A month without extra spendings

Hi lovelies,

Let’s continue my journey to waste less. In September I have not purchased any clothes, cosmetics, electricity stuff or any extra household items. I feel so proud of myself, because I just feel a step closer to my sustainable lifestyle.

This journey made me to think how many extra things and useless things we do have at home, Yeah, we did a tiny decluttering too: clothes, old papers etc. And it is also made me to realize what is exactly missing from our home, had time before acting to think and rethink again and again. After I changed my clothes from summer to a tinier warmer I was so happy to find so much, which I was litually forgot, but used to love… rediscover my own things. Also rethought and reuse a lot of things which I have never ever imagined. Now I used to take my clothes bags to grocery stores and reduced our waste a little bit.

I do suggest to try this out for a month and it will really change your mind.  In the future I really try to buy rather quality than quantity.

xoxo,

Being SUSTAINABLE 1

Hi lovelies,

This is a continue of my previous post regarding the zero waste, so our goal is rather to reach a sustainable lifestyle. Firstly let me list you what we have already doing:

• Transportation: In the city I use my bike when I can, so it is mostly form April to November and in all the other months I do use the public transportation, while my husband goes by car as we is working so far from home, but we usually takes his 2 fellow colleagues to work too. Going to the countryside I do use train, if we go by car we do use the car share. Note: also on holiday to Italy or Coatia we did and will share our car with 2 more people. Also about the car we do have an Opel Astra with 1.4 gasoline engine, as it is 12 years old now we want to change it into a plug-in hybrid with gasoline in ca. the same, mid-size maybe next year.
• Recycle: since ever my parents rot and recycle at home, so it was so hard to find no recycle bin upon moving to Budapest, but thankfully we do have them now in the house, so we do have seperate bins for platic/metal and paper up in our flat too. So often I just leave the magazines, which I have bought to the neighbors. Yes this is one part, which we do want to improve! Also we do giveaway our clothes to a charity shop or take them to recycle.
• Useless: If you have read my blog we try to shop only what we need that is why we constantly declutter and check our items at home. There are items, which are already on a regret to buy list. And trying to be a bit more minimal in terms of my clothes.
• Drinking tap water: why should we drink mineral waters in a platic bottle if we have one of the best quality water in the world? I am always stare our guests how stupid is to take all the bottled waters up to their room or demand for complimentary bottles of water while drinking the free lemonade at the welcome desk, which made of tap water:). Yes we do buy syrup, which brand’s glass bottle is returnable.
• More vegetables: as I can not be totally vegan nor vegetarian, so I decided to have one day in each week: so Tuesdays are my veggie days. It is mostly comes from my parents garden or the vegetable grocery next door.
• Textile bag: I always carry one textile bag with me, however we have to update it more in the future.
• Dairy: as I am having skincare issue due to milk, we try to reduce to consume these as low as possible, sometimes I do eat some cheese or a yoghurt, but a way much less then before.
• Thermos: At work I already have a bottle for water and a tiny thermos mug for my coffee, so I am not wasting paper or pastic mugs everytime, like most of my colleagues do.

I think that is all what we do at the moment, but might missed out something, so coment your suggestions and I am going to continue with our steps to be sustainable.

Why we can not be zero waste?

Hi lovelies,

Plastics free July is such a nice initiative, however let me write the truth why you can not succeed-> YES the whole world is againts you. So we tried to reduce the platic: so did not buy any soft drinks, plastic bags nor anything with single use plastic packaging. But let me tell you why we failed:

I really like the conception of zero waste(read and watch videos too), specially the 5R, which I try to keep is the next time, but firstly it is my list which I just can not do. I really appricate the people, who live a zero waste lifestyle!

• Travel: I love to travel and can not live without it, I think it is a bit unsightly when zero waste gurus travels a lot (specially by plane or car) to give speech regarding their lifestyle.
• Washing: instead of using single use products, zero waste usually required to wash, specially hygenic items, to disinfect you do need to use a higher temperature, which increase electricity usage and also waste a lot of (in Hungary: drinking) water!
• Detergents: eco free detergents also packed in plastic… and costs a lot more than normal ones and usually not that effective. I have tried DM Nature, which is a prettygood eco products for us, but I have read a lots of reviews that is useless for stubborn spots- but we do not have a kid yet so… And also the fabric conditions alternatives are pretty low choices. Yes, you might say these washing nuts- but there are coming for India, form the other side of the World…
• Hygiene: I can not replace toilet papers or kleenex. From the kleenex it is better to take the paper box ones, but there are having smaller and lower quality. Diva cup is not something that I can imagine to use.
• Secondhand clothes: I used to shop second hand, but as most of the second hand are extremly over priced, also sells fast fashion and most of the clothes are coming from the UK, so I only go into real, local vintage store. So all those Hada or Cream English second hands sells H&M, Zara, Primark ect. so imagine: these clothes are produced in Asia or Morocco, than they shipped to UK, which they might sold (yes sometimes the stores took the unsold items into the bins) and used once or twice by a women, than they left it into a bin,which they select and sold the best ones (which are the rare used) for the price of 10-15 EUR/items in the Eastern European part. Other problem they cause, that you can not sell your used and locally purchased clothes at all or maybe by facebook market place, which takes a lot of time and energy. The zero waste way would be to shop local designer clothes, which is very expensive or sew it yourself- that is still not the cheapest and also need time and skills.
• Lack of selective bins!
• Lack of returnable packaging: milk, beer, wine ect. bottles used to be widely returnable a few years ago.
• Online shopping: I love to do my shopping online as you can buy much more things then in the shops, it is easier and do save some time. Yes it is comes in a lot of extra packaging, which is mainly plastic.
• Make-up: I am a make up lover, yes I have not rethink that part of my life;).

I hope you have enjoyed this little post, I am going to update on my steps for a sustainable lifestlye in a few days!

XOXO,