my grandmother (peak slavic war-generation depression-era specimen) used to rinse, dry, fold, and store every single plastic bag that came her way. she'd use them for food storage, item storage, as makeshift aprons, surface protection for dirty work, gardening gloves, you name it, she'd do it over and over again until the thing fell apart. my parents used to criticise her mercilessly for the plastic bags always hanging from her laundry racks, but now we see she was in fact so ahead of her time. naturally, she also used to mend her clothes and socks until they were more mending than fabric, and all the visible mending gave such a twee vibe to her items. she also adhered to the classic slavic outside clothes -> house clothes -> gardening clothes -> cleaning rags lifecycle. she'd knit rugs and dish cloths out of old pantyhose (I loved those so much, such a fluffy texture!) I've come to realise my funny gran was actually a sustainability queen, and I strive every day to be more like her ❤ of course, all of these habits come from hardship and poverty, and glamourising them is not the point. rather, humans' creativity in the face of rampant inequality is admirable. here in the 1st world we've been coddled into some very silly, unsustainable, hyperconsumerist habits, and we would do well to take a leaf from our ancestors' and fellow non-wasteful humans' books.
Love this but storing things in plastic is a terrible idea ❤ microplastics can be absorbed through your fingertips, clothes, and food (Really not good) ESPECIALLY when the plastic is old, cheap, and is in any sort of degradation stage.
Your grandma obviously had her reasons and hardship makes for some beautifully creative people, but if you can afford it, switching out tubberware for glass containers, never buying any synthetic blends (polyester,acrylic,etc), even getting a nonplastic phone case will greatly improve the amount of microplastics you come in contact with. I am all for underconsumption, but I do feel like buying new things and getting rid of old things is needed, especially with how much plastic is normalized today :( (the new things should not be plastic!!)
Your story reminded me about my Grandma's cupboard full of yogurt cups instead of small drinking cups, the milk containers she'd save for SO MANY craft projects, the patchwork quilts (one I still have) that she'd sew out of any old scrap of fabric. She used what she had because being g a child during the great depression, that was all she knew.
Same. When we moved to flat my bf grandma used to live the flat was full of plastic containers in every size. But actually I used to live in the same household. Growing up in Poland in 90s my mum was reusuing everything. All of decorative pillows in my family home were full of old socks. And I'm doing some of those things as well. All of my pantry is in old jars, we are using small salsa jars as a bowls (they are good for serving ice cream). I keep my coffee in old jar. I'm using toilet paper bags as a trash bag. And I'm also doing this clothes live cycle. I remember when I was a kid we didn't have a mop but a old tshirt wrapped on a broom. Some of this is about not being wasteful, being eco, not spending much but also I don't see a reason to pay for something that I already own just becouse the other thing is more aesthetic in someone opinion. In my old job I bring a glass bottle after a juice to bring myself water to the table and my college could not stand it. She keep repeating that she will buy me a water bottle, bounce my glass bottle was not aesthetic
this spoke to my soul. My partner always makes fun of me and says "you love a good deal" and they're referring to my thrifty, sustainability habits cause lbh it is a good deal
My local library has a “gear library” where you can borrow camping/hiking gear! I love it and have used it to borrow backpack carriers for my toddler. Wonderful concept, every town needs one.
"Spend time in nature because there's nothing to buy there." I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! I just got back from a 5 day backpacking trip. I always feel so free when I'm carrying everything I need on my back with no need to go back into civilization until the food or coffee runs out. Literally just walking all day until I feel like stopping. Opting out of society and consumerism.
I'm not quite that outdoorsy, I'll admit. But I love this too. We are in the USA and when vacationing we usually strike a nice balance, visiting National parks and historic sites and spending a big part of our time hiking and touring outside. We do a bit of shopping and dining out, but the sum of our trip costs is so minimal compared with friends who do cruises, big amusement parks like Disney, or going for all-day outlet shopping excursions. Better for our budget and our health, and so much fun without centering on capitalism.
This comment got me thinking real hard. I am thinking about moving town and friends always recommend towns or cities that advertise "high standard of living" or a "high quality lifestyle" or whatever the wording may be. Which I realised is often just synonymous to loads of options to 'consume' or spend money (shops, restaurants, festivals, yoga studios...) I'm really thinking about moving to a town that is probably considered dead or dying by most people, but nature is there, and I'm not tempted all the time to support the local economy because it is already dead 😂
I get the same rush from creatively repairing something as I do from buying something new. Except that repairing something is better, because you get a spark of pride whenever you use it, whereas the rush of buying something quickly disappears.
I didn’t set out to make a sustainable choice but when my husband and I first spent Christmas together I bought a set of cloth string-closure gift bags of varying sizes. I have reused those bags for every occasion on which we exchange gifts so I haven’t had to deal with wrapping or unwrapping any gifts for 12 years now.
I have a pair of capri pants that I embroidered flowers over a stain, and I showed it to a lady who was talking to my mom and she thought it was originally like that. I was so happy when she told me that my embroidery looked like the stuff in the store cause I just started trying embroidery.
@@kimk0409 that's good because most trash bags are a direct byproduct of petroleum. Less demand for petroleum products = less fracking = reduced heating of the planet.
All of the things, yes! Except borrowing...I cannot tell you how many times I've lend something to someone, only for that person to not be nearly as careful with it as I am and I just....I don't lend stuff anymore. We're very conscious consumers at home, and when I've spent years maintaining something (from books to appliances) only for the person who borrows it from me to be extremely careless resulting in the item breaking down way before it would have. And it is not just one person, it seems to be most people around us :( And yes, things are meant to be used. But it is not okay to me when I've had a book for years, read it multiple times and kept it in pristine condition, only for someone else that I lend it too to scuff the edges and corners like it is nothing.
