Replace white bread with whole wheat bread—good whole wheat bread

Whole wheat bread is generally less processed, has more fiber, will keep you fuller longer, and won’t spike your blood sugar like white bread.  As far as your body is concerned, white bread is just sugar, and eating straight sugar doesn’t fall under “eat healthier.” Ideally, buy freshly baked bread from a deli, bakery, or farmers’ market; although highly-processed, pre-sliced whole wheat bread is a bit better than its white alternative, it’s still highly-processed and pre-sliced. Insider tip: Look at the ingredient list. If it lists “wheat flour,” it means white wheat flour. If it lists ingredients you don’t recognize, they’re probably preservatives or other sketchy things you don’t want in your body, and you’d be better off buying a different loaf.

Replace canned vegetables with fresh or frozen vegetables

Unlike canned vegetables, frozen vegetables retain most of their nutrients and fiber—and they’re just as convenient, if that’s a factor in your decision. When possible, eat fresh vegetables. This tip also goes for fruit. Canned fruits often come swimming in a sugary syrup, and have almost none of the beneficial nutrients of fresh or even frozen fruit.

Insider tip: Want to go the extra mile? Freeze your own veggies, from your garden or from a farmers’ market, to enjoy healthy produce throughout the year.

Replace meat—especially red meat—with a vegetarian protein

Hold up! We’re not suggesting that you go full-on vegetarian, but at least once a week, go meatless. If possible, eat vegetarian proteins that are natural and not processed. For example, serve vegetarian Mexican food, with beans instead of meat. Or whip up an omelet, and let eggs provide the protein. You can always buy a tofu-based “fake meat,” but it’s cheaper and healthier to pick natural foods. Insider tip: You can also improve health just by reducing the amount of meat in a meal. For red meat, a serving size should be no bigger than a pack of cards. Sound pitifully small? Mix the meat with other ingredients, for example in a stirfry, and its flavor will spread out over lower-calorie, more fibrous foods.

There is endless conflicting advice about which foods are “healthy.” A simple guideline is to buy whole, unprocessed foods, and to focus on fruits and vegetables. And, of course, avoid sugar. For a quick primer on simple strategies for making healthy choices, check out author Michael Pollan’s Food Rules.

Mounted Organizers

Shelving is an excellent way to get the most out of your small square-footage, especially if you’re lacking in storage space.  Choose open organizers for items you need to access quickly; for messy heaps and eyesores, use closed cubbies for the illusion of order. Apartment Therapy lists its favorite wall-mounted organizers; they’re a good place to start.

Racks

Especially good in the kitchen, racks keep items out of unmanageable piles.  Try coat racks, pot racks, wine racks, even racks for plastic wraps and foils.  Belts? Ties? Bags? All can be hanging, perfectly organized, with the right rack. We especially like wire racks hidden away in cabinets, creating multiple tiers for dishes or even t-shirts.

Curtains

With enough shelving, you can transform an entire wall into an eight-foot storage space—but how unattractive!  Hide your belongings behind a curtain.  They’ll still be easy to access, but you won’t feel like your stuff is visually encroaching on day-to-day life.  Check out Better Homes & Gardens for a slideshow of inspiration.

Baskets, trunks, and under-the-bed boxes

While you don’t want to lose all your floor space to such strategies, decorative storage can keep your things on the fringe of a room, or hidden altogether. Large baskets can contribute to your décor and house anything from kids’ toys to extra blankets to dirty laundry. Trunks serve a similar purpose. Try a hinged bench in the mudroom for a place to keep your dirty boots and also to sit and put them on. And to the extent you can, stow infrequently-needed possessions under the bed and out of sight—just don’t forget to vacuum up the accumulated dust every once in a while.

Planet Green is a large site, but in particular suggests three ways to green your apartment without being evicted, namely sealing around windows and light fixtures, using energy-efficient bulbs and low-VOC paints, and buying blackout curtains for winter.  Very simple but highly effective.

