How To Be Sustainable Even If You Are Skint
little things you can do to help the environment and ya bank
Hiii,
Hiii,
Been super quiet on this for absolute yonks (because of essays and being incapable of coping with stress without shutting down fully), but it's one of my New Years Resolutions to start writing for this a couple of times a month, as it makes me happier than I realise.
Thinking about resolutions, changes and the new year, one of my other goals for the year is to be more environmentally conscious. I've always cared about the environment through the basic ways of not wasting food, recycling and being largely vegetarian since I was 15, only eating fish once a week as I have bad anaemia (like...bad).
I wanted to write a lil post on how I am trying to live a more sustainable and subsequently happier life and you'll probably save a lot of money too :-)
(I know big corporations are responsible for the majority of waste and environmental issues but it's important we all do what we can)
(I know big corporations are responsible for the majority of waste and environmental issues but it's important we all do what we can)
1. CUT OUT FAST FASHION AND ONLINE SHOPPING
£3.5bn was spent on Christmas party clothing last year but 8 million of these items will be thrown away after only one wear. Having always loved clothes, I found myself from when I was probably 12/13 obsessing with new trends and items that appeared on my screen, I'd be taken in by adverts on social media and made to feel like I needed these things. Fast fashion and websites like Boohoo and PrettyLittleThing became the most accessible way for me to get clothes when I was around 17/18 and starting to go out every weekend. I lived off a strict £40 allowance from my parents from doing jobs around the house and I got £5 a day from my volunteering at an art gallery, so when my priorities lay with having enough change for a bottle of Smirnoff with my mates, you bet I'd be wearing a £10 black boohoo dress. However, despite the accessibility through cheap prices, I never felt satisfied by these purchases and due to the cheap quality, I found myself getting a few wears out of items and then moving onto something else; leading onto a lot of clutter and waste (monetary and environmentally).
Although it's taken me a while, I've found that its not only fast fashion that makes me over shop on things I don't need but also online shopping in general. I rarely shop online anymore (well since around October) and if I do it's if I've been searching for a particular item for a while, it is sometimes too easy to be drawn in by 'spend X to get free delivery' or 'use code X for 10% off' and with the ease of Apple Pay sometimes you end up adding things and not giving yourself time to think about it. When I've been in physical stores, sometimes (much to my boyfriend's dismay) I'll have been picking bits up, trying it on and then I'll get to the queue and will find my mind wondering to whether I need these things, and I have quite a few times realised I don't and felt better for leaving the queue and putting the items back. You don't get this time to think with online shopping and I think it's really important to think about what your buying without just putting your thumb print down.
The absolute best place and way to buy clothes is second-hand through the form of a charity shop, vintage store or online platform like depop. My favourite bag that I use on most nights out was £3 in Oxfam and I have got &otherstories dresses for £4 from charity shops too. They are cool. Use them.
I've also been trying to shop at more sustainable brands, and I'll link some I really like below. Although they are often slightly more expensive, they are more investment pieces that will last for years and years and will provide you with a versatile capsule wardrobe.
https://www.weekday.com/en_gbp/index.html
https://www.wearetala.com/
https://djerfavenue.com/uk/about-us/
https://www.wearetala.com/
https://djerfavenue.com/uk/about-us/
2. UNSUBSCRIBE FROM 'NEWSLETTERS' THAT JUST WANT YOU TO SPEND £
This is pretty much a second part to the latter point, but I found that I was often drawn in by the flash sales on a lot of websites. Companies, particularly clothing companies, like to make you feel special by giving you 'early access' to sale items that almost make you panic click while sweating in case your size sells out when you probably didn't need any of the stuff you are about to order anyway. The 10% off deals aren't really worth it when you end up buying a £30 t shirt every week becaue there wa £2 off.
3. BUY LESS PRE-PACKAGED FRUIT AND VEG
Buying pre-packaged fruit and veg is always more expensive than buying them individually. But not only are you saving money but by buying the exact amount that you need you won't be wasting food by buying too much. You can buy handy produce bags from here for a reasonable price and they cut down on plastic too-- https://www.boobalou.co.uk/reusable-organic-food-bag.html
IKEA also had two string bags for £4 last time I went and they are what I sometimes use when I can remember to bring them.
