Ditch the dirty chocolate, the toxic flowers, and the wasteful balloons. This Valentine’s Day instead of trying to show your love and appreciation with stuff, try these sustainable tips.

1. Just say it. Do you need the balloon or the bear with “I love you” written on it? Isn’t actually saying it better? Leave the cheesy card in the store and put it in your words instead.

2. Desperate to put it in writing? Make a card. Even a carefully crafted (handmade! not from a template) electronic card can melt his or her heart. Write a poem, make a list of favorite memories, why you love them, or whatever you can think of.

3. Stay in. Dinner out on Valentine’s Day is expensive and crowded. Plus, making dinner says more than paying for the check. Take the time to make your Valentine’s favorite dish or cook together.

4. If you can’t give up the chocolate, go fair trade and organic. Many top chocolate companies contribute to slavery, deforestation, pesticide use, and child labor. Some of my favorites are Theo, Divine Chocolate, Taza Chocolate, Madecasse, and Nicobella (yummy vegan truffles).

5. Buy a single organic flower. No need for a full bundle. Better yet, pick on from your yard.

6. Turn off the TV and spend time with each other. Save the energy and reconnect instead.

Still hunting for more? Check out last year’s ideas or my adorable Valentine from my roommate.

One of the most important things for me about my living space is that it needs to be clutter-free. I am one of those people that when items are strewn about a room or a space feels over-crowded I get physically uncomfortable. I can’t stand a lingering mess or an abundance of items.

When my room is a mess I feel anxious and cannot focus. A clean, organized room makes keeping the rest of my life organized and on task so much easier.

Staying organized and clutter free doesn’t have to be hard. It just takes getting into a habit.

1. Everything has a place. It is so tempting when I first enter my room to drop everything in my hands on my floor and desk and move on. I sometimes get in the nasty habit of piling clothes, especially jackets, on my desk chair. Once you have determined where all of your items live, put them back exactly where you found them when you are done. It might take a few extra seconds and maybe even a few steps, but your space will benefit immensely.

2. Cut back. I am constantly trying to balance my needs versus my wants. There are items I own that I need, and others that just get in my way and take up space. Be willing to really question what you need, while being completely realistic about the space you have, and be ready to let things go. Sell back clothes you haven’t worn in months (not clothes intended for warmer weather that you just can’t pull off in the middle of winter) to your local thrift or used clothing store. Donate items in good condition to a local organization or your friend’s closet.

3. Stay strong. Sometimes the hardest part of staying organized is keeping items from creeping back into your life. I feel like every time I finally let go of a magazine, I end up having a new one that lives on my desk for months because I think I might want to go back and read it again or refresh my mind on that one tip or article. Don’t let yourself fall back into bad habits.

4. Just say no! Shopping, thrifting or trading can be great when you get exactly what you need. But don’t overdo it!

5. Set boundaries. I have a closet and a single dresser. I could easily add to the amount of storage space I have, but I won’t. Limiting the amount of space I allow my items to take up means I cannot just fill it with things I don’t need. When you live in a small space you have to be incredibly economical with it and you only keep items that truly fill a need.

One of the most helpful tools for curbing consumption and budgeting my spending is to make a list of the items I need and the items I want. Once it’s on the list I leave it there for a couple of weeks. More often than not after living without the item on my “need” list for a few weeks it usually becomes clear that it is more of a want or that I can live without it. Items on my “want” list are often crossed off after a few months when I realize I no longer have an interest in them. If an item has been on my want list for more than a few months, I might use it as an incentive for accomplishing a goal I had set for myself or as a small treat.

If part of your new year’s resolution is to live more sustainably, there are countless, easy ways to get started. People often get overwhelmed by the task of decreasing their consumption and waste, but there are a few small changes that can make a big impact. Here are 13 tips for 2013.

1. Ditch single use plastic water bottles. Always bring your own reusable bottle. This is also a great way to stop impulse buys of sodas and other drinks (which will help you with your new year’s weight loss goal or commitment to living a healthier life).

