Alicia Silverstone's Blog, page 143

after all that holiday spending get your finances in order

During the holidays we often swipe our credit card or type in the numbers without giving it a second thought. After all presents have to be bought and some of those deals and credit card promos seem too good to pass up. But soon the bill will come due and you may be surprised by the number you find in bold at the bottom of your statement.

Let CreditSesame help get your financial house in order after all of that holiday spending and even save you some money in the process.

CreditSesame.com is an online personal finance tool that provides the best way to securely monitor your credit and save money on debt.

Did we also mention it's free? Truly free with no gotchas trial periods or credit cards required!

You can get started right now by receiving a free credit score. No strings attached.

Much like those travel websites that help you find the best deal to beautiful getaways CreditSesame analyzes the lending market daily looking for savings options that match your unique credit profile so you'll never miss a chance to save.

CreditSesame.com will also help you:

Monitor your credit profile home value and debt in one organized place
Track your Experian credit score every month and always for free
Get a complete savings analysis of your loans mortgage and credit card debts
Find pre-qualified mortgage credit card and loan options that will save you money
Receive customized alerts that help you lower payments on your debts.

We even have an iPhone app available so you can manage your finances on the go!


You don't need to worry about security or hidden fees either. There are no credit cards required no trial periods and no gimmicks to sign up. We'll update your credit score and debt profile for free every single month.

And to make certain that you receive fair savings options for your unique credit needs CreditSesame.com is only paid when you close a loan.

So get those holiday credit card statements under control right now by signing up at CreditSesame.com. It's the best way to manage your credit loans and debt and all for free!

Today's post is proudly sponsored by

water quality and your health

Water conservation is a huge topic concerning both personal health and the environment. Healthy home guru Mary Cordaro has kindly offered to break down some of the big issues for us. Here is her first guest blog about water – I hope you enjoy it!

The Water Problem
By Mary Cordaro

If your water is provided by a local water utility it goes through quite a rigorous course of treatment before it makes its long journey to your home. That's because water utilities have a huge task. They are highly regulated to provide us with sanitary water that meets strict EPA guidelines for safety. This is becoming increasingly challenging for many reasons but to sum up it up: our water sources prior to treatment are highly compromised by many growing environmental conditions and contaminants which are polluting and toxic.  The list of toxic contaminants is quite long but the broad categories include:

Microorganisms meaning bacteria virus and parasites
Disinfection chemicals including chlorine and ammonia
Disinfection chemical byproducts including trihalomethanes
Inorganic and organic chemicals which includes everything from petrochemical solvents to fluoride and heavy metals.

If you'd like to take look at this long list of toxic substances that our water utilities must address including health effects you will be astounded.

So why is it still important to filter our water if the EPA regulates all those toxic substances? Here are just a few reasons: After treatment your water travels for miles through city pipes many of which are very old and some of which still contain lead. It's possible they may also harbor certain pathogens that are resistant to disinfection chemicals. And although it's not as common lead may even be present in some older home plumbing. Home pipes may also develop a build-up of hard water "scale" where sediment can also attach and build up.  So the quality of the water may be different when it arrives at your kitchen faucet than when it started out at the treatment plant.

But in my opinion there is a more important larger and overriding concern. If you look at the allowable limits on the EPA link above you'll notice that many of those substances may be present in low allowable amounts in our water.  In other words scientists have determined that many toxic substances including industrial chemicals that have not yet been tested for health are safe to drink in very low amounts.  Even worse the EPA is only beginning to address other substances like pharmaceutical drugs in our water supplies that currently water treatment plants are not equipped to remove. And scientists continue to uncover new contaminants never before considered.  Sometimes the only known treatment is another regulated chemical or additive which may itself produce byproducts.

Environmental hazards have compromised water for so long now that scientists have yet to uncover all the unhealthful substances in our city water and what to do about them.
 
Our water utilities can only do so much to make our water safe.  I am grateful that we live in a country with sanitary water supplies and low levels of contaminants. But if you feel as I do that even low levels of contaminants known or unknown are undesirable then you may not be comfortable drinking  "allowable amounts" of chlorine ammonia fluoride pathogens heavy metals petrochemical solvents like xylene and any number of other toxic substances or yet unregulated amounts of pharmaceutical street drugs or other unhealthful chemicals that end up in our water.
 
