I love a lot of things in this world, and near the top of my list includes cheap, eco-friendly alternatives to things I use all the time. There’s a whole mess of things in my life that I know I could be better at, but every little bit helps, so here’s a few simple things you can do to spend less and help the planet more, while still making your life easier.
1. Make your own dryer balls
I know how tedious laundry gets, and the only thing more tedious is having to buy dryer sheets over and over again. It’s such a waste of money and effort when you could just make your own dryer balls once and be done with it. There’s a bunch of different ways to make them, and there’s tutorials all over the internet so I won’t do another one here, but it’s so worth it. Putting in some effort once leads to less effort and money in the long run, and you can just use the same ball over and over, so no more waste!
2. Homemade sugar scrubs
I love skin care as much as the next person, but it’s just so expensive to keep buying the scrubs, body washes and moisturizers constantly. So my solution is to just make my own! I just use regular white sugar, some coconut oil, a dash of sunflower oil, and a few drops of whatever essential oil I want. I like using lavender, thyme, and a bit of amber oil for a relaxing scrub, and thyme, peppermint, and eucalyptus oil for a more cleansing feel. I melt the coconut oil before mixing it, and the sunflower oil moisturizes the skin in a slightly different way, but you can mix it up however you want. Try a different type of sugar, or a different mix of essential oils, and make it personalized to you. It’s so much cheaper in the long run, and refilling it is as easy as just mixing a new container.
3. Upcycling/reusing clothes
I am such a fan of thrift stores and yard sales and all sorts of cheap clothing shopping. But sometimes you need to just look at your closet and see what you can do with what you have. Maybe you want to add some fun cutouts to a top, or turn that dress into a skirt. Everything is good, so long as you are having fun with it and making it your own. Personal style is such a fun thing to play around with, so go and play with different styles and looks until you hit one that you like. It’s just so much cheaper to play around with old clothes you never wear right now anyways than it is to spend a fortune on new ones. And if you don’t like the end result after all? Donate it! Someone else might like it, even if it doesn’t suit you how you thought it might.
4. Recycle, Reuse, or Donate
I am a huge fan of recycling in general, as everyone should be, but before I recycle some things I think about if I can reuse it somewhere else. I’m pretty sure it’s been years since I threw out a shoe box, because they just make such convenient storage! You can organize your sock drawer by using shoe boxes, or put old photos and memories safely in a box in a closet, without having to buy new boxes. I always try to think about whether or not I can reuse something without throwing it out, and even if I can’t use it I try to think if someone else can. If it’s actually fully trash, then it’s time to throw it out and recycle it, but it only takes a few minutes to think if it can be useful for someone.
5. Make your own grocery bags
My mom crochets, so she loves making reusable grocery bags for the entire family. I’m not as good at crocheting as her, but there’s a million tutorials out there online for how to turn old fabric scraps or t-shirts into simple totes. They can look super cute, be a fun craft project for a girls night, and help the environment without too much effort. And in the long run, it’s way less effort to spend an afternoon making a bunch of bags than it is to spend years cleaning up the oceans.
(That said, I do sometimes forget to bring my bag, so I use the plastic bags as trash bags for my desk trash. I don’t ever buy the little trash bags meant for small trash, because at least this way I’m using the plastic bags in some kind of useful way. And no worries if you get plastic bags at the store, just try to find a good way to use them instead of just throwing them out immediately and making more trash).
I know this isn’t a comprehensive list of how to be eco-friendly without spending a million dollars, but even little things can help in the long run. If you want to do more, look at other things like this to add to your life, and maybe try some activism! Saving the planet isn’t just on us, it’s on the government and big companies to make major changes to their policies. So if you feel like you want to do more for Mother Earth, try looking up a local group interested in saving the planet. And remember, the cheapest and most eco-friendly thing you can do is vote for officials who support the planet, both in local and national government. So have fun, try some of these ideas, and remember to vote!