Yes! Lent a jacket and I got it back damaged and she didn't follow the was instructions so it shrank. Also had someone return a borrowed book with food in it. Definitely have trust issues with letting others use my things
Yeah... I let a friend borrow a dress once and idk wtf she did with the washing but the fabric was never the same after and didn't fit right... Ended up donating it. It's sad that we can't always trust people to be careful with our things! 😢
this is where object libraries shine, You can select the item you want to borrow and use it well. Those who aren't careful get slapped with fees. Win-win.
A good rule of thumb is, never let anyone borrow something that you wouldn’t want to give them. If I let someone “borrow” something, it’s theirs to keep. Them the rules. Never failed me yet.
Growing up, my mom would add water to shampoo bottles, dish soap, hand soap, laundry detergent, etc to make things last longer. I still do the same thing as well.
Regarding #16 cleaning cloths: I recently discovered Sashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching technique. It is decorative, but can also be used to reinforce cloths and clothing. One use case is making a "Zokin", a cleaning cloth, out of old dish towels or clothes. It's so cool. I love it because it's pretty but also extremely functional. The Green Wrapper has great tutorials on how to make them. I am starting my first one right now! Also, not you thirst trapping us while modeling upcycled flower earrings 🤩 Girl, you looked so cute!
Re unwanted gifts: Don’t give unwanted gifts to others. Don’t give people stuff just because you feel like you have to give a gift (eg Christmas). Ask your loved ones if there are things they’d like, and if they don’t give you an answer, simply don’t give them a material gift (unless you like, happen to stumble on something that you know for a fact they’d like). Instead you can give for example a donation to a cause that’s important to them.
I think there's a difference between pawning crap off on people, and rehoming something that you received that wasn't quite your style / lifestyle to someone that will enjoy and use it. Ideally, all gifts should be personal to the receiver and not just given because there's some event (Christmas, etc.), but I don't think the origin of the gift (it was another gift) doesn't matter so much as whether or not it's thoughtful/ intentional.
@@frogginator-x definitely, and my comment was not aimed at not rehoming things you yourself don’t use. It was more about the other side of the unwanted gifts issue: it’s not just about what to do with things you were gifted but don’t want/use, but also about how to avoid giving ppl unwanted gifts that they will then need to rehome.
hard agree on not giving gifts at all if nothing is requested... for years i have been saying "i don't want or need anything" and very directly "please don't get me anything" ... the argument is often that "it'll get used" but 2 christmases i received some jam, still unopened in my cupboard because it's not the type i like. other times it's been hot chocolate powder, but i have enough for the next 5 years now!
There is too much pressure around presents I find. You have to accept and cherish them even if you have no use for them. When I give a gift I always tell the receiver to never hesitate to tell me if it's something they can't use, and to either pass it on, or to give it back so I can alter it (like, if it's about the size or fit of a clothing item) I have a good friend, who has very sensitive skin, but who still loves getting knitted gifts, we have an understanding that if the wool or yarn is itchy or scratchy she just tells me, so I know to not use that type of yarn again for a present of hers, and she passes the whatever it is on to her husband or her sister or mother-in-law.
I quilt so I save almost all fabric scraps. I make scrap quilts where you sew together all those small pieces creatively. I practice Japanese sashiko which uses small scraps to mend or decorate. I use small scraps of fabric to fill doll pillows which are given with scrappy fabric doll quilts to kids. So many uses for scraps. Fabric is expensive so waste not these small leftover pieces. Another idea is to find a quilter who also uses these and share them. Make coasters out of fabric scraps. So many ideas!
@@Foundlilly11 I have made a basket from t-shirt yarn, flexible fabric works best for it! Also that's the kind of fabric that often can't be recycled in other ways because it has mixed-in synthetic fibres. So it's a double-win kind of!
@@Foundlilly11 Ooooooh i love your hack !! I am more a knitter but I will try it someday, i have nice scrap of fabric that could make funny beddings for my cats ! Thanks for the inspiration !
My 96-year old mother has been taking broken pairs of earrings and combining them to make a "new" pair of earrings. She alters her clothes to update her style and wears her pre-made turbans sideways, which gives them a different look
Stealing your dad's clothes leads to another great hack for people with a) sewing skills and b) a small clothing size: You can thrift cheap but high-quality men's shirts and tailor/alter them to suit you! Done this many times, still wearing those pieces because they last!! And they're not only shirts, I've made dresses, shorts and beautiful tops out of men's shirts!
Super video, thank you!! I use big bags from toilet paper, pet food etc. to go around the block and collect trash. Also, relatives live on a farm and reuse almost everything! Paper bags to collect seeds, regift things, clothing so patched up you sometimes couldn't recognize the original item (worn for farm work). As a kid this never made sense to me and I remember thinking of them as cheap and strange. Now I wish the whole of humanity would follow such steps!!
I use the big bags like that as trash bags! I don't even know the last time I bought kitchen trash bags because even though I don't buy a lot of stuff I always have plenty! (I guess I also don't produce that much trash lol)
I just "McGyvered" a shelf in my greenhouse. I had seen those very simple floating shelves hanging inside a leather strap. But 1000NOK was not an option.. I have some sisal rope that I fix my cats scratching tower with occationally. So, I wrapped the ends of the rope together by using a darker brown jute thread. The shelf itself, I cut of a piece of a pallet and sanded it. It looks a bit more rustic, but perfect for my greenhouse 🤩
You can fix your cotton socks by sewing small patch from similar fabric. I use only woolsocks because they are easier to mend and I like how wool feels on my feet. One of my frugal/underconsumption hack is that when I buy vegetables or open jar of olives or package of feta or some other similar cheese I use them on that food and put usable scraps to freezer in small bags. I do have pizzaday/pie day regulary and I mainly use those scraps from freezer as filling. By not waisting food is one good way to save planet. This is extra important if you use animalproducts.
Hi, at first I need to say that I love your Videos. One important theme in underconsumption for me is: accepting your body as it is and by doing so not buying things to e.g. get your hair curly or sleek and so on.
