Frozen water–it’s free with a little effort. But you wouldn’t know this when you see grocery stores and gas stations doing steady business selling bags of ice. Instead of driving to the store when she’s throwing a party or packing a cooler, Enviro Girl makes her own. Thrifty? Yes. Environmentally friendly? Most certainly.

Once a week Enviro-Girl empties her ice maker into an empty ice cream bucket and stashes it in her freezer. The ice takes up space in her freezer and helps it run more efficiently and use less energy. When it’s time to fill a cooler or ice bucket, Enviro Girl has plenty of home-froze cubes ready to dump.  And when her sons were sweating it out at a baseball tournament this weekend, Enviro Girl dumped one of those buckets of ice into a cooler filled with washcloths and some cold water–instant cool-down for those ball players!

In a pinch for something that’ll last longer than ice cubes? Fill an empty (and clean)  Cool Whip or margarine tub with water and freeze. Pop out your Hunk o’ Ice when you need a floater in the punch bowl.

For the same reasons buying ice seems silly and frivolous to Enviro Girl, so does buying popsicles. Most popsicles are frozen water and sugar–with some dye and flavor added. Instead, Enviro Girl fills the popsicle making kit her mother bought years ago from the Tupperware lady. Team Testosterone enjoys REAL FRUIT popsicles, a healthy and nutritious snack with no waste (the popsicle sticks are reusable plastic) and costing pennies. With a little extra effort, Enviro Girl has made Smoothies on a Stick which have also been a hit on a sultry summer day. If you don’t have a Tupperware lady near you, Target is selling a similar popsicle kit for $15.00.

And if you want your popsicles SUPER green, Enviro Girl highly recommends the Onyx Ice Pop Mold. Made from stainless steel with NO plastic parts, this popsicle mold will last several generations and produces an elegant rocket-shaped popsicle. The Onyx Ice Pop Mold is easy to clean, store and stain-proof.

Need some tips on homemade popsicles?  Check out this link!

You don’t have to sweat it in the summertime.  If you’ve got a freezer, ice and ice pops are cheap, green and easy to produce.