Frugal and sustainable achievements #fivefrugalthings

I am really making efforts during my second hand year to be frugal and sustainable. The entire concept of reuse is a more eco friendly way to live, of course. Once an item has been produced, it makes sense to get as much use out of it as possible.

Buying second hand doesn’t mean buying worse quality, either. In many cases, it means I can afford better quality than I would if I was buying new, which is a win-win when you are trying to be frugal and sustainable.

This week seems to have naturally become a week of eco friendly achievements that have saved money too. So what have I been up to?

1# Buying second hand gifts

I have mentioned before that buying people used gifts was one of the things I was most worried about during my challenge to buy only second hand during 2021.

Surprisingly, this is the part of my challenge that I am most enjoying! It has made me think more carefully, research different options and, in some cases, do a bit of practical DIY.

The next birthday up is my daughter’s boyfriend. As a musician, I know there are certain bands that he is passionate about. Initially, I was thinking that maybe a vintage band T-shirt from eBay would be a good choice. However, looking at the bands he likes, such as Oasis, quickly made me change track. 

Used, original tour T-shirts for this particular band were starting at £100 and priced up to £400! I can’t help but think the latter was particularly optimistic. A T-shirt is a T-shirt, at the end of the day.

My daughter then suggested an LP, as he loves old records. We located a Portishead one that she knows he will like in mint condition. This might seem expensive at £24, but I think that is a better deal than a used T-shirt for £40o! Let’s hope he likes it. 

My sister’s is next, but I can’t say too much about hers as she does occasionally read my blog…

2# Green cleaning

When we first got Archie, I cut up a tatty old towel to use to mop up his various puppy accidents. Now that he is house trained, I am still using the cloths for all kinds of things: to mop up spills, as dusters, as a dishcloth, for DIY and to clean the windows.

I have put them in a little pot next to the kitchen roll to remind us to use this first, rather than unthinkingly grabbing loads of the paper towels. Then I throw them straight into the washing machine to be done with the next load.

I do use scrubbers too, but I am phasing out the plastic scourers in favour of eplanita biodegradable loofah ones*. We have one that has lasted for months and months, but is now on its last legs, so I bought a pack of six from Amazon. Yes, they are new, but you don’t get second hand scrubbers!

We also have a couple of wooden pot brushes* that have lasted over a year so far, so they were a good investment.

3# Collecting coffee grounds

After making my vlog about my first experiment with a home made moisturiser, I am exploring more DIY cosmetics recipes.

I figure that as I run out of something I will attempt to make my own replacement, and share my experiences with you. Yesterday morning I had to fight to squeeze the last of my facial scrub out of the plastic tube, so that seems like a good place for my next experiment.

I am going to try a scrub based on coffee grounds, since my lodger works at a coffee shop and can easily get me some used ones at the end of the day. So she is bringing some back from work today! I will let you know how this goes and make another video to share.

You can see my attempt at a moisturiser on YouTube here.

4# Making snacks

As I mentioned in my last meal plan, I am trying to cut my carbs right down. I feel so much better when I do this, have fewer aches and pains and no IBS. It’s also a great way to easily lose weight. When I was eating low carb before, a stone just fell off without me feeling hungry or dieting.

It is much easier to eat low carb when we have plenty of carb free snack and general food items in. The trouble is that shop bought keto type snacks are really expensive! I really miss crisps and crackers, so made a batch of seedy keto crackers from my Quick Keto Meals in 30 Minutes or Less* recipe book.

When I have a snack attack, these are nice with some cheddar or some soft cheese. They also involve a lot less unrecyclable plastic than commercial individually wrapped snacks.

5# Saving seeds

I have seen a lot of people on social media saving seeds from peppers and tomatoes to grow on. They don’t always work as sometimes they are infertile. However, when I was chopping a pepper the other day, I thought, why not give it a go?

So I carefully pulled out the seeds and left them to dry for a bit. I will pop them in a bit of compost on the window sill over the weekend and see if they germinate.

Making stuff last – right to repair

I published a blog post about making things last longer this week. Reader Julia kindly let me know about a new EU ‘right to repair’ law that will impact us too if we want to trade with the EU. 

This challenges manufacturers who make electrical items deliberately designed to last for a shorter period of time than is necessary, the so-called ‘planned obsolescence’ that means we have to replace appliances every few years. They are designed to be difficult or impossible to repair, but the new law requires manufacturers to produce goods that can be repaired for up to 10 years.

This is brilliant news for those of us striving to be frugal and sustainable, and should reduce the piles of defunct electrical goods we see at our landfill sites.

More good news!

I was really pleased to find that Shoestring Cottage has made it through to the SHOMOs shortlist again this year, in the category of frugal food. You can see the other members of the UK Money Bloggers community that made it through here.

I love going to the SHOMOs each year to meet other bloggers. There is so much to learn from each other. Sadly, we won’t have a meeting in the flesh for these SHOMOs, but hopefully we will next time. 

Anyhow, that’s my round up of my frugal and sustainable week. How has yours been?

This post contains affiliate links, marked with *. If you click through and make a purchase, it won’t cost you any more but I will earn a small commission.

I’m linking up with this Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Frugal Friday’ linky.