I remember waaay back when I was a teenager, my best friend and I did the research and calculations to find out how much it would cost us to get pretty, like, aaall the cool clothes and jewellry, hair dye, teeth whitening, stuff we thought would get rid of orange skin, and plastic surgery on everything, it was a big joke at the time, but when my friend and I said to each other "guess, we just have to stay ugly then..." it was actually half joking half serious. I'm still ugly, just like nature made me 😂 Proud to say
I think Temu, Wish and Shein should be banned in the EU! It's unfair business practises, and their products don't go through the safety and quality testing, which products sold in the EU should go through by law.
Funnily I actually like getting their ads. 1. It wastes targeted ads since I'm not buying. 2. I know I'm not going to buy from them. 3. They replace actual ads if be way more tempted by (any indie clothing brands or honestly a lot of the green washing large brands).
If a container feels empty, let's cut it open and scrap it clean ! I think I never bought any cleaning clothes, my mom had the habit of cutting old bed sheets, t shirts etc into smaller pieces to clean around the house, so we have a *stock* (and we still do it !). On the case of reusing boxes for packaging, you can also use paper shreds (like those documents with personnal info you'd rather shred to bits) as filler to secure the items ! you could also make new recycled paper with it. These days, each time I watch one of your video, I do small sewing repairs on my clothes, it's really the right time format and the nice motivational push☺
I am short on time but what I do for my partner's everyday socks, instead of darning, is take one of his odd socks from the bottom of the laundry basket and cut it up to make a bunch of patches to reinforce the warn out parts of several other pairs of his socks. It's a bit quicker and less skilful, but it still allows him to get ware out of his socks for longer.
My Mum grew up in the UK during WW2. An original “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” Queen. NGL though, walking almost two miles to school on darned socks/tights is not my favorite memory. In fact at the time I was embarrassed by that way of approaching life, all my friends had all the ‘cool’ 80’s fashion, brand new. Now I appreciate the lessons she taught me.
I live in east germany and my parents are the most "sustainable" people I know. They didnt had much by the time the berlin wall exists and had to reuse, repair, share things. Its not because they want or try to be the trendy "sustainable" but because they grew up like that and cant imagine to buy useless stuff or throw stuff away. Even the 25 year old couch is now in the garden of a friend. 😂
My hack kind of borders on hoarding.. but I actually found it useful.. I absolutely hate throwing away (and even donating sometimes) clothes.. because I keep thinking "what if I need it later?" So what we have been doing as a family was we go through our wardrobes and pick things out that we don't wear anymore but that are still good and put them in bins in the basement. Then when we feel like we need a wardrobe update (generally at least a year later) we first check the basement and see if our tastes have changed and if we now would love to wear whatever it was that didn't like a year ago. This helps keep the closest small and more manageable and you don't feel as much guilt putting things away as you would throwing them out or donating them (yes, I know donating is good, but I still feel guilty for getting an item of clothing that I don't end up wearing). Also, you get a really fun experience of "shopping your basement" which seems to be a mix of archeology and thinking "wow, fashion really is cyclical"
I used to do this with larger/smaller sized clothes, of course I donated my larger sizes just in time for 2020 and the 'vid to hit and I regained most of the weight 🤦 I've had to repurchase most of a work dresscode appropriate wardrobe as a result (about a week's worth but still) and I'm constantly kicking myself for donating those (I used to keep size above and size below, so when I manage to lose this think I'll hold on to these ones this time 🙄)
This makes me think of a shirt I had MANY years ago. My mom bought it for me for something I was going to. I didn't like it. It hung in my closet for 2 years. Finally one day I decided to wear it. And I ended up absolutely loving it! I don't know if my tastes changed or what, but I literally wore that shirt until it was threadbare in spots. Great idea!
Second comment on this video, but I guess it’s good for the algorithm - Use the boxes you get stuff in to organise your home. Got a delivery? Free organisation. Given a gift? Free organisation. I (finally!) bought the 3-in-1 sandwich toaster/waffle iron/grill I’ve been wanting for years. Cut that box in half and now my picknick stuff is easily accessed and organised. Is it as aesthetic as the clear acrylic containers that restockers want us to buy? No. Was it free and something I already had? Yes. I’m currently sitting next to a lidless plastic ice cream container with an expiry date print of Feb-2013 which has held my muffin liners and similar bakeware since.. 2013 I guess. Reorganised yesterday to a different bakeware organisation solution, and this container is 100% about to find a new purpose in my home.
Exactly! I also use smaller boxes to organise my drawers and stationery. I especially love organising with tissue paper boxes, I just cut out the upper part 😃
Free aldi crates for pantry/ craft storage, different colours. Cover in decorative papers or washi tapes to generate decor and reduce visual clutter. I use my veg boxes as storage cubes. They are easily covered in thrifted/scrap fabrics, twine, or ropes. Cut up the cardboard to create drawer dividers or use to reinforce shape in fabric storage cubes.
Your heading for "save your fabric scraps " actually reads " save your fabric craps " lol, you have just misseď out the S at the beginning of the word . Dear Gittemarie , you are bringing out the teacher in me : )
Hi Gittemary, just wanted to say how validated, and how much better I feel about my true self when I watched this video. Living on a street where it seems people live in the "keeping up with the Jones'", your videos always bring me reassurance about how I live my life. Thank you, from Vancouver Island, Canada
you had my whole heart at 'how can I MacGyver this' 😂 I always thought I loved to MacGyver stuff because I'm a pothead and all the potheads in my life are very creative problem solvers. Then when cleaning out my grandparents' house after they passed, we found all kinds of MacGyver'd decor and projects! My favorite was a set of curtains. She ran out of the beautiful seashell material she'd used for the curtains and still needed one more piece. She bought plain, sand-colored fabric that matched the background, splatter-painted to give it sandy depth, and then cut a small piece of the shell fabric and attached as a border. 🤯 I was so blown away to learn MacGyvering is a family trait I inherited 🥹
There was an old phrase: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Stop and think about that when tempted. Take a minute and consider each thing before making a purchase-do I need it? Can I use something I already have? Is there a more creative solution to the problem? We wanted new Christmas ornaments…and made little people from acorns we found. It was a festive time and it was pretty. Dh’s sandals broke, I fixed them with ShoeGoo (I use that a bunch to keep my shoes YEARS longer)…over and over and over.
