Christmas greener living fayre post 2

Christmas community greener living fayre 

The most amazing people live right next to you in your communities, the greener living fayre for me personally was inspirational on so many levels. 

A few stalls were run by selfless volunteers who had turned their passion and crafts into items they sold for the charity they were supporting.

Save the Children volunteers use their candle craft making skills to up-cycle used church candle wax to make brand new candles. I was delighted to buy these candles for my Christmas table but also proud to know my donation was going towards a good cause.

Animal Asia table items made great practical gifts for my homemade Christmas crackers and whoever cracks them open will know that the donation for these items has gone to a good cause.

These Bee saver kits are brilliant to for the children Christmas stocking they are packed with information and challenges to help save the Bees at home in your garden. Brilliant idea with this one and the donation I made has gone to Friends of the earth Charity. 

These Christmas earrings were purchased on the Dogs charity table and these will also go into my homemade Christmas Crackers for the girls.

incredibly inspired at the simple but effective crafts advertised at the fayre, crochet is a passion of mine and somewhere in my loft I have my crocheted baubles. My tree will stand out this year and also hold memories from when  I made them when my children were very small.

Feeling excited to decorated these wreaths for gifts

My handmade crocheted soap bags

I have three tins of buttons that my nanny collected over her many years that I could not throw away  so I have been wondering what to do with them. My family Christmas crackers will include these making them personal and heartfelt gifts to hand down to Nanny other generations.

Greener living Christmas family

My last post was the 10th May 2019 when I had visited the Kidderminster greener living fayre. (Last Blog)
Last Night I visited the Kidderminster transition greener living Christmas fayre and returned home not only inspired but full of Christmas gifts for the family. I have been incredibly busy being a mom and also with my volunteer groups that seem to have taken up a lot of time lately. Christmas is fast approaching and i'm nervous about time to prepare our plastic free Christmas but also excited as there is an element of achievement when you complete a greener living task.

My parents live in France and tomorrow they are visiting for lunch and this week I have been up-cycling items in my home so they can take a box of gifts with them for their Christmas morning.

I have used a jam jars and a Kilner jar to create prepared soup in a jar gifts. I have been completely inspire by a Facebook post that not only advertised these jars but provides the recipe and free print off gift labels for the jars too. These have turned out beautiful and the recipe I have chosen suits my parents taste making them a thoughtful and personal gifts. If my parents choose to have a lazy day over the festive season they, know they only have to empty the contents of the soup jar into a saucepan and wait for their easy dinner to cook.

I used a shoe box to pack them in and I cut all the sides so that when mom pulls the lid off it automatically falls opens to reveal a box of personally homemade gift surprises. I personally think the shops these days offer such a easy gift choice that the personal touch is lost in the convenience to just get the gift job over and done with. 

I have also used the packaging paper that Amazon use in their delivery boxes for the wrapping the gifts and also for the homemade Christmas crackers.

What I liked about doing the Christmas crackers was that my daughter choose the jokes, wrote them and the gifts inside were not only practical but once again choose for them making their gift personal and thoughtful once again.

Home baked Christmas cake gift

A couple of weeks ago I started soaking the fruit for my Christmas cakes. This is a tradition in our family to home bake the Christmas cake and have it as a feature on the table on Christmas day. I decided I would make two smaller cakes at the same time as baking our one to give to my parents and a friend as another gift. The have turned out quite cute and once again personal and individual.


I quite surprised at how easy it is to achieve a plastic free Christmas and if you have the time I highly recommend a personal touch.

Ruby Slippers amazing talent

Soap bags 

These kind of Christmas fayres open up a hall of talent and original gift ideas. If you can get to a local event you would be so inspired but also see just what amazing local talent is out there. I saved a huge amount of time and unnecessary spends going last night and can see the light at the end of the tunnel for my Christmas planning now.

Gift sets loved these 

Sandwich bags

Straws and a straw pouch cute 

Willow wreaths 

One of the stalls last night completely inspired me and it was the wreath table, the lady who makes these wreaths makes them out of nature free offering. \Take a look she had a real talent and made beautiful Christmas decorations. I was so inspired I bought a couple of plain willow garlands that I will decorate myself for gifts. I recently got back into crocheting making soap pouches for my homemade soaps previously mention on this blog. Parents Christmas box also includes soap and crochet wash pouches.

