Looking for a Great Source for Discount Green Beauty Products?

I’ve been a fan of TJX stores (TJ Maxx, Marshalls, etc.) for about a decade. While I don’t buy many of my clothes there anymore—they haven’t seemed to embrace green fashion yet—they are a terrific source for green beauty products at a bargain price.

Eco-friendly shampoo and conditioner, for instance, can run $8/bottle, or more. That’s a price I’m willing to pay to avoid all kinds of toxins . . . but it’s a price I don’t have to pay. TJ Maxx and Marshalls both carry a number of organic, fragrance-free, paraben-free, everything-you-don’t-want-free shampoos and conditioners for $3.99/bottle.

Both stores also carry green lotions and potions—my favorite finds are product sets. This weekend, I found a $62 set of JASON “Red” products for $10.

Question of the blog: How committed are you to using green beauty products?

Is it Necessary to Go “Zero-to-Green” in 6.2 Seconds?

Mark and I moved into our home on a sweltering hot August day nearly six years ago. We started early in the morning and didn’t stop until the last box wasn’t just inside our house, but unpacked. Looking back, we must have been crazy. But it was our first house (it still is!) and we were too excited to be exhausted.

We’re bringing that same enthusiasm and drive to our green conversion but, because it can cost a lot of green to go green, we’re not exactly moving at the same break-neck pace. My inclination is to hurry-up-and-go-green and, all things considered, I’d rather be quick about it because it’s the right thing to do for the earth and our health. But I’m trying to see the bright green side of taking it slow and—in the process—I’m finding that making careful and conscious green choices, over time, is quite satisfying.

Here’s an example. Back in December, I interviewed Christine Chamberlain, the owner of The Clean Bedroom (http://www.thecleanbedroom.com/) for a magazine article and was shocked to learn how unhealthy the average bed is, with an off-gassing mattress, pesticide-laden sheets, and toxic pillows. No wonder I was tossing and turning at night!

Immediately after the interview, I wanted to go to Christine’s website and buy an organic mattress, organic sheets, and organic pillows. But it just wasn’t in the financial cards. A few months later, we had saved enough to buy an organic wool mattress topper from The Clean Bedroom—a green mattress was our first choice but, for the money, the topper offers protection from off-gassing and dust musts, so it made more financial sense. Then, a few weeks later, we found organic sheets on super clearance at TJ Maxx (http://www.tjx.com/). And, just last week, the organic wool pillows from Natura (http://www.naturaworld.com/) I blogged earlier about seeing at Target (http://www.target.com/) went on super clearance as well. It might have taken seven months, but I got my green bed . . . and without spending a lot of green.

Is a green bed really better? Instead of an answer, I have a challenge for you: Why don't you sleep on it—literally—and get back to me.

Question of the blog: You can't always wait for an item to go on sale . . . With that in mind, what's been your biggest green splurge?

Interested in Green Bargain Shopping Tips?

Please allow me to introduce myself: I am the bargain shopper and, recently, have become the green bargain shopper as well. There is something immensely gratifying about finding a great deal on a great green product. There is also something immensely gratifying about passing along these “finds” to others.

Target (http://www.target.com/) is my go-to for bargains and, in a recent blog, I revealed the exceptional Method (http://www.methodhome.com/) and Flor (http://www.flor.com/) deals I found there. I returned to Target this week and found additional green bargain shopping deals:

· Natura (http://www.naturaworld.com/) pillows. For around $40/each, these good-for-you and good-for-the-earth pillows are a steal.

· Burt’s Bees (http://www.burtsbees.com/) products. We all know and love Burt and his bees and their wide range of natural lotions and potions. When I was in the store earlier this week, they all happened to be on sale.

If you don’t live near a Target store, check out the eco friendly page on their site (http://www.target.com/b/?node=357202011&ref=sc_iw_l_2_2) with all kinds of products to reduce, reuse, recycle (from recycled dinnerware to solar powered items to Energy Star appliances) . . . bamboo, hemp, and jute products (from rugs to yoga gear to pet supplies) . . . organic products (from bedding to apparel to toys) . . . natural beauty products (from Avalon Alba to Juice Organics to Jason) . . . and pre-owned products (from iPods to TVs to videos).

Switching stores, I've also found that many TJX stores (http://www.tjx.com/) like TJ Maxx and HomeGoods carry well-made and well-priced organic goods. I just stocked up on organic towels at TJ Maxx—and all on super clearance, of course.

In an ideal world, we’d all support our local stores—especially health food stores—and we’d ignore the giant retailers. But every dollar counts in an economy like this. My suggestion is to shop green at Target and TJX (and all others that carry green products) while also spending as much green as you can at your local stores . . . even the green bargain shopper pays retail once in a while when I know my money is helping my local economy.

Question of the blog: Where do you find your best green bargains?