If you do something that will make your clothes smelly wear clothes that are already a little bit dirty/smelly. That way you can wash your clothes less which saves water and will make the clothes last longer. For example: If I want to cook some pasta sauce that includes roasting garlic and onions I will often change into some clothes that I have worn a few times and that need washing anyway.
My dad's the professor with holes in his shirts. Sometimes he doesn't start to wear a new shirt he has already waiting in his closet before an older one breaks. When his father died, he left behind unused shirts still in plastic packaging. They are the same... 😂 I like the style but as a woman, I can't really pull that off in the same way. I try to mend and patch my clothes in a pretty way instead.
I always travel with a little bundle of (washed and ready to reuse) zipper lock bags, as well as string and a few clothespins. They don’t take up much space, and that way I can shop at farmers markets without taking more plastic bags, and I can make an impromptu indoor clothesline any time I need to.
I knit the cotton dish cloths and my friends are all addicted. They all use them until they disintegrate and I use my old ones as protection in between my cooking pans.
Most of these hacks are already done by my mom (or most moms probably 😂). I love this and I love your energetic enthusiasm, it just shows how passionate you are on being sustainable and not being wasteful.
I'm already back from holidays in Danmark an so I appreceiated "the danish vibe" of your video : ) In our Airbnb we had a garden an there were a lot of fallen fruits an so I saved this fruits the whole holiday and had a nice fruit porridge
'Use up your tech'. Listening to this on the headphones of which one side got cablebreak, so one ear works and the other just hangs around. Also lost the silicone piece in my bag 😂
”I’m being environmentally conscious” is now the retort I’ll use when my friends make fun of my home laptop. It’s a MacBook Pro which was purchased 2nd hand by my best friend and refurbished to be given to me for my 25th birthday. It already had 5 years of life in it at that point. I just turned 34, which makes this laptop 14 years old. I’ve swapped the battery and the hard drive for an SSD, and while you can definitely tell it’s TIRED, it lives next to my (hand-me-down) TV and all it does is stream things to be viewed on my bigger screen, soooo-
@@RoseFire6that’s what I’ve done! (Cut off the broken side - like pruning out in my garden 😅 ) I’m like, "This side still works - why would I throw it away!" I use only one ear when listening in bed, anyway. It doesn’t need to have hi-fi/stereo sound to listen to my "Watch later" UA-cam list.
I love this! I save my own fabric scraps and have been that weirdo that asks family, friends, and even strangers for specifically stained , old, and holey garments to use in my crafts so nothing gets tossed. Sometimes their old torn pants make it back to them as a new purse for the holidays lol 😂
About gifts - I'm turning 50 in a few weeks, and a while ago, I posted an extensive wishlist on my blog. My sister told me that that was such a greedy and imbarrassing thing to do. I think it's the best thing I can do: I'm quite old by now, I have basically everything that I need, and I know exactly what I do need. I don't want gifts "just because" - I much prefer help with the garden, or something secondhand from my wishlist (even something you found in the back of your storage), than a thing you just got at a store because you thought that you needed to give me something, even if that happened to be an expensive gift. One - I much prefer things to be secondhand or sustainable or from indie makers, I don't do fast anything. Two - I'm picky with what I like. Three - I much prefer something that will last for a long time, reminding me of the one that gave me the gift, than something with a short lifespan, for example I'd love a plant for my garden instead of a bouquet of flowers. But no, my sister thought that it was tacky and greedy... I thought that I was being thoughtful and considerate!
People will always interpret things differently. I would maintain consistency in that it is simply communication, not a list of demands. Wishlists are helpful to some gift givers. My family also establishes communication in small conversations for certain gift appreciated: I insist on hostess gifts, my brother's favourite soda is Dr. Pepper. I could bring a more performative olive oil or wine- but he likes this the best. My sister-in-law (other brother) have a tradition of socks for Christmas. Just asking for a particular limit or food & consumables instead can help. Cheers❤
7:36 Im catering for 30 people for a weekend.... and I don't have enough catering / cooking stuff😬. So I've been op shopping (thrift/ second hand), borrowed, buy nothing groups, face book market place..... I may have too much now but until I do the event I won't know exactly what I need. And it will be multiple repeat event so it's an investment... for 1/10 th the price!!
I love cloth napkins. Especially if I find them in a thrift shop. Hankies are my other thing. I have thrifted ones and home made ones from old clothes and pillow cases.
I don’t wear sox anymore but I do recommend a darning mushroom. A tennis ball has fibres that you can catch. We have various plastic bags and we wash them. They are in the washing up every day. My mum has jars and containers from when I was a child. We used to always get staples from a co op or bulk sellers where you take your own bag but we no longer have one close and it makes me cringe at all the packaging from the supermarket. Left overs are brilliant for lunches. I also like to take a snack and a sandwich when I go out for the day. Love the idea of embroidery in imperfections. Patches and embroidery on clothes used to be fashionable when I was younger. Yes I am that old. Such a lovely reminder. Textile waste or cabbage is handy for stuffing. It is lovely sharing stuff. All the new and changing eco stuff makes me sick. Every season there is something new. I grew up with out money and I never went without. Make do and mend. I grew up with a passionate bush walker. My grandparents met rambling in the uk and my parents met bush walking in Australia. I always give my phone to my Mum so I only up grade when her phone is wearing out. I love regifting. In the Hobbit/LOTR the hobbits give presents on their birthday and some of those gifts were things they had been given. I so love this idea. I love rehoming gifts I don’t want. I subscribe to get the discount on something I want and then I unsubscribe. My mum has always saved envelopes, packaging etc. all our shopping lists and reminder lists are on the back of envelopes or pages from old address books or old note pads. My mum pours water on her green tea several times every morning. She doesnt use new tea every pot. Yes using old clothes are great for rags. Also cotton tshirts are great for making a cover on a worm farm. Make sure it is 100% coz those little wormies end up eating it. Never stole my Dads clothes but stole my ex partners clothes when we were together of course. We always wash down the benches when we do the washing up. Dish liquid is good for all sinks and counters and it is good for getting stains out of clothes. We are using up lots of paper napkins but we have cloth napkins for special occasions. I was taught to sew as a child coz we had no money and we had to make our own clothes. Now I am an adult friends get me to alter their clothes. It amazes me how many people can not see a button. My mum and step dad used to always put their heads and skills together and were able to make, mend and repair anything. Trends are so ridiculous fast. Be classic. Be yourself. Waiting to buy something that is not a necessity is a great idea. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you forget it, sometimes you miss out. It is all fine. If something works and I use it I keep it.
Thank you so~ for keeping it fun… keepin it movin! Yes to have a tag 🏷️ for it, *the Walk I’ve walked for all of this life/ 4 decades; “under-consumption core” is a ❤. I would adore having the kind of friends who could share gear w/ me! All fabulous!
In regards to the last tip, it is not always the case. Refrigerator have become so much more energy efficient that replacing an old one with a energy efficient one it's better for the environment. The energy used for the production is offset by the energy savings.
I used to watch your videos years and yeaeeeaars ago and just found you again. I am so glad to see that you are still on this path and still inspiring others! You go girl!!!
Fix your own electronics! The best precision tool maker makes facilitating this, and the right to repair as well, their mission. They really do make excellent tools and they also have a good UA-cam channel that walks you through changing screens and batteries on lots of different products which are the most common needs. It’s not as hard as you think. You could do a whole episode on this!
I love sewing and repairing items as it gives me an excuse to watch TV I consider watching TV generally a complete waste of time, but if there is something that needs to be stitched or repaired, that is my automatic excuse to throw on a movie and get to the Repair😂
We are required where we live to have all garbage bagged before putting it in the bin, so I use my extra plastic bags to line my smaller garbage cans around my home. It's not an ideal scenario but I've at least adapted so I'm not wasting a bag I paid for. Earlier this year I invested in a set of silicone zip close storage bags for my kitchen and they are awesome!! I wish I'd kept track of how may times I washed one so that I could see how many fewer bags went into a landfill.
I live in a very small home and I borrow things from my mom all the time so I don't have to store them. She has about everything someone would ever need since she's lived in the same place over thirty years.
Love every idea!!! I just updated my IPhone 8plus. I’ve had it since it came out. I got the 15 with the intention of having it until it isn’t being supported anymore!!!! My friends called it my vintage phone 🤣🤣🤣
Girl the clip when you put on your diy earrings?!?!? I swear to god you're the most beautiful person in the world 😍❤️ Also reusing your hairclip like that was pure genious!
Thank you for showing us highly efficient hacks! 🤩 When I saw your new flower earrings, the instant thought of mine was that you could've also clipped them to ✨spice up✨ your regular heels or flats for some fancy event 👠🥿
One underconsumption thing I've started doing is mending my rubber dish gloves with super glue. Ik it's probs better to not use them at all but I get grossed out by cleaning dishes and I was tired of throwing them out when they got holes
When I forget my reusable produce bags and have to get one of the plastic ones from the store, I like to reuse those thin plastic produce bags to pack my shoes when I'm travelling. They help keep my suitcase clean from any dirt on the shoes.
Re. no. 8: Share stuff with your colleagues, find a friend to share with. My work Slack has a tool pool because there’s no point in 10 people at the same work place owning 10 e.g. miter boxes. We built a catio on my friend’s balcony (aka. Catcatraz), so now I also have a staple gun and netting nippers. I’m adding picture frame moulding to my living and sleeping rooms so she will have a laser level and tall ladder.
I loooove this trend so much, it is super funny and inspiring to see this "reverse" trend ! Here is my contribution : I have a veeeeery old toaster, like it belongs to my mother when she was a student (-> she is 62 now) and it still working ! It is baby chick yellow with little bread slice shape around it, so not the best addition for a kitchen aesthetic vibe, but hey, it works and now i am attached to it ! And I convinced myself that it is almost a cute japanese appliance (the mind power is strong here 😜) Enjoy your old stuff ! And try embroidery : it is really fun and you can make beautiful enhancement, even if you only learn a stitch or two !
I love the idea of embroidering over stains! I absolutely will be learning how to do this!💖 Also, I have an interesting way of looking at re-gifting. I don't look at it as someone giving away something I got for them. I look at it as it was still helpful, because it filled a need or want in their life. They may not have used it by "using" it, but it still helped them by them by giving them something they can give to someone else instead of them having to go and by something for that person. Plus, if it eventually gets to someone who loves it or could really use it, it was still worth it. Obviously, try to by things for people they want or need, but I'd rather it be re-gifted than thrown away or taking up space in their home, because they are too afraid to hurt my feelings. 💖
Thank you Gittemary, this kind of videos is so helpful! ✨ One thing I've been doing for a while is cutting the tube of face cream to be able to use every last drop of it!
I feel like the people who will really do well with the whole "underconsumption core" will be those who are relatively financially prohibited from the general consumption habits that too many people take part in.
Many people who did it out of necessity end up carrying those habits far longer than it is required by their circumstances, though. People who grew up in the Great Depression often remained frugal even long into the boom times, and a significant number of people who matured in the Great Recession seem to behave the same way. Ironically those same people who developed the habit of living on less and don’t return to general consumption habits tend to end up in a less restrictive financial position than their peers after some years.
I noticed today on the Ziploc bag box that I bought recently that they are encouraging people to wash and reuse the bags. I use them very sparingly so I haven’t bought a new box in a long time, but it was still nice to see. Definitely falls into the greenwashing a bit since it’s still technically a single use plastic when you could just use a container. But like you said, sometimes that airtight seal is important, so in that case, I’m glad that they put the message on the box.
