Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Costco: Emergency Garden Seeds

We are currently working on our Emergency Preparedness and I came across this offer today from Costco. I have wondered about storing seeds long term with our regular food storage. These seeds will last up to 5 years! Plus they are non-hybrid and non-GMO, score!
Food For Health™ Emergency Garden Seeds
Some of the seeds included are:
Peas
Corn
Beets
Radish
Spinach
Swiss Chard
Carrot
Broccoli
Cucumber
Tomato
Zucchini
And more!

This offer is valid until March 18, 2012. The price is $42.99 shipped. I am not sure if they are carrying this in the store or only online. It's free shipping so it doesn't much matter. This would be a great addition to your emergency stash or just to use for this year's (and next year's) garden! Click here to check it out!


Arrowhead Mills on Sale at Vitacost.com

All Arrowhead products are on sale 10-51% off today.

Puffed cereals as low as $0.99.

A great deal on flaxseed too, just $2.21 for 14 oz.
(The best deal on Amazon.com right now is $2.56 a lb, but you have to buy in bulk, 8 lbs for $15.24)

Here is a list of all the Arrowhead products on vitacost.com
Arrowhead Mills on Sale

Sign up for an account and GET $10 off your first order
This is my referral link and I do get credits if you sign up through my link.
Shipping is $4.99.

Here is an example of what you can get if you use your $10 credit on Arrowhead Mills products:
Subtotal $10.49
Credit    $10.00
Shipping$ 4.99
TOTAL $5.48

Only $1.09 per item!

You would pay $18.45 for all this at the store, plus you need to add for your gas money and time.
This will all come straight to your door!


Cart Items - To Buy NowAutoship! ScheduleItem
price
QuantityDiscountExtended price
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Rice Cereal -- 6 oz
Item No. 074333474296
$0.99-$0.99
Copy to My List Delete In stock
Arrowhead Mills Organic Golden Flax Seeds -- 14 oz
Item No. 074333476856
$2.21-$2.21
Copy to My List Delete In stock
Arrowhead Mills Puffed Corn Cereal -- 6 oz
Item No. 074333474302
$1.41-$1.41
Copy to My List Delete In stock
Arrowhead Mills Organic Brown Rice Flour -- 32 oz
Item No. 074333471349
$3.17-$3.17
Copy to My List Delete In stock
Arrowhead Mills Organic Steel Cut Oats Hot Cereal -- 24 oz
Item No. 074333385585
$2.71-$2.71
Copy to My List Delete In stock
Order Subtotal:$10.49


Thanks Hip2Save for alerting me to the sale.

Yes to Carrots Sweepstakes- NEW every Wednesday

Custom_banner_1330450877
Yes to Carrots gives away prize packages every Wednesday when you enter their sweepstakes on Facebook. This week it's Yes to Tomatoes Acne Cleanser and Lotion.

 5 winners.
It could be you!

Enter HERE Like them on Facebook and then enter your contact info.

I hope you win!

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

My CVS Shopping Trip

Here is the breakdown of my shopping trip: CVS/pharmacy

Retail Value: $39.44
Sale Price    : $27.49
ECBS used  : $20.00
Coupons      : $  4.50
Total           : $   3.49
With Tax    : $   5.35

My OOP was $5.35 AND they gave me back $8.00 in ECBs for a PROFIT of $2.65

It takes a month or 2 to get your ECBs built up, but as you can see, it makes all the difference.
They PAID me to shop!

2 noteworthy deals were :

Pantene Nature Fusion.

A924993
A plant based shampoo and conditioner and also a plant based bottle.
It's not organic, but it's a stepping stone. And it sends a message to Pantene that we want more products like this. I like to reward good behavior. Normally $5, they were on sale 2/$6.97. I had a coupon for $3 off 2, plus I got $1 ECB back, bringing the price to $1.50 each, or 65% off.