Unfortunately there are very few sources of natural water left that are contaminant free so even if we have access to wells and springs many of those natural sources are no longer as safe and natural as they were 100-200 years ago. And the enormous number of plastic bottles is now polluting oceans and killing sea life at a horrific rate.
 
So what's the solution?  In my next guest blog I'll review why purification is the only way to remove as many contaminants as possible from drinking water and how to get purified water on a variety of budgets.
 
Thanks Mary! If you Kind Lifers have questions for Mary please write them in the comments below and Mary will try to address them in a future blog.

The health section is proudly sponsored by Kaeng Raeng natural detox. Make sure to check out their 3 or 6 day vegan detox programs here:

kick off 2012 with superhero cooking classes!

Warren Kramer is a wonderful teacher and macro chef. You know him from my previous blogs about his classes as well as my series about his lovely wife Fatim and her superhero pregnancy. He's coming to LA in January to teach a series of classes.

Here is his schedule:

Do you plan to go superhero in 2012?

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Fatim's Superhero Baby!
Ask a Superhero: What's Up With Wheatgrass?
Grocery Shopping and Budgeting for Superhero Moms
How To Fall in Love With Greens...

win a signed copy of the kind diet!

A bunch of you discovered TheKindLife.com by reading The Kind Diet but I'm sure many of you have also stumbled upon The Kind Life because of Facebook Twitter TV a magazine article or a friend's recommendation. And those of you who discovered TheKindLife.com through those means may not have read my book yet.
 
That said I think The Kind Diet provides an important foundation for everything we talk about here on TheKindLife.com. I want to make sure that all of you have access to it so you can lay that foundation of knowledge and really sink your teeth into a kinder diet…and kinder way of life!
 
So to kick off the new year I'm going to start giving away a signed copy of The Kind Diet to one kind lifer each month! I really want each and every one of you to have your own copy and if you already have your own to pass a copy on to your loved ones! Each month I'll ask you a question and choose a winner from among the answers.
 
So...this month I'd like to know: how did you discover TheKindLife.com?
 
Write your answer in the comments below and I'll announce a winner at the end of the month!

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great deal on a home composter!

Today in my Open Sky store I'm proud to feature a groovy home composter by Full Circle. I've also made a video of my own home composting system to show you how easy composting can be! It's a little wobbly but you can still see the compost and my husband Christopher showing how it works:


Christopher and I have been composting for about ten years – we love it! If you'd like to get started composting the Full Circle Home Composter is a great option.
 
To get a great discount on this awesome home composter go here. Follow me on Open Sky for more great deals on kind products!
 
What else would you like to see in my Open Sky store?

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Introducing My New Store
The Battle Again Plastic Bags Continues
Simple Ways To Reduce Waste
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movie to see: fat sick and nearly dead

Fat Sick & Nearly Dead - Official Trailer from Team Reboot on Vimeo.

Doug you may remember him from my blog about Organic Avenue told me about this great-sounding documentary called Fat Sick and Nearly Dead.
 
The uplifting story follows a man named Joe Cross on a cross country road trip where he vows to do a juice fast for 60 days consuming only fruits and vegetables in liquid form. On his transformative journey he meets and inspires Phil Staples - a 420 pound truck driver from Iowa - to do the same.
 
You can stream or download the film here and you can join Joe's online community Reboot Your Life here.

Have you seen it? What did you think? Have you seen any other inspiring films lately?

The health section is proudly sponsored by Kaeng Raeng natural detox. Make sure to check out their 3 or 6 day vegan detox programs here:

cute kids clothes

Bear needed a few warm clothes for winter so I went to Bluebird a kids resale store on Larchmont in LA. It's a super cute place and everything I got was used. They also buy your stuff just like Buffalo Exchange or Crossroads Trading Company but for kids.
 
Besides a hat this was the first batch of clothes I've bought for Bear. The rest have been hand-me-downs from friends.
 
Where do you get your kids clothes?

