Money is often the reason why many people hesitate to buy eco-friendly products and alternatives. Rightfully so; being sustainable sounds great on paper but it can be expensive in practice. Don’t have the money to get a micro-plastic filter installed or an £8 jar of plastic-free toothpaste every month? Me neither. Tired of people telling you that you have to spend money to be environmentally friendly? Same here. I’ve done a little research into ways to reduce my impact on the planet without whittling my savings away and I thought I’d share some of them with you. For more, you can check out my last blog post on this topic.
Choose to go paperless
A lot of banking can be done online nowadays and most banks offer a paperless programme with their online accounts. Instead of paper bank statements being shoved through my letterbox every month, my bank sends me a PDF bank statement. This is a great way to be mindful of the environment as it doesn’t cost a penny and saves a LOT of paper.
Saying no to physical receipts from shops not only saves paper; but also plastic waste. I was surprised to find out that most receipts have a thin layer of BPA (a chemical found in plastic) coating them. This discovery made me even more determined to say no to receipts. Instead, you can ask for a digital version to be sent to your email. However, this can cause a build-up in your inbox. I’d suggest making a separate email address for receipts and subscriptions to keep your regular email addresses nice and tidy.
Buy bars of soap rather than liquid soap
Liquid soap has been a godsend during this pandemic and I understand why. It can be less messy and more portable than bars of soap. A lot of liquid soap brands are starting a refill system which is better than nothing but it’s still not the nicest for the planet. Bars of soap generally cost less, last a lot longer and take less water to make than liquid soap so they are perfect for those who want to be more eco-friendly. There are plenty of brands that have their soap bars in cardboard packaging with not an inch of plastic in sight. You can also buy bars of organic, homemade soap from zero waste shops without any packaging at all. I still have refillable liquid soap next to my kitchen sink for convenience when working with foods like chicken but my bathroom sink always has a bar of soap instead.
Prevent food waste
Learning how to make the most of your food is important for reducing food waste. Some veg like broccoli last longer when stored in the fridge in a container full of water. Certain veggies should be kept apart- like onions and potatoes as they ripen faster when kept together. Some can be regrown without any soil; leeks and celery can be regrown by placing the roots or base in water. These are ways you can get your money’s worth out of your veggies and reduce food waste.
Having a weekly meal plan that you don’t stray from prevents waste too. This is when I see the appeal of delivery services like Hello Fresh because the only send you the exact amount of food you’ll need for each recipe. But if you’re like me and just do a weekly supermarket shop, having an idea of what meals you want to make each day can make all the difference. Buying random food that you might not eat causes more waste. I’m quite guilty of this- I have a bad habit of buying food, eating some of it and the rest of it gets pushed to the back of the fridge and forgotten about. I’m currently trying to get better at planning for the week and sticking to it to cut down on food waste.
Repair don’t replace
Sewing skills have always been considered essential. However, many people don’t know how to sew these days. You don’t need a sewing machine to do simple repairs or alterations though. There are plenty of tutorials on YouTube to help you if you don’t know what you’re doing. I learned how to sew in Fashion and Textiles class in school and I loved it. I rarely get to use my trusty sewing machine anymore but I do use my sewing knowledge when something needs repairing. If you’ve managed to rip a seam in your jeans or make a hole in your shirt then consider stitching it up rather than replacing them. New clothes can be expensive, especially if you’re looking for investment pieces that will last. You can find creative ways to cover up rips or stains by using patches and buttons. I recently looked into Sashiko visible mending to save my favourite vintage leather jacket. This is an especially great way to repair your clothing while making them more unique and creative. Iron-on patches could be worth a try for those with little confidence in their sewing skills. Repairing clothing prevents a good jacket, t-shirt or pair of jeans going to landfill so always try to repair them instead of throwing them out.
Use cold water to wash clothes
Next time you’re doing laundry, consider washing your clothes in cold water. Hot water releases more microfibres (microscopic fibres of plastic that are in synthetic fabrics, these fibres are released from our clothes when washed and make their way into our oceans) than cold water. Using cold water reduces the number of microfibres released and also saves energy and money so it’s a win-win. This is good if you can’t quite afford all those plastic-free washing up tablets but still want to do your bit for the environment.
Read news online instead of buying newspapers
I know, I know- I’m a journalism student so I should care about physical newspapers. However, I get most of my news online which is much faster, eco-friendly and- not to mention- free. Buying daily newspapers can build up and cost you quite a bit of cash; reading your news online is an easy way to save some money and prevent waste. Some news outlets have a subscription service but most let you read online for free.
If you do like reading physical newspapers but want to help the environment, you can make origami bin liners. You can use these for small bins throughout your house or indoor compost bin. Newspapers are compostable- but I would use several layers of paper for compost bin liners. Just to make sure your food waste doesn’t seep through and make the liner soggy.
Take digital notes instead of handwritten notes
As a student, I have and take a LOT of notes. I can burn through quite a lot of paper with all the notes I take during lectures. I prefer handwritten notes as I retain information better when studying when I’ve written it. I still try to take digital notes when I can. Google docs are perfect for keeping your notes organised and collaborating with a group on one document which I do quite often for uni. Tablets and iPads along with touchscreen pens can be handy for note-taking too. Digital notes save a lot of paper, especially when you’re researching and writing drafts for essays and dissertations.
But if, like me, you struggle to take in digital notes then you can find plenty of string-bound notebooks made from recycled paper in most stationery shops. I got mine from WHSmiths and it’s perfect for uni- it’s very minimalist and sustainable. Digital calendars and planners like Google Calendar and Notion are useful if you need to stay more organised but want to be helpful to the environment as well.
Read second-hand or digital books
I love reading but I feel guilty about buying a brand new copy of a book. I don’t mind it now and again but I don’t think I could buy new books regularly. Most of my books are secondhand, which is a lot cheaper and sustainable than buying new books. This is especially good for students as textbooks can be expensive. Try looking on eBay first before buying a new book. Some textbooks featured on uni reading lists are available for free online as a PDF so keep an eye out for that. If you have a kindle, you can keep hundreds of books on there, its easier to travel with and digital books are often cheaper than physical copies. Kindles can be expensive when bought new though. You can find them secondhand for a lot cheaper so it’s a good option for any environmentally conscious bookworms. If you have an Amazon Prime account you can also get the Kindle app on your phone and read certain books for free. Audiobook subscriptions save on paper as well but can also cost money. There are plenty of discount codes to look out for, many YouTubers and bloggers have brand deals with Audible so keep an eye out if you’re considering.
Being eco-friendly doesn’t equate to having an insta-worthy plastic-free bathroom with DIY deodorants, organic loofahs and shampoo bars. You don’t have to have money to help the planet, but you must have motivation. I don’t have a picture-perfect kitchen without an inch of plastic in sight- that’s not realistic for me. I cut out plastic and other forms of waste when I can but I find a lot of the zero-waste movement unattainable for me and some of the prices we’re expected to pay are unreasonable. I’m making it my mission to make this movement as accessible for as many people as possible. We don’t have to have a perfect zero-waste lifestyle to make a difference- all it takes is a few small changes made by all of us.
Thank you for reading x
Photography: Ryan Duff
Thrifty Mango 
One Reply to “”