Physician's Formula Organic Wear Mascara


On Sale Spend $10 get $7 ECBs back.
Price: $10.49
ECBs $7.00
Final Price $3.49 or 71% off.

I am slowing switching all of my make up over to paraben free. I wish I could dump it all out and replace the whole lot with organic, but then we wouldn't be able to eat that week. Buying it piece by piece as the good deals become available I can convert to safer cleaner make up without impacting my budget.

Hope you found this helpful!

Enter to Win Seventh Generation Kit

Head on over to Facebook and LIKE Seventh Generation then sign up for The Lorax Generation Sweepstakes.

The grand prize  is a trip for 4 to the Redwood National Park in Northern California. ($6,000 value- I wonder what they would do for me? That's about 3 hours away from here??) 5 people will get the 2nd place awards of front load washers and dryers ($2,500 value) And 3rd place will be 1000 winners each receiving a Green Cleaning Kit of Seventh Generation Products. ($35 value)

You can enter once a day through the end of June!
Good luck!


The Fine Print: Limit one entry per person per day; the Grand and First Prize Winners will be selected by random drawing; the Second Prize winners will be drawn weekly every Monday from the previous weeks’ entries; you must be a legal resident of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia or Canada in order to enter

Monday, February 27, 2012

Here's a weird coupon for Maranatha butters



LIKE Maranatha on Facebook and follow those 3 steps to get some coupons.
I think it's a bit weird that I must share it in order to get the coupon, but this is expensive stuff and this is a good coupon.

It's especially nice for those with peanut allergies as they offer many varieties of nut butters that do not contain peanuts.

New Coupons to Print

The McCann's coupon is available from www.coupons.com
I print these through www.swagbucks.com  though.
They are they same exact coupon through coupons.com, but by printing them from the Swagbucks website I get 10 swagbucks per coupon. 450 swagbucks earns me a $5 giftcard for amazon.com
So I use the coupons to get deals. And then use the giftcard to get more deals.
Dude.
It's free money.

So anyway, here are the available coupons:


The rest of the  coupons are new on Mambo Sprouts Make sure you check out their other coupons while you are there.

Thank you Hip2Save!


Recipe: Sunflower-Wheat Loaf


Sunflower-Wheat Loaf

This bread takes approximately 4 hours from start to finish. 

1 package dry yeast (2 ¼ teaspoons)
1 cup warm water (100°-110°)
2 cups whole wheat flour
¼ cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon dark molasses
1 tsp salt
¼ cup wheat germ
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 ¼ cups bread flour, divided
1/3 cup raw unsalted sunflower seeds

Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl; let stand 5 minutes. (I use my Kitchen-Aid fitted with the paddle attachment.)
Lightly spoon whole wheat flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add whole wheat flour, honey, oil, molasses, and salt to yeast mixture, stirring well. Cover; let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
Add wheat germ and cornmeal to sponge. Spoon bread flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Add 1 cup flour to sponge; stir until a soft dough forms. Switch to dough hook if using your Kitchen-Aid. Knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes); add enough of the remaining ¼ cup of flour to prevent dough from sticking to sides of bowl (dough may still be tacky). Knead in sunflower seeds.
Place dough in a bowl coated with a little oil, turn to coat all sides. Cover; let rise in a warm place*, free from drafts, 1 hour or until doubled in size.

*I use my oven on days when the house is cool—turn your oven on to the lowest temperature for 1 or 2 minutes and then shut it off and place the bowl of dough in the oven to rise. Leave the light on so you don’t forget about your bread and turn the oven on for something else!

