9 Things You Should Recycle (And 11 You Shouldn’t)

2 tips for cutting down on paper clutter in 2022, why “grey charges” are bad for your budget, and more. December 31, 2021 [View Online]( Good morning! New Year’s Eve is an ideal opportunity to consider your goals and intentions for the next 12 months, and today’s newsletter is loaded with tips and tricks that can help. In Today’s Good Thing, brush up on your knowledge of what you can and can’t recycle so you can start the new year with good recycling habits. It's also time for another Weekend Cleaning Challenge. In the name of getting organized for 2022, this weekend we’ll be tackling our paper clutter. After all, unsorted piles of bills and documents don't exactly scream “I’m ready for a fresh start!” Jillee DAYS UNTIL 🎊 New Year's Day: 1 TODAY'S GOOD THING 9 Things You Should Recycle & 11 You Shouldn’t [Photos of ceramic mugs, medications, batteries, and broken glass.]( Brush up on your knowledge of what you can and can’t recycle, both in your bin and elsewhere. A few months ago, a very exciting thing happened at the Nystul house—we got our very first curbside recycling can! The rapid population growth in our little mountain valley over the past few years has had its drawbacks, but the expansion of curbside recycling has been a welcome change. Because we’re still familiarizing ourselves with the local guidelines on what we can and can’t put into our recycling bin, I thought it would be a good time to brush up on what should and shouldn't be recycled on a larger scale. I wrote a blog post on the same topic a few years back, so I figured it was in need of an update anyway! I was surprised by some of the updates I ended up making based on current recycling guidelines. I also learned about some new recycling initiatives that anyone can take advantage of via drop-off locations or by mail, and about useful online resources for recycling information and for locating recycling opportunities in your area. If you’re like me and are ready to commit (or recommit) to recycling in 2022, I’m positive you’ll find all the information and resources I found as useful as I have! Check out 9 things you should recycle, 11 things you shouldn’t recycle, and useful recycling resources at the link below. [9 Things You Should Recycle & 11 You Shouldn’t ➜]( Related • [11 Highly Useful Items That Most People Throw Out]( • [9 Things You Should Always Reuse, Just Like Grandma Did]( ⚡️QUICK TIPS⚡️ • Looking for an easy dip to serve at your New Year’s Eve gathering tonight? Try this baked crab and artichoke dip. [Read more ➜]( • If you struggle to keep your New Year’s resolutions, you might have more success with choosing a New Year’s theme. [Read more ➜]( • Treating a yeast infection? This simple remedy is a life-saver, helping to soothe discomfort until your symptoms fade. [Read more ➜]( QUIZ CORNER OGT Pop Quiz Which food storage material is most suitable for keeping cheese fresh? Hint: You might remember the answer from Monday's newsletter—but no peeking! (Scroll down to see the correct answer.) A. Wax paper B. Freezer paper C. Parchment paper D. Plastic wrap WEEKEND CLEANING CHALLENGE Parse And Put Away Your Paperwork [Photos of Jillee with a filing box and a hanging file organizer.]( This weekend, set yourself up for organization success in 2022 by addressing your paperwork. While I don’t necessarily enjoy clutter of any kind, I find paper clutter to be the most anxiety-inducing. There’s something about seeing a stack of mail, bills, flyers, and other documents piling up on my counter that fills me with dread. Since dread doesn’t seem like a great note to start a new year on, I thought that this weekend would be a perfect time to do something about it. I’ve decided to make it our latest Weekend Cleaning Challenge, so I hope you’ll join me this weekend in tackling paper clutter by sorting, organizing, and setting yourself up for success. Here are a couple of ways you can reduce your paper clutter in 2022: 1. Go Paperless. If monthly bills and account statements make up a lot of your paper clutter, take some time to opt into paperless billing. The vast majority of companies offer the option to receive your bills or statements via email, and some even offer a small discount for making the switch. 2. Scan Everything. You don’t need a fancy scanner to digitize your documents as long as you have a smartphone and a scanner app like [Adobe Scan](. Apps like these use your phone's camera to create high-quality scans that you can save instead of the paper copies. (Have an iPhone? [Learn how to scan documents in the Notes app]( For more helpful tips about sorting through and organizing documents, or to get the scoop on my simple 3-part paperwork organizing system and learn how to start using it at home, simply follow the link below. [See The Full Tutorial ➜]( SAVE MONEY Get Rid Of Grey Charges [A photo of credit cards in a wallet.]( Another way to start 2022 on the right foot? Cutting “gray charges” out of your expenses. Unless you check your credit card and bank statements regularly, you may not know how many “grey charges” you’re actually paying for. Grey charges consist of fees, subscriptions, renewals, and other charges that can easily go unnoticed day-to-day, and yet may be costing you hundreds each year. Grey charges can become even more of a money drain if they spread over several different accounts. The best way to address them is to carefully inspect your account and credit card statements, and when you identify a recurring charge you want to get rid of, call the company’s customer service line to cancel. If doing a manual search sounds exhausting, consider using a service like [Truebill](. Once connected to your accounts, Truebill identifies subscriptions and recurring charges for you, and can even cancel them or negotiate bills on your behalf. Some features cost around $5/month, but it could be worth the cost depending on how much you stand to save! JILLEE'S PICK A Great Shave Gel For Sensitive Skin [Photos of Jillee using her Aveeno shave gel while shaving her legs.]( My skin is both highly sensitive and increasingly thin, which has turned shaving my legs and underarms into something of a minefield. I feel like I’ve tried every shave cream or gel that humanity has ever produced, and I never felt that crazy about any of them until I tried [Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel](. With skin-nourishing ingredients like vitamin E, oats, and aloe vera, this shave gel really helps my skin stay hydrated as I shave. It creates a creamy lather that helps the razor glide over my skin, so I end up with less razor burn, ingrown hairs, and general irritation than I have while using other shaving products. And speaking of less irritation, this shave gel doesn’t include any fragrances or perfumes, so it’s great for those with sensitive skin or allergies. All in all, this Aveeno shave gel is more moisturizing and soothing than any other shave gel or cream I’ve tried, and it makes shaving a much less onerous experience. [See Aveeno Therapeutic Shave Gel on Amazon ➜]( A FEW MORE THINGS... For Auld Lang Syne, My Dear: It’s New Year’s Eve, the day when the world counts down the final moments of the year gone by and ushers in the next. Did you know that many common New Year’s traditions stem from old superstitions? Learn about the origins of both familiar traditions (like kissing at midnight) and less unfamiliar ones (like wearing polka dots) in [this article on Parade.com](. On This Day: In 1907, the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square [featured a ball drop for the first time]( with a ball made of iron and wood. The tradition of celebrating New Year’s Eve in that location began just 4 years earlier, shortly before Longacre Square was renamed in honor of the New York Times, its newest resident. ANSWER A. From the newsletter on Monday, December 27: “But wax paper is great for keeping counters clean when working with messy foods like melted chocolate, and since it’s more breathable than plastic, it's often used to keep cheese fresh without trapping gases that can make it smelly or slimy.” But wax paper can do far more than just keep your favorite cheeses fresh—check out [12 other practical uses for wax paper here](. What did you think of today's email? [Not good]( | [Just okay]( | [Loved it!]( 🏠[Visit the By Jillee Shop]( 🤗 [Join OGT Free]( Let's connect! 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