By Matt Hickman, Mother Nature Network
More from Guest Bloggers blog

Summer is right around the corner. And while that's exciting, it's also true that spending so much time outside can be hard on your skin.

Don't let sunburn, bug bites, or poison ivy spoil your summer fun. Mother Nature can soothe your pain without hurting your wallet or the planet. Below are five inexpensive and easy-to-find first-aid essentials you'll turn to again and again.

(Photo: AzDew/Flickr)

Aloe vera

The gel from the meaty leaves of this spectacular succulent is a topical wonder. Rub it on the skin after sitting in the sun for too long or after being attacked by bite-happy bugs and it will cool, moisturize and promote healing. Chaffin' like crazy after a long, sweaty hike in the woods? Apply a lil aloe gel to irritated skin and experience sweet relief courtesy of Mamma Nature. If you have space and want to go straight to the source, buy an entire aloe plant. Or just pick up a couple tubes of Read More »from Five summertime first-aid essentials

As summer approaches, most of us are excited to spend as much time outdoors as we possibly can. There are plenty of opportunities to work outside and earn some extra cash in your spare time (and they don't all require an "outdoor office").

Summer Jobs
The best part about these summer opportunities is that relatively little training is needed.

Camp Counselor
This can be a rewarding way to earn money and possibly even get the opportunity to travel around the world. Many counselors come to North America from overseas, and you can do searches to work at camps abroad. Depending on where you apply, the pay will be around $175 to $400 a week, but note that many camps do also provide room and board. Check out Campchannel.com for more information. Try one of these great green summer camps.

Photographer
Pursue this hobby on weekends and earn some extra cash. Digital photography reduces costs and exposure to harmful chemicals, and websites like iStockphoto make it easy to get paid for your

Read More »from Get Paid to Be Outside

Farm-Fresh Food that's Easy on the Budget, Photo Courtesy of @LiveSimply2LifeWell on Flickr
By: Kathy Carter, Quizzle.com

Building financial security means taking care of the big things. Fortunately, there are a lot of helpful personal finance sites available that dispense great advice on home loans, credit improvement, and other "big picture" elements of financial health.

But what about that day-in, day-out food budget? It's part of your financial health, too. For the best use of your food dollars, buy in season.

Here are six tips for getting the most out of your food budget and enjoying the most nutritious, freshest food imaginable:

1. Pick your own.

When you do this will depend on where you live. As I write this in the Upper South in the middle of May, strawberries are at their peak. The berries are sweeter, juicier, and cheaper than at any other time of year. They're more (pardon the pun) jam-packed with nutrients too. When local fruit is ripe, take advantage of it. Make an outing to a pick-your-own field for cheap recreation and low-priced berries. You'll spend

Read More »from 6 Tips for Budget-Friendly Farm-Fresh Food

I've confessed before that my enthusiasm for gardening usually dies on the vine long before the first cucumbers of summer are ready to harvest. I'm always looking for easy ways to satisfy my green thumb and, of course, ways to get the most broccoli for my gardening buck. That's why I'm a big fan of growing perennial vegetables in my garden - plant them once, and enjoy the fruits (well, actually, vegetables) of your labors for years to come.

Although - unlike fruits - there aren't too many vegetables that are perennials, many of the ones that do exist grow in a wide range of climates and, once established, are low-maintenance enough even for a lazy gardener like me. They're also among the healthiest veggies for you, and they're generally inexpensive to purchase.

Here are my personal eight great perennial vegetables:

Asparagus: Grows best in full sun and non-soggy, somewhat sandy soil. I like it cut into one-inch pieces and stir-fried raw with sesame oil and a little sliced ginger (top

Read More »from 8 Perennial Vegetables Anyone Can Grow

From Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things

This good-for-you item does more than brew up a good beverage. See what else tea is capable of!

Cool sunburned skin
What can you do when you forget to use sunscreen and have to pay the price with a painful burn? A few wet tea bags applied to the affected skin will take out the sting. This works well for other types of minor burns (i.e., from a teapot or steam iron) too. If the sunburn is too widespread to treat this way, put some tea bags in your bathwater and soak your whole body in the tub.

Relieve your tired eyes
Revitalize tired, achy, or puffy eyes. Soak two tea bags in warm water and place them over your closed eyes for 20 minutes. The tannins in the tea act to reduce puffiness and soothe tired eyes.

PLUS: 20 Secrets Your Waiter Won't Tell You

Reduce razor burn
Ouch! Why didn't you remember to replace that razor blade before you started to shave? To soothe razor burn and relieve painful nicks and cuts, apply a wet tea bag to the

Read More »from 12 Ways to Use Tea for Beauty and Healing

Charlie's safe laundry detergentDoing laundry isn't exactly fun, but it's a part of life and anything that makes the process better, safer and healthier is a welcome improvement. Charlie's Soap is a non-toxic, biodegradable laundry detergent that cleans stains and doesn't leave any perfume or residue on your clothes. A little goes a long way: Just 1 tablespoon is enough for an entire load of laundry. Charlie's also makes an All Purpose Spray Cleaner that is non-toxic and biodegradable. It gets under grease and grime, gently releasing them without harsh chemicals or abrasives.
Charlie Sutherland, Jr. and Ron Joyce
The inventors of the soap are Charlie Sutherland, Jr., and his brother-in-law Ron Joyce, who were working for the yarn oil division (run by Charlie's dad) of a large textile company back in 1976. Charlie had to find a soap that could clean the oils and other grime from yarn machines, and the pair decided to make their own. It worked so well that employees of the mill wanted to use it at home.

Thirty-five years later, Charlie's

Read More »from Good, clean fun

No one really likes to clean, so here are some great ways to help you clean less AND take the toxins out of the worst room to clean - THE BATHROOM. Try these tips and you will find you are cleaning less and using less chemicals when you do. That is a win-win for you and the Earth!

1. Use liquid body soap instead of a bar. The liquid soap will reduce the soap build up on your shower walls and the drain.

2. Shake or "punch" your shower curtain after you have gotten out of the shower. Taking the water off the curtain will remove moisture and reduce the possibility of mildew.

3. Squeegee the shower walls after every shower. It doesn't have to be perfect. Just use a squeegee to get the droplets of soap and water off. This will stop soap scum buildup on your shower walls.

4. Make sure your drains are letting the water drain as quickly as possible. A slow drain creates buildup in the sink and shower.

5. Wipe the fog off your mirror with a fine microfiber cloth. You'll

Read More »from Clean Less / Use Less - 10 simple steps to cleaning the bathroom less!

Jen Aniston and Brad Pitt during happier times. / ReutersAccording to the Wedding Report, the average wedding costs $28,000. Depending on the bride, a good percentage of that can be spent on the dress, a gown she will only wear once in her life, and the way marriage statistics are looking these days, perhaps money could be better spent. Cue: the dissolvable wedding dress.

British engineering students at Sheffield Hallam University have invented a wedding dress that breaks down into five separate pieces. Jane Blohm, a lecturer on the fashion design course at Sheffield Hallam, said: "The students wanted to challenge the notion that a wedding dress should only be used once and aimed to explore modern society's attitudes towards throwaway fashion. The project is a union between art and technology which explores the possibilities of using alternative materials for our clothing. The wedding gown is perhaps one of the most iconic and symbolic garments in humanity's wardrobe and represents the challenges of 'throwaway fashion'."

5 incarnations of the dissolvable wedding dress. / Sheffield Hallam UniversityWe love the idea of

Read More »from The dissolvable wedding dress