Equal Exchange Coffee + Homemade English Muffins

Today's Fair Trade Product is Equal Exchange Coffee.  Coffee is a crop that grows in parts of the world where poverty is rampant, such as Africa, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean.  Coffee harvesting is strenuous work.  Often, workers don't receive days off, and their pay is shamefully low, usually based on how much coffee they harvest by day.  Benefits are a fairy tale to these workers.  They can't afford nutritious meals, or even to send their children to school.  Imagine going up and down these rows all day every day, never knowing if you're going to do enough to pay for your family's dinner.

The craziest part of all.... we are  contributing to this lifestyle.  The coffee that is on our grocery shelves comes from these farms.  American coffee companies can legally sell coffee from all over the world, so long as the working conditions are legal in the coffee's country of origin.  But most of these countries don't have worker's protection laws such as minimum wage, job security, and unemployment.  This is where copnaies like Equal Exchange step up to the plate! :)Fair Trade coffee companies, such as Equal Exchange, pay workers fairly, above and beyond the law's requirements.  They make sure workers are secure in their jobs, able to afford what they need, and well taken care of.  That's coffee worth investing in!  Also, their coffee is organic, and so richly flavored.  I love it!  At $9.50 for 12 oz. and up, the future of these hardworking people is worth it.  You can buy some at your local Ten Thousand Villages, Whole Foods, or online at the Equal Exchange online retail store.  Whenever you buy coffee, look for the Fair Trade logo: 

 

And now, our daily deal!! :) Since you're splurging a little bit on coffee, save by making your own English Muffins!  Why buy store bought when you can have your own fresh, delicious English Muffins anyways! :)  They cost 8 cents a piece, 68 cents for the whole recipe!  You can find the recipe online at this neat recipe site: Budget Bytes Homemade English Muffin Recipe.  

A hot, velvety cup of coffee and a fresh home-baked English muffin.  Does breakfast get any better?! And you'll be helping and protecting so many people who need it! Thanks for reading!  Enjoy!

Maggie's Organics Yoga Pants + Homemade Laundry Detergent

Hey Everyone!

So today's fair trade purchase is Maggie's Organics Yoga Pants!  Not only are they certified fair trade (all workers receive fair wages, benefits, and days off), but they are also made with organic cotton... chic, sustainable, and soooo comfy.  Mine have been through the washer and dryer about 5 times now, and they've done great. 100% cotton, they shrunk, but they are also made very roomy, so my best recommendation would be to simply buy what normally fits and wash and dry regularly.  At only $35, they are some of the best priced fair trade pants I've yet to come cross!  Pick up a pair at your local Whole Foods, or online here: Maggie's Organics Yoga Pants. You can pick up a tie dye sock chicken too while you're at it :)  Enjoy!

Today's money saving deal is homemade laundry detergent!  It's HE and friendly to all washers.  I've been making this for months, and it works great!  At only about $3.50 per gallon (using the pricey fair trade bar soap... it'll be about $2 a gallon if you use bargain soap),  it's worth the 20 minutes of elbow grease!  It smells wonderful too :)

What you need:

A bar of soap (this is my favorite brand: Ten Thousand Villages Gentle Lavendar Bar Soap)

Borax (can be found in the laundry aisle at your local department or grocery store.  I get mine at Wal-Mart.)

Washing Soda (Also in the laundry aisle)

Cheese grater (got mine at the Dollar Tree)

Water
Pot+ Stove or Electric Teakettle+bowl (both have worked great for me!  If you use an electric teakettle, make sure you use a separate container to make the soap and never put anything but water in the kettle.)
Cooking spoon
One gallon container (milk jug works great)
A funnel is optional

What to do:

Grate 1/4 of the bar of soap.  (Save the other 3/4 for future detergent making!)

Bring two cups of water to a boil.  (A little extra won't hurt.)

Stir in the grated soap until it melts.

Stir in 1/4 cup of Borax and 1/3 cup of Washing Soda until they dissolve

Let this cool enough that it won't warp your one gallon jug, and then pour the mixture into the jug.  A funnel may help with this.
Add tap water to the jug until it reaches halfway full and screw the tap on tight.
Shake it like a fiend!  The solution has to be 100% mixed.
Let this sit overnight.
In the morning, you will wake up to a hard jello-like substance.
Fill the rest of the container with piping hot tap water and shake again.  It can be heavy if your a wee little lassy like me, so if there's a man around, get him to help :)  Once again, this has to be mixed 100%.  (Don't use boiling water because it will over-suds.)
Let it sit until it's cool, and you will have a nice, gel-textured laundry detergent :)  Some solid bits of gel may be left over; no worries!  They're fine in your washer.
Use 1/4 cup or less per load... they same amount that you would any other detergent!
Enjoy!

So, for a new pair of organic cotton yoga pants and a whole gallon of detergent (64 loads), you'll spend $40 max!  And you'll help so many people!  Happy shopping! :)

Stephanie