Goodbye Blockbuster Online, Hello Netflix

I never signed up with one of those movie-by-mail services until Blockbuster started offering their Total Access Online service. I liked the idea of being able to return the movies in-store and get extra movies immediately. Plus, they offered a coupon for an additional movie or video game rental each month.

I signed up in June 2007. However, after a few months, I found that stopping at the nearby Blockbuster was a real inconvenience. Also, I don't have much time to watch movies (or play video games), so the no-deadline deal is better for me.

A few weeks ago, I realized that they stopped offering the coupon for a free in-store movie or video game rental. That feature was a significant part of the reason for me to sign up with the plan (although I wasn't able to take advantage of the coupon very often). Well, at least I could still get up to four rentals each month with in-store returns. However, the other day I received an email stating that they are raising my rate from $5.99 to $7.99 per month. That is when I decided to switch to Netflix.

I don't like the fact that Blockbuster lured customers away from Netflix by offering better services at [almost] equal rates, then cut down the services and increased their prices. With my schedule, I can do without the in-store privileges at Blockbuster. I still have my regular membership with no monthly fee. So, I can still rent a video at the store if I wish. (I know that this would be a rare occasion.)

For now, I signed up with Netflix and loaded up my queue. I'll cancel my Blockbuster Total Access membership when my monthly term comes nearer to its end. It was a fine introduction to video-by-mail; but, I have to say goodbye to Blockbuster Total Access Online.

Gradually Moving Towards an Eco Home

While in most cases it would be impractical or infeasible to convert one's home into an eco friendly, toxin free one overnight, it is possible to make the switch one thing at a time. Even replacing some potentially harmful items with safer substitutes could pay dividends in the long run.

For us, we started with our plastic bottles (switching from polycarbonate #7 to HDPE #2), then our bed mattress (with latex foam core), some organic baby clothes, and some soaps and shampoos containing more natural ingredients. A few weeks ago, we started using a toothpaste from Trader Joe's that doesn't contain sodium laurel sulfate or saccharin. It still contains flouride, however.

I'm sure I'm leaving out items here. There are too many factors to consider to cover all bases. Our goal is to make simple changes that might have a high return, such as using personal care items with fewer potentially harmful ingredients. The cost is a bit higher in dollar terms, but the rewards are worth the added expense.

Fuzzi Bunz Are A Mother's Favorite

As it turns out, the Fuzzi Bunz pocket diaper turned out to be my wife's favorite cloth diaper. Part of the reason is that they use snap buttons instead of Velcro. This also makes it easier to care for. We'll be ordering more Fuzzi Bunz when Emma outgrows her size small diapers. We'll also probably buy a few more diaper covers--either Thirsties (Velcro) or Bummis Super Whisper Wraps (with snaps).