I fell in love with this one absolutely stunning 

Just incredible ideas  

These wreaths are original and can only be found at events like these where incredibly talented people show off their homemade delights.

Greener living

My last blog was on 22.08.19 which was a few weeks ago now and lots has been happening in my community since. September for me is always a nightmare month as the children start back to school after their summer break and I try to get back into the mom normal routine and my time is limited.


Food shopping has slipped backwards a little into convenience life style and the plastic free household has seen a slight rise in the green recycling bins plastic waste. I have surprised myself though as I still have reduced my overall waste and I refuse to buy unneccessary plastic packaging.

 Today I visited the Greener living fair in Kidderminster and i was completed overwhelmed with the amount of stalls offering alternative greener living advice.  I am totally Inspired as ever to keep going now and I'm even planning my plastic free Christmas. Most of my September shopping was not buying the easier option but sometimes I was pushed for time and failed. My children have also decided to go back to packed lunches and whilst using reusable drink bottles some snacks have been in the plastic wrapping.  

 I make up 4 packed lunches each school day and I am proud of how I have changed them. I use a cotton wax wrap for the sandwiches (not tin foil or cling film) which I wipe clean and reuse. The drink bottles are reusable and I fill them with water or squash. Unfortunately the squash has returned and I have been buying the Robinson 2 for £2.50 plastic bottles. The fruit is quite easy as it is not wrapped but the snack bars I put into the sandwich tubs are in a wrapper. I really need to look at an alternative that my children will eat. I did run out of snack bars this week and the children put in a couple rich tea biscuits and crisps, making sure they bring the crisp packet back home to me for Terracycle recycling.  So I need to look at ways to do more plastic free lunches boxes as I feel I am letting the family down.



Today at the town hall there were lots of inspiring ways to change a couple of my habits and I am really interested in the repair workshop stalls. These stalls offered to fix broken household items, repair clothing or generally up cycle old clothes. Crafting stalls, home baking vegan ideas and plastic free gifts were also on offer.  I now have more ideas for my plastic free Christmas home.

My daughter was asked to judge the decorated plastic bottle competition completing her ambassadorship job for The Pickup Artists. Lots of great entrances made this an incredibly hard competition to judge.


Outside of the town hall were 3 electric vehicles with their owners offering their knowledge to the public? This was totally inspiring and I came straight back home to price up a Nissan Leaf to lease. My excitement turned to anger as yet again businesses are making money from people wanting to be more planet friendly. I could hire a petrol/diesel car for a fraction of the cost of an electric vehicle. This idea is now too far out of my reach and the companies are preventing a faster national change over due to this. When I priced up my petrol costs, tax and mileage from my petrol car I decided that I could afford £180 per month to hire an electric car instead. The advice I was given was to rent a electric vehicle instead of purchasing one. When I looked at online deals I would only be able to drive a maximum of 10.000 miles per year and pay £280 - £360 per month to lease an electric vehicle. This is what I have discovered online so I will however visit a show room to find out more information i'm not giving up on this one.

The turnout of stalls, community representatives, wildlife enthusiasts, litter picking groups, repairing groups, vegan alternatives and others was absolutely commendable. Kidderminster town along with Wyre forest district council is moving forward to make positive changes toward a greener living environmental town.

The bottle return scheme demonstration for me as a litter picker showed that a purchaser is more likely to return their items to this machine. This system is far from complete however its showing some options for the future. Unfortunately I think single use plastics should be banned full stop with this machine offering the incentive for tin and glass only. When thinking of the bigger picture recycling is never the option for plastics but this machine is a step forward none the less.

Eat, Love yoga our beloved Kidderminster cafe was there promoting ways in which everyone can change their shopping habits. If you are yet to visit their shop on comberton road kidderminster then I highly recomend them. Lots of ideas at affordable prices offered to help you with a plastic free lifestyle.

My vegan style stall was an absolute eye opener for christmas gift ideas, their prices were very affordable and the item ideas are boxed and ready to gift. plastic free all the way.  www.veganmystyle.com
loved this stall and my daughter is delighted with her gift box of goodies.

Worcestershire nappy exchange wow I wished I knew these nappies when my children were younger. When I think about the amount of nappies I sent to landfill knowing what I know now it makes me feel ashamed. what a great incentive they now offer to families and so much cheaper than disposables.