Gently press two fingers into the dough. If indentation remains the dough has risen enough. Punch dough down. Cover; let rest 5 minutes. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to a 14 x 7-inch rectangle (roughly). Roll dough tightly by starting with short edge and pressing firmly to eliminate air pockets; pinch seams and ends to seal. Place rolled up dough, seam side down, in an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan lightly coated with oil. Lightly coat top of dough with oil. Cover; let rise for 45 minutes or until loaf is doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 375° when the dough still has about 20 minutes left to rise—hopefully your loaf is not in the oven while you preheat ;).
Uncover your dough, bake for 45 minutes or until loaf is browned on bottom and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan, cool on a wire rack. I like to turn the bread out after 20 minutes so the bottom can cool faster and breathe.

Serve with whipped honey butter:
Place 1 cube of softened butter in a bowl. Pour in ¼ cup of honey. Beat for about 2 minutes until fluffy. 

Recipe from Cooking Light

Friday, February 24, 2012

$2/1 Snikiddy Snacks Coupon

Remember when I went to Whole Foods looking for a Snikiddy and I didn't even know what it was? Well, I found them and I love them.
They have Gluten free chips that my daughter loves. Plus she gets flavors like BBQ, which typically has Red #40 in them, so she is tickled pink.

If I could print 10 of these coupons I would. In fact, if you don't want it, print it out and give it to me!! ha ha.

Snikiddy Snack Coupon


Thank you Hip2save

$4 OFF MILK!!!!

WOW! This is awesome.
You can go to Facebook to print a coupon for free milk up to $4.00 with the purchase of 3 breakfast items.

If you don't get one today, try again. They will be giving out 10,000 a day until March 3rd.

This will definitely take the sting out of my gallon of $6 Organic Milk!!!!

I am going to wait to use it for a week that have Barbara's Cereal, or organic breakfast granola, etc etc on sale.

If I wait until the breakfast items go on sale, use coupons for the breakfast items, and use my milk coupon, I can score a week's worth of breakfast for pennies on the dollar!

Hurray for coupons!



GRAB YOUR COUPON HERE


Thank you to thefrugalfind!

Facebook Freebie GUD by Burt's Bee's

Snag a sample of GUD lotion, a new line by Burt's Bees by filling out your address on their facebook page. I love getting freebies in the mail! Every day is like Christmas, with a little surprise waiting for me in my mailbox. So much better than bills!

GUD lotion sample by Burt's Bees




Thanks to www.thefrugalfind.com

Thursday, February 23, 2012

My 3 Favorite Coupon Blogs

There are literally thousands of coupon blogs out there, but I find myself going back to the same 3 each day. I find them to be the easiest to understand and follow. They are very active and update many times throughout the day. If you want to start out small, I would suggest getting on their email lists. They email the best deals for the day every day and will send special alerts if something HOT comes along. If you want to go gung-ho, follow them on facebook. My wall is on fire all day long with the best deals out there.

The first is

www.thefrugalfind.com


She is trying harder to list more organic, gluten-free, and chemical free deals and I really appreciate the effort. I also find her store match ups to be the easiest to read and understand. In addition, she isn't afraid to talk about God or her Faith. And I find that so courageous and refreshing. Her motto is SAVE MORE GIVE MORE LIVE MORE. Her hope is that if you save a bunch of money and can score alot of freebies, you will pass on those blessings and help the lives of others around you. It's a great message. And when you have a stockpile of freebies in your storage it does make it very easy to put together necessities for a neighbor in need or a box to ship out to a Natural Disaster Zone.

Number Two is

www.couponingtodisney.com

Couponing to Disney

She has an interesting approach to couponing that I think can help a lot of people. She sets a weekly budget, of let's say $100 a week. Then she clips her coupons and shops the deals. She does her very best to stay under $100. Whatever is left over goes directly into her Disney Vacation Fund. So if she only spends $83 one week, $17 goes into her savings. You can use this technique to save for a vacation, car, or any big purchase, but also to pay down a credit card or mortgage too.  In addition-- she posts all deals related to Disney. Who wouldn't like that???

And lastly is

www.hip2save.com

hip2save

When she posts her drugstore match ups she can show you different ways of making the same purchases to reduce your out of pocket (oop) expense. It's really clever for those who needs to spend the absolute least amount of money each week. She seems to have some deals that I don't find on the other blogs too. Very thorough.

