Jenny   Sowden
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...livin' in a World of Yes.

Life Hacks

also on the topic of sharing...
I consider myself an environmentalist: when I have the time & money

Buy Once
Things to buy once and never again!


Easy
Stuff that saves you money, the environment & time 


Lil' Effort
Stuff the saves you money, the environment, time & asks for a little effort from you

Life Change!
Stuff the saves you money, the environment, time & asks a life change.
​
* Flight/Travel Tips at the end *
​
Buy ONCE (and never again):

​Shower Curtain: buy machine-washable shower curtain that you like, I own 2 and cycle back and forth

Metal Foot File: wash, re-use 


Bathmat(s): buy washable ones

Coffee at home - find a coffee maker with a 'permanent filter' so you wash and re-use, no more buying filters, French Press... 

Re-usable Q-Tip - and easy to wash, never re-buy LastSwab

Wool Dryer Balls - leave them in the dryer, they help moves things around and dry faster

Re-usable Straw - and easy to wash, never re-buy https://rainhydration.com/

Dish Scrubber - chain link scrub for dishes, if it gets grimmy just boil in a small pot for 10 seconds and like new! OR roll up those woven plastic fruit bags.

Tea Light Candles -  recharge-able tea lights (I got the multi-color with remote!)

Batteries - Rechargeable Batteries, photographers & myself recommend Eneloop, can also be found in camera stores.

Lighter - USB rechargeable lighter for candles, cigarettes, anything else you smoke...

​Re-Write-able Notebook - pages make of stone, re-write-able, picture the pages and save in an app instead of paper and storing on a bookshelf (I use Elfin Book $15)

Have a Period? - THINX underwear or Diva Cup are great! I used Thinx, ask me about it I'm happy to chat

Baking/Cooking Mats - instead of foil, wash and reuse these. Silpats are the brand I use
​
Easy

Money - think of your money like voting when you send it and where you want to vote a 'Yes' to

Recycle - paper, cardboard, glass, metal, plastic

Re-Use Bags - leave a couple by the door, in your car, in your purse and USE them. For me 'in-site = I-use'

Toothbrush - buy bamboo handle toothbrushes

Toilet Paper - buy recycled toilet paper, bamboo toilet paper, or https://us.whogivesacrap.org/ and buy in bulk, and maybe it's time for a bidet

Hair - Wash Hair 2-3 times a week (yes this is for everyone), but still wash your body every day, probably heehehee

Veggies - avoid Styrofoam/plastic packaging when possible

Soap - Bar soap instead of liquid soap (for body and hands)

Candles - avoid candles in holder/container (that you will likely throw away afterwards)

When you can afford it:
- No Plastic - buy the glass/metal container instead of the plastic container, for EVERYTHING!
- Eggs - buy the fancy cage-free, veggie-fed eggs


Level Lil' Effort

in Life

Buy used - Thrift stores, craigslist, free-cycle, local facebook groups, even BuyNothing.com fb groups...

Avoid Chain 99 cent stores

Buy in your Neighborhood - local, and close to you, avoid shipping if possible

Clothing Swap - good hang and keeps you out of stores that aren't 'needed'

​Plants - they are good to have around I find Bamboo, Spider Plants, Pathos & Aloe to be the easiest to keep

​Put a Cup/Straw/Spork/Napkin... in your bag for the day to use in life

Phone Charging - take cell out of the case when charging, battery will last longer ​


in Kitchen

Clean - with Baking Soda, Vinegar, Salt, Lemons... many recipes online

​Cask Iron - use a cask iron pan, no soap to wash, faster cooking, tasty!

​Compost - put a tub in your freezer (note: no smell) to collect & dump at local compost space (farmers' market, or of course in the weekly city pick up if you have one. ALL food scraps go in, pizza boxes, egg shells, banana peels... COVID19: in NYC city picked is closed so I still collect in bottom freezer drawer and put in trash in a paper bag in HOPES composting maaaay happen MY OPINION ONLY.

Veggie/Fruit Bags - re-use the ones from the grocery store, shoe bags are also a good size for this

Dish washer: in the detergent slot add 2-3 drops of dish soap, fill 2/3 of the slot with Baking Soda and 1/3 Salt

in Laundry

​Washing Detergent - use powder instead of liquid, laundry sheets or 2 ingredients mixed

Line Dry - folding wrack 

Dryer Sheets - get compost-able ones


in Bathroom

Hairbrush - bamboo brush, avoid plastic

Body scrub - used coffee grounds, and/or a fabric scrub you can machine wash

Body Wash - use soap over liquids (no plastic)

Bar Shampoo/Conditioner - no plastic/container... at all

Lotion - use Coconut/Almond... Oil
​
Eye make up remover - Coconut Oil (only around eyes for my skin)

Face toner - in spray bottle 1/3 apple cider vinegar, 2/3 water

Safety Blade - replace only the blades, no more plastic

​Handkerchief - start by using one at home to sneeze/blow your nose with and machine wash
​
Life Changers

Plastic - avoid whenever possible 1st Metal, 2nd Glass, 3rd Plastic (if possible)

Bamboo - is a great option for most things as it is easy to grow in bulk and compost-able

Compost-able - look for compost-able instead of 'biodegradable' 

Bike/Walk - do it 

Fix it - get things fixed

Bulk Store - research if there is a bulk store in your neighborhood 
​
Eggs - find a place with chickens to get your eggs from directly

Bread - make it or get directly from a bakery (bring a bag for the bread)


Flight/Travel Tips

Carry-on:
Headphones - bring your own and don't take the ones on the plane
Socks - take shoes off and put on clean socks during the flight (it's fancy)
Re-Use-able Water Bottle - empty before security, refill the whole way, don't take the plastic cups of water
Wide mouth jar/cup - ask them to fill your cup with the drinks/coffee/wine they serve. I have ALWAYS gotten positive reactions from this request all over the world from cafes to airports and on the airplane.

Packing: 
Checked/Carry-On - I rarely check unless I am bringing back gifts/alcohol home
Clothes - Roll to pack, pick stuff that dries quickly
Tops/Bottoms - make sure the clothes can go mostly with each other
Sorting - if you use bags to sort stuff go for clear or mesh so you can see it easily

Gifts
​Give food/drink or bring some back to share with friends, avoid souvenirs from places they didn't go to
​