5 Easy Switches to Live More Sustainably on a Budget
Living a more sustainable lifestyle does not need to be expensive or complicated. We have so many ways for you to make the switch easily and affordably. Today we'll go over 5 easy switches.
1. Save your sauce jars and use them for your bulk foods
A great way to start is to stop buying packaged food where you can. Save your old sauce, pickle and jam jars and fill them up with your dry foods from a bulk food store. This costs you nothing, saves jars from going into the recycling or landfill and looks good! Another great option for shopping for bulk foods is using bulk bags, market bags, and produce bags. They are all reusable and washable!
2. Use rags and old towels instead of paper towel
I used to think this was hard, I don't have rags. But I do have tea towels and wash cloths that are not so pretty any more. So instead of throwing them away or recycling them I repurpose them into my rags for cleaning up spills, dusting, and anything else I would use paper towel for. Have one bin labelled "clean rags", and another labelled "dirty rags", and just throw the dirty bin into the wash weekly with your dark load. Our laundry detergent and laundry booster does a great job at cleaning up this mess!
3. Use Hair + Body Bars instead of bottled shampoo, conditioner, body wash, or hand soap!
Using a shampoo bar can be a bit scary. Our hair is our crowning glory! Did you know that most shampoos, even the "natural" ones, have stripping agents in them. That squeeky clean feeling of your hair after you wash it is not normal. We are stripping our hair of it's natural oils and defences. By using a shampoo bar, without SLS, not only will your hair be restored back to it's natural health you will be saving hundreds of bottles from going into the landfill. Our shampoo bars are actually called Hair + Body Bars since they can be used for hair, body, face and hands - all-in-one! They are super fatted with nourishing oils so they are not drying like many other soap bars making them great to use across the board :)
4. Reusable toiletries (swabs, facial rounds, menstral pads)
I don't know about you, but I like grooming. I like to keep my skin nice, my ears clean and to feel good about my hygiene. A really easy switch is single use swabs. We don't need to spend money on these little guys that we throw away. Reusable q-tips are quite inexpensive than the cost of the many box's we buy over our lifetime. Same goes with our facial rounds. I used to buy a sleeve of single use cotton rounds every month or so, throwing them away after one use along with their plastic wrapping. I'm so glad I discovered the reusable ones. And I've got to say, I am so thankful I found menstral cups! Cheaper, easier, more sanitary, need I say more? There are so many switches in this area that will save us money and our environment.
5. Ditch the plastic wrap and plastic baggies - use (or make) beeswax food wrap or silicone covers/bags
I love leftover lunches! Knowing that I have an easy packed lunch before heading to work is a load off when I'm busy with the kids and running a household, you know. ;) One of the first switches I made was ditching plastic wraps and baggies. I use beeswax wraps, silicone lids, silicone bags, as well as glass containers.
All of these simple steps are so affordable, and you will feel good about your reduced impact on our environment and how you're teaching by example with your actions.
If you have questions or want to learn more ways to live more sustainably, stop by one of our stores and chat with our passionate staff who will be happy to explore more options with you.