I am currently on the market for some coupon blogs that cater specifically to Organic and Special Diets. Someday, I hope WE are the blog everyone is recommending.

Deal Finding on Amazon.com

Next time you have some browsing time, check out Amazon Warehouse Deals.
Go to Amazon.com
Type Warehouse Deals in the search box.
At the top of the results will be a little black box called amazon warehouse deals.
Click on that box.
You can then choose departments and look at all their overstock that they are selling at a deeper discount.
You can find a lot of cases of organic flour, barbara's snacks, back to nature, etc etc.

In fact, there were so many great deals, I couldn't decide which one to share with you!
There were 1059 listings under Warehouse Deals for ORGANIC.

Here is one:
Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Baking Flour



Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Organic at Costco

Here are some organic finds from Costco this past week. I am not declaring that these are the best deals you can find out there but they seemed worth it to me!

Organic Sun-Maid raisins $7.49 for 4 pounds
Lundberg organic short grain brown rice (non-GMO, yippee!) $11.99 for 12 pounds!
Late July* organic sea salt multigrain (gluten free) chips $5.79 for 24 oz.bag
Blue Agave organic nectar $9.69 for 2-36 oz. bottles
Garofalo organic whole wheat spaghetti, $9.49 for 8 pounds
Bob's Red Mill organic steel cut oats $4.79 for 4 1/2 pounds (crazy good price in my book!)

In particular I love the rice, pasta and oats because they are perfect for getting started on my short-term food storage!

*I love Late July products but they are hard to find in our area. When I left a comment telling them how much I loved them they sent me a lot of coupons (in a hand-addressed envelope), unfortunately I didn't have anywhere to use them before they expired! 


Great Deal on YoBaby Organic Yogurt at Target

Head on over to Target for this great deal on Yobaby Organic Yogurt.

Print these 2 coupons- 1 is a MQ and the other is a Store Issued. So you can use them both.

Yobaby 4 pack $2.69

$1/1 4-pack Yobaby Organic Yogurt
0.75 off one Stonyfield Yobaby Item

Final Price $0.94 for a 4 pack.
Score!


Thank you to thefrugalfind.com and Money Saving Mom.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Great Day to join Vitacost.com THREE FREE JASON toothpastes!


Today is the perfect day to JOIN vitacost.com and get $10 for signing up!
You get a code for $10 off your order just for signing up.
In addition, today when you order the 3 pack bundle of JASON powershine 6 oz toothpaste it ships FREE. And it costs $10. So with your $10 off and FREE shipping, this will be absolutely FREE.

AND-- whenever you place an order with vitacost they have a FREE SAMPLES section and you can ADD 2 FREE SAMPLES to your purchase.

FREE on top of FREE on top of FREE.
I like it!!

This is for new members only or I would be all over this deal.
However, when you sign up through my referral link, I get rewards too, so if you are interested, please use my link and SIGN up HERE

What a fantastic way to add to your stock pile of organic products!

Thanks to hip2save.com

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Consider The Grocery Outlet

Grocery Outlet StorefrontI'll admit it. When I think of The Grocery Outlet my first thought is a run-down store full of poor people buying overstocked potatoe chips and generic soda pop.

But I need to get over this.
It's prejudice. And wrong.

The Grocery Outlet is a little hidden gem in our community and I ask you to consider taking a trip and checking it out.

Yes, it is full of overstock items. The Grocery Outlet wheels and deals with Manufacturer's and negotiates a very low price and passes those savings on to you. Since the price is already very low-- they DO NOT accept coupons of any kind. Even with this policy they can often beat my coupon buy price.
For example, this week I picked up Stonyfield Organic Yogurt Cups for only $.50 each. This is a rock bottom price even if I went somewhere else and shopped a sale with a coupon.

