4 Everyday Swaps To Go Plastic Free On A Budget!
The thought of living completely plastic-free is what most of us look towards. However, it can also feel like an impossible task. We wander the supermarket aisles and pretty much everything we see is wrapped in plastic! We order parcels online to find each one pops through our door glistening in its plastic wrapping. It feels like trying to escape from plastic is an impossible task.
What Does Plastic-Free Mean?
A plastic-free lifestyle means reducing the amount of plastic you buy and use, and looking for other sustainable alternatives. Everyone has different ideas of what plastic-free means.
Plastic sneaks its way into our houses in many forms; food, cleaning, laundry, and toiletries. Some may see plastic-free as just reducing the amount of plastic waste. Others believe that plastic-free means avoiding all products that include microplastics such as many household cleaning products.
Everyone’s definitions are different, so make the swaps you feel can help you, the environment, save you money and that you enjoy. You shouldn't feel that you are under too much pressure, or spending too much money trying to make swaps which are putting you under financial stress and worry. If you're looking for some simple swaps that will save you money, don't require a large upfront cost and can be easily added to your day-to-day life, you're in the right place.
Here are 4 ways you can become plastic free on a budget;
Say Bye To Cling Film & Sandwich Bags!
Swap out those sandwiches wrapped in clingfilm or those items thrown into a sandwich bag. Have you heard of Beeswax wraps? They are sustainable and eco-friendly wraps made from beeswax which protect your food, are reusable, cost-effective and come in a range of different sizes and designs. You can also opt for Tupperware, but instead of the plastic takeaway style tubs and plastic boxes, bamboo Tupperware is all over the shops now.
Reusable & Travel Mugs
As busy parents you often find yourself grabbing a drink or a coffee here and there on the go. But not only is this single-use plastic, not the way we want to go, but it's also not very friendly on your purse.
You don’t need to lose the luxury of the coffee from your favourite barista or that one drink of the day you can enjoy in peace. Just use a reusable coffee cup. It will keep your coffee warmer for longer, but you also can save yourself money - and spend more time in the coffee shop than doing the jobs on your to-do list. Coffee chains such as Costa Coffee reward you with an extra stamp when you use a reusable cup for your coffee. So instead of 8 coffees for a free one, it will only take 4!
If you aren't a coffee drinker, you can save money on bottled water by buying a reusable water bottle. Well-known high street stores such as Pret a Manger advertise free water refills in store if you have your own bottle. If you ask nicely enough, lots of places will give you free refills too.
Supermarket Shopping Without The Plastic!
As busy parents, we know it’s unrealistic to say goodbye to supermarket shopping. However, there are lots of ways to reduce the plastic we produce while shopping.
This may seem basic, but using reusable shopping bags made from recycled materials or cotton, as opposed to single-use plastic, can help you reduce the plastic while you shop. It’s also a great way to save money as bags in the UK cost at least 10p each.
Another plastic-free swap would be to choose loose fruit and vegetables as opposed to pre-packaged ones. Loose veg is often cheaper and you can also reduce the amount of waste by buying only what you need. Many supermarkets now have reusable fruit and veg bags for your loose items and have removed the rolls of plastic bags from stores.
Plastic-Free Toiletries
A great place to start on the journey to plastic-free is with items you use regularly and replace often. These tend to be things like make-up wipes, toothbrushes and shampoo.
With refill shops popping up more locally, the ability to swap for refills is easier than before. Saying goodbye to plastic unsightly shampoo bottles, and hello to glass pump bottles which you can refill at your nearest store cuts down on the 250million bottles of shampoo that end up in landfill sites every year.
On average each person goes through 4 toothbrushes per year! When you add that up for the number of people on the planet that's a lot of toothbrushes. Swapping to a plastic-free toothbrush is easily done and cost-effective too. Bamboo toothbrushes not only give the same quality of cleanliness but won’t cost much more than a normal plastic toothbrush.
Our final simple toiletries swap is makeup wipes. Yes, it’s convenient to pull one out and wipe away the day, but these are single-use, abrasive on your skin, and only tend to last for around a month once opened before drying out.
Reusable make-up remover pads are super gentle on your skin, and there’s no more stress about forgetting to rebuy wipes. You can use them with water, or with micellar water, to get your skin glowing again. It's a quick swap that will save you money in the long run!
Are You Ready To Make The Swap?
We get that the swap to plastic-free can seem like a daunting one, but don't let it be. It is a process that doesn't happen overnight. Start with some easy swaps that don't require upfront costs and enjoy the process. Remember, every swap is progress and before you know it, you'll be navigating your way through a world of less plastic and eco happiness.
If you follow any of our tips in this blog, tag us on socials to show us - we love to hear from you! Happy plastic-free living!