4. STOP BUYING MEAL DEALS
This is a really difficult one to cut down on to be honest, especially being in uni. Tesco meal deals are a staple for when I have a full day at uni but some time last year I realised how much single-use plastic I was using for lunch alone. I started taking my own lunch to uni in Tupperware and although it is sometimes tempting to think about picking one up on the way home from a morning lecture for easiness, I always try and remind myself that I have food at home. You'll again save money doing this as although meal deals are only normally around £3, three pound every day adds up. The Tupperware that I have is this one from Amazon that is good as it's got different compartments in for your different bits.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GNVSXQ2/ref=twister_B01LB69U3O?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Obviously there are sometimes times when you forget your lunch or need to buy a quick one but when this happens I've just tried to remain more aware of what I am buying and buying cans or glass bottles instead of plastic bottles
5. USE BUSES OR ARRIVA CLICK INSTEAD OF TAXIS MORE
Although really obvious, this one is huuuuge for saving money and for doing your bit for the environment. When I first started at uni and got my loan in I got taxis literally all the time once it got past 6pm. Although its really tempting to just go to and from exactly where you need to go, by yourself without any stops, if you live surrounded by a good bus network then it's worth just waiting the extra 15 minutes. Obviously I know this isn't the case for everyone and another good option that is available now in some areas of Liverpool is ArrivaClick, I only discovered this properly a couple of months back but it's SO good and people I meet still aren't onto it so I thought I'd throw it in here. Get ArrivaClick it's the best, it's so cheap and reduces traffic congestion as numerous people are picked up on the way to where you are going (hope I get more free credit now after that shoutout #notanad)
6. EAT LESS MEAT (obviously)
This is another obvious one but it's worth putting in. Agriculture as we all know has a detrimental effect on natural resources and the environment. Scientists have warned that reductions to the level of a 90% drop in beef consumption, need to occur in western countries for the world to be relatively ok from any level of climate change. It's easier said than done too with numerous vegan and vegetarian options popping up in stores and in restaurants, if you swap one meal a day for something vegetarian or have one day without meat a week you would be making a huge difference. I have also found that often vegetarian or vegan options are cheaper in restaurants than those with meat in so even if you only ate this way when you ate out you'd be helping the environment and helping your bank too.
I hope you enjoyed this piece and that you think at least one of these will be worth adopting in 2020. Feels good to be writing about bits again and I am definitely going to keep these more regular this year.
RXCHZ
3. BUY LESS PRE-PACKAGED FRUIT AND VEG
Buying pre-packaged fruit and veg is always more expensive than buying them individually. But not only are you saving money but by buying the exact amount that you need you won't be wasting food by buying too much. You can buy handy produce bags from here for a reasonable price and they cut down on plastic too-- https://www.boobalou.co.uk/reusable-organic-food-bag.html
IKEA also had two string bags for £4 last time I went and they are what I sometimes use when I can remember to bring them.
4. STOP BUYING MEAL DEALS
This is a really difficult one to cut down on to be honest, especially being in uni. Tesco meal deals are a staple for when I have a full day at uni but some time last year I realised how much single-use plastic I was using for lunch alone. I started taking my own lunch to uni in Tupperware and although it is sometimes tempting to think about picking one up on the way home from a morning lecture for easiness, I always try and remind myself that I have food at home. You'll again save money doing this as although meal deals are only normally around £3, three pound every day adds up. The Tupperware that I have is this one from Amazon that is good as it's got different compartments in for your different bits.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01GNVSXQ2/ref=twister_B01LB69U3O?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
Obviously there are sometimes times when you forget your lunch or need to buy a quick one but when this happens I've just tried to remain more aware of what I am buying and buying cans or glass bottles instead of plastic bottles
5. USE BUSES OR ARRIVA CLICK INSTEAD OF TAXIS MORE
Although really obvious, this one is huuuuge for saving money and for doing your bit for the environment. When I first started at uni and got my loan in I got taxis literally all the time once it got past 6pm. Although its really tempting to just go to and from exactly where you need to go, by yourself without any stops, if you live surrounded by a good bus network then it's worth just waiting the extra 15 minutes. Obviously I know this isn't the case for everyone and another good option that is available now in some areas of Liverpool is ArrivaClick, I only discovered this properly a couple of months back but it's SO good and people I meet still aren't onto it so I thought I'd throw it in here. Get ArrivaClick it's the best, it's so cheap and reduces traffic congestion as numerous people are picked up on the way to where you are going (hope I get more free credit now after that shoutout #notanad)
6. EAT LESS MEAT (obviously)
This is another obvious one but it's worth putting in. Agriculture as we all know has a detrimental effect on natural resources and the environment. Scientists have warned that reductions to the level of a 90% drop in beef consumption, need to occur in western countries for the world to be relatively ok from any level of climate change. It's easier said than done too with numerous vegan and vegetarian options popping up in stores and in restaurants, if you swap one meal a day for something vegetarian or have one day without meat a week you would be making a huge difference. I have also found that often vegetarian or vegan options are cheaper in restaurants than those with meat in so even if you only ate this way when you ate out you'd be helping the environment and helping your bank too.
I hope you enjoyed this piece and that you think at least one of these will be worth adopting in 2020. Feels good to be writing about bits again and I am definitely going to keep these more regular this year.
RXCHZ
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