It seems that kids spend most of their time indoors playing video games or watching television these days. Want a way to get your kids off of the couch and save some money at the same time? Start a family garden.

The benefits of a garden are numerous. First of all, you get to save money on food. A garden is not just for flowers, although there are some that have edible leaves. In a garden you can grow fruits and vegetables which have been the staples of a healthy diet since humans first discovered them.

Number two, a garden is very eco-friendly. By growing your own food you save on trips to the grocery store which saves gas and decreases pollution. Also, fresh foods contain more of the vitamins and nutrients your body needs so you’ll be getting healthy.

Introduce your kids to nature in a way that shows how it directly benefits them. If you take the care to tend your garden, you will have delicious food to eat anytime. There’s nothing like feeling hungry and going outside to pluck a juicy red tomato off the vine.

Here are some tips for families who want to “go green” by producing their own food in a family garden.

1. Get everyone involved. Tilling the soil is a big job. The entire family can help prepare the ground for the garden.

1. Read up on gardening. The reason so many people don’t have vegetable gardens is because they don’t know what’s involved. When you start without a plan, you are soon to fail.

1. Decide what you will plant. Most gardens are begun at certain times of the year depending on what vegetables you choose and where you live.

1. Use organic fertilizers and insect repellants. Organic gardening products are eco-friendly and allow you to eat foods right off the vine or out of the ground if you choose. Early settlers didn’t have chemical pesticides. Adding friendly insects to your garden, like ladybugs, will take care of undesirable pests without any chemicals.

1. Weed the garden. Weeds can choke growing vegetables and ruin a garden. Regular weeding is a necessary part of bringing your vegetables to harvest. Take turns so no one feels like they are doing all the hard work themselves.

1. Freeze or give away extra vegetables. You will have enough for the months when nothing is growing. Sharing your vegetables with friends and neighbors might inspire them to begin their own garden.

1. Watch your garden grow. There’s nothing wrong with taking a daily tour of the garden with your kids. They can see the fruit of their labors as the vegetables enlarge and push through the soil. You have a front row seat to see nature at work.

Do you want a family activity that is environmentally sound and saves money? Start a family garden using the tips above. Also contact your local cooperative extension office for more on gardening.

No one likes to clean up – especially the kids. Instead of fighting with your family to get it done, or worse, doing all the work yourself, create a day when everyone pitches in and gets the job done fast. A family chore day gets everyone involved in taking care of the home. You all live there so it is everyone’s responsibility to keep it looking nice. Family chore day can be all day or just in the morning. It’s best to start in the morning when the entire family is peppy and fresh. That way, the afternoon is left for other more fun activities.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you should leave the house an utter disaster area until that “one” day. If company is coming over or the sink is full of dishes you might have to take care of the issue. But, for the most part, family chore day should take care of the things that no one wants to do during the week. Some specific items that come to mind from my own house are: washing clothes, cleaning bedrooms, washing windows, vacuuming, etc.

You will have to have a few ground rules for family chore day. Everyone agrees to be available for that particular day and period of time. This is important, especially when you have teenagers who make plans on the weekends or dads who want to spend some time with the guys.

1. Decide on a day. You can rotate the day each week or keep it the same. Keeping it the same lets everyone plan around the activity easily.

1. Make a list of what chores need to be done. You can team up to tackle big jobs so it doesn’t take as much time.

1. Get your supplies ahead of time. When Saturday morning (or whatever day you choose) rolls around, you want to be able to hit the ground running. Have buckets, cleaners, equipment and paper towels or rags all in one area ready to grab and put to use.

1. Make it fun. On that day, the family gets to eat out for breakfast. Feeding everyone will keep them from pooping out too soon. Listen to some music while you work. Take turns choosing music so you satisfy everyone’s tastes.

1. Family chore day saves energy and thus, money. Washing clothes on one day means full loads which saves water and energy over washing a half load every other day.

1. Change chores assigned each week. No one wants to get stuck cleaning the bathrooms every week. Take turns doing the yucky jobs.

Are the dishes piling up or does the house look a wreck? Try a family chore day to share the job of keeping your home livable.

We celebrate several special occasions throughout the calendar year. These include birthdays and holidays of all sorts. Learn ways that you and your family can celebrate these special days in a more eco-friendly fashion.

“Going green” takes a bit of creativity. We have relied on modern fixes for so long that we forget that a lot of things we need, we can make on our own. That doesn’t mean that modern conventions are bad. Pick and choose which modern items you will use based on whether it is good for the environment or not. With that said, here are some suggestions for celebrating the “green” way.

1. Make your decorations. Use construction paper to make shapes, confetti and streamers. Store the decorations for future uses.

1. Shred regular paper to make stuffing for gift baskets and bags. Instead of filling an Easter basket with plastic grass, use green construction paper. In Christmas gifts, instead of tissue paper, use shredded paper and recycle it.

