If you've ever really paid attention to what a bottle of laundry detergent or window cleaner costs, you know that overall consumers are spending big money for cleaning products these days.

Greening your cleaning habits is an awesome step, but what if you could make your own cleaning products for pennies, rather than purchasing over-the-top priced cleaning items? As if saving money isn't enough to make you stand up and take notice, how about this:

Making your own cleaning products from natural products you may already have around your home is uber environmentally friendly!

That's right, making your own cleaning products can save you money and be part of your plan to live a greener lifestyle. What's more, they actually work!

Before you fire up that gas powered lawn mower tomorrow, think about how much black smoke they spew into the air.

In fact, Just Cause says,

"The EPA estimates that 10% of the nation's air pollution is caused by lawn equipment such as chain saws, lawn mowers, golf carts, blowers and weed whippers. 5% can be contributed to lawn mowers alone."

Electric push mowers are not the wimpy little corded things of years past. They are lawn mowing mega-beasts with an appetite for all varieties of grass (and weeds, in my case) with a much lower level of environmental flatulence.

Humans aren't the only ones who need good quality organic food to keep us healthy and strong.

Dogs do too!

Always use caution when acting as your pooch's personal chef, because lots of things yummy to us people are toxic to our four-legged friends.

No need to worry about that with this recipe, however, these frozen organic doggie treats will definitely please the pooches as the temperature rises.

Organic gardening is an entirely different way of life.

However, even if you're not willing to take the plunge into a completely organic Earth-friendly lifestyle, there are still some steps you can take in your home garden to minimize your impact on the environment.

Bamboo has the uncanny ability to make even the most mundane of items take on a luxurious and exotic flare.

That's great, considering it's MUCH more sustainable, eco-friendly, and affordable than wood of all varieties.

Here at The Fun Times Guide to Living Green, we talk a lot about bamboo--from how to make your home panda friendly to incorporating it into your sex life (and everything in between).

But something we've never done is get all DIY with the not-so-tasty panda palate pleaser...until now.

The weather is warming, flowers are blooming, and birds are chirping away.

Yep, it's time for...

Spring cleaning?!?!

Ugh, it's no fun coming out of hibernation and having to clean up the cave, but since it's a necessary evil, we might as well go about cleaning green, don't you think?

However, since living green has become big business these days, it's becoming increasingly challenging to decide what food, personal care products, and practices are actually green and not just greenwashed.

The same challenge exists in selecting green cleaning products. What's REALLY safe, non-toxic, and the like?

Looking for ways to conserve some precious clean water this World Water Day (which is today)?

There are an infinite number of ways of simple, easy, and mostly free ways to do so.

Sure, the purpose of World Water Day is to conserve the commodity of fresh water on this planet, but are you a bad person if you don't?

Not in my opinion.

I'm simply here to pass on some ways to accomplish the "how" if water conservation today, or any other day, is something that moves you to action.

One thing is for sure, the reality of how valuable fresh water is sure was recognized by many of us here in the Southeastern US this past summer, with an unprecedented drought!

I can't imagine what it'd be like to live without it all the time.