We partnered with ‘A Life Less Throwaway’ author Tara Button for our recent giveaway and asked you to share your ideas and tips on how to be more mindful in the home.
We have selected 16 of our favourite tips to share and here’s what you had to say:
Get creative
@whatiateforbreakfast: “One of my favourite sustainable tips is instead of buying brand new furniture, I’ll search online for unwanted items and up cycle with a lick of paint to fit in with my home. It saves money, helps the environment and gives beautiful items a new home.”
@lorraine_crighton: “Birthday and Christmas card fronts can be cut up and used to make new cards and wrapping paper or bags likewise can be reused.”
@Verity Lewis: “Our biggest tip is to use what you have – old clothes for cleaning and reuse jars for containers or glasses.”
Buy for the life you have
@Dean_Stephen: “Whenever I think about buying something I wait two weeks. Usually by that point the desire for the item had gone or I will try and find a second hand alternative.”
@niarcampbell: “For me, being more sustainable is about questioning the need to buy. Asking whether I really need something and whether I’ll definitely use it. Sometimes it means breaking habits or routines. Or making something instead of buying new. It doesn’t mean going without, but being more thoughtful in my choices.”
In the kitchen
@tash.ray: I reuse glass jars and bottles for homemade dressings, sauces and jams. This stops me buying unnecessary plastic bottles and packages from ready made items. Also it helps me discover gorgeous flavours and lets me indulge in my love for cooking!
@William Harris: ” Once you have purchased a product, always buy refills thereafter.”
@Róisín Nic Eocháin: “We are conscious of buying products with less packaging such as loose fruit and veg and recycle all the waste we can.”
Shop locally
@Daisy Louise: “I try and stick to eating seasonal fruit and vegetables that are produced locally. It’s great for us and also the environment.”
@Joanna Terry: “Our local farm shop has introduced a facility to allow you to take your own tubs to fill, this means no single use packaging!”
Plan ahead
Louise Overington: “Plan things like lunches ahead of time to avoid over packaged supermarket meal grabs. Use reusable containers to transport and store.”
Susan M Page: “Shop at markets using a cloth bag then find recipes to use every bit of veg and fruit over the week. We plan a week of recipes and only buy what we need.”
In the garden
@sincerely_fabia: “Try growing your own fruit and veggies in your home and garden. It’s great for the kids to see how a seed can be planted and blossom into their favourite snacks.”
@John Clarke: “We use waste water from washing up to water the plants in our garden.”
Swap shops
@Alice Dixon: “I do a clothes swap with my family, we all swap clothes, shoes and bags etc. It saves us all money, nothing gets thrown out and it’s fun!”
@Sarah Ann Tonner: “I’m a big fan of swap shops. I take along items I no longer need, exchange them for tokens and leave with a new wardrobe! It’s fun, exciting and a great way to give clothes a new lease of life instead of buying new ones.”