I added quite a few organic products today to Buy Organic. It’s quite difficult to find products which are 100% organic and some products only contain one or two organic ingredients. I’m still promoting those as well as products which don’t contain natural ingredients but are natural products made without the use of preservatives and other chemicals.

Products added today include:

Organic Baby Skin Care
Natural Men’s Skin Care
Eco Friendly Cleaning Products
Organic Vitamins and Supplements

Tomorrow I’m going to work on adding some organic cotton clothes. These suppliers are difficult to find, especially in Australia. The only companies I have found are in the US and no one tends to buy from these companies, preferring to buy locally. I’ll give it a go anyway and see how it goes.

I never drank the tap water in Paris simply because I was told it is not fit for drinking. I’m now starting to question if that is really the case as I know a number of people who do drink it. I have tried it and even though it doesn’t taste that great there is nothing wrong with it. It won’t make you sick.

Some French mineral water companies have suggested that bottled mineral water is better for your health but there is no scientific evidence to support this and the French government themselves say that tap water has the same benefits as bottled water.

The French are drinking less bottled water, especially the more expensive brands such as Perrier, Badoit, Evian, and Volvic. More people are drinking cheaper supermarket brands of water as well as tap water. Personally I buy the cheapest brand at my supermarket which is only 18 cents per 1.5 litre bottle and it’s fine. I don’t see the need to pay more than 50 cents a bottle for the other brands. You’re really just paying for the brand name, they are not any better for you.

I think if you don’t mind the taste of tap water then go ahead and drink it, otherwise go for the cheapest bottled water you can find.

I didn’t know if it would be worth promoting organic personal hygiene products or not but I’ve had a few requests for them so I thought I’d see how they go. The range includes organic deodorants from Avalon Organics and Miessence and a deodorant stick from the Aromatherapy Co which is especially for men. My husband uses this and he says it’s as effective as any other deodorant.

I’ve also started promoting the Mooncup. The mooncup is a feminine hygiene product which is used in place of tampons. I haven’t tried it but it sounds interesting. They have been around for decades and are more environmentally friendly than tampons as they are reusable and can last up to 10 years. Check out the Mooncup website for more information. They deliver internationally but payment is made in UK pounds.

I’ve added a new page to Buy Organic which is all about organic lipstick and organic lip balms.

One of the most popular products I have are Badger Balms. They are lip and body balms and there is also a sleep balm and a balm which helps you breath if you have a cold. You just rub it on your chest and it can help you to feel better. This is proving especially popular now during winter.

Wild Elixir also have a great range of products which I use myself. The exfoliating scrub and the lip balm are fantastic.

I also added some links to Avalon Organics which is a new range I’m promoting. They have organic body lotions and organic shampoos and conditioners. They sound great and are on my list of things to try.

Sales at my Buy Organic site are starting to pick up. I’m getting a lot more hits and from each of the major search engines. Some products are turning out to be quite popular. The organic cotton baby clothes are by far the most popular items. The site also got a mention on mothering.com in one of the forums. They were discussing bamboo socks and someone placed a link to my article on bamboo clothing. I was quite happy with the free advertising and it generated quite a few hits. I couldn’t have placed the comment better myself. No, it wasn’t me who posted it. They say that commercial posts aren’t allowed but there seem to be a lot of links like that. Maybe I should develop more of a presence in forums like that. So things are picking but there is still a long way to go before I’ll be happy with the visitor count and the income generated.

Paris is an expensive city but there are free things to do and these are often some of my favourite things to do.

Visit a Park
There are so many beautiful parks and gardens in Paris that it’s difficult to pick a favourite. My top picks are the Jardin du Luxembourg, Place des Vosges, Parc Monceau, and Palais Royal. These are all very well known parks but some of the nicest are the small parks hidden away in the different quarters. Walk outside of the main tourist areas and you’ll find a great park to sit in and watch the world go by.

Go to the Louvre
The Louvre museum is free on the first Sunday of every month so there is no excuse for not going. Except for the long queues I suppose.

Stroll Down the Champs-Elysees
It may be a bit of a cliche but the Champs-Elysees really is the most beautiful boulevard in the world. It may be touristy and full of overpriced cafes but you can’t go to Paris without walking down it. Plus it’s free.

Window Shopping
Everyone wants to go shopping in Paris but not all of us can afford the expensive designer stores. Of course there’s no reason you can’t go in and have a look around. Besides, half the fun is in looking.