Well, hello again! I'm sorry it has been a couple of weeks since my last post. I have been trying to keep up a weekly post, but sometimes nursing school can really throw a wrench in things. Things are now in a very brief cool down period, so I think it is time I sit down and add a new edition of Use this, Not this. This week I am featuring money-saving, sustainable item substitutions for yogurt, dental hygiene products and laundry. I know that at least two of these items are essentials in all of our lives. I mean, who doesn't love yogurt? ;-)
Make homemade yogurt in place of store bought!
Yogurt is one of the healthier dairy products, offering a good dose of calcium as well as active probiotics.
If you are like me, you eat yogurt almost every day, which really adds
up in both money and plastic waste. A few months ago I decided to look into making my own yogurt as an alternative. I searched for a reasonably priced yogurt machine (unfortunately the price has gone up by $10!), then compared the costs of making yogurt to buying it.
One cup of yogurt can cost up to $.99 per cup, let's say $.50 at the
least. To make homemade yogurt you simply need one cup of yogurt and
42oz of milk. Conveniently, a gallon of milk will make three batches of
42oz yogurt, or 21 cups (6oz each). A gallon of milk from
Trader Joe's in WA costs $2.79, meaning each 6oz cup of yogurt will cost you around $.13. A striking price difference. Additionally, you can re-batch your 7th cup each time in order to make the subsequent batch. Sound complicated? It's really not. If your a yogurt person, I advise you to look into making your yogurt at home, it will save you a lot of money. Other benefits include being able to choose the type of milk you use (skim, low fat, 2%, whole, soy, etc.), adding flavors that you prefer, and keeping the excess sugar out.
Dental hygiene. It's really something we all should have as a daily routine. I'm not just talking about brushing and mouthwash. I am talking about the stuff that gets down to the nitty gritty: your floss!
I have been a big fan of those little plastic flossers. I hate using string floss. Wrapping it around my fingers, which then proceed to go numb.
But, the fact of the matter is, those plastic flossers add up to so much
waste and definitely cost more than loose floss. So, I sought out my
alternatives. I invested in a gum stimulator, not as a replacement for
floss, but as an adjuvant. Gum stimulators are made from metal with a
rubber tip. You only need to replace the rubber tip every so often, so
it is very minimal waste. I also invested in a flosser called The
Dolphin. It is still plastic, like the flossers; but unlike the flossers, you get many more uses out of this one tool. I also found a little bonus secret. I chose the dolphin because I saw a screw near the bottom of it. When I brought it home, I took it apart and guess what. You can reload the Dolphin with loose floss! Of course, they do not advertise it this way, but I intend to get as many uses as I can out of this until it breaks.
Laundry. Another essential in all of our lives. Whether you have a washer-dryer in your home, or you use coin-operated machines, laundry costs add up!
Not only the energy costs, but the products we use in the machines, such as dryer sheets and fabric softener. Dryer sheets are just full of chemicals that really shouldn't be touching our skin on a daily basis. They also do nothing to aid the process of drying our clothes. On top of all of this, we have to keep buying them over and over! Reusable dryers balls, however, both soften our clothes without chemicals and
shorten drying times phenomenally. If you miss the scent-factor of
dryer sheets there are a couples of natural alternatives that I
recommend. Shown here are Lavender Dryer Sachets from Trader Joe's.
There are 4 in a pack, and 1 sachet lasts up to 10 washes. After the
10th, sprinkle it on your carpet and vacuum up in order to freshen your
home's air. Another option is to take a clean, dry sock or wash
cloth and pour a few drops of essential oils on to it. Throw this into
the dryer with your clothes and it will add a lovely scent to your
laundry (it works great!). Then put the sock or washcloth into a air-tight container and save for the
next few loads.
That's it for now! I hope that as you do your shopping, you actively consider what sustainable alternatives exist. I love when I find a product that only requires me to purchase it one time, yet promises to last for years to come. One less errand to run. One less thing on the shopping list. One less item in the landfill. And one less dollar spent. That is sustainable living.
