Striking the balance between DFW and conscience

JAMIEDODGER

hi all,

recently i have been thinking about how my moneysaving and wish to be debtfree can work alongside my need to be making an effort to make a difference on this planet.

this week i checked out my ecological footprint and really, it wasnt good enough, i do quite a bit already, recycle and compost, but to quote a good friend... "no one ever does enough"

but being ecologically conscious costs doesnt it? well, armed with my calculator i planned to check this out...

this week after lots of research and plenty of tapping into my calculator, i decided to purchase some reusable nappies. i didnt buy the cheapest ones, my baby deserves to be comfortable, i also bought some biodegradeable paper nappy liners. I have in the past with my other three children used terrys and tbh it never bothered me in the slightest using them...once you get used to it. Anyways, I paid £67 for the lot and they will be winging their way to me next week. this set of nappies will have paid for themselves in about 12 weeks. this will mean an extra £5 staying in my pocket every week. and we all know that EVERY disposable nappy sent to landfill is STILL THERE!!!!

i am now researching into eco balls. a natty little gadget that goes in your washing and erradicates the need for nasty detergent that makes your skin itch and does horrid things to the water supply. they are quite costly at £39.95!!!!!! but it works out to about 4p a wash, this is MUCH cheaper than i paying at the moment, with four children there is always far too much washing!! and obviously there is also added bonus of no yukky detergents.

My plan is once i have paid off all the debt then i can start buying a few more recycled products, more organic produce. I already grow some of my own veg and keep chickens.

can anyone think of any other things they can do to money save and bring that DFD a little closer, which could also be kinder to the enviroment?

Hereward

There is a whole board of ideas for you here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.html?f=100

Bagpuss741

How many do you get for £39.95? I've seen these in Lakeland Limited
https://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/!5718 Hope this helps.

nearlyrich

Bagpuss741 wrote:

How many do you get for £39.95? I've seen these in Lakeland Limited
www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/!5718 Hope this helps.

I believe you get one set and they are reusable so if you work out how many washes of your normal powder/tablets/liquid you can get for the £39.95 and if the lifespan of the eco balls is longer you are in front. However Lakeland Ltd, wonderful though they are are quite expensive and I am sure if you have a search on the Old Style or Green & Eyhical Boards you will find something similar for a lot less money.;)

Miss_Penny_Pincher_2

I received the Kleeneze catalogue yesterday and they have a wash ball which is anti-bacterial, detergent free and hypo-allergenic - up to 50 loads for £5.99 = nearly 8.4p per load.

Also they have a 'magic washing ball' which looks like a pink hedgehog. It's £7.99 for 2 with each lasting 50 washes = 8p per wash but then refills are only £1.99 = 4p per wash. It does say that it slowly releases detergent though so it doesn't sound as green? The bumph says "excellent results. The nodules massage and condition your clothes as the machine spins".

I haven't tried either of these (this is my first Kleeneze catalogue ever) but possibly cheaper green options than the £40 one?

Dr.Shoe_2

What £40 one? The one I saw at lakeland was £7.95...

Miss_Penny_Pincher_2

This one:

JAMIEDODGER wrote:

i am now researching into eco balls. a natty little gadget that goes in your washing and erradicates the need for nasty detergent that makes your skin itch and does horrid things to the water supply. they are quite costly at £39.95!!!!!! but it works out to about 4p a wash, this is MUCH cheaper than i paying at the moment, with four children there is always far too much washing!! and obviously there is also added bonus of no yukky detergents.

Does that eco ball last 1000 washes which makes it only 4p a wash?

JAMIEDODGER

yes thats right miss penny pincher. and the refills are £18 so makes it less than 2p after that! seemed like a good idea to me

lynzpower

have you got a wormery as well jamie? I got mine from the local council for a fiver - all the food that cant go into a standard composter can go in as well ( cooked food ends type stuff) Saves bin bags, buying compost and te planet :j

Ryan.Maloney

Everytime someone gets a cheap easyjet flight they are messing up all this energy saving lark

Seriously, there's no point, you'll be dead anyway. Also the crazy religious fundamentalists will have blown everyone up.

So just enjoy yourself, you can't make a difference

Hope this helps

JAMIEDODGER

hi lynz, no i havent got a wormery but that sounds like a really good idea!!!