You know if you've been following me for a long time (and that's awfully nice by the way), we at home have been trying for many years to become citizens of the world, "reasoned" consumers and well aware of the state of our planet.
However, I still eat meat, I don't buy in bulk yet, I fly, I still order from Amazon (yes, I hear you scream back there)! Because these small gestures that we decide to adopt as we go along so that it becomes easily and lastingly integrated into our daily lives, well, we do them in a context of life which is ours and which does not allow us to totally upset all our habits in a snap of the fingers. Because my goal is to make my life easier. Because if I complicate it, I implode seen in the state I already am now.
A little historical reminder. April 29, 1945 women vote for the first time in France.
Ah, I'm being told that we don't have 3 hours on the subject. Grosso Merdouillo, my parents, already, bought a lot of things at the organic store, but not everything (I imagine because of the financial cost and the fact that at the time we could not find – not dinosaurs all the same – all organic easily in the Paris region). I remember this store by the way, very small, quite dark and very busy, I didn't like to go there:my mother chatted with the owner for ages... hum
Same, my mother cooked. She didn't buy anything processed. Cakes, dishes, sauces, she spent hours in the kitchen... so naturally, I did the same (except the hours in the kitchen which turn into simple and quick meals but in fact I never buy a ready-made dish, at worst , I have pizza or sushi delivered)
Then, I am not fundamentally a big buyer:Marie Kondo does not need to come to my house (so much the better). I sort easily, I donate, I recycle, these gestures are in my nature, let's say.
What I no longer buy today in April 2019:
- bottles of water :I told you about it, it’s confirmed, we opted for 2 glass carafes. To filter the water, I abandoned the "charcoal stick" version, which I find much more restrictive than the ceramic beads for an identical result. The teenager is delighted, she no longer has to explain why there is a huge black poo at the bottom of the water to her friends who come to eat at the house. Uh uh
- of cottons :Well, that's been a while, but I'll say it again. I think we really started the "less waste" axis with that. I remove my make-up either with a konjac sponge (adaptable to our skin type, the teenager has one made from bamboo charcoal), or with washable squares (Tendances d'Emma always)
- of paper towel :there is 1 exception which confirms the rule again, but I think we will be able to quickly override it:I still sponge the frits with it (3 sheets at the bottom of the bowl), but I think I could use a clean cloth absorbing it would pass. Otherwise, I only use the washcloths (Tendance d'Emma again), to absorb any overflow, leak or other spillage of liquid but also to wash the work surface (like a sponge again), wipe a spit mouth, wipe a pif or even as an extra mini towel.
- exfoliation and more generally useless care products :no more things that cost a kidney, I only use vegetable oils (Sweet almond for baths (oh yes, I still take baths though) and to remove make-up from my face, argan (as a night cream for my mature skin, compared to dinosaurs), coconut (for child lice – oops – and more generally for my hair) For scrubs, I take bicarbonate very fine to which I add a few drops of sweet almond oil, I mix in my hand and presto, I erase. For the body, it's shea butter (my favorite at Pranarom, the texture is super pleasant) and I always have Aloe Vera for sores, sunburn, insect bites, hydration and even hair gel). Say goodbye to serums, lip care, puffiness, etc. Marketing is fine, thank you.
- of diesel :we have been running on gasoline for years now
- of laundry :and there damn what it is economical. I have tested several recipes, I am not yet completely settled on a specific one, but from all my research I can tell you that you just should not mix baking soda and white vinegar. The two cancel each other out. I've read lots of stuff about it. The chemical reaction of these two is only interesting if you want to strip something immediately:for example, your toilet! Otherwise, put baking soda and soda crystals in the laundry (and possibly add soda percarbonate to whiten/detach a little more if necessary). Ditto, essential oils are to be added cold and I realized that it was a bit like putting precious Chanel number 5 in a trash can… Essential oils have virtues far beyond artificially embalming our detergents. But hey, I'm still wearing it for now. My last recipe is that of MamanWhatElse and I find it quite liquid (because you will see, the sinews of war is above all that, the dosage of the elements so as not to end up with a detergent as hard as concrete)(even if it makes your arms twitch by shaking it before use). For the softener, I simply put a large dose of white vinegar. AND THAT'S IT..
- of cleaning products :it's just black soap, baking soda and white vinegar! For the windows:water and my essential Brill’tout (this miraculous thing)
- fruit juices :I took a glass of it every morning. In fact, even in 100% pure juice, it is a ton of sugar that we swallow. You have to eat a fruit or squeeze it, keeping the pulp well (for the fibers), otherwise beware of blood sugar. So we stopped and no one misses it. On weekends we take the time to eat kiwis with fresh lemon/ginger juice. On weekdays sometimes I press oranges with a citrus press "wide" enough to let the pulp pass through. Otherwise, it's banana to eat.
My failures – so far –
- bottles of sparkling water. I don’t like sodastream type machines…. I continue to buy my sparkling waters, but I campaign for glass bottles.
- yogurts:but it's in progress!! Big teaser but we found a non-electric "old fashioned" yogurt maker on the right corner!
- bulk, even easy:I could, but I still can't find my favorite brands and products easily... especially morning cereals for example, I don't have enough choice, so I take it easy to buy with packaging… ditto for rice, lentils, etc
Here we are at home. I am looking for a composter for the balcony:next step? To be continued!!!
