joyfullydwell

We’ve all felt the sting of the pricetag of life a bit much lately. If you’re trying to save some money while being a little more earth conscious, you’re at the right place! I wouldn’t consider myself full-on crunchy as much as I try… There are just some things I CANNOT fully commit to, but I’d say I’m a more flexible, semi-crunchy or “scrunchy” mom. So here are a few tips to save yourself a little extra cash as well as be a little friendlier to our environment. Don’t go ALL in at once, you’ll just feel overwhelmed and probably give up. Start with small swaps.

One of the easiest habits to make is bringing your own reusable grocery bags. Many stores now charge per plastic bag, so why not save some change and be more eco friendly at the same time? I try to remember them easier by leaving them by the door as soon as we’ve unloaded our groceries. When I’m purchasing produce, I also like to use these reusable bags. Take the extra step and bring foldable reusable bags when you go to the mall or non-grocery store as well.

If you forget, that’s ok, opt for paper bags if you can and reuse them in creative ways. I like to turn them inside out and use paper bags as Christmas wrapping. I also shred it up and add it to my compost.

Change out your plastic tube of toothpaste for a homemade powder version like my Re-mineralizing Tooth Powder recipe:

• 8 tsp Bentonite Clay (removes toxins & alkalizes your mouth) AZTEC SECRET POWDER

• 4 tsp Organic Cinnamon (fights bacteria + adds flavor)
• 4 tsp Baking Soda (helps remove stains, bacteria and plaque; reduces irritation; exfoliates & alkalizes your teeth)
* You can also add a few drops of peppermint or clove essential oil to give it an extra boost of flavor.

If you’re not wanting to make your own, you can also opt for tablets.

Making your own laundry detergent is not only better for your skin, but it costs a fraction of the liquid jugs in the store per load… Plus you don’t have the big plastic containers to discard. Here’s where you can find my recipe. When I can’t find the time to make my own detergent, I like to order these more eco-friendly laundry sheets.

On sunny days, opt to hang dry your clothes to reduce your electricity bill. Bonus, the sun helps whiten and disinfect laundry. This is particularly beneficial for linens like blankets, sheets and pillowcases, as well as towels and even cloth diapers or reusable pads.

On days when the sun is hiding, and we opt to run the dryer, wool dryer balls are the best option to reduce static and help lessen drying time. I like to add a few drops of essential oils to them for a non-toxic way to add freshness and scent in lieu of chemical-laden dryer sheets.

SO many clothes end up in the landfill these days. It’s honestly shocking, just Google it. Therefore, I opt to thrift the majority of our clothing. I look for quality over quantity in this fast-fashion age we live in. Buying second-hand doesn’t mean giving up on fashion. Quite the opposite perhaps. I’ve found many high-end brands at a fraction of the cost, some pieces even brand-new with tags. Looking for quality brands at lower prices means my kids and I can wear articles of clothing without worrying about them falling apart. I’m also able to pass many items down from one sibling to the next and even beyond that to friends who don’t mind hand-me-downs. My friends and I also enjoy doing swaps to pass along clothing, shoes, accessories and even household items we no longer have use of. It’s also a fun excuse to get together with some yummy food and drinks and have fun chatting with friends while finding new-to-us items. Whatever isn’t taken gets delivered to a shelter or thrift store.

Reuse empty kombucha bottles as cleaning spray bottles. I also love using Earthley’s cleaning spray concentrate. Just a blueberry sized amount of product fills a 16 oz bottle. So a little bit goes a really long way! Each 2-oz. jar of concentrate makes 12 bottles of cleaning spray, making it super cost-effective and environmentally-friendly. I put these silicone bottle sleeves on the bottom of the bottles to keep them protected.

We all know it’s cheaper to cook at home. Small swaps like making your own morning coffee or tea at home instead of spending a daily $5+ can start to add up. Using a French Press or Pour Over is also a much more eco-friendly option versus the disposable k-cups.

For my tea drinking friends, you can eliminate even more waste by using loose leaf tea and reusable steepers.

If you just can’t give up that corporate coffee, at the very least bring a reusable travel mug to have the barista fill, pretty please!

I never knew how easy it was to make tortillas until I finally just went for it. Simple ingredients too – 3 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/3 cup EVOO, 1 cup warm water – that’s it! Mix together, roll into 12 balls, let the dough rest about 15 minutes, roll out with a pin and heat each one on a medium heat pan approx. 2-3 minutes on each side. Minimal ingredients also means minimal money spent, and with most of these ingredients typically on hand in most kitchens, less vehicle emissions.

Speaking of spending less money on gas… Save money on trips to the store by having rescued food delivered straight to your door with Imperfect. We’ve had quality foods delivered since 2020 and I love that not only does it save me time and energy, I’m also helping rescue items that might have otherwise ended up as waste in a landfill.

If you really want to lessen your footprint, you can try to grow your own food in your own backyard or in pots on a patio. Whether it’s a few herbs, or a full assortment of fruits and veg. Growing your own food is much more cost-effective in the long run, especially if you grow from seed and learn how to save your seeds for future use. It’s also extremely therapeutic getting your hands in the dirt and challenging yourself. The outcome is so rewarding, the taste is far superior and homegrown herbs and produce are much healthier for you. As if the food isn’t enough, spending time outside and soaking in natural Vitamin D from the sun is actually beneficial to your health as well. So if you really think about it, gardening not only saves you on food costs, but possibly medical costs in the long run.

Now, let’s talk about something nobody really likes to mention… Our monthly cycle… Disposables are typically made with a combination of plastics, cotton, synthetic fibers, and wood pulp. Conventionally produced cotton is one of the most toxic grown crops – using a plethora of pesticides and herbicides. To top it, it’s estimated that nearly 20 billion (BILLION! holy cow!) pads and tampons are discarded each year in North America ALONE!

The plastics in a pad will take hundreds of years to decompose. If that doesn’t convince you, think about how this affects your body! The materials are bleached with chlorine dioxide, creating polluting, harmful and bio-accumulative by-products like dioxin, which not only end up in the environment but also remain in our bodies for decades. Add other synthetic chemicals and artificial fragrances to the mix, and you’ve got a recipe for disastrous side effects like allergic reactions, hormone disruption, as well as reproductive and gynecological disorders.
If the health and environmental reasons won’t sway you, maybe the savings will be more convincing. Granted, reusable pads and menstrual cups have a larger initial cost, but they last you far longer. You can do the math: assuming a woman on average menstruates for 40 years, buys about $10 worth of disposables every month, that’s 40 x 12 = 480 months. 480 x $10 = $4,800 over her lifetime! And typically, we spend even more for extras like liners. That’s $120 annually (not including tax). I’d much rather spend $50-$75 initially on reusables that need to be replaced over a longer span of time.

These tips may not seem like much, but in the scheme of things, the small changes really do add up, leading to big savings in the long-run both financially and for the environment.

*This post contains affiliate links – our family receives a small compensation if you decide to purchase from the provided links at no extra cost to you!