I have joined a volunteer group that hope to introduce Surfers against Sewage national incentive scheme to help Kidderminster become a plastic free town. Today the room was full of inspiring people who I had previously met in this group and you can clearly see the town’s enthusiasm is behind them 100%.

When I look at our community and see the incredible people who makes an event like this happen I am full of pride to be part of this team. Today was all credit to the organisers Elaine Halford-Bishop and Councillor Vicky Caulfield you really did put on a incredible greener living event Thank you.

Exciting news for Kidderminster

Plastic free Kidderminster 

This evening Plastic free Kidderminster steering group had their first meeting to start the ball rolling for a plastic free town. Surfers Against Sewage is a national accreditation process that encourages town centre businesses to change just three items within their business to plastic free alternatives. I was delighted to be invited by the group to join them in their quest to help make Kidderminster a plastic free accredited town. This is incredible news, Kidderminster can now be part of many towns all over the UK that have also signed up and many have completed the plastic free town accreditation with Surfers Against Sewage.

   https://www.facebook.com/groups/2327530877573646/?ref=share

https://www.sas.org.uk/

This is an incredibly large ambitious project however it is not unachievable as together we can make a difference to where we live. 

Bewdley has also signed up to surfers against sewage.

You don’t need to be by the coast to work on this project, or even based in the UK. Plastic finds its way into our environment from every location on earth. Stopping our reliance on unnecessary single use plastic at source is the key to becoming Plastic Free.

Plastic free communities are spreading all over the UK and Kidderminster can now be part of this amazing journey in preparation for the governments single use plastic ban.

Should you wish to get your business involved with our community incentive to get Kidderminster accredited please private message us through our Facebook Group.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/2327530877573646/?ref=share

It’s catching on

Monday 19th August 2019

I have been on holiday for a couple of weeks and have not blogged since finishing my Plastic Free July challenge. So what’s changed,? What food went back in the cupboards and how has it changed the way I shop since?

These are always the questions people need answering when they have followed a journey like mine.

So what’s changed?????

The way I shop is the biggest change, I went to Tesco to panic buy as I was not organised or prepared for the household on my return from holiday. As I strolled around the isles I refused what I would have conveniently shopped for before.  I did not spend a huge amount of money which was a nice surprise after our family holiday spends. I also did not buy and food that occur waste to landfill or waste to recycling bin.
 

The plastic covered food that has returned to my cupboards is walkers crisps & biscuit packets. I don’t feel too bad because neither of these items end up in my bins as they go to Terracycle for recycling. Toothpaste is another return on these same lines as I have not looked into an alternative yet due to my time being spent on holiday memories with the kids. 

I have to say the shampoo & conditioner soap bars have not worked out either due to the final washed result ending up with my hair being like straw. Someone said it does take a while using the soaps for the hair to become chemical free, after this process your hair will be fine and turnout lovely. I used these soap bars for three weeks but the end result was the same and my head was itchy. So I have returned to my medical and allergy free plastic bottles. That is it, Everything else in my blog has stayed within my lifestyle and cooking with fresh seasonal ingredients also has been a huge change in our diets. I do think the way the climate crisis is changing how, what, when we buy certain vegetables our children need to experience more types of food to encourage their future cooking habits stick with what will be on offer in the future for them. I have also started to grow and bake more of my own products which also keeps the fun going in the home.

Sunday dinner today has mostly been donated by Mike, grown at home or baked. 

Take a look 

Homemade bread

Homegrown peppers 

Birdseed ready to be filled with the leftovers fat from dinner

Home grown veg box from Mike

My tomatoes plants 

All veg prepared for cooking 

Veg box 

These are the oils and seasoning I added to the veg dishes

The Bread turned out lovely which should compliment my roasted vegetables 

Bathroom Alternatives and where to shop for them.

Shopping the alternative way

Reducing your habit and changing the way you are sold to bulk buy items unnecessary. 

Here are some of the ways I shopped to reduce the plastic in my bathroom and a summary of the product to see if I would replace the original item to the alternatives. How did I find them after using  the products and cost of the products too. I have named the company but had to remove the links due to blog polices.


