Affordable ways to be more sustainable in 2024
The new year has begun and as usual there is the usual conversation going on about resolutions and pledges, but how many of those do we actually stick to?
Personally exercise is usually my biggest goal…but it never fully materialises. The grind of daily life wears down even most absolute promises to myself by about 6th Jan.
So how about some suggestions of ideas that we can actually achieve?
It’s true that not everyone can make the change to an electric car and solar panels. Or afford to. And as a family we are still going to be in this camp for a long while yet, so I’m focusing on what is within my current powers and budget to change, which is predominantly by reducing single use plastic.
Affordable sustainable swaps
What are the sustainable options that are actually achievable in this current cost of living crisis?
Living more sustainably is always a goal that starts with the best of intentions that always seem to fall by the wayside when the purse strings are having to tighten yet again.
But what about when you realise that sometimes, when purely looking to save a few pennies, we can also by default, be more sustainable?
Household and Cleaning
I use boxed washing powder, not pods or bottles. For generations it’s been packaged in cardboard, and believe it or not, powder definitely gives better cleaning results than any liquid. Plus it’s much cheaper. Tesco tropical or the Asda equivalent smell so good you can also do without fabric conditioner/softener.
I use supermarket own brand refill capsules for my kitchen and bathroom cleaners (currently 75p each in Tesco). I am still not sure where I sit on the wording on the back on it being harmful to aquatic life, there is huge guilt there, but the cost saving and better efficacy is a big one against other refill brands and this seems a reasonable compromise when my primary aim is to eliminate the amount of plastic bottles coming into our home.
I buy supermarket own brand recycled toilet paper, and have done for years because it’s cheaper. As I’m working from home, I also do a lot of “family cloth” for just me, but this isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
I do get washing up liquid refill from my local refill shop as it’s reasonably priced. But I also get own brand dishwasher tablets from Sainsbury’s because they again come in a cardboard box and are not wrapped individually in plastic.
Use cloth wipes in your kitchen instead of paper kitchen roll. Any wipe will do, whether it’s a microfibre towel or one of my old faithful Muslinz cloth baby wipes which are lasting forever. You don’t have to buy pretty handmade replacement “eco kitchen roll” for this purpose if you can’t afford it (although they are a money saver so would make a great gift for someone else).
Sustainable beauty swaps
I’ve made countless beauty swaps since attempting to be more eco friendly, but the most money saving ones have been:
My classic safety razor (blades can be bought super cheap, as little as 5p each)
Swapping to bars for hand soap, facewash, body and travel. And I’m gradually swapping the kids shampoo to bar form too.
I now refill my refill shower gel, shampoo and conditioner at my local refill shop instead of at The Body Shop because the Fill products are significantly cheaper (only £2 to refill my shower gel rather than £8 at The Body Shop).
I love getting my Upcircle face and eye creams, and scrubs, makeup remover and body lotion from my local refill shop. This is still not cheaper than a basic single use pot of product you can pick up at Superdrug, but they are actually cheaper than The Body Shop equivalent product prices and last longer.
Daily consumables and food
Keep using your refillable water bottle and insulated coffee mug. Make your own coffee from beans or pre-ground (we always do, as we have an intense dislike of pod coffee). A cafetière (approx. £10) is all you need, if you don’t have a fancy coffee machine. Take hot tea or coffee with you when you go out! (This can easily save you £2-3 every time). Or at the very least, you can make an extra effort to take your reusable mug with you.
Certain items of fruit and veg are automatically cheaper when you buy them without packaging: mushrooms is one of them! I kid you not, they are about half the price per kg, go check it out if you don’t believe me, and hunt for more of these treasure items. Otherwise I am still convinced getting my weekly Odd box helps me to cook from scratch and budget better.
Use alternative cooking methods such as a slow cooker or pressure cooker. And make lots of easy, nutritious, comfort food in batches that you can easily reheat; casseroles, goulashes and soups are my go to when feeding a family any time of the year. Some foodie bloggers I like are Creme de la Crumb and The Batch Lady. But more often than not the BBC food website also has great recipes, as do the weekend emails I get from Oddbox.
If you are a carnivore, and I’m from the countryside where farming is essential to the local economy (so I’m personally on the fence when it comes to veganism as a climate change measure) try buying less meat and replacing some of it with veggies or pulses. An aubergine added to a chilli or bolognese can cook down so nicely that my kids don’t even notice it anymore. Sweet potato is another that disappears in a curry and gives you that sauce thickener without you having to do anything.
I got sick of the hiked prices and lowering quality of supermarket sliced bread and bought a bread maker machine. When you factor in the initial purchase, cost of flour and yeast plus electricity it’s probably a comparable cost. But it stops me “popping to the shop” and therefore saves money - I swear! And it tastes nice and feels good to do it. We also get a monthly “Variety Wonky Bread” surplus box now from Earth & Wheat which I pretty much stash in the freezer as soon as it arrives. We love having the focaccias and flatbreads alongside the soups and casseroles so they require minimal effort but add variety.
Energy and utilities
We switched energy supplier to Octopus years ago and as a loyal customer I am impressed with their management of and communication during the increased utility charges we are all experiencing. Given that they started with the intention of supplying renewably derived energy and they are one of the few “green” suppliers still around after so many went bust recently, my support of them has not waned. They are still cheaper than others when I try comparison websites.
Working from home. Saves me money on the daily commute, although it adds to the bills whilst we are at home. I know not everyone is this lucky, but that’s why I’m using the money saved to make changes that are better for our planet.
Less affordable changes or swaps I still want to make
There are other ways to be more sustainable that I want to build in for the future but just can’t see being affordable right now:
Subscription sustainable toilet roll such as Naked Sprout or Who Gives A Crap.
All household consumables and cleaners from my local refill shop.
More dry foods from my local refill shop (with pasta costing 4x what it does in the supermarket, this is not currently even on the table to be honest).
Milk and yogurt in glass refillable bottles.
Meat purely from the local farm shop or somewhere sustainable and free range like Field & Flower (which I did try for a time but their portion sizes only feed 2 people).
Some kind of refillable toothpaste (I’m reluctant to swap the kids on this whilst their teeth are still so young). Got my eye on Life Supplies.
Reality right now
At least for now I am doing something, and I hope this perhaps inspires you to think about making just one more swap, be it to Octopus or ditching that laundry liquid in a single use plastic bottle…
Perhaps this year I will stick to that daily walk as well…promise!
More opinions from me
Why you shouldn’t shop on Amazon
How reusables help in the fight against climate change
Help guides
For more straight forward practical tips on how to switch to reusables without adding to your existing workload or budget, have a read of my further articles/blogs:
