A Simple Lifestyle #fivefrugalthings

I have always tinkered with reducing the chemicals and waste in my life and living more simply. However, I have never been a purist about it.  There are quite a few products at Shoestring Cottage that contain more nasties than I am happy about. Because I care about the environment, and because I want to make 2021 my most frugal year yet, I am determined to fully embrace a simple lifestyle and make more of my own waste free and natural products.

Natural cleaning

Last week I told you that I had ordered a large bag of Salveo soap nuts* from Amazon. Over the past few days I have been experimenting with them.

I shared how I made some washing up liquid on my Instagram account. It was really easy. Although it doesn’t foam up as much as the commercial stuff, it seems to clean very effectively. I was pleasantly surprised!

My  making my own washing up liquid, I will cut down on my single use plastic, avoid contact with irritants like sodium laurel sulphate and reduce the number of toxic substances that get flushed down the drain. This article from the Ecologist explains the issues in more detail.

Natural beauty

I used a recipe I had seen on Root & Revel to make my own facial tonic. It is very gentle and refreshing, containing rosewater, cider vinegar and witch hazel.

This is nice to use first thing in the morning or as a facial spritzer. I only had an old dropper bottle to put mine in, so I put a few drops on a reusable make up pad to wake my skin up before I moisturise and get ready for the day.

There is loads of each of the ingredients left, so I will research other recipes to use them up. If you are interested in making your own, natural beauty products, check out this post.

Valentine’s Day is approaching!

I often make my own Valentine’s Day cards for Mr S. However, this year I have seen adverts for Thortful, which is a platform for independent designers and creators to sell their card designs. I thought this looked rather interesting, so I have bought him a very witty one from there (can’t show you it yet, obvs).

If you want to find some more unusual and creative designs for your cards, my referral link to get 30% off your first order is here.

We won’t spend much on presents. Just chocolates or wine to show we care without busting the budget. Usually we cook a nice meal. Steak and chips is Mr S’s favourite, which is fine by me as it’s quick and easy.

Still more DIY

I am still decorating the hallway, doing a few hours at a time to break up what is a mammoth task. Well, it feels that way to me, anyway, especially with the dog helping.

The downstairs part is complete, and I am working my way up the stairs (you can see the wall needs a second coat). Here is my revamped dresser in its freshly painted space.

I had to rip up the bottom chunks of the stair carpet, although the main stair case section is still intact. The easiest thing would be to buy a new carpet, but since I am only buying second hand during 2021 I am having to be a bit more creative. 

We are going to sand the exposed bottom sections and paint them, then thoroughly clean what remains of the carpet. There are damaged sections on the landing too, so I think we are going to look out for a large rug (second hand obviously) and completely cover them up.

Little and often gets the job done! By the way, you can see what the cupboard looked like before it was painted in this post.

Savings

We managed to put away £200 into savings during January of our £1000 savings goal. Part of this was from some bits and pieces Mr S dug out of the attic to list on eBay. 

He has collected various things over the years but is finally clearing some out. I sold a vintage wind up car of his for £75 and a collectible Beatles tea towel for £30! 

I love old and vintage things, but if they aren’t being used and aren’t likely to appreciate massively in value, I can’t see the point in keeping them. Maybe he is coming round to my point of view!

I hope you had a good week. Are you aiming for a more simple lifestyle and, if so, what changes have you made?

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

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