Bathroom

Toilet roll

Toilet roll is usually brought for £8 in Tesco for 24 luxury soft rolls = 33p each roll.
             The alternative eco friendly "Who Gives a crap" 49 rolls for £31.00 = 63p each roll.


Shampoo 

Allergenics Hair Gentle Medicated Shampoo 200ml £7.49

Shampoo bar from cosy cottage kitchen £3.95
The shampoo bar has left my hair looking greasy and feeling very stringy and dry. My fried has told me that this is due the chemical being removed from my hair. We will have to wait and see 

Conditioner soap

This conditioner bar does not work in the same way as the original conditioner it leaves my hair hard to untangle and brush after use.
 Dove Conditioner Moisture Conditioner 200Ml £2.70

Men Shaving foam
My husband uses shaving foam and I have changed him to a shaving soap bar, he is still using what stock of shaving foam we have at home therefore I cannot right a review on this product yet.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/255355189
Foam £2.50 for two Gillette foams
Shaving Soap £3.50 per bar

Deodorant

This product is far more expensive then my usual one. However it works well and does the job but I will look for another alternative on this one.
Natural Deodorant £5.50
Dove deodorant £1.75

Make up removal

I have to say I am a fan of these pads, 3 pads for £9.99. The best thing is you use water with the pad to remove makeup. No chemical make up remover needed and these are washable to.


Eye make up remover £3.00

cotton pads £1.80


Bathroom Cleaner

Koh
My previous blog about this product was quite harsh however after using it in the bathroom I am quite impressed. This product does clean the whole house so there is no need for the cupboards to be full of plastic. I do have some cleaners left to use up but this Koh I will be keeping as an alternative and enjoying my new found cupboard empty space.
             

Plastic free and proud by Pauline Round

Plastic free and proud ! 

Thank you to my friend Pauline Round who has kindly wrote me a poem about where my plastic free  July challenge has taken me.


Doing our best to be plastic free,
Helping the planet, all of us and me ! 
Our house is Plastic free at last, 
Plastic now a thing from the past.

No more plastic in our home,
So even if I have to roam.
To look for alternatives here and there,
Due to our food cupboards being bare.

Cooking, baking to feed us all
The kids helped we had a ball! 
I will continue to do my best,
Plastic free house, is my quest.

From time to time I will write a blog,
To let you know about the hard slog.
Trudging from one shop along to another,
I will keep going, it's not that much bother.

Supermarkets need to go plastic free,
A better environment for all to see.
Hope you'll be inspired by my rhyme, 
We will get there, all in good time. 

Pauline Round 

Mrs Pauline Round 

Pauline and I became friends whilst litter picking in our community with The Pickup Artists. 

Last day of plastic free July Summary

31st July 2019

The final day

The children are so excited for tomorrow supermarket shopping visit, however I have not told them of the news that we are still going to try and live a reduced plastic future.

The cost of this month to last month

June 2019 I spent £544.21 feeding the 6 of us and the 3 animals

July 2019 ended with a total spend of £589.93 feeding the 6 of us and the 3 animals

So plastic free has cost me £45.72 more

This is where I am going to have to seriously watch what replacement alternatives cost, I have to express that the little supplies that have been in the house in July prove that this challenge has been costly which annoys me. Why should this be? I just did not know where to find the alternatives and where I have shopped has been farm shops, butchers, fish deli, eco waste free shops and fresh meat counters. I have had to buy replacement plastic free alternatives online that have occurred a delivery charge such as toilet paper, shampoo and conditioners, eco cleaner etc.

