Pocket Change - Shopping Blog

Now that Halloween is over, its officially the ‘Holiday Shopping Season’ and a good time for some tips on managing our consumption. Over the holiday season, westerners generate more trash than at any other time of the year so here are some helpful ideas to reduce our impact and have a happy, healthy holiday.

1. Shop Online.  Online retailers tend to have better prices and more choices than brick and mortar stores, plus you’ll save gas, time and stress. Comparison shopping sites are especially useful for finding the best price and checking product specifications before you buy. Online purchases are often shipped straight from the factory to you, so it can also cut down on the overall freight impact.

2. When you do shop at a brick and mortar store, take your own reusable shopping bags, they’re inexpensive and hold more than the plastic bags used by most stores.

3. When purchasing gifts make sure it’s something the person will actually use by considering their interests and looking for a greener choice. For example, for jewelry, chocolate or tea and coffee lovers, try organic, fair trade products. There’s a huge selection of gorgeous and unique fair trade, organic jewelry available from companies like Gifts with Humanity, Original Good and The Andean Collection, to name a few. Fair trade merchants not only sell beautiful, eco-friendly, handmade gifts but they also help empower and provide a living wage for artisans in developing countries.

4. Gift cards can be a great present for those hard to buy for recipients on your list and don’t require much packaging. Many retailers are even offering earth friendly gift cards made from bio-plastic. My Mom thinks that they’re too impersonal but I disagree, I like receiving gift cards so that when the after Christmas sales start I can hit the stores and get in on the great deals available.

5. For the techies, wireless e-book readers like Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble Nook are hugely popular alternatives to hard copy books and magazines. They provide instant access to millions of books, magazines, blogs and more, at a lower cost than hard cover editions and The Nook will even allow you to share your e-books with other Nook users.

6. Candles make fantastic gifts but conventional candles are made of petroleum based  waxes loaded with synthetic dyes and artificial fragrances that may smell great but often trigger allergies and produce soot. You can still enjoy giving candles and scents by choosing earth friendly soy candles scented with essential oils. They burn longer and cooler than traditional candles and rarely trigger allergies. Soy candles are available at most stores that sell conventional scented candles.

7. If you like to decorate your gifts with bows try using fabric. Gift wrap itself presents environmental issues in that the metallic and plastic types take a long time to decompose compared to plainer wrap and can give off toxic fumes when burned, so consider recycled paper or newspaper, wrapping gifts in scarves, towels or fabric or placing the gift in a basket or reusable shopping bag.

8. About 40 percent of annual battery sales occur during the holiday season. Buy rechargeable batteries for your electronic gifts, and consider giving a battery charger as well. Rechargeable batteries reduce the amount of potentially harmful materials thrown away, and can save money in the long run.

9. Have a create-your-own-decorations party! Invite family and friends to create holiday decorations such as ornaments made from old greeting cards or cookie dough, garlands made from strung popcorn or cranberries, wreaths made from evergreens and flowers, and potpourri made from kitchen spices such as cinnamon and cloves. Use LED tree light sets, they’ll last far longer and use a great deal less electricity and put a timer on your external lighting decorations to save energy.

10. The Holiday Season is an important time for you and your family, think outside the box a little and you can have a greener Christmas that will benefit the environment without sacrificing holiday cheer.

Guest Blogger: Lori Hernandez (Dealhippie.com)