Sustainability on a budget and where the heck do I start?
Thank you so much for joining me for the non-toxic home series. I had so much fun preparing it, and it was so encouraging to hear everyone’s responses and to get product recommends and tips from you guys too!
The message I probably received most in response to my posts was something along the lines of ‘this is great, where on earth do I start?’ and ‘how do I do this on a budget?’
I thought I’d write something quick (she says…three weeks later) just to address those questions- this is a little less focused on being non-toxic as my 7 days series was, and this is more general!
Any switch to something less toxic, using less plastic, or made by sustainable means is a positive one- even if it’s one commitment to not use a single use coffee cup again. No one can do it all- and I definitely can’t, and honestly, I think there is a false image being created around a sustainable lifestyle which makes onlookers believe those promoting one never buy in plastic, and have no household waste. So just before going any further, to be transparent we buy things in plastic. We love cheese, we buy bin bags and we buy yogurt in a pot as well as other things. I recognise it is a privilege to make many of the choices we do as a family. My goal right now is to not to be zero waste (that is not attainable for us ), it’s to create less waste. And while I try to be as toxic free as possible- all our food is not organic (not that that solves everything anyway) and I can’t vet every single thing that comes into our household or that Heppy is given as a gift for example.
SO please know, that even the crunchiest and plastic free looking people out there have a bin full of some sneakys- so breathe a sigh of relief and allow yourself some grace on this journey! There may be a season of your life where you can compost, and another season where you can’t. There may be a season where you have a great local butcher and another season where you move house and it’s not as accessible and you need to buy meat in plastic…that’s also okay! Find what works for you and go with that- don’t compare your journey to another!
So, my first thought on ‘where on earth do I start?’ is why not write a list of 3 things you feel are attainable for now and make those switches. What may be an easy switch for one person may not be an easy switch for you, so find out what works best play around with it and if that particular switch isn’t working switch to another! Remember creating a more sustainable home takes time and lots of trial and error, and that’s okay!
We recently were gifted some items from the team over at Born Eco. An amazing online shopping place for all things low waste with over 140 independant sellers of eco-friendly products . Looking at these websites is a great place to inspire you for low waste options that you didn’t even know were available!
We chose:
Metal straws- We love these and had a few but we use them so much! Heppy drinks way more when I present her a cup with a straw in! Such a simple switch and great to carry out and about!
Reusable sanitary pad- I use a menstrual cup for periods but love having a sanitary pad as a bit of a backup on my heaviest days and so these guys save me some cash in the long run and the environment a ton of waste. I recently found out via Natracare that ‘it turns out, on average*, there are 36g of plastic in every packet of period pads. That’s 2.4g of plastic per pad, and 2.5g for the outer pack itself. That’s the equivalent of 5 plastic carrier bags per pack.’ That’s pretty nuts.
Snack/sandwich bag- I love using this for Heppy’s snack and along with stasher bags and beeswax wraps means we have completely cut out the need for clingfilm and foil!
Recycled dish scrubber- You can pop these in the washing machine when in need of a clean and when it’s life is over you can compost it! Win win!
You can see more on their website over here: Born Eco .
Below are some other easy switches that have saved us money and also help the environment!
Menstrual cup- I have used one for over 10 years and saved SO much money that I would have been spending on tampons! I would recommend this brand: https://www.the-bettercompany.com/ started by a friend.
Reusable cotton pads/wipes- I used to be a sucker for a face wipe, turns out you can just cut an old t-shirt up or get yourself a pack of these and you’re set.
Homemade surface spray- non toxic and cheap- add some lemons to some vinegar and you’re good to go! Infact you can clean your whole house pretty low waste by just using lemon, bicarb and vinegar! Read more over on my toxic-free blog series!
Reusable coffee cup/Water bottle- get money off your coffee and apparently, only 1 per cent of coffee cups ever end being recycled so remembering a reusable will make a big impact! There’s some great options on the Born Eco website.
