Small Changes = New Habits

I recently made myself some beeswax food wraps with scraps of fabric I have lying around, coconut oil in my pantry, and beeswax that I had bought online. Seeing them drying on my counter this morning made me smile, and gave me the idea to do a quick post on reusable items!

This isn't a hippie thing. Or a short-term fad. I do believe that one of our roles here on earth is to tend the planet. Sadly, we haven't been doing a great job. And I know that it would take a major overhaul to change the way society relies on disposables and plastics and such, so here's my suggestion: start small, one change at a time.

A few ideas are…

- use cloth diapers

- hang your clothes to dry

- buy or make your own beeswax food wraps (use in place of plastic wrap)

- use a menstrual cup (like the Diva cup) or washable menstrual pads (I use ones like these) for menstrual periods

- use paper straws, or skip the straw altogether

- bring your own mug to your coffee shop

- bring reusable bags to the grocery store

- use cloth napkins and cotton towels instead of paper

- compost your food scraps and lawn clippings

- buy food in bulk and repackage them yourself

- learn to make your own yogurt, bread, salad dressings, etc.

- reuse spray bottles by making your own cleaner (I share my "recipe" for citrus-scented vinegar spray on this blog post)

And this is the short list! You can easily find ways to reuse, recycle, or donate containers, clothes, toys, books, electronics! With a little effort and creativity (and honestly, sometimes some inconvenience), you can drastically reduce the amount of garbage your family produces – and start new habits! 

(As I mentioned before, this was a quick post, so I don't go into much detail. But everything on this list is completely doable – I know, because I do almost all of them! If you have any questions or would like more information, please ask!)