National Geographic’s Green Guide has a section specifically for homes and gardens. They break down the home into sections—laundry room, home office, garage—so you can organize changes one space at a time.  The site offers buying guides, also broken down by category, and has informative quizzes regarding energy use and home practices.

Apartment Therapy dedicates its Re-Nest division to articles on green living at home.  They do things like compare space heaters, and take design and décor into consideration in their suggestions.

Want regular reminders?  Low Impact Living provides a bi-weekly newsletter, such as this one about greening your apartment.  This is a good resource for a quick and dirty list without too much in-depth material.

Feeling really utilitarian and gung-ho?  The EPA has a Renter’s Checklist, a straightforward list of 49 things you can do to protect the environment.  Can you get them all?

How have you “gone green”?  Let us know here or on Facebook!

Cut Costs

This is a big one, so we suggest you choose several, easily achieved strategies for creating a more economical home.  There are myriads ways to do this.  Some ideas:

-Insulate the heck out of your apartment, including stopping up all drafts

-Get an energy audit, and make changes accordingly

-Sell/toss/donate unwanted items, and stop paying for storage

-Eat in more often

-Buy a water filter and stop buying bottled water

-Go “green”—there are so many ways to do this, and many, like paperless banking, are very easy

-Replace appliances (if needed) with energy efficient models

Remodel

Maybe what you really need is change.  If that’s the case, consider what you would enjoy—and what you can afford to remodel.  It could be as simple as repainting a room, or as drastic as reupholstering all your furniture.  The new year is a great time to shed old appearance and start fresh.  Need inspiration?  Remodelista can get you started.

Stay safe

Whatever other projects you take on, maintaining safety should be top of the list.  Check all your fire alarms, make sure fire extinguishers are easily accessible, install carbon monoxide detectors if you don’t have them already, know whether you need to deal with lead paint before you start scraping off old colors, and update your security system as needed.

The key to happily realized resolutions is to think small.  Don’t pick too many, and don’t pick too big.  Choose a few things that you really care about and follow through.  If you get those done, you can always go for more!

What are your apartment goals for the coming year?  Tell us here or on Facebook!

Dodge Drafts!

You don’t even have to go to Canada.  You can make draft dodgers yourself, or buy them at the store.  A long cloth tube, filled with beans or rice, laid against the crack below your overly short door, and voila!  The cold won’t be tickling your feet at the dinner table.  Weatherstripping is also crucial for the smaller cracks around window and doors—you can pick up a roll of it, available in different sizes, at the hardware store.

Trick Out Your Heaters

Little did you know, furnace filters need to be changed monthly throughout the cold season in order for them to be effective.  Hot water heaters are much more efficient if they are insulated and not heating the air around them.  Outlets can also be a surprising space for air leaks, so make sure to insulate around those bad boys as well.  Same goes for pipes.  Consider turning down the thermostat on your water heater, too—you can enjoy a non-scalding shower without diluting your hard-earned heat with the cold knob.

Plastic Up Your Windows

Even windows can be insulated, and before you start screaming that you won’t live like some Middle Ages peasant with pig skin for a portal (yes, they used to do that), you should know that, when installed correctly, window plastic is virtually invisible.  Why, you ask?  Why plastic?  Just like that long underwear you should be wearing, it adds an extra layer against the outside.  And you can take it off come spring.

Put Some Clothes On

It’s not just your teenage daughter who needs to be reminded:  most people could use a little nudge to reach for the sweater before the thermostat.  This is especially true if you need to justify another wooly purchase to your frugal sweetie—it will pay for itself in a smaller heating bill!  While you’re at it, buy some flannel sheets and that nice, thick carpet you’ve been dreaming of.  You’ll bring new meaning to snug as a bug in a rug.  Because snug rug bugs don’t even have gas bills.