In addition, inventory varies from store to store. So if you see a hot deal in an advertisement I would call ahead to see if your store has the item in stock. And if you find something you like -grab a lot of it. You don't know if it will be there on your next trip.

Here are just a few gems I saw at the Livermore store this week:

Stonyfield Organic Yogurt $.50
Horizon Organic Cream Cheese 8 oz $1.49
Tuberz Organic Yogurt 8 ct $1.49
Yucatan Organic Guacamole $2.49
Jensen's All Natural Chips 7 oz $1.49
Juicy Juice 100% Juice  64 oz $1.49

They also had a nice variety of Organic and Natural Hair and Body Care items. If you are out and need something, but there are no sales going on and you don't have a coupon-- I would suggest checking here first. Most of the organic items were about 50% less than regular retail prices.

For example:

Tom's of Maine Toothpaste $2.69
Tom's of Maine Deodorant $2.49
Kiss My Face Deodorant $1.99
Naturally FreshDeodorant $2.99
Alba
Nature's Gate
Renpure
Delon
Jason
Burt's Bees

Are you surprised to see so many organic product lines????  I was too.
And they really are at a much lower price than other retailers.

So go grab your freshly cleaned reusable shopping bag and give The Grocery Outlet a chance.

Friday, February 17, 2012

Recipe: Favorite Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

This is one of those meals in our house that we make over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. We make them so often that Ryan and I are pretty tired of them but the kids LOVE them and it's a good way for me to get some nutrients into them without even trying. 

Try them this weekend. They are wonderful!

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2-4 tablespoons ground flaxseed, optional
2-4 tablespoons raw wheat germ, optional
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups buttermilk, plus more for thinning
2 tablespoons canola oil
4 eggs

Customize your pancakes with:
  •     mini chocolate chips
  •     fresh or frozen blueberries, or blueberry syrup
  •     top with pecans and banana slices
  •     mix together equal parts sour cream and raspberry jam and spread over pancakes

    
Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups, level with a knife. Whisk together flours, flaxseed, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt in a large bowl. Set aside
Combine buttermilk, oil, and eggs, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture and stir just until moist. Add additional buttermilk until you reach the desired consistency. 
Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Using a spoon or a 1/4 measuring cup pour batter onto hot griddle. Turn pancakes over when there are some bubbles on top and the edges begin to dry out. 
Yield: 30-40 pancakes depending on how big you make them. 

My kids LOVE having these as a snack later that day or for breakfast the next morning so I make this big batch and enjoy the leftovers. You can also freeze them to enjoy later. Place small squares of wax paper between every two pancakes. Seal in a Ziploc freezer bag. 

Recipe adapted from Cooking Light



Win this Book!

I really need to be more diligent about meal planning for my family. I HATE when I have to throw away beautiful produce because I was lazy and didn't plan well enough for the week. This book is just the tool I need.
Plan It Don't Panic ebook

You can enter to win this book here.

Or you can buy it as a downloadable book here for only $4.99.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

100 Foods Dr. Oz wants in your Shopping Cart



Often times, I get overwhelmed when I start to think about all the things I shouldn't be eating and feeding to my family. This list makes me feel hopeful. It's all about real food. And in fact, he's a little more lenient than even I am. I try to avoid canned as much as possible and like to get things in glass jars. I prefer my produce to be organic. And whole wheat isn't all it's cracked up to be, I go with whole grain. It makes me feel good to know that even though I'm not perfect I'm doing alright.


To read the full article Click HERE.


Burt's Bees Deal on Target.com

Burt's Bees Tips & Toes.Opens in a new window
Target.com has this Tips & Toes gift set on sale 31% off.
Normally $12.99, today it is $8.99.
If you buy 2, you get an additional 10% off.
If you buy 3 or more, you get an additional 20%.

When you buy 3 or more, that brings the price down to $7.19 a piece.
AND it's free shipping.

