After reading this post, don't forget to enter our contest – you could win a new dishwasher. Plus, do you have your own story to tell? Send it to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com (no more than 300 words, please), and you could win one of 30 daily prizes. Today's winner is Susan Spidle of Lunenberg, NS.

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My family does its best to keep our garbage to a minimum. Our pick-up is once every two weeks and we usually have only a blue bag and one regular garbage bag that is half full.We have our own compost in the backyard and use most of our paper in our fireplace, which we use most of the time instead of the furnace to keep the house warm. We have our own woodlot and my husband keeps busy cutting trees and replanting when he clears out a few trees. We put brush around the house in the winter to help keep the heat in the basement. When I go grocery shopping, I combine all my errands plus a visit with a friend. I have lots of the green bags to put my groceries in and I buy as big a box or container as I can with staples we use often especially coffee, milk, dog food and cat food. My mom, sisters, nieces and I exchange clothes, shoes and unwanted items with each other first and then if there is anything left it goes to the local women's shelter. For birthdays my daughters and I create handmade cards and they are appreciated by all. When I do the wash I use a full load and only a small amount of detergent with cold water. I hang up the clothes outside when I can and even some inside when the weather is bad. My cleaners include a bottle of vinegar and water. We try to take short showers and only flush when we really have to. The microwave gets used and the oven hardly ever. My husband uses the BBQ quite a lot even in the winter. I got my refrigerator fixed instead of throwing it out even though the cost would have been about the same for a new one. Reduce, reuse, recycle and REPAIR.

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Thanks to Susan for sending in her story – and don't forget, if you still haven't entered, there's still time to send your own story to greenchallenge@canadianliving.com. Susan wins a gift basket of green beauty products courtesy of Kiss My Face, including the following: • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Clean For a Day creamy face cleanser • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Start Up exfoliating face wash • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Break Out botanical acne gel • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic So Refined organic jojoba & mint facial • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Pore Shrink deep pore cleansing mask • Kiss My Face Obsessively Organic Shea Soy facial cleansing bar • Kiss My Face Organic lip balm in strawberry • Kiss My Face Organic lip balm in Treat Mint • Kiss My Face Organic lip balm in Cranberry Orange • Kiss My Face Organic lip balm in Sliced Peach Today's code word: repair Read more: • 7 steps to eco-friendly shopping • Why Jennifer Aniston conserves water • How to plant a tree