Related Stories:

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start your new year off right with a vegan cleanse

I know how hard it is to stay healthy over the holidays. It's tough to resist temptation stay active and maintain your healthy kind diet with holiday parties and cookies and chocolate everywhere!
 
No need to beat yourself up. Jumpstart a healthier new year and new you with a vegan cleanse from Kaeng Raeng.   
 
I am so grateful for the support Kaeng Raeng has given The Kind Life. Without them we would have a very hard time running this site and sharing with all of you Kind Lifers out there. I also appreciate how affordable they make their cleanse. So many cleanses out there are ridiculously expensive. Kaeng Raeng's won't tax your wallet or your cravings.
 
The strawberry one is pretty darn tasty. I've tried it a few times and added soy milk a stick of cinnamon and frozen strawberries. Yum!
 
I'll let Kaeng Raeng give you some more details:

Kaeng Raeng is a nutritional meal replacement detox program that delivers results without sacrificing taste convenience quality or your sanity. Kaeng Raeng helps to peel off pounds relieve bloating improve digestion boost immunity enhance energy and give you that natural glow. It's totally vegan gluten free caffeine free and sustainable!

Just drink one meal replacement pouch 3 times per day for 3 or 6 days. You can also eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as you want! Get great results without fasting or stimulants. Each pouch contains more than a full serving of fruit and fiber 15g of lean non-GMO protein 2 billion live probiotic cultures essential amino acids and daily vitamins.

Kaeng Raeng is a safe simple filling and delicious detox program you can't miss. 

To help jumpstart your new year Kaeng Raeng is offering Kind Life readers 20 off a detox program with coupon code KINDLIFE20 at kaengraeng.com. The deal expires January 11 at 11:59PM PST so don't wait too long to make your resolution. 

Want to try it first? Individual trial packets make 32 fl oz and cost just 7.


Check out the full length commercial here.

Best of all we're giving away one 3-day detox cleanse program to one lucky Kind Lifer! To enter to win all you have to do is leave a comment below telling us why YOU want to try a vegan cleanse.

Start off 2012 looking and feeling fantastic!

The health section is proudly sponsored by Kaeng Raeng natural detox. Make sure to check out their 3 or 6 day vegan detox programs here:

west hollywood bans sale of fur

The city of West Hollywood is leading the way in animal rights legislation yet again! They've just enacted a ban on the sale of fur clothing – the first of its kind in the nation. What this means is clothing retailers will be barred from selling garments made from animal pelts or skin containing hair wool or fur. The ordinance makes an exception for leather vintage pieces and furniture – so it's not perfect but it's definitely a huge step in the right direction! It will go into effect June 30 2012.
 
How exciting is this? Are there any great animal rights laws pending where you live? Tell us how we can help you get similar laws passed where you live in the comments below.

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success story: jaki overcomes sugar addiction

Kind Lifer Jaki recently shared how giving up sugar helped her to lose weight and clear up her skin. Check it out:

"I gave up sugar for 30 days and thought I'd share my experience with you. It was a really good journey that helped me health wise and also taught me that there are so many products out there with added sugar!! It's ridiculous how things that you wouldn't think needed any sugar have it added.

I did slip up twice on purpose not because of cravings. My favorite restaurant was closing down so I had to have my favorite dish which I am pretty sure would've contained sugar. I also had some of the dessert and hot apple cider on Thanksgiving because I didn't want to miss out. When I did eat that I noticed how I got a headache from it and how it affected me which I wouldn't have noticed before I started the challenge.

I lost weight from doing this challenge my skin cleared up and I have so much energy! The good kind of energy - not the kind from a sugar high. I can't sit still I always want to be outside doing something! I'll go for a run and ten minutes later I'm ready to go play tennis! It's fantastic!

I really recommend that everyone gives it a go because you don't realise how much sugar rules your life until you try to give it up."
 
Congrats Jaki! You can read more about Jaki's journey on her blog. And you can read about how I broke up with sugar here.
 
If any of you kind lifers have a success story to share private message me or upload your story to your profile and "like" it. I may feature you on the homepage of  The Kind Life!

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