TIP TUESDAY #26 - Hey Girlfriend! Can you believe gas is $4/gal?!

It still seems surreal to pay $50 to fill up my little Honda gas tank! Wow, we need some advice on this one!

So, this week's TIP TUESDAY question is:

What gas-savings tips do you have?

Recently I gently 'encouraged' my husband to drive a little more gas friendly. I've been trying to do it since the prices started going up. Things like coasting to a stop and not going from the gas to the break in one motion! I'm trying to drive sometimes slower, coast up to a red light and just try to avoid rapid, unnecessary acceleration. I also am combining trips and desperately want a scooter! (Just think - saving gas AND looking cute at the same time!)

What are you doing in response to the HIGH gas prices? Thanks girlfriends for sharing!

TIP TUESDAY #21 - Are you a locavore girlfriend?!

Right there on the front cover of our local weekly publication CityBeat was my old roommate and girlfriend, Valerie. So fun to see a familiar face on this newspaper and very cool to read about her and what's she's up to. Valerie is a 'locavore' - a person committed to eating food grown/produced within a 100 miles. I have so much to learn about this topic and am thrilled to have her blog as a resource to teach me! (See. We learn so much from our girlfriends!)

Sticking with our 'green theme' for April, this week's TIP TUESDAY question is:

Do you notice/shop for locally grown/produced food? What have you learned from that process? (that you can teach us girlfriends!)

I'd love to get your thoughts on how to go green and go local. How can we be a girlfriend to 'Mother Nature.' What's your tip? How can we eat more green and local, girlfriend?!

New Prizes for April Girlfriendology Contest!

Wow - how can it be April 16th already?!?! Spring fortunately has sprung and, like the tulips and daffodils, the Girlfriendology monthly contest is popping up - with prizes! Yes, we always reward the top five girlfriend stories with Starbucks gift cards (so you can take you and your girlfriend out for coffee on Girlfriendology) and the Girlfriendology Journal. NOW you also have an opportunity to win more prizes.

Thanks to Emily and Allison at National Geographic, Girlfriendology is also giving away five copies for
NOVEL DESTINATIONS: Literary Landmarks From Jane Austen's Bath to Ernest Hemingway's Key West by Shannon Mckenna Schmidt and Joni Rendon - who we'll talk to on an upcoming podcast! Thanks National Geographic Books!

Be adventurous! Write a story and possibly win some cool prizes! Not only will we give out the five Starbucks gift cards and the Girlfriendology Journal, but we'll also give away five copies of NOVEL DESTINATIONS from future podcast guests - the authors!

Remember, the April Girlfriendology contest is 'going green.' Earth Day is coming up and we're asking you to do a little 'recycling!' This month's contest asks YOU for YOUR stories of girlfriends who have made an impact on you in the past - perhaps school friends or girls you knew growing up, maybe it is women you've worked with or neighbors you've known for a long time. Just share your story and you could win a prize. And send in your 'recycled' girlfriend stories TODAY! (Visit April Girlfriendology contest for rules and contact info.) Thanks Girlfriends!

Want some creative girlfriend gift ideas? Listen in!

I've said it before, I'll say it again. One of the best benefits to girlfriends is how much we all learn from each other. From little things like celebrity trivia (like ... who got kicked off Dancing With The Stars!?), to big things like how to take care of our health and our loved ones.

Each month we ask YOU for YOUR thoughts and stories on girlfriends in our monthly Girlfriendology Contest. In March, since it was National Craft Month, we asked for your comments on thoughtful, creative girlfriend gifts you've given or received. We received a bunch of entries and some fabulous female friend stories. Thanks for sharing!

Check out the newest podcast for the stories and the winners. You're sure to get some great ideas for being the girlfriend with the PERFECT gift. After all, if you can't get inspired by your girlfriends, you can't get inspired!

Alas, it is the ides of April (ooh - tax day!), and we're half way through the month and another contest is happening. This month, in honor of Earth Day and our awareness of all things green, we're asking YOU to 'recycle' your girlfriend stories! Share a story of a girlfriend who meant a lot to you as a child or teenager. Tell us about an amazing woman whose friendship has followed you through different periods of your life - and been there for you no matter what! Just enter the contest - there are prizes! And, if you're selected, we may call you to interview you for our podcast next month. (Tell us a great story and we'll HAVE to talk with you!) Thanks Girlfriends!

TIP TUESDAY #20 - Help your girlfriends dress green?

Spring has sprung here in the mid-west. Bulbs have popped up and blooms have burst out,making it a colorful, wonderful reward for getting through winter! However, with it comes packing up the winter sweaters and returning the spring/summer clothes to the closet.

This annual rearranging ritual reminds me of all the stuff I have and don't wear. (Does it do that to you?) And, now with the focus on 'going green,' is it socially responsible for me to not buy more and/or be more conscious of what I buy?

In honor of the upcoming Earth Day, let's help each other figure out what it means to 'go green' as girlfriends. And, in the case of clothing, how can we feel good about our choices either not to buy new things (and we'll have a podcast this month with a woman, Debra Quartermain, who isn't buying anything new in 2008!) or to buying eco-friendly wearables?

So, this week's TIP TUESDAY question is:

Are you changing your clothes buying habits to 'go green?' If so, how. If not, are you making other changes that you feel better about (and that will help others be more green)?"

For me, I am avoiding stores where I'm tempted to shop. I have plenty so I'm trying to limit my purchases and be conscious of what I'm buying. I'm not saying I'm shifting to all organic materials and dressing in recycled coffee-bags (!), I'm just trying to make an effort to be more aware and open to better options.

But I need help! What are you doing to be more environmentally responsible? How can we be a girlfriend to 'Mother Nature.' What's your tip? How can we be more green, girlfriend?!

TIP TUESDAY #19 - Girlfriend Tips for going Green at Home

It may be trendy, and this may be Earth Day (month), but it's still 'not easy being green.' Organic, all natural, recycled, recyclable, tree-free papers, eco-friendly, soy ... the options are many and but the real choices (based on what's best for the environment, does the job and is cost effective) are few.

Who do you turn to in the real world for the real answers to confusing issues like green home products? Your girlfriends - of course! So, this week's TIP TUESDAY question is:

What are your tips for 'going green' for your home products?

For me, I've seen the new 'green' version of Clorox cleaning (non-bleach) products but I haven't tried them - have you? (If so, please comment!) My one tip is to use white vinegar for fabric softener. No chemicals, dyes or additives, it really does remove extra soap in fabrics and leaves you with soft, surprisingly pleasant-scented laundry!

So, girlfriends - go green for us! Together we can be a girlfriend to 'Mother Nature.' What's your tip? How can we be more green, girlfriend?!