Making Changes

Ok its taken me 36 years but im starting and determined to succeed with a little help from u guys

Cloth Nappies - Check
Reusable Wipes - Check

Ecoballs for new washing machine -Check
New washing machine, with various AAA ratings and stuff coming monday

Various essential oils ordered - for making things smell nice without air freshner

Now is time for your help

What else do i change to start living a more green and environmently better way.. I did already have all low energy lightbulbs and im fanatical about turning things off..
Im virtually a single mum of 3 so i cant go installing solar panels etc but would like to do more not only for the enviroment but for my childrens well being

Veg bag Supports local farmers, cuts down drasticlly on air miles and is much cheeper thatn buying organic veg fromt he supermarket. Oh and most importantly it tastes sooooooo much better

RRR!

Reduce, reuse, recycle as much as you can.

Get a compost bin so you can compost all your own food waste and you can then use the compost to grow your own yummy fruits, veg and salads in.

Switch to natural house cleaners......white vinegar/lemon juice/bi-carb etc and use old clothes as cleaning/dusting rags.

Always walk somewhere if you can.

Buy food locally produced, from farm shops/markets etc if possible and if not buy the locally produced items from the supermarkets. Choose the organic versions if you can.

Invest in lots of clothes airers/indoor lines so you don't need to use the dryer all the time when the weather is too wet to hang washing outside.

I have been growing own veg for years so i kind of forget how environmentally friendly that is as i purely did it for my own satisfaction, if that makes sense..my parents have always had allotments since i was little so it kind of comes naturally

We dont use dryer unless necessary (mainly cos i cant really afford the electric if im honest) but i think i could do with investing in a new airer for this winter, i will put that on my list.

The car is a biggy thou, i live miles from anywhere, even local shop/park is a 50min walk so with two toddlers it becomes a nightmare... saying that i only go supermarket once and do everything in one car journey and if we run out we run out.
From next week both dinkys are at preschool, playgroup so i will tie in shopping with one of their days at school instead of going at weekend. But in them starting i will be adding to my fuel miles not decreasing but there is nowhere local. esp as youngest is only going for 2 hours. I wouldnt get home in time to start going back to collect grrr.

Farmers markets sounds fab, we have miles of farmland around us but no farmers market local, i do always buy local produce in supermarkets thou like lancashire milk etc does that actually help thou ? we used to have a lovely one when i lived down south, esp for cheese and more unusual veg i dont grow, i will have an ask about see if there is one i dont know about (been here nearly 4 years now but still dont know about somethings)

i have been making old baby vests into cleaning cloths and wipes etc, but as for natural cleaners like vinager etc i will need swaying.. are any of the eco friendly cleaners in supermarkets worth using ?

Look up on the internet if they are any local organic farmers who have a farm shop. Also, look up farmer's markets/country markets. You'd be surprised that they are there but you don't hear about them. I found out last week on the internet that there is a country market every Friday in the town I live I've been travelling to one miles away

Also, check your local health store for eco cleaners. Though to be honest, you're just paying someone else to make cleaners that you can make extremely easy yourself. They are great cleaners. I switched recently & am very surprised at how easy it is to clean with them. I'm also making my own washing powder & looking into making dishwasher tabs. There are so many toxic ingredients in the cleaners on the market today, it is really worth the switch