Can you believe it! November is here which means…. here are my ethical and sustainable gift guides for 2022.

It’s always my hope to help you buy better when you need to! Whether you have no idea what shopping more responsibly looks like, or whether you’re a pro but just need some ideas- let this be for you!

This year more than ever before, I’ve been really challenged in my buying. Buying responsibly is great, buying secondhand…better, but, do I even need to buy at all? There’s lots of questions being asked and conversations being had. Let’s buy things to be loved and well used, passed on even. Let’s dig into a companies ethics before we commit, let’s linger rather than buy on impulse, let’s support the small guy, the start-up and minority-owned businesses.

I thought it was about time to get into one blog, a list of places where we shop the most. I have tried out countless places, looking for what works best for us as a family and these are our most loved. They will most probably change and evolve over time. I am always looking for ways to cut down our spending yet find things that don’t come at a cost to people and the planet.

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.

I’ve trialed the lot when it comes to washing powder; throwback to the days of Fairy and Ariel giving me crispy whites and super soft towels and then with the realisation of those particular things probably actually causing harm then moving on to soap nuts and an eco egg to no avail. I so wanted these options to work for me, but with a newborn at the time, they just weren’t cutting it and left my clothes coming out of the washing machine no different to what I had put them in. I then moved onto Ecover for a season, and while I think it is a better option than many, it still didn’t sit quite right with me and neither did SMOL a subscription service we received through our door, which coincided with a bad outbreak of eczema on Heppy’s skin and made me look even more closely into what was written on the back of bottles.

I have wanted to get something down in writing for months now because I’ve read too many books and articles and seen too many documentaries to believe that living a toxic-free life and having a home that is chemical free is just a fad; only for the crunchiest of mama’s out there, or for those who have got the money to pay for the ‘fancy’ products. I truly believe for our health, our families and for our environment we don’t have a choice but to live one. So, the next 7 days is a snapshot into our home, a glimpse to the products we use, and the products we make.