Less garbage = more money?

I'm not green by any means, either, as I recycle and reuse to save money:

~Plastic coffee containers and their lids get washed and are reused in DH's garage to hold garage-y stuff.

~I have 5 canvas grocery bags in rotation.

~We still get plastic grocery bags at Wally World and Family Dollar, and those are used to line small garbage cans, to put dirty clothes in when traveling, etc.

~Small green olive, pepperoncini, etc. jars are washed and reused to hold my own spice blends, to keep junk drawer items organized, etc.

~I keep and reuse unused envelopes that come with our utility bill (they don't offer electronic billing yet) because I pay it online.

~If a client walks their already sealed and stamped payment in to my office, I'll cut off the unused stamp for reuse.  After they've left my office of course!  ;)

~Santa and DH each brought be a box of Rubbermaid plastic food storage containers.  The goal has been to use them as much as possible to avoid sandwich bag usage.  I bought a 4-box case of baggies at Sam's Club in January, and we still have 2.5 boxes left!  :)

~We crush and recycle aluminum cans at home.  DH also saves up and recycles aluminum and steel from his job.

~When using paper towels, I tear a small sheet in half.

~I bought white vinegar during my last shopping trip to begin using it as a cleaner.

~We also have a "rag bag" under the kitchen sink, and I have one here @ the office.  I dust the same way strawberry247 below does.  One of DH's holey socks fits perfectly on my hand!  I also have hand-me-down kitchen towels older than I am.

Fly replenent for horses (something my mom read somewhere) - forget the bad-smelling, expenstive, unhealthy stuff you can buy.  Try plain old baby oil!  Its safe for the humans and the horses.  Wipe it on with a rag or spray on with a spray bottle.  Only down side is that it can leave your horse looking a bit greasy for awhile and does collect dirt when he rolls  - but the dirt brushes out and the greasiness wear off.  Baby oil is a very effective and safe fly repelent for horses!

How about other cheap, healhty, "green" things that are often left out of the commericialized "go-green" campaigning?  I do these:

1) Home-canning (fruit, jam, soup, etc.)

2) old-fashioned clothes-line instead of using the clothes dryer all the time

3) Cloth diapers for babies

4) Cook/mash your own baby food - healthy, beats the expensive of buying.  Also, glass is getting

     hard to recycle in many places so there are no glas jars to go in the garbage.

5) Breast-feeing instead of formula feeding babies.  I realize that there are many reasons not

    everyone can do this, but when it is possible it is certainly cheapest.  And healthiest (for baby   

    and mom) too - and yes, though commercialism won't say it, "greener" too.

        - Also washable nursing pads are cheaper (in the long-run) and "greener" than the

          disposable ones.  They can be hard to find but the internet is a great source!

6) hand-drying dishes - not using the "dry" cycle on the dishwasher

    (also hand-washing or only running dishwasher when completely full)

7) Recycling whatever possible in your area (what local recycling places will take varies with

     each location) - note that just because a product says "recycleable" doesn't mean that you

     can acutally recycle it!

8) Another cat-litter idea:  Use wood pellets mean for use in pellet-stoves.  Little to no smell - and

     actually can smell ike wood when the cat urinates in them!  Cheap.  Two cautions, however. 

     Make sure that the pellets are free from additifves to help them burn (most are but not all). 

     Also, some cats have what is called "substrate preference" - that means that they are picky

     about what kind of materials they will actually accept  in their litter box.  But if your cat will use it,

     its a great alternative!