Have you been told that eco friendly swaps will cost you more? Make one eco friendly swap a month for a year and see the savings you can make.
Table of Contents
January swap
First and foremost whatever else you do get an Eco-Friendly Wash Ball even if you still have a box of detergent left. In fact especially if you still have detergent left! You will need to get the household on board with some of your eco friendly swaps and this may be an example. There are no chemicals to give that smell of ‘freshness’ which we are used to and my family kind of kicked back on that one. So my tactic was to alternate washes with the old chemical type. That way we no longer use detergents that pollute and cost a lot, but we have one of these and it is good for around 1,000 washes. I haven’t added up how much this saves us. So let me do the math now. Just checking online now you can get 40 washes for £6. so that makes each wash 15p. Not too bad but 1,000 washes is then £150. I therefore think we are saving around £140 for every 1,000 washes!
I also love that with these I have over 1,000 washes in such a small space. So space saving as well as super eco-friendly. Lots of ticks and lots to save, but as I say sometimes you need to be sneaky with how you introduce it. I have friends who put a handkerchief in the wash with essential oils on to give a scent, but I have sensitive skin and these are just gentle enough to not feel the need to add anything.
Mud, blood and tea have all come out in the first wash. I must admit all three of those were from the same gardening session so I have been very happy.
February’s eco friendly swap
I think that the winter blues will have totally set in by February so a little bit of luxury is called for. This swap means that you can get the most from your new eco friendly bathroom routine.
I made around 100 of these for stocking fillers and they are so cute and soft. Crochet Face Scrubbies are not for everyone to make 
but if you can then they ave money and are reusable. If you are not confident in crochet then why not buy a packet and save in the long term? 
Zero Waste Ideas for March
I’m going to suggest home composting. dum dum dum! The main reason I am suggesting this is that you may like to consider growing your own food. Or you may like to consider having a compost heap to donate to your neighbours in exchange for what they grow. We have a really good network around by us and swap all sorts of homegrown food.
We have a Kitchen Compost Bin but we also use old newspapers to make a compost bin liner as they will decompose as well as absorbing the juice. Nothing worse than bin juice and compost bin juice is the worst of them all! It is also so good for your garden.
When I say I think you should grow your own, we are not saying that everyone would suit having chickens but even if you only manage to grow some microgreens then you save plastic, transport and costs. So somewhere in between there is an allotment waiting to be grown. Think about the waste that goes into producing one bag of salad then how easy it would be to start your own salad raised bed?
April – Sustainable changes
Find your nearest library and join! So check out www.gov.uk/join-library for how to register and what you stand to gain. No need to purchase any more books, if the title you want is not available you can go on a waiting list. You can also borrow CD’s and toys from many libraries. They can also form an anchor to your community. 
I love this swap as it is completely free and produces zero waste! So of all the eco friendly swaps this one is the best for finding free courses, free learning, expert tips and all manner of adventures. Got to love reading!
Eco Friendly Swaps to make in May
We have a famous No Spend Challenge I have even been on BBC Radio Four to talk about it! We have eliminated all non essential spending, but we still go eco! One of the top tips when out and about is to go prepared. We love a good packed lunch and May heralds the picnic season in! So why not invest in a proper set of BPA free tupperware? 
Food Storage Containers with Lids will help you to reduce food waste in your kitchen as well. This means that you can make leftovers last longer. We pop ours into the freezer directly as well. Zero waste is the ultimate feeling of freedom from spending on nothing! If you buy a good quality set they will last a long time and become a real saver.
June eco friendly activities and ideas
Why not organise a clothes swap party? We have found loads of local interest and some people have even posted in local facebook groups and we bring some of our clothes we no longer fit into or want and swap them in with other similar people. Really good if you have children as they grow out of their clothes before they get ruined. Also by this time of year you are looking at last years summer wardrobe and maybe not quite feeling the love any more.
Also great are toy swaps, especially at this time of year as Christmas toys have been played with and may benefit from a refresh?
July
For us July is hay fever season. To think how much of our time is outside as well! But I have started making my own handkerchiefs and I shudder to think how much I am saving on tissues. Not to mention the waste that goes into producing them. If you are scared of making your own why not look to buy a few packets and have them ready? 
My favourite thing is that they don’t make a mess in the washing machine like paper tissues do when I forget to check pockets. I’m not the perfect housewife or even the perfect full time worker who just shoves things in the machine and forgets about them.
August Swaps
Does anyone else put the seasons into categories based on whether you will need to shave your legs to go out in public? Well even if you don’t adhere to that we have found that no longer using disposable razors has been a really good swap. 
September
Have you heard of meat free Mondays? We are the most disorganised household, so if you have an evening activity on Monday or are otherwise busy, mix the day up! However try not to go for ‘meat substitute Monday’. This is just as bad for the plastic packaging and transport carbon emissions. Why not try to eat more of a plant based diet? These eco friendly swaps don’t always come easy but imagine how smug you will feel when you can have this as one of your family traditions! We love a simple lasagne and feel really smug when we can put our home grown veg into it! That said, week four of non-stop courgette and runner beans gets a bit tired.
On the days that you do eat meat, choose to be an ethical omnivore and only eat welfare reared local meat, or free range eggs. If you really do want to make a positive change to your diet, widen this to all areas, including eating out.
October and the eco friendly swaps you can make
Some things I am not prepared to compromise on. Oral health is one of those areas and we all have electric toothbrushes from years ago. However the heads need changing and we have found that these are compatible and you can return your old heads as well.
Oral-B Compatible Toothbrush Heads-100% Recyclable-Return Your Used Items for Recycling! Charcoal Infused Bristles from LiveCoco, Best for Teeth Whitening with Activated Charcoal Powder,High Quality literally the tick list couldn’t be more perfect on these. But the price is right as well. The only thing I wish they had was different colours on to help different family members keep them for themselves only and to avoid ‘sharing’. Yuck and ick! But we have found a way to mark each one now so it is less bleurgh.
November eco friendly swaps
A homemade Christmas needs planning, like a lot of planning! Start making DIY Eco-Friendly Christmas Decorations now! Gather the pine cones to feed the birds in a festive way and make sure you have your citrus ready to dry out. This Christmas start as you mean to go on and make all your own decorations that can be composted or reused.
You can start to look at making your own Christmas presents as well. Simple swaps can save you money!
December the most eco friendly month!!!
You have your homemade decorations ready so get those up. Now start to think about all of the presents you have to buy! Argh! Well why not make hampers? Use the face scrubbies you made earlier, look at palm oil free soaps, maybe even a Cotton Face Cloth to make it as unique as possible.
We have given friends Succulents that we have propagated ourselves, in old tin cans made to look cute with a bit of paint on them. We have a long list of fun things we still have to share with you all. Check them out below, but in the meantime please do join in with us in our quest to be more eco friendly.
Final Eco Friendly Swaps You May Like To Try