1. Buy from countries that sell eco-friendly products. There are many countries that participate in fair trade. They create ornaments and gifts created from natural products. The price is cheaper and you would be helping a craftsman in need as well as the Earth.

1. Decorate gift boxes instead of using wrapping paper. Kids can use crayons and markers to beautify their gifts. The wrapping paper just gets thrown away anyway. If you don’t have any drawing skills, wrap presents in colored butcher’s paper. It can be recycled when you are finished with it.

1. Give a gift that keeps on giving. Some folks opt to make a donation in the name of another to a favored charity. If you know the favorite charity of the person receiving the gift, choose that one. Another gift idea is to have a star named after someone.

1. Rent tables, chairs and meal utensils for big parties. You might not have enough silverware or plates for fifty people, but renting them is a better choice than going with disposable ware. You decrease your waste and everyone still has a good time.

1. Give people reusable containers for leftovers. These containers are cheap to buy and each guest can continue to use them in their own home. It’s better than using two disposable plates.

1. Go potluck. Each person brings a dish and they also take their dish back home. You have less to clean up and wash after the celebration.

1. Give eco-friendly party favors. Instead of birthday hats, give kids a wooden toy they can play with over and over. If you do the party hat thing, use real hats instead of paper ones. You can even make it a fun part of the party and let them bring their own crazy hat. Kids and adults alike will have fun with all the different head wear people can come up with.

Who says that having fun can’t also be environmentally friendly? Use these suggestions for your next celebratory gathering.

The call today is to save the planet. You see the term “go green” everywhere. Helping the environment helps us all since we all inhabit planet Earth. If you need an idea about how to help, give to charity.

There’ll come a day when some of your favorite clothes won’t fit. It’s just a fact of life. Instead of turning your closet into a war zone by keeping all those clothes, give them to someone who could use them.

Clothes – Local charities always need clothes in good condition. They sell them to people who need them or provide them to shelters. By donating your clothes, you are helping to clothe a fellow human being. Before you send anything, make sure it is freshly laundered and completely intact.

Reading Material – What about your books? Donate children’s books and others to your local library or church. Give another person the gift of reading a good book instead of throwing them away or storing them in boxes. You get to clean out your garage and free up space.

Furniture, Computers & More – You can donate virtually anything. There are groups that will accept furniture (in good condition), computers and some equipment. They, in turn, fix up these items and give or sell them to others for a much lower price that they can afford. Instead of adding to the garbage pile in the landfills, make better use of items in your home that you no longer need or want. They can find a good home with a new owner.

You can do this as a family project. It’s easy to become a pack rat when you have a home. You could be the type of person who never throws anything away. That’s good in many ways but your family is probably tired of navigating their way around piles of books, papers and clothes.

Take a day and gather together everything that you don’t want or need into one area like the garage. You’ll need to go through it and find out what’s useless and what can be saved. If it’s broken or truthfully useless, you can get rid of it. Just make sure if it can be recycled that you do so.

You just might find that what you perceive as junk or past its time, might be easily put to good use by someone else. Bag it up for delivery or collection by various agencies. You can find the names of local charities and branch offices for national charities in the telephone directory. Make contact with them to learn their specific policies and procedures for donating. Then, save the environment by giving to charity.

Giving to charity teaches many valuable lessons to every member of the family. You feel good when you can give back to your community and help another person. Charities help you to do that by facilitating the process.

In these tough economic times, families are looking for ways to save money while still getting the things that they need. One way is to develop a trading system like the family swap meet. In case you don’t know what a swap meet is, it’s a place where you trade goods. It goes back to the bartering system of trading. To save a little dough, host a swap meet for your family members.

You might have things that you don’t use that someone else in your family might need. You’re just holding on to it because you either forgot about it or are waiting to throw it away. Before you add to the garbage pile, see if someone else in your family can possibly use it.

They say that charity begins at home. A family swap meets the needs of everyone and keeps many items from littering the landfill. You’ll want to get your extended family involved so be sure you let your parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts & uncles and cousins, etc. know about it. To make it easy, come up with a system that your family households can use.

One idea is a newsletter. Each household will list what they have to swap and include pictures if they can. The newsletters can be sent to every household. If you see an item you want, offer something of yours in trade. This works best when the family members are living in close proximity to each other. You don’t want to have to spend a ton of money shipping items far away.

This method is easier than hauling boxes of items around to see if anyone wants to trade. All of the trading details are worked out via email or phone and you set up a time and place for the items to exchange hands.

Once a month, you can gather at someone’s house and “set up shop” so to speak in the living room or back yard (you don’t want the neighbors thinking you are having a yard sale). Each family member can barter for something they may need or want.

Family swap meets can be fun for everyone. Kids can swap their toys and learn about the bartering system. You can avoid buying baby clothes, toys and other apparel by shopping at your cousin’s or brother’s house.

