Tag Archives: make do and mend

Self-care, Sustainable Living ideas

Decluttering my clothes

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I have too many clothes! There, I said it! Not something a female would admit to, but there it is. It’s a fact.

I can easily declutter anything else around my home but I seem to be unable to part with my clothes. For most of my adult life until I had a child, I was size 12. Once I had my daughter, I’ve become a size 14. Being a bigger size has never bothered me, I’m happy with my figure and don’t see the point in stressing out about it. I don’t bother dieting so there isn’t a likelihood that I will one day magically fit into my size 12 clothes. But, I still can’t bear to part from them, whether they fit me or not.

Even clothes that still fit me, I probably haven’t worn for a year or two. I’ve got a few size 14 evening dresses in my wardrobe but I don’t go anywhere to wear them; what’s the point in keeping them. The whole ‘I may wear it one day’ reason is getting old.

I recently read about the environmental impact ‘fast fashion’ is having on the planet. Brand new clothes can be bought so cheaply, in most cases, the quality is incredibly low and is discarded after a few months. Some materials used to make clothes don’t degrade and will sit in landfill, possibly for centuries.

I’m self-employed and work from home so I don’t have to worry about dressing for the office; I practically live in jeans. A while ago, someone conducted an experiment where all the denim was removed from a pair or stretch jeans and what do you think was left? Plastic! It looked like a plastic skeleton shaped in a pair of jeans. To say I was horrified was an understatement. I didn’t realise how much plastic was in a pair of jeans. Since then, I repair my jeans.

So this is year, I’m going to do something about decluttering my wardrobe.

On 1st January, I have turned all hangers around and throughout the year, I will pick my clothes, as usual. By the end of the year, any hangers still facing the other way will be donated to a charity shop. If I have no use for it, someone else will.

Decluttering my clothes

Recently, I’ve started buying clothes from a charity shop and I’m a big fan of ‘make do and mend’ (I’m not great with a sewing machine but it’s all practice).

For years the last 20 years, I randomly bought clothes not realising the environmental impact of my choices.

We all need to do better.

I will do a blog next year to see how I got on.

My blog has been listed Top 15 UK Sustainable Living Blogs And Websites To Follow in 2021

Sustainable Living ideas

16 Easy Ways To Go Green

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In the last year, I have actively changed my habits to go green but sometimes it’s not cheap. We can’t all afford solar panels on our homes or a brand-new electric car (or just a brand-new car for that matter) but there are things we can all do to take a step in the right direction.

One mistake I made was trying to do too many at once, it’s a case of training your mind to start thinking differently. Make two to three changes and then add to it. You will start noticing you have changed your old habits and the new ones are automatic.

Here are my tips to go green

Take your own bags to the shop

You can purchase little tote bags everywhere nowadays and they come in handy little pouches that fit in your pocket or bags. Some even have a clip that you can attach to the outside of your bag.

Change your light bulbs to LED

It’s well known that LED light bulbs used up to 80% less electricity than traditional bulb. Traditional bulbs need more electricity to function.

If you have a condenser dryer, use the water to water the plants

The water tank that collects the water can be used to water your plants rather than throwing it down the sink. Or even, if you have one, add it to your water butt.

Turn off the lights when you are not using them

There is no reason why you should have the lights on in a room you’re not using. It’s a waste of electricity.

Fix any dripping taps

Sometimes, it’s only a case of replacing a washer but the amount of water that is wasted due to a dripping tap is eye-watering. Water is not an infinite resource and shouldn’t be wasted. If you have a dripping tap, call a plumber.

Reuse your old mobile phone

We all have old mobile phones gathering dust in a draw somewhere. Why no utilise it? I downloaded an app so I could use my mobile phone as a CCTV camera. It now sits at the back of the house and alerts me when anyone comes near the back door.

Buy fruit and veg with no packaging and only what you need

A few months ago, this really got to me. I wanted to buy a lemon but the supermarket didn’t have any loose ones, they were only available in packs of four; I didn’t want four. So, I went to a local greengrocer and bought a lemon. The pack of four lemons were sold in that plastic netting that can’t be recycled. No thanks! I wrote a blog about eating seasonal food.

easy ways to go green and towards greener living

Stop Junk mail

What do you do with junk mail? I have a quick flick through and put it into the recycling. What an absolute waste. The easiest way is to create your own sign saying ‘no junk mail’ on your door.

Energy efficient appliances

Appliances are now tested and improved to ensure their efficiency. There are many appliances that now come with a rating of A+, A++ or A+++ tells us that the products has a lower energy consumption.