2. Put on a sweater, grab a blanket, and turn down the heater.

3. If it’s wrapped in plastic, don’t buy it. This includes food and other items.

4. Make your own cleaning products to not only save you money, but also detox your home.

5. Drive less. Ride your bike, walk, group trips, use public transportation, carpool, or just don’t go.

6. Detox your cosmetic and personal care products. To see what you are using now and what you should change, check out the EWG cosmetics database.

7. Put away the credit card, stay away from the mall, block your favorite online shopping sites. If you don’t absolutely need it, don’t buy it. If you aren’t willing to go cold-turkey, try the list method.

8. Bring your own lunch to work and make dinner at home instead of eating out.

9. Learn to sort your waste properly. Think you know what goes in your recycling bin? Some of your local rules my surprise you. Visit your local provider’s webpage for a full list of what can be recycled  composted, or put in the landfill.

10. Turn off the lights, TV, stereo, and everything else you are no longer using when you leave the room, not just when you leave the house.

11. Take a shorter shower. Shaving five minutes, or even 3, can make a huge impact on your water consumption and bill.

12. Wash your laundry in cold water. It will get just as clean and save you energy and make your clothes last longer.

13. Slow down. With most things in life, if you take the time to consider your choices and impact you will make a better, more sustainable choice. Don’t just rush into what is easy or cheap. Hold yourself accountable and think before you act.

Did you know most cleaning products sold in the average store qualify for hazardous waste disposal? How about the amount of chemicals you ingest or inhale from these products on a daily or weekly basis? Every day we are exposed to hundreds, if not thousands of chemicals in our own homes that have been linked with cancer and other health problems.

One of my least favorite things about Christmas is the waste created. The garbage cans full of wrapping paper after Christmas are frightening. This year instead of finding cloth wrapping or buying a reusable vessel to put my gifts in, I reused the packing that came in one of the boxes from an online order and some old scraps of yarn I had to make sustainable gift wrap.

The wrapping didn’t cost me anything and kept waste out of my trash (or recycling) can. Not only that, but they will be easily recycled or composted when they are done, and I have plans for them after they are no longer gift wrap, so that won’t be for a while.

I hate going to stores, waiting in lines, having people try to convince me to buy another item, even just driving there makes me cranky.

I have long been a fan of the convenience and comfort that only online shopping can provide (where else is shopping in your pajamas completely acceptable?), but after reading this article about how terrible the working conditions of the warehouses I’m starting to realize that online shopping isn’t the paradise we all imagined it to be.

“DON’T TAKE ANYTHING that happens to you there personally,” the woman at the local chamber of commerce says when I tell her that tomorrow I start working at Amalgamated Product Giant Shipping Worldwide Inc. She winks at me. I stare at her for a second.

“What?” I ask. “Why, is somebody going to be mean to me or something?”

She smiles. “Oh, yeah.” This town somewhere west of the Mississippi is not big; everyone knows someone or is someone who’s worked for Amalgamated. “But look at it from their perspective. They need you to work as fast as possible to push out as much as they can as fast as they can. So they’re gonna give you goals, and then you know what? If you make those goals, they’re gonna increase the goals. But they’ll be yelling at you all the time. It’s like the military. They have to break you down so they can turn you into what they want you to be. So they’re going to tell you, ‘You’re not good enough, you’re not good enough, you’re not good enough,’ to make you work harder. Don’t say, ‘This is the best I can do.’ Say, ‘I’ll try,’ even if you know you can’t do it. Because if you say, ‘This is the best I can do,’ they’ll let you go. They hire and fire constantly, every day. You’ll see people dropping all around you. But don’t take it personally and break down or start crying when they yell at you.”

Which is worse then, online shopping or in the store? I guess it depends on each store, each warehouse, each item… Instead of buying an extra item because it’s only a few clicks away we should consider the social and environmental impact of each item and live with what we have or buy used before we buy new.