Cloth napkins are definitely on my list to look out for at the thrift store! Just moved so I need to get a lot of stuff and I'm enjoying the process of slowly finding what I need second hand. My favourite find so far is a bookshelf I picked up for free from someone gutting an old house. Would never have found one like it new!
Ha! Happy to see my ultimate hack mentioned: "Spend time in nature because there's nothing to buy there." I just came back from a little stroll, and it's such a way to aid your mental health, too. And you might find some mushrooms. 🍄🍄🍄 My camping gear is a sad excuse for camping gear, and nowadays I carry this with pride. My sleeping back? Bought in 1998. Still works just fine, unless I want to sleep in the cold. My clothes? I just use old jeans that have a little give, so I can bend down if I find mushrooms. Tent? Oh boy do I hope there's no gusts of wind if I sleep in it. Only thing I spend money on is the shoes. And then I use those shoes until they eventually fall apart beyond repair. I'd love to have those stylish hiking shoes, but who cares? Why does it matter when you move in the woods? It's not a fashion show. I'm on my third pair of hiking shoes, and I've been moving in nature since my childhood. I'm 34 now.
It goes back to the Middle Ages or earlier! Not the same thing, but we actually have our only examples of certain garments because they got soaked in pitch and jammed between the boards of a ship to stop leaks.
My TV just broke 2 days ago. I'm going to start this journey by going without one for this holiday season and see how I feel about it in January. And still not replacing the living room floor lamp that broke this last year. I am exhausted and done with spending money!
I’ve discovered your channel and I love it . I’ve been doing so many of your tips since ages thanks to my parents :) they have always been sustainable😅😊
I love cloth napkins so much. We have a few dozen in rotation and they are so easily laundered alongside towels. I am not a super dedicated zero waste person (yet) but we go through 1-2 rolls of paper towels in a year and I can't even imagine otherwise. Kitchen towels, rags, and napkins are just better and so much nicer to use in most cases. Most people I know buy gigantic packs of paper towels every 2 months. Some buy paper napkins also.
I started using trainer socks as dusters years ago before I discovered zero waste (I won't lie, I was just lazy and didn't want to find a cloth). Now I always use socks for dusting then pop them in the wash and use them again.
I like this trend a lot, but some of the things I see are normal in other parts of the world. I am Romanian living in the UK. The amount of plastic that I see here is shocking. Supermarkets in Romania look like farmers markets compared to here. Herbs in plastic bags are a thing that I cannot get over. But, I am using that plastic. All the containers from fruits I am reusing as fridge containers/organizers or to store all sorts of things. Same with the Ferrero boxes. To be fair, I am a box hoarder at this point. All my drawers have random boxes that I used to organize my stuff. Old chloting becomes loungewear, then painting chloting, then rags. But this is something that I have learned from my grandmother, who lived in different times when fabric was scarce. I also find it interesting the way I can always repurpose things. If I can't find a use for a box, it will sit in the garage until I have a use for it. When I moved, I used a lot of the random boxes I had and just put stickers on them. I also love reusing bottles as flower vases. Drying flowers, making pillows out of scraps, and a lot more. My only sadness is that I can not seem to keep a steady weight due to multiple reasons, and I cannot wear my chlothes for long and have to buy others. At this point I want to lose weight just to wear the clothes that I have put away in vacuum bags
I love to Mcgyver things! Reusing old clothes can also be good when you have pets. I made my guinea pig a bed out of my old bathrobe and he absolutely loves it. They also enjoy toilet roll tubes or paper bags filled with hay and houses made from old cardboard boxes
When my Dad passed away my Mum gave me one of his favourite flannel shirts. It was worn out in the cuffs so I just sewed some fabric over them so I could wear it. I also darn socks and put heart shaped patches on clothes. I wear clothes until they are thread bare. Then I cut them up to use as cleaning cloths.
Thank you so much for your content! You have become an inspiration to this middle-aged woman . I want to do better and be better for our environment and for others.
"theres nothing to buy in nature!" Love it! To get the gear you need (in the us) thrres eBay, rei garage sale, Patagonia resale and a bunch of stores specifically for second hand camping and backpacking gear. But also, borrow first! Try it out and if it seems like your going to continue using it, then try to find it second hand. (The reason there is so much second hand gear is because people think they're going to get in to backpacking or hiking so they buy all the gear and then go once)😊
For me, it's 'go out to the shops and buy it in person if you want the thing'. Generally, after facing the faff of getting out and going to the shops and finding the thing, it really makes me confront whether I actually truly need the thing. (If I do manage to get out and can't find the thing, then I have to do the research about where I can best find the thing I do actually need.) When it's that much effort to buy things, it really cuts down on it.
If you're like me and your clothes look hideous when you alter them yourself, you can usually contact dress shops and ask if they employ or can recommend a tailor or seamstress, and then your clothes look good and you're supporting a small business, too. My daughter's prom dress arrived without a zipper, and it only cost us $12 to repair. That was the zipper plus the labor.
I also cut open cosmetics (there's no option to refill them where I live) - it turns out there is SO MUCH produce still there when it feels empty. It works best on any kind of creams and balms but I've done it with the shampoo or conditioner bottles as well.
Yes. Also, I started making my own lip balm out of melted candle wax and coconut oil. I pour the warm mixture into old containers, and when cool the consistency is just like commercial lip balm. I suppose I could also add other ingredients like sunscreen or color if I wanted to.
I do this with basically everything but like, especially with toothpaste and chapsticks, there’s always at LEAST another week of use in those packagings.