Upgrade

Next time you find yourself in the unenviable position of having to replace a major appliance, choose Energy Star.  They use much less electricity and will usually pay for themselves in a relatively short time.

Have some tricks to share? We’d love to hear from you – here or on our Facebook page!

Kill Vampires

Vampire energy is the kind that is sucked out of your outlets but not used for any good purpose.  You know, the phone charger that stays plugged in throughout the day, or the TV that is always on standby.  These “phantom loads” can account for up to 40 PERCENT of an energy bill.  Starting to feel aggressive?  Plug appliances into power strips, rather than outlets, and turn them off whenever the machines are not in use.

Defend Against Drafts

Are you paying to heat the great outdoors?   Well, cut it out.  Draft stoppers, for both doors and windows, are inexpensive, easy to install, and will cut down your heating bill.  You can go further and put plastic insulation over your windows come wintertime.  One family estimated it saved them $20 per window per year in energy.  Plus, you’ll be that much cozier through the cold months.

Fall in Love with Fluorescents

CFl bulbs (compact fluorescent lamps) use about one-fifth of traditional incandescent bulbs, and last six to ten times longer.  So even though they’re more expensive, you save five times what you spend on it originally, per bulb.  Although some people object to the slightly harsher light quality, CLFs are constantly evolving into more and more aesthetically pleasing environment-savers.

Recycle

One of the easiest ways to go easy on the planet.  Many towns in American now have recycling programs.  Hate sorting through your bins before trash day?  Make it simpler:  buy a couple extra bins and separate recyclables as you throw them away.  Composting is an important part of this process—25 percent of trash going to landfills could be composted and made into nutrient-rich soil instead.  If your city has a compost pick-up, take part.  If not, consider buying a bin for your backyard.

Have tips to make an apartment greener and cheaper?  Comment here or on Facebook!

Books

While you might want to read a few of classics that have been collecting dust, chances are you won’t read every tomb left behind before the age of the computer.  A book that holds no interest as reading material can provide a stylish scrapbook—just paste plane tickets, brochures, photos, and other memorabilia over the words.  You can also make an invisible bookshelf, where the bottom book is attached the wall but looks like it is merely part of a floating stack.  Be sure to donate extra books to a library or book sale; even if you don’t have a use for them all, someone else might!

Old Newspapers

Newspapers can be reused once, for things like washing windows (very effective, actually) or as kindling for starting a fire.  If you find some really interesting articles, or particularly beautiful print, you might also want to decoupage them onto a piece of scuffed furniture, or onto the walls of a closet or stairwell as creative wallpaper.

Bottles and Vases

Old glass items can be used in a huge number of different ways.  They can be hung upside down as a kind of Coke-bottle chandelier, or cut off and mounted spout-out as a coat rack.  Wine bottles are especially good for holding candles.  Many are strong enough to be used as support between shelves.  And remember that glass can be easily recycled!

Pantyhose

You might not have any of these hanging around, but if your grandma is anything like mine, she probably had fifty years’ worth stashed somewhere.  Pantyhose can be used as onion and potato hangers in the pantry (don’t be grossed out, you cut out the crotch!), a good space-saving solution for bulky items.  Or put all the almost-used soap slivers into the foot of some hose for your own soap-on-a-rope.

Got something else you’d like to repurpose?  Search the internet for good ideas, and get inspired! We’d love to hear about it or see pictures – chime in here or on our Facebook page!

First of all, always check your warranty (and keep such paperwork in the first place).  If you can get a free repair or replacement, that’s ideal.  Always check that an issue is with the machine, and not with outlet, circuit breaker, fuse, gas, or water.  You don’t want to waste time trying to fix something that ain’t broken.

Fixing an appliance yourself might be more feasible than a salesperson will lead you to believe.  If you think you can handle it on your own, then make sure the appliance is disconnected from electricity or gas.  An owner’s manual is another paper that is worth keeping in a folder somewhere for that fateful day when you need to dissemble an item bigger than you.