Burt's Bees on Target's Daily Deals

Keep all 3 for yourself and you've got a year's supply of all natural foot care.
Or put them in your gift box and save them for teachers, friends, baby showers, etc etc.

Thank you hip2save


Part 2: How to Clean Reusable Grocery Shopping Bags with Homemade Disinfectant Spray

First things first: Read up on the health concerns of Reusable Shopping bags HERE.

The 2 questions I have been asked the most since posting about the lead and ecoli found in reusable shopping bags are:

1- How do I know if my bag has lead in it?

2-How do I clean my bags without wearing them down and releasing the lead?


I don't know if your bags have lead in them. If they are from Walmart or Target, odds are they do. Unfortunately, the bags do not have materials labels and do not tell you what they are made of.  My only thought is to track down the Manufacturer of the bag and see if they have a list of materials on their website, or use their Contact Us link to email and ask directly. The key word is Polypropylene. When I google images of Polypropylene bags, I get results showing both the plastic feeling bags and the fabric feeling bags- so that isn't very helpful. My suggestion is, if in doubt, throw it out. Replace your bags with a safer alternative.

I've been researching different methods of cleaning the bags. Many suggest to simply throw them in the washer. It seems to me that you are going to wear your bags down quickly this way. I don't know how your bags look, but mine don't give the impression that they are made to withstand alot of abuse.

I suggest spraying them with a disinfectant spray, wiping them down inside and out, and then letting them air dry. You can use an earth friendly store bought brand, like Mrs. Meyers, or make your own.

Here are a few recipes:



Lemon Disinfectant Spray
  • 1 Fill a 10-oz. plastic spray bottle with distilled water.
  • 2 Add 1/2 tsp lemon essential oil, shake well.
  • 3 Shake prior to every use.


Tea Tree Oil Spray
  •  Add 2 cups of distilled water to a plastic spray bottle.
  •  Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar.
  •  1/4 tsp. of tea tree oil and 1.4 tsp of your favorite antimicrobial essential oil like orange, lemon, or lavendar
  •  Shake to mix and before each use.
  • Don't be afraid of the vinegar smell. The vinegar loses it's odor when it dries, but the essential oil smells will remain.
Borax Spray

  • 2 TB Borax
  • 1/4 White Vinegar
  • 2 cups HOT water.
  • A few drops of your favorite essential oil

These may be natural, but they are still powerful cleaners. Keep out of reach of children.



Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Right now if you go to Quaker's Facebook page and 'Like' them you can get a FREE sample of their new flavor of cereal.

Quaker Oat Squares are one of my favorite cereals, looking forward to a new flavor!

Safeway Deals 2/15 - 2/21

Safeway: Ingredients for life

Organics and Health Items on Sale at Safeway this week:

Organic Avocados $1.25 each
Organic Broccoli $1.50 each
Organic Sweet Navel Oranges $0.99 a lb
Organic Heirloom Tomatoes $3.99 a lb
Dave's Killer Bread $3.99
O Organics Salad Blends $2.50
O Organics Soups or Pacific Soups $2.50
O Organics Spices Buy 2 Get 1 FREE
O Organics Extra Virgin Olive Oil B1G1 Free
Open Nature Granola $3.00
Open Nature Wide Pans, Buns, Rolls, B1G1 Free
Open Nature Mix and Match Items B2G1 FRee

If you see a deal I missed, please leave it in the comments below!
Thanks!

Click here to read the story of Open Nature               O Organics

Raley's Ecoupons 2/15/12


It's Wednesday! Raley's / Nob Hills new Ecoupons are up! Here are a sampling of some of the healthy choices on sale this week. Sorry for the format. I am still trying to figure it out.


Remember these are Store Issued Coupons, so you can combine these with a Manufacturer's coupon and get maximum savings.