Great video, Borrowing not buying things such as books and also repurposing cosmetics as art supplies when they no longer work for you , your family and friends.
my grandmother (peak slavic war-generation depression-era specimen) used to rinse, dry, fold, and store every single plastic bag that came her way. she'd use them for food storage, item storage, as makeshift aprons, surface protection for dirty work, gardening gloves, you name it, she'd do it over and over again until the thing fell apart. my parents used to criticise her mercilessly for the plastic bags always hanging from her laundry racks, but now we see she was in fact so ahead of her time.
naturally, she also used to mend her clothes and socks until they were more mending than fabric, and all the visible mending gave such a twee vibe to her items. she also adhered to the classic slavic outside clothes -> house clothes -> gardening clothes -> cleaning rags lifecycle. she'd knit rugs and dish cloths out of old pantyhose (I loved those so much, such a fluffy texture!)
I've come to realise my funny gran was actually a sustainability queen, and I strive every day to be more like her ❤
of course, all of these habits come from hardship and poverty, and glamourising them is not the point. rather, humans' creativity in the face of rampant inequality is admirable. here in the 1st world we've been coddled into some very silly, unsustainable, hyperconsumerist habits, and we would do well to take a leaf from our ancestors' and fellow non-wasteful humans' books.
Love this but storing things in plastic is a terrible idea ❤
microplastics can be absorbed through your fingertips, clothes, and food (Really not good) ESPECIALLY when the plastic is old, cheap, and is in any sort of degradation stage.
Your grandma obviously had her reasons and hardship makes for some beautifully creative people, but if you can afford it, switching out tubberware for glass containers, never buying any synthetic blends (polyester,acrylic,etc), even getting a nonplastic phone case will greatly improve the amount of microplastics you come in contact with.
I am all for underconsumption, but I do feel like buying new things and getting rid of old things is needed, especially with how much plastic is normalized today :( (the new things should not be plastic!!)
Your story reminded me about my Grandma's cupboard full of yogurt cups instead of small drinking cups, the milk containers she'd save for SO MANY craft projects, the patchwork quilts (one I still have) that she'd sew out of any old scrap of fabric. She used what she had because being g a child during the great depression, that was all she knew.
-Borderline- hoarder.
Same. When we moved to flat my bf grandma used to live the flat was full of plastic containers in every size. But actually I used to live in the same household. Growing up in Poland in 90s my mum was reusuing everything. All of decorative pillows in my family home were full of old socks. And I'm doing some of those things as well. All of my pantry is in old jars, we are using small salsa jars as a bowls (they are good for serving ice cream). I keep my coffee in old jar. I'm using toilet paper bags as a trash bag. And I'm also doing this clothes live cycle. I remember when I was a kid we didn't have a mop but a old tshirt wrapped on a broom. Some of this is about not being wasteful, being eco, not spending much but also I don't see a reason to pay for something that I already own just becouse the other thing is more aesthetic in someone opinion. In my old job I bring a glass bottle after a juice to bring myself water to the table and my college could not stand it. She keep repeating that she will buy me a water bottle, bounce my glass bottle was not aesthetic
"Cheapskate X environmentally conscious" is my entire budgeting strategy
Same 😊
Same haha
this spoke to my soul. My partner always makes fun of me and says "you love a good deal" and they're referring to my thrifty, sustainability habits cause lbh it is a good deal
Hahah the TEA of "If you have to buy new things to participate in a 'style' then you don't have style"
My local library has a “gear library” where you can borrow camping/hiking gear! I love it and have used it to borrow backpack carriers for my toddler. Wonderful concept, every town needs one.
The university in my town does too!
Im so jealous!
"Spend time in nature because there's nothing to buy there." I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS! I just got back from a 5 day backpacking trip. I always feel so free when I'm carrying everything I need on my back with no need to go back into civilization until the food or coffee runs out. Literally just walking all day until I feel like stopping. Opting out of society and consumerism.
I'm not quite that outdoorsy, I'll admit. But I love this too. We are in the USA and when vacationing we usually strike a nice balance, visiting National parks and historic sites and spending a big part of our time hiking and touring outside. We do a bit of shopping and dining out, but the sum of our trip costs is so minimal compared with friends who do cruises, big amusement parks like Disney, or going for all-day outlet shopping excursions. Better for our budget and our health, and so much fun without centering on capitalism.
This comment got me thinking real hard.
I am thinking about moving town and friends always recommend towns or cities that advertise "high standard of living" or a "high quality lifestyle" or whatever the wording may be. Which I realised is often just synonymous to loads of options to 'consume' or spend money (shops, restaurants, festivals, yoga studios...)
I'm really thinking about moving to a town that is probably considered dead or dying by most people, but nature is there, and I'm not tempted all the time to support the local economy because it is already dead 😂
I get the same rush from creatively repairing something as I do from buying something new. Except that repairing something is better, because you get a spark of pride whenever you use it, whereas the rush of buying something quickly disappears.
Bigger rush!
I didn’t set out to make a sustainable choice but when my husband and I first spent Christmas together I bought a set of cloth string-closure gift bags of varying sizes. I have reused those bags for every occasion on which we exchange gifts so I haven’t had to deal with wrapping or unwrapping any gifts for 12 years now.
I worked for a guy that was planning on doing this, it was such a great idea.
I have a pair of capri pants that I embroidered flowers over a stain, and I showed it to a lady who was talking to my mom and she thought it was originally like that. I was so happy when she told me that my embroidery looked like the stuff in the store cause I just started trying embroidery.
I keep all the plastic "bags" from toilet paper packaging or similar items to use them to collect my trash when I'm hiking or traveling.
Now that’s awesome
I use them for all my non-recyclable rubbish. I haven't bought a bin liner for the better part of ten years
@@seg1912same! I don't even know the last time I bought trash bags!
@@kimk0409 that's good because most trash bags are a direct byproduct of petroleum. Less demand for petroleum products = less fracking = reduced heating of the planet.
@@seg1912same!
All of the things, yes! Except borrowing...I cannot tell you how many times I've lend something to someone, only for that person to not be nearly as careful with it as I am and I just....I don't lend stuff anymore. We're very conscious consumers at home, and when I've spent years maintaining something (from books to appliances) only for the person who borrows it from me to be extremely careless resulting in the item breaking down way before it would have. And it is not just one person, it seems to be most people around us :(
And yes, things are meant to be used. But it is not okay to me when I've had a book for years, read it multiple times and kept it in pristine condition, only for someone else that I lend it too to scuff the edges and corners like it is nothing.