Clean the back of your fridge

I didn’t know this until very recently. All fridges gather dust at back but how often do you clean the dust? Probably once? Never? The dust makes the fridge work harder which uses more energy. Dust every so often to keep your fridge working efficiently.

Check your tyre pressure regularly

If your tyre pressure is too high or too low, it makes the car work harder to compensate, which uses more fuel.

Print on both sides of the paper

If you have to print something, and it’s not confidential. Keep the paper to one side and if you need to print something else, use the other side. I do this all the time and had saved me quite a bit of money on paper.

Go Green, Go paperless

Do you really need a printed copy of your bank statement? You will probably look at it once, file it then you will eventually shred it. Bank/credit card/ energy statements are all kept online. If you don’t want to keep logging onto your bank to view them, you can download them to your computer or even save them to a cloud storage. Ask yourself, do you really need a printed copy?

Insulate your loft

A lot of heat is lost through the roof due to poor insulation. If this isn’t resolved, you are more likely to increase the thermostat to keep warm. You are best to get a professional in to sort this out for you.

Buy second hand where you can

This is one that I’ve embraced a lot recently. When something is no longer needed but still useful, it can be ditched at the tip, which is a complete waste. I needed a new set of chest of drawers and instead of buying a brand new one for £55, I found a second-hand one on Facebook Marketplace for £8. It was in very good condition apart from a little dent at the back that no one will see. You can also save a lot of money by doing this.

Make do and mend

My favourite go green tip! In my grandmother’s time, she would always say ‘make do and mend’ and I feel that this has been lost through the generations. How many times have you thrown a sock away because it has a whole in them? It won’t take long to sew them up and keep wearing them. You don’t need a sewing machine; a small sewing kit will suffice.

These are my easy tips, of course, this is a subject that I can do on and on about. I will look at writing another blog with further tips.

In the meantime, why do you share your tips on how to go green!

If you’re interested in reading about what I’m doing to be greener, check out my blog and if you’re interested in signing up to my newsletter, click here, I promise not to spam you.

Sustainable Living ideas

How to be eco-friendly during a lockdown

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This coronavirus pandemic has resulted in people ditching the cars they used for the commute and school run. This has led to empty roads and less air pollution.

We are all isolating at home and using this time could really benefit the environment allowing you to make eco-friendly choices during this lockdown.

Grow your own vegetables

If you have an outside space, growing your own veg isn’t as difficult as you think. There is a wealth of information about how to grow veg; potatoes, carrots, spring onions, lettuce can all be grown in the UK. This is also a good way to support your local garden centre as some of them are still doing deliveries. There’s nothing more satisfying than eating something you’ve grown yourself. If you don’t have a garden, the kitchen windowsill also works well.

Explore your cupboards

This is a great time to see what you have in the back of your cupboards, what’s the point in buying lots of new products when you’ve got food already at home and also means you don’t have to queue for the supermarket. If you found something you don’t particularly like (and it’s in date) donate it to a food bank so someone else can use it.

Zero waste Shops

These shops are popping up all over the place and you are able to buy food without the packaging. The food is usually stored in large jars and you only pay for what you need, kind of like the old fashioned sweet shops (showing my age, aren’t I?) and you may find a lot of these shops are better stocked than supermarkets so why not take some empty clean Tupperware boxes with you and see what they’ve got. Most of these shops are independent businesses so you’ll be supporting a local business too. Win win!

Cooking

This is a great time to start cooking again. Dust off those cookbooks and give a new recipe a whirl. If you’re anything like me and are rubbish at cooking, you could try an app called Supercook where you add in the ingredients you have and it comes up with a recipe for you. Why not try something new for dinner? Cooking also reduces waste because you’re not throwing away packaging you would get from a microwave meal. Anything you don’t eat, you could put in the fridge and eat the next day.

Ditch the car for a bit

As the only reasons we would use our car is to commute (for key workers) and shopping, if the supermarket is within walking distance, why not try walking to the shop instead of taking the car? This will contribute to your daily exercise too. A bit of fresh air, exercise, pop in your headphones and catch up on The Archers, what’s not to love? Also, if you filled up the car before the lock down, imagine how long it will be until you need to fill up again! You’re saving money too.

Make do and mend

I have to say, I do love this one. Do you have a top or shirt that has lost its button an you never got the chance to repair it, now’s your chance. If you don’t have a sewing machine, get your needle and thread out and make repairs to clothes that are sitting in your wardrobe you can’t wear because a button is missing or a part of a hem has come undone. Have you been meaning to finally put the new kitchen cabinets on or do the weeding in the garden or change one of the spotlights in the kitchen that stopped working a year ago. Have a wander around your home and look at what needs fixing and try to fix it.