This is where supermarkets have us in the bag and control where our money is spent due to the cost of their food covered in plastic being so cheap. I can see how the eco waste free market shops and farmers barn style shops are cashing in on the climate change emergency regarding plastics which is wrong. I know they could never match the supermarket prices and buying there fresh locally farmed products come at a price for them. Plus they are have changed their packaging to plastic free alternatives which have a higher suppliers cost. (WHY?) The eco waste free living is a niche market and can only be offered to a home with a disposable income, to families that can afford it and families that can afford the time to bake everyday bread and snack alternatives. As a family of 6 we like fruit snacks however a pack of crisps or a pack of biscuits go a long way due to their price. We are facing this climate problem in the wrong way and I'm getting crosser waiting for something to change that is just not happening. I read an article today that children in the school holiday in deprived areas are not been given meals due to families not able to afford to pay for food, it's so bad that schools are now opening up in the holidays to feed the kids. How will they be able to change their habits for climate change if all they can afford is the cheap plastic covered supermarket options. Whilst the food is being brought in plastic the supermarkets feel there is a consumer market still wanting plastic but they don't consider the families that don't have an option but to buy these plastic covered items.  It's just wrong, food should be offered without plastic at the same or cheaper prices. The other thing I witnesses is that the farm shops, zero waste shops etc promote plastic free but guess how their products are being delivered to their stores? Yes you got it in plastic from their suppliers. These are however big plastic bagged products that then get filled into the shops containers. When I asked how they get their products delivered they mentioned "in larger plastic bags". They said it was to reduce the plastic in their consumers homes, so we their consumer could live a less waste option. Annoyed that these type of shops advertise plastic free life style but can only buy their shop supplies in plastic and charge extra for us to have the privilege of this contradiction.  

So whilst you all digest this honest post I still believe that I am doing good by reducing my individual household waste to landfill and I feel good about that too. I feel good that I am not wastefully buying in bulk for the products to go out of date before I have had the chance to use them. I feel good spending the time with family members experimenting on recipes I have never done before. Spending the time with the kids teaching them how to cook but also laughing a lot with them when the cooking process goes wrong or did not work and finding out solutions together how we can improve the recipe next time. We must all try to change our habits regarding less waste to landfill but it does not have to be stressful just do one thing at a time everyday. The plastic free lifestyle does work out in the end and if I can do it with such a large family then anyone can. I know from the knowledge I have gained doing this challenge it is going to work out cheaper in the long run with our health improving too.

The Journey as of today

 My waste black bins, two of them were always full before plastic free July and today one bin goes out with only three bin bags in it. Whilst the two recycling bins were full only one was put out last week and half of that recycling came from the plastic I had already in my home from previous months as i did not want to waste the products but use them up.

I received a lovely vegetable box from Mike who has an Allotment, he has some great tips on how to grow your own food simply and easily. His you tube channel below on the link.

https://www.youtube.com/user/woody24562530
Thank you Mike for the box of goodies

Some supermarkets are going in the right direction but they need to act faster and we the consumer should not be blinded by their sale tactics to buy more unnecessary bulk buying. 

My toilet paper delivery arrived and the kids thought the box was delivered to the wrong house due to its logo.
We did laugh!!

So as my Plastic free July comes to an end I am thinking of keeping this blog going with a different name although maybe not writing it everyday. I believe we can all change our habits if we try so I will look at where I have brought my alternatives  throughout this month of July and offer a blog with these links for everyone else to try. Sharing this blog has been a pleasure and I hope that you have all enjoyed my journey.

Thank you for keeping me going

Karen

30th July 5 day update sorry

July 30th

Day 30

Five days in one blog tonight as I have had a few days of being a busy mom. My son has had a serious injury to his eye ball and I have spent the last few days travelling to and from the hospital. He has require treatment ever two hours and I was just too tired to blog. I do apologise for this however I have one day left of plastic free July and I think the kids are delighted. They cannot wait to have a few simple pleasures back in the cupboards. Some of you are possibly thinking that I should not go back to plastic but the truth of the matter is some items are just not available as an alternative. I will however keep a few alternatives that I have found as they work well and also fit in to our lifestyle. I will also seek to find the other alternatives that have been impossible to find in one month. My cupboards are emptying of plastics and I will not be replacing them either, so little by litter we will become a Zero waste family.

The problem at the moment is that the Eco or waste free shops are just not catering for the family market. Prices and practicality are just not in a family range or budget when shopping here and there for goods to feed a family of 6. Tomorrow I will work out for the final day just how much has been spent on plastic free July 2019 compared with my June 2019 spends.
One thing this challenge has shown me is just how wasteful we are in this throw away culture and this is what's going to change in my household. Every family has to start somewhere and this challenge has been very daunting at times where I could have easily gave up. My routine will change and my money will be saved in the long run but as a mother my sanity has to be intact.

