Sustainability on a Budget

Sustainability as a lifestyle concept is certainly not new – in fact at this point it is decidedly old news! But saving money will never go out of style.. And much as I’m sick of companies slapping eco- in front of everything they fancy charging more money for, sustainability at its core is still sexy and necessary, and CAN BE CHEAP! Like a condom, but the vegan kind, made of 100% natural rubber.

 So here are some hot tips for saving money AND still buying things sustainably: 

< PLUS – A limited-time 10% discount code from the lovely folk over at Harriet’s in Hove! >

In the Bathroom! 

Where 63.7% of the home’s annual plastic waste comes from. Seriously, we should be talking about this more, forget plastic straws – 1,030,037kg of plastic waste collectively comes from UK bathrooms every year. Compare that to the 126,076kg of plastic waste our UK kitchens collectively produce… Real T – bathrooms are where we need to make some changes!   

SO! Did you know there are plenty of places around Brighton and Hove where you can cheaply refill your shower gel, moisturiser, shampoo and conditioner?

Harriet’s of Hove is a good place to start – they offer tonnes of sustainable options for hair care including hair clay, a styling product that I had literally never heard of until this moment, but that offers to give you a “medium hold to your hair for a rugged, modern look”. Who doesn’t want that, neatly packaged in a little recyclable tin for £7… and you can choose Cedarwood, Sandalwood or Lemongrass… delicious! 

Slight tangent aside, Harriet’s also offers the chance to refill your Alter/native body wash, shampoo and conditioner really really cheaply – at £10 a kilogram! You could honestly shop to your heart’s content at Harriet’s, and turn your bathroom completely plastic free with deodorant bars, lip balms, bamboo cotton buds and more. At first I thought £12.50 seemed a lot for the Biork deodorant, but then I saw that it lasts A YEAR and my sustainability brain kicked in and did some quick maths – I buy trusty old Mitchum at £3 a pop, and let’s say I have to get a new one every month – that’s £36 a year at least! So I could be spending 3 times less and eliminate a really big source of plastic in my life. It also comes in a cute cork container which totally goes with my new bathroom aesthetic. Sold!

To the Kitchen! 

As we now know, the kitchen is not as much of a plastic producer as the bathroom (I’m still reeling from this information tbh), but there are definitely ways to cut out plastic use, reuse items and most importantly, save money! 

If you’re reading this far, you don’t need to be told to ditch plastic bags and get a reusable one. You probably already buy unpackaged fruit from a local fruit and veg place or the Taj, get OddBox deliveries and get your dry goods in refillable containers from one of the many many plastic free shops like Harriet’s around Brighton and Hove so – here’s a new trick:

My favourite money saving hack is something I learnt from a fisherman named Matambu. He showed me how to take any leftover seeds and beans you have (like mung beans, chickpeas and sunflower seeds) and turn them into a delicious snack or salad toppers! Best of all – it reuses glass jars a-plenty, so I finally have a use for those coffee containers I’ve been guiltily hoarding. Yes to free snacks and sustainability! 

So here’s how you do it: 

• This evening, take your old glass coffee container and chuck in 4 spoonfuls of your chosen beans / seeds (I like Mung best!) – then fill with water, put on the lid, and leave overnight. 
• In the morning, poke some drainage holes in the top of the lid and pour out the water – leaving the beans behind! Then put the jar on it’s side and leave it somewhere with light, like a window sill or just on the counter in the kitchen. 
• Next morning – you should start to see some growth! Fill the jar up with water, give the sprouts a little shake clean and drain away (this gets rid of any muck and gives them a bit more juice). 
• Repeat this for three or four days and hey presto! You now have a jar filled with delicious, nutritious sprout snacks! 

Whack a bit of salt and pepper on them and sprinkle over a salad, or just straight up eat them from the jar like me, they are so moorish, so good for you, and SO CHEAP!

Plus – it’s just super fun to watch things grow (just like your piggy bank!)

Hey – you’ve read all the way down here! – here’s a special discount for you to use at Harriet’s for 10% OFF! > BN1M10 < All the best folks!