10.24.2008

don't leave home without it...


if you live/work/shop/play in the san francisco east bay, i totally recommend picking up an ecometro guide. it's quite similar to the entertainment books that my classmates and i used to sell to raise money for our school--basically a big book of coupons. what's great about this particular guide, however, is that all of the merchants included are generally eco-friendly in some manner--natural grocery stores, toy shops that carry toys crafted in europe & america (imagine that!), independent cafes, restaurants that use local, sustainably-harvested ingredients, mom & pop bookshops, etc.

the book retails for $20, but i was lucky enough to get handed one for free right as i was pulling out my wallet to purchase a copy. seems they had a few to give away and i happened to be in the right place at the right time. major score. even still, $20 is a drop in the bucket compared to the savings that the book offers (over $3,000). i've already saved money at elephant pharmacy and five little monkeys (a local toy shop), with big plans to visit a bunch of included merchants in the near future--whole foods ($10 off of $50), the food mill ($5 off $25), and 7th heaven yoga (buy one class, get one class free). i'm also excited about placing an order with planet organics, a home delivery service of local, organic produce. they offer $25 off of a minimum order of $32. that's an amazing deal.

the guide is also full of manufacturers coupons for savings on brands i typically buy: tom's of maine, barbara's, amy's, biokleen, kashi, cliff kid, etc. it's quite a refreshing change from the coupons in the sunday papers--usually all for products that we have no use for.

the ecometro guide available in the following areas: east bay, california; eugene, oregon; portland, oregon; seattle; and twin cities. if you happen to live in one of these areas, i highly recommend checking it out... saving money while supporting local, sustainable business = a win/win situation.

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