Thumbnail of Old Orchard
1.25
Old Orchard 100% Juice
12 oz. frozen
with this coupon
Limit 6

  Select E-coupon
Thumbnail of RFF Almonds
75¢ off
Raley's Almonds
9 oz. can
with this coupon
Limit 2

  Select E-coupon
Column Divider
Thumbnail of Barbaras
2.19
Barbara's Cereal
10 oz. to 14 oz.
In our Natural Foods Dept.
Limit 1
with coupon.

  Select E-coupon


Column Divider
Thumbnail of Envirokidz
1.98
EnviroKidz Cereal Bars
6 oz.
with coupon.
Limit 1
In our Natural Foods Dept.

  Select E-coupon
Thumbnail of FSTG
1.69
Food Should Taste Good Tortilla Chips
5.5 oz.
In our Natural Foods Dept.
with this coupon
Limit 2

Column Divider
Thumbnail of RFFRiceCakes
Buy 1, Get 1 FREE!
Raley's Rice Cakes
4.5-6.5 oz.
with this coupon
Limit 2
In our Natural Foods Dept.

  Select E-coupon

Column Divider
Thumbnail of Lundberg
2 for $3
Lundberg Rice Chips
6 oz.
In our Natural Foods Dept.
with this coupon
Limit 2

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Important Health Information Regarding Your Reusable Shopping Bags

walmart reusable bag
Several weeks ago I read a disturbing news article on the lead levels found in reusable shopping bags. In particular are the bags sold at Target, Walmart, Winn- Dixie, and Publix, made out of Polypropylene. The Federal standard for lead in products in 300 ppm for adults and 100 ppm for children. These bags rang in at 194. Since it is typically an adult doing the grocery shopping, these bags are considered safe even though they are double what is safe for your child. And everyone admits they don't know how they will dispose of them as they will contaminate landfills and pose a threat to the environment.

It's not safe for the dirt-but it's been deemed safe for you.

In addition, the lead doesn't pose a threat to you until the bag starts to wear down, therefore releasing the lead. So our environmental friendly bags aren't so environmentally friendly and they just might be exposing you and your children to lead poisoning.

Strike One.

Strike Two might even be more disturbing. When grocery shoppers allowed their reusable bags to be tested for bacteria, 50% tested positive for E Coli. 97% of shoppers admitted never having washed their bags before.

So the key is to wash your bags-- but washing your bags does what? You guessed it-- wears it down and releases the lead! So you have E Coli on one hand and Lead Poisoning on the other.

And I used to be so proud of myself for remembering to use my reusable bags. Sigh.

So what's the solution?
You have several options.

1- Use your bags, wash them regularly, and when they show signs of wear, toss them out.
They are only $0.99 and you can often get them for free during store promos, local street fairs, etc.

2- Make your own bags. Follow a free tutorial online to turn your old T-shirts into bags. There are also free patterns for crocheting, knitting, and sewing. You can shop the clearance bins for cheap fabrics, or use your coupons and buy organic fabrics or sustainable bamboo.

50 Free Patterns for Making your own reusable bagsfrom TipNut

marthastewart.com                       pmbetweenthelines.blogspot.com
3- Not the crafty type? Buy reusable bags not made from polypropylene. They are most expensive, but they will last longer and you won't have to worry about lead, adding toxins to our landfills, or continually replacing them as they wear down.

Yes It's Organic Organic Reusable Bags starting at $5

Reusable Organic Grocery Bags Start at $8 a piece on Amazon.com

Reusable Produce Bags 5 pack on Amazon.com  $10.09 Shipped

Product Details

Sometimes it can be quite discouraging when we think we are doing so good and we find out it's not so good. But don't lose hope. Just take things step by step. Day by Day. Eventually we'll get where we want to be.

If you find a great tutorial on making bags or a great price for organic bags, please leave a comment below and share with us!

More Information on Lead and Ecoli:

Article By USA Today

The Daily Green Lead Levels In Reusable Bags

University of Arizona Ecoli in Reusable Bags