You aren’t limited to goods at a family swap meet either. You can also swap services. Let’s say that your brother-in-law has a repair shop. He can offer to fix your washing machine in exchange for another service. If you can sew, offer to mend some clothes or make curtains. How the system works is up to you.

Think of the money your entire family can save using this idea. Before you hit the stores for new items, check to see if a family member has that item and is willing to part with it.

You could be polluting your home without even knowing it. Some of the chemicals we use to clean affect the air inside our homes in negative ways. If you knew that when you were cleaning you were actually putting your family’s health at risk, wouldn’t you want to make a change? Many people believe that in order to be clean, the house has to smell like a bleach (or other cleaning product) factory. This is not the case at all. You can choose environmentally friendly cleaning products to keep your home clean and your family safe without the “knock you down at the door” smell of some of the commercial cleaning products on the market.

What are eco-friendly products? You’ve seen ads for cleaners that are organic or “green.” These products comply with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) guidelines for product ingredients that are safe for the environment. If these products won’t poison the earth, they are a lot safer for you don’t you think?

Think about it. About 50 to 100 years ago people cleaned in other ways. They didn’t have all the cleaning product choices found on grocery store aisles today. If they can do it so can you. Part of the return to environmentally friendly products is that they don’t use chemicals that can breakdown and affect the soil and water and ultimately animals and humans.

Check the labels when you go to the store. Look for products that are specifically designated as “green” cleaning products. Most major manufacturers have come out with their own line of cleaning agents geared towards being gentler to our bodies and the earth.

In addition to buying eco-friendly products, you can also create your own homemade cleaning products. That is exactly what people used to do before the products we have today were invented. The nice part is that many of the ingredients are already in your home.

You’ll need to invest in some spray bottles. When making homemade products, the spray bottles can be reused to make fresh solutions as often as you need to. What a great way to not only use friendlier products, but also recycle.

Let’s begin with water. It will be the base for most of the products you use. Water doesn’t permanently stain and is safe for all surfaces. Different substances can be diluted with water to reduce their strength.

Consider white vinegar. Combine it with water to clean your floor. The same combination can be used to clean your windows to a streak-free shine. Instead of using paper towels (which create more waste), use a piece of newspaper to wipe the window. You can recycle it when it dries.

Vinegar can be used in conjunction with baking soda to clear clogged drains. Pour a bit of baking soda down the drain and follow it with vinegar to dissolve the crud stuck down there. After about fifteen minutes, flush with hot water.

Use baking soda in your garbage disposal to neutralize odors. For a fresh scent, grind up a lemon peel in the disposal. Shaking baking soda on your carpet before vacuuming will also pull odors from it.

An added tip: Keep any cleaning products, no matter how eco-friendly, out of reach of children in a locked cabinet. You don’t want any accidents. Cleaning is a chore but it doesn’t have to ruin the environment or your family’s health. Buy environmentally safe products or create your own.

Who wants to wash dishes? It is a chore everyone tries to avoid, but in an effort to make house cleaning less of a chore, we are polluting our earth with garbage that won’t go away. Help your environment by limiting the items you throw away.

You might be perplexed as to how to go about that. If you don’t throw away the garbage, you might be concerned that your home will become like a landfill. Don’t worry! The solutions for decreasing waste don’t in any way involve foul smells or piles of trash in the kitchen.

It does however involve a change of mind and attitude about your home and the environment. Technology has brought us quick and easy ways to fix meals, store items and clean up. Unfortunately, those items are not always eco-friendly.

Let’s take our meal utensils. Most homes have at least one roll of paper towels, a pack of Styrofoam or paper plates, and a stack of disposable cups. When we throw these things away, they end up in the garbage heap. The chemicals used to make these disposable items can leech into the water table and then into our drinking water.

That’s not all either. Disposable water bottles will sit in the landfill as well, poisoning the soil and the water. What about batteries? We throw them away and the stuff inside of them leaks out. That’s nasty business.

Saving the environment is saving us. Help your family to reduce their disposable waste with reusable products. Reusable products save money at the grocery store and keep trash to a minimum. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Use real plates and silverware when eating. Yes, someone will have to wash dishes and that can be the automatic dishwasher which is more energy efficient than a person. You’ll notice your trash volume will decrease immediately.

1. Use old clothes and towels for cleaning. When your towels start to look like Swiss cheese, remand them to the cleaning pile. Wash and dry your cleaning rags to be used over and over again.

1. Use cloth napkins and handkerchiefs. These can also be laundered. Buy them in packs instead of as a single to save money.

1. Refill reusable water bottles. If you go to the gym or like to drink water, invest in a durable water bottle. For those who want filtered water, add a Brita or Pur water filter to your faucet.

1. Create your own cleaning products. Use natural herbs, plant extracts and water or vinegar to clean. Use reusable bottles and refill them when you run out.

Your family can do a lot to save the environment with very little effort in fact. It does take a change of mind but if you keep each other accountable, it can be done. Honestly, there’s no excuse for not reducing your waste as a family when you think about how easy it can be.