So there are a few places i’d start- there’s 100’s of great blogs too with more ideas of simple swaps you can make! Here are a few other ways we save money, which means we can spend more money on the things that matter to us!
WE FOOD BUDGET AND EAT ALL MEALS AT HOME
Food planning can sometimes take half a day per week for me- but it saves us SO much money and also saves me a lot of stress so I set time aside to do it. It also means what we save by planning out and not doing smaller shops means I can buy better quality food. I shop in multiple places which also takes planning. During lockdown, I have been ordering dry goods from here- everything is organic and for me deliveries are far easier at the moment with having an active toddler and a huge bump- the thought of filling up bags of little things in a shop feels too overwhelming. We are so blessed that there are other multiple refill shops near us- even in the countryside. These are a little pricier as they are not chains, and while I occasionally support them, for us it works best to use this company for now.
It’s also worth looking at what you can make yourself in what you’re already buying. Eg. turns out flatbreads are so simple and cheap to make, and we’re slowly making more switches like this. Other things that cut costs are buying dried beans over canned beans (they’re better for you too), buying food in season, trying not to buy processed foods and instead making banana bread/our own snacks. My friend Kezia 'The Whole food diary' is a great place to look for ways to save money and find easy yet nourishing meal ideas!
We use Abel and Cole for fruit and veg deliveries, and day to day cook basic budget family meals- homemade pizza, lots of bean dishes, curry, roasted vegetables and lots of risotto. We used to eat meat every day (Joseph LOVES meat) but now try to eat meat less to mean we can buy higher quality meat. Also if you’re wanting to buy organic food and wondering where to start, it’s great to follow the clean fifteen and dirty dozen guidelines, there’s a list of the least contaminated fruit and veg, and then the most giving you some advice on when to buy organic being the most beneficial.
BUY TO LAST
When Joseph and I met, he had a wardrobe of about 5 black items and so did I. We had never lived in one place longer than a year and we liked to travel light. Our wardrobes are still small, we’re comfortable wearing the same clothes over and over, and because we have less items but the items we do have are high quality; we can buy well when we do because we rarely buy. We only buy clothes that are fairly made, and mainly using organic cotton which is supposed to last longer as the fibres have not been broken or damaged by chemicals. We both mainly wait til birthday’s/Christmas to buy new clothes/have them gifted to us. I have another post on the companies we buy from over here.
Another way I buy to last is to put money into things that won’t change value that I can sell on, or when buying things for Heppy I have often thought about buying things neutral so they can be passed down to future kids. Eg. shoes and bedding.
I also do ALOT of research before purchasing something…maybe a little too much. But both the beds we have purchased (both secondhand) are suitable from baby to 7 years meaning they take up less space and can last longer!
BUY SAVVY
When buying new, I usually wait til things are on sale, because yes, if you haven’t bought ethical or sustainable clothes before they can seem pricey! You can usually hunt around a website too for a 10% discount on your first purchase or if you sign up to the newsletter!
80% of what we buy clothing and house wise is second hand. This means if i need something, I type it into ebay, then FB marketplace, then gumtree, then preloved…I appreciate others may not have the time for this, but like I said earlier, I love a bit of research and am very driven by a deal hah!
If you are looking for something in particular eg. I was recently looking for a ‘little green sheep mattress protector’ you can turn notifications on to be alerted when something that fits your criteria or with those key words comes available. There’s also a great website called fat fingers where you can find the thousands of things listed on ebay with spelling mistakes and find a great bargain!
It’s also usually cheaper to buy in bulk, I sometimes check in to see if a friend needs something too to save money, and if something that is a staple in our home is on offer or I find somewhere on discount, I usually stock up if my budget allows that month!
These are just a few thoughts for now! In conclusion…start somewhere! Ask yourself which area of your life you value the most and want to see change, for me it was knowing that everything I was putting on Heppy and our skin was toxic-free and that the clothes we were buying were ethical. The changes have come slowly but they’re coming and the more they come the more I work out ways to cut costs!
Happy discovering everyone- it’s a fun journey!