Once again the weather seems to be grabbing the headlines. This time because it is windy! This year has been quite erratic for weather. We had lots of snow in March, then beautiful sunshine for about two months in June and July, and now it is hurricanes. It serves to remind me that I need to push harder to live an eco-friendly life. But achieving this whilst on a budget isn’t always the easiest. Therefore the theme for my Frugal Friday Five this week is “Go Green”. Here are five frugal things I’ve done this week that are also “green”:
Ditched the tumble dryer
I love my tumble dryer. But it is expensive and terrible for the environment. I wrote a couple of weeks ago about how I had changed my laundry schedule. We are now three weeks into this schedule and it is working so well. I’m doing less laundry yet everything is still getting washed. Plus it is far less stressful! The washing machine goes on once a day and overnight to get the benefit of cheaper electricity rates. However the best bit is that I haven’t used my tumble dryer in that time! Three weeks my tumble dryer has gone untouched and it makes me so happy. I can’t wait to see the impact it has had on our electricity consumption.
Today though it is a bit rainy outside so my own clothes are still sitting in the washing machine whilst I decide what to do with them. I’m thinking of using my hanging dryer and hanging my underwear of the living room light fitting. And I’m also having a look at the clothes horses on Amazon. Think I might invest in one of these:
Ditched the dishwasher too
Our dishwasher broke! Well maybe! It is probably just some lump of burnt food stuck in the outlet pipe but it has led to a review of our dish washing practices. It turns out that we are lazy. We will happily reach for a new cup rather than reusing the old one or happily use an array of utensils when cooking that far exceeds the amount of utensils that we actually need. Because my husband and I both hate washing up we have been far more conservative about the stuff we’ve been using to ensure minimal washing up.
There’s some debate about whether washing up by hand uses more water than a dishwasher so I have been extra careful to use as little water as possible. But we are definitely saving on electricity and it is so nice to not have to empty the dishwasher every day and just tidy up as we go.
Reusable swimming nappy
Regular readers probably know that we use cloth nappies. I bought a load of these when my first child was born and we’ve been able to use them for both children now. Hence we are officially saving small fortune now. What I haven’t talked about before is the fact that we also use reusable swimming nappies. Most people I know buy disposable swimming nappies and use a new one every time they go. As keen swimmers, whose kids have weekly lessons and then will go occasionally at weekends too, this is an expense and a waste that I’m not prepared to make. These little wraps will go underneath the Happy Nappy that most swimming organisations insist on and then I just shove them in the wash with the rest of the swimming stuff. Again we have used these for both our children AND I have been selling on the outgrown ones for only £1-2 less than I paid for them. A definite win on both the frugal and go green fronts!
DIY Natural Bath Smellies
This week my family has been hit with the start of term colds. My youngest got it first and then one by one it has spread through the family. This has made for some grumpy and tired children as well as a grumpy and tired mummy. In these times I always remember a saying that someone told me “if your kids are grumpy, take them outside. If you’re already outside, take them inside. If that doesn’t work, shove them in water!” This is pretty much my philosophy on parenting. Hence we have had a lot of baths. To make bath time more interesting I like to add essential oils. This not only makes bath time a sensory experience but can also help relieve some of the symptoms of my kids’ colds. My favourites are these from Neal’s Yard. I’ve got a small, but well chosen selection in my cupboard. They are far cheaper that elaborate bubble baths or bath bombs and contain far less chemicals that are harmful to both my children’s skin and the environment.
Switched to a safety razor
I wrote a whole post about this called “Should You Switch To A Safety Razor?” And the short answer is yes you should! I bought one a couple of months back and I just love it. It is the perfect ladies’razor. I shaved on Sunday and only now am I starting to get that fluffy regrowth which from a hairy woman means that is a really close shave. The safety razor is the perfect replacement for disposable razors that save both money and the planet. Take a read of the post if you want to know more.
What have you done?
You’ve heard from me but I’d love to take further inspiration from you. Let me know what you’ve been up to. Or, like me, you can link up with Cass, Emma and Becky in this week’s ‘Five Frugal things I’ve done this week’ linky.
Disclaimer: Remember the information you read here does not represent advice. Any ideas or suggestions are just that and may not work for you. Read the full disclaimer here.
) They will need sterilising before use and then emptying and rinsing up to every 12 hours. I’ve less experience with tampons but from what I hear they are inserted in the standard way and then stored and washed like pads after use.
) next to the toilet along with a box to keep the dirty ones in. After I’d done my business I would wet a cloth and wipe and chuck it in the bucket. When it came to washing time I would just chuck them in with the cloth nappies.
cosleeper and found it great. It folds up nice and small so we can take it on trips away. It straps easily to the side of the bed. And it keeps baby nice and safe on their own sleeping surface. It is definitely a solid purchase. You can even pick them up secondhand for a good price. Or if you are not happy with that you can sell it when you are done and make some of your money back.
could cost you around £200-250. 
another £25. And then a little bit to wash them every couple of days. But that’s it for you nappy expenditure. I bought a set of cloth nappies when pregnant with number 1 child. I am still using most of those nappies now for my youngest. This means that I have had two children using the same 30 or so nappies. And it has saved loads. AND they are great for the environment.
. They have a great resale value too.
but there is money to be saved here. There is now a good amount of research that says children benefit from having fewer toys. And I believe it. Children need to be bored to be creative. Fewer toys means that children have to use the toys they do have in different ways. Too many are overwhelming and they don’t learn how to play with them properly. Therefore I recommend buying a few, well-chosen toys that can be used in a variety of ways and keep the rest of your money for other things.
. We have made these choices because we felt they were right for our family and the money that we saved was a bonus.
and let that figure it our for you. We haven’t got one of these yet, but it is definitely on my wishlist. It learns when you need the thermostat up and when you cope with it down and does it for you automatically. If you don’t trust yourself to do control the temperature of your house, grab one of these. It will do it for you.
. We watched a video and fixed it ourselves. We ended up only spending a few pounds and our oven didn’t end up unnecessarily in landfill. (There are some things that you shouldn’t try to fix on your own unless you are a pro. Be sensible!)
. They were a couple of pounds on Amazon and I use them so much. You may have to replace items slowly but in the end you will find that you are throwing away less and spending less. Plus you don’t ever run out of these things. They are always there.
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for kids toys, 
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and 
. A more complete list will appear soon.