If pieces of an appliance are held together with screws, bolts, or other fasteners you can easily dismantle with your own toolbox, great.  If they’re welded together, you’ll need to call a professional repairperson.  Sometimes, you may need to buy a new part but not an entire new machine.

The “50 Percent Rule” is a simple measure of whether it makes financial sense to buy a new appliance.  If it costs 50 percent or less to repair an item, rather than replace it, then repair away.  If a repair will cost more than half of the replacement cost, it probably makes sense to hit up the store.  Consumer Reports also recommends replacing things that are over eight years old, unless it’s a high-end piece of equipment that you’d rather keep.

Remember:  Energy Star appliances are cheaper and more available than ever before.  If you do purchase a new machine, consider choosing one that uses less energy and that will therefore cost less over time.

Want to chime in? We’d love to hear from you – here or on our Facebook page!

1. Get a group of gardeners together.

The first thing you need to do, when starting a community garden, is find some community members to garden with. If you’re planning on setting up the garden in your apartment complex, you’ll need to find a bunch of neighbors to share the responsibilities with. The more potential gardeners you can find within the complex, the easier it will be to sell the idea of a community garden to the complex owner.

2. Make a plan.

Sit down with your fellow gardeners and figure out what you hope to get out of a community garden. What will you grow? Who will have access to the bounty? Who will be responsible for it? The more detailed your plan is, the easier it will be to get the project going.

3. Discuss the idea with the owner.

Before you go the way of Johnny Appleseed and start littering your complex with seeds, take some time to discuss the idea of starting a garden with the owner of the complex. If you live in a suburban apartment complex, there’s probably plenty of space on the grounds to host a garden and if you’re in a high-rise, there’s the possibility of a rooftop garden, though these gardens are harder to set up. Make sure you are able to articulate the benefits of a garden to the owner.

4. Draw up a lease.

If the owner is keen on the idea of a community garden draw up a formal agreement that allows the gardeners access to a specific part of the grounds. You should get to garden for free, but someone still needs to be responsible for the garden so that if a lovely patch of carrots, green beans and corn turns into an unsightly patch of dirt, the landlord will know who to talk to about it. Make sure the landlord knows which renters are in charge of the garden and what the garden will be used for.

5. Start gardening.

Once you’ve got the paperwork in order, it’s time to start gardening. Clear out the landscaping plants and any debris from the area, mix fertilizer into the soil and plot out your gardening spaces. Clearly define the edges of the garden with some shrubs or a low, attractive fence (just be sure that you are cleared to put up a fence!). Label your garden plants so that neighbors know what it is you’re up to and leave information about how they can get involved in the community garden as well.

Are you gardening in your community? Have questions or comments you’d like to contribute? We’d love to hear from you, here or on our Facebook page!

The Backyard Addition

Eco-designer Dustin Feider created these sustainably-built pods, which can be used as an office, guest house, or natural retreat.  Bonus:  you don’t have to go further than your backyard.

The Reflective Tree Hotel

Created by Swedish firm Tham & Videgard Arkitektur, the Harads Tree Hotel has space for a kitchen, bedroom, living room, and terrace–all without being obvious to the outside world.

The Modern Playhouse

If you enjoy both modern architecture and natural spaces, this stilted building by German company Bauraum is right up your alley.  If they become widely available, you could have one shipped to your on trailer!

The Finest Place to Dine

The Yellow Treehouse Restaurant can be found in New Zealand, although they’re not currently open for reservations.  Gives a whole new meaning to “going out to eat.”

The Paradise Place

Anyone who grew up watching Star Wars has dreamt of living in an ewok village in the trees.  Finca Bellavista, located in Costa Rica, has made that dream a reality.  The best part?  If you book in advance, you can stay there on your next vacation.

Want your own?  More architecture firms are building such structures.  There are also plenty of sites with directions on how to build a treehouse.