The overall issue is that I am one consumer that is making an impact in my lifestyle not to bow down to convenience and let the supermarkets bombard me with plastic covered goods. I am determined to reduce my household waste, this plastic free July challenge has been successful and our household has reduced it's waste by 50%. However it's by far not enough,  have turn to books to help me with some final changes and most authors express that changing your family over totally to waste free is difficult and should be done one thing at a time. I have done more than this each day and have also educated myself on the alternatives and where to go for them. So once the routine slips back in to place I can actually start shopping differently and more excitedly than just popping to Tesco for convenience. I shall make the time to pop in to the city to a larger waste free shop with my weekly menu in hand and make sure I visit the city when the markets are on for the cheaper fruit and veg options. So in one afternoon the waste free shop and market will be visited. The key to the successfulness of a waste free family is definitely in the planning and organisation of my week.  A trip to the city will be a welcomed change.

The overall truth is that our planet needs us to change our convenient ways, stopping us being dictated to by supermarkets who are only fulfilling their profit margins. People are telling me that's its more expensive to go waste/eco free but when they go to the supermarkets their trollies are full to the brim, covered in plastic and most of it will end up in the landfill or recycled bins unused. Money is being wasted in so many ways that we have become accustomed too and there really is no need to acquire so much and then place it in landfill forever. The availability to become a waste free success has to be in the practicality of the refill shops offering us the items needed so that we can cater in such a big family. Cereal for instance.

There is a huge satisfaction in turning to a Eco freak and I for one like it, mine household feels fresher and my burdens are easing due to my cupboards being organised. My bank account will be healthier and so will the planet as I'm turning more and more to waste less, reuse stuff and enjoy up-cycling what I have. A veg patch will be a new addition to my garden over the next year and I will enjoy more baking with the kids. Time is so important.

Today My bread making skills were tested once more as I made hot dog rolls. The children loved them and I did impress myself too.
Advertised all over Facebook was toilet roll options that are tree friendly and made by recycled material. The funniest name ever for this company was "Who gives a crap". brilliant name I thought. An order has been made and a big box will be delivered in a couple of days.

Hope you enjoyed tonight's blog and once again I apologise for the 5 day update.

Hot dogs



They turned out well

Day 25 I need to put the oven on and it's a baking hot day

Day 25

25.07.19

My nephews birthday and I need to bake a cake.



We went to Bells farm shop and the kids were delighted to see the two farmers crisps, crisps is the one snack in our house that is popular. The two farmers crisps packets are compostable and plastic free. We did buy three packs but one did not make it home, however at £2.80 for a large a packet I think for this family walkers packets might be coming back home. Terracycle will be getting my used packets along with toothpaste tubes as I still have not found an alternative for toothpaste. My duty of care towards the kids has to be my number one priority and the dentist needs to be kept happy.

Delighted with Bells farm today as they have started selling the two farmers crisps.

The shampoo and conditioner bars are still going strong after about five uses these have hardly changed in size.

 

 

Tonight I baked a birthday cake for my nephew a lemon drizzle cake, I was unable to taste it due to my intolerances however the family tucked in a commented how nice it was. I do know one thing is there is only three pieces left and I can honestly say it was simple and easy to make.

Today has been about looking after the children in this very hot weather however I am enjoying the sunshine.

Day 24 Summary I needed to cheat for my sainity.

Day 23 Summary

Today I needed to make a few plastic decisions as my cupboards are empty of anything available and gradable for the kids to eat. We are in the summer holidays and I cannot in this heat keep putting the oven on. So I bought light brown sugar in a plastic packaging as there is no where I can find an alternative. I thought the homemade baking of many cookie varieties at different times throughout the week with this one bag of sugar would make up for me buying 6-8 packets of biscuits and ending up with all that packaging. Surely one plastic packet was better than 6-8 different plastic packets. Two packets of biscuits were brought though as I'm not a wonder woman who can bake daily and cereal was brought too as the kids need to eat cold breakfasts in this kind of weather.

Ice cream was brought in a plastic tub and popsicles were found in paper tubes so that's this heat wave sorted to cool the kids down. A really nice find for mom and dad was the gin and tonic popsicles that will also keep the adults cool too.

 

These are a real success with the kids and adults. Gin of course is the adults one lol.


To summarise this day the supermarkets won over with certain plastic covered items that I need to help me through summer holiday days especially in this kind of heat. My children have really supported the plastic free July however day 24 and it's taking its toll so far as snacks and ice cream go. For my sanity and safety in decision making as a mother this was a much needed necessity.