. Many sit down restaurants have greatly increased their portions so that the customer feels they got their money’s worth. Keep that in mind because now it’s much simpler to share a main dinner with sides. If two people go out for dinner there is a good chance that don’t need to order two full dinners. Most restaurants are happy to split up a meal into two. Some however do charge for this. If they are going to charge you, then just order that single dinner normally and have them bring you another plate when it comes. It’s not tough to cut that chicken marsala in half!

If a 4-pack family visits a fast food chain do they really need FOUR value meals with FOUR fries? Definitely not. If you know your kid only ever eats half his food, then order accordingly. It’s a huge waste of money and food to let it end up in the trash. Again, sharing comes into play.

4.  Make it a mission

The most important step is to simply make it your mission to stop wasting food. I frequently review our kitchen inventory and I make a mental list of what needs to be eaten. Need to use up that bacon but it’s not breakfast time? Make BLT’s. Got some left over ground beef and a head of lettuce that’s getting old? Make some tacos quick! Dairy and meats need to be eaten (or frozen) relatively soon after you bring them home.

In summary: Buy only what you need, store food and leftovers properly, don’t over order and make it a mission.

A federal study found that 96.4 billions pounds of food is wasted by U.S. Retailers, Food Service businesses and retailers annually. For a family of four, that amounts to 122 pounds of food thrown out each month. Here is a depiction of that family’s monthly share, the sum of waste in eight different foods groups as depicted in the study.

Wasted Food

This is a guest post by Uncle Casey.

The following guest post is brought to you by USwitch.

Step 1
There are plenty of easy ways to save energy and, consequently, money around the home. Take a quick look around and you should be able to save a lot of money by reducing the amount of energy you use every day.

Step 2

Firstly, take a look at your thermostat. Try reducing the temperature by 1 degree; this can save you money and you will probably notice no difference. Don’t forget your programmer; make sure hot water and heating are coming on just when you need them. Look at the temperature on your hot water cylinder, it needs to be no more than 60 degrees centigrade. Another thing to consider is checking for draughts; close windows and doors and make sure you draw curtains when it gets dark.

Step 3

Lighting is another area to look at. For example, use energy saving light bulbs and remember to turn your lights off when you are leaving a room.

Step 4

Look at all your appliances, if there is anything that needs replacing then you should think about replacing it with the most energy efficient model that you can. There are other simple ways to ensure that your appliances are not wasting money and energy. A good start is making sure that you don’t leave items on standby, or mobile phones on charge at all times. With items like the washing machine and dishwasher, always use them on a full load. Similarly with the tumble dryer – although when the sun is shining you may want to hang your washing outside. The fridge and freezer also work more efficiently when they are full or nearly full and this will help you to reduce the electricity consumption.

If you are looking to save money on your energy costs, then it is important not only to reduce the amount of energy you use but also to look at whether you are with the right supplier, so do compare electricity prices.

Finally, making sure you are on top of routine maintenance issues at home can also help you decrease your energy consumption. Preventing draughts can make your house warmer without the need for increasing your energy bills.Fix dripping taps, as these can be wasting not only water but energy too, if your hot water tap is leaking. You can also look at how well insulated your home is and how you can improve this if possible.

By making a few simple changes you can reduce your energy usage and save yourself money. By comparing energy prices you can be sure you are not paying more than you need for the electricity and gas that you are using. You may want to monitor your energy use before you start making some changes so that you can make an energy comparison afterwards and see how much you are saving.