Yes! Lent a jacket and I got it back damaged and she didn't follow the was instructions so it shrank. Also had someone return a borrowed book with food in it. Definitely have trust issues with letting others use my things
Yeah... I let a friend borrow a dress once and idk wtf she did with the washing but the fabric was never the same after and didn't fit right... Ended up donating it. It's sad that we can't always trust people to be careful with our things! 😢
this is where object libraries shine, You can select the item you want to borrow and use it well. Those who aren't careful get slapped with fees. Win-win.
I only let people I really trust borrow things, and never anything I’d be particularly upset about getting damaged or ruined
A good rule of thumb is, never let anyone borrow something that you wouldn’t want to give them. If I let someone “borrow” something, it’s theirs to keep. Them the rules. Never failed me yet.
Growing up, my mom would add water to shampoo bottles, dish soap, hand soap, laundry detergent, etc to make things last longer. I still do the same thing as well.
always 💚🌿
always 💚🌿
We did that because we were broke and it had to last until we could afford more
doesnt that make hand soap less effective and sanitary?
@@creepcraddle I think that depends on how much water you add
Regarding #16 cleaning cloths: I recently discovered Sashiko, a traditional Japanese stitching technique. It is decorative, but can also be used to reinforce cloths and clothing. One use case is making a "Zokin", a cleaning cloth, out of old dish towels or clothes. It's so cool. I love it because it's pretty but also extremely functional. The Green Wrapper has great tutorials on how to make them. I am starting my first one right now!
Also, not you thirst trapping us while modeling upcycled flower earrings 🤩 Girl, you looked so cute!
I do sashiko and boro too...i repaire my clothes in this way..ITS soo wunderfull..❤😊
Ooooh timely!! I’m about to re sew some old hand towels into cleaning cloths. I’ll go research this technique, thank you!
Re unwanted gifts: Don’t give unwanted gifts to others. Don’t give people stuff just because you feel like you have to give a gift (eg Christmas). Ask your loved ones if there are things they’d like, and if they don’t give you an answer, simply don’t give them a material gift (unless you like, happen to stumble on something that you know for a fact they’d like). Instead you can give for example a donation to a cause that’s important to them.
I think there's a difference between pawning crap off on people, and rehoming something that you received that wasn't quite your style / lifestyle to someone that will enjoy and use it.
Ideally, all gifts should be personal to the receiver and not just given because there's some event (Christmas, etc.), but I don't think the origin of the gift (it was another gift) doesn't matter so much as whether or not it's thoughtful/ intentional.
@@frogginator-x definitely, and my comment was not aimed at not rehoming things you yourself don’t use. It was more about the other side of the unwanted gifts issue: it’s not just about what to do with things you were gifted but don’t want/use, but also about how to avoid giving ppl unwanted gifts that they will then need to rehome.
hard agree on not giving gifts at all if nothing is requested... for years i have been saying "i don't want or need anything" and very directly "please don't get me anything" ...
the argument is often that "it'll get used" but 2 christmases i received some jam, still unopened in my cupboard because it's not the type i like. other times it's been hot chocolate powder, but i have enough for the next 5 years now!
There is too much pressure around presents I find. You have to accept and cherish them even if you have no use for them.
When I give a gift I always tell the receiver to never hesitate to tell me if it's something they can't use, and to either pass it on, or to give it back so I can alter it (like, if it's about the size or fit of a clothing item)
I have a good friend, who has very sensitive skin, but who still loves getting knitted gifts, we have an understanding that if the wool or yarn is itchy or scratchy she just tells me, so I know to not use that type of yarn again for a present of hers, and she passes the whatever it is on to her husband or her sister or mother-in-law.
I quilt so I save almost all fabric scraps. I make scrap quilts where you sew together all those small pieces creatively. I practice Japanese sashiko which uses small scraps to mend or decorate. I use small scraps of fabric to fill doll pillows which are given with scrappy fabric doll quilts to kids. So many uses for scraps. Fabric is expensive so waste not these small leftover pieces. Another idea is to find a quilter who also uses these and share them. Make coasters out of fabric scraps. So many ideas!
Tips for fabric waste: sensory books for babies or sniffing mats for dogs and cats
You can also make yarn out of scraps (look up t-shirt yarn for the interested) and crochet with it. I use for making playing balls for my cat 😊
@@Foundlilly11 I have made a basket from t-shirt yarn, flexible fabric works best for it! Also that's the kind of fabric that often can't be recycled in other ways because it has mixed-in synthetic fibres. So it's a double-win kind of!
@@Foundlilly11 Ooooooh i love your hack !! I am more a knitter but I will try it someday, i have nice scrap of fabric that could make funny beddings for my cats ! Thanks for the inspiration !
My 96-year old mother has been taking broken pairs of earrings and combining them to make a "new" pair of earrings. She alters her clothes to update her style and wears her pre-made turbans sideways, which gives them a different look
I really hope your grandma has a fashion blog 😅
Stealing your dad's clothes leads to another great hack for people with a) sewing skills and b) a small clothing size: You can thrift cheap but high-quality men's shirts and tailor/alter them to suit you! Done this many times, still wearing those pieces because they last!! And they're not only shirts, I've made dresses, shorts and beautiful tops out of men's shirts!
Super video, thank you!! I use big bags from toilet paper, pet food etc. to go around the block and collect trash. Also, relatives live on a farm and reuse almost everything! Paper bags to collect seeds, regift things, clothing so patched up you sometimes couldn't recognize the original item (worn for farm work). As a kid this never made sense to me and I remember thinking of them as cheap and strange. Now I wish the whole of humanity would follow such steps!!
@@FrzzlMzzl yes I love clean-up walks!!
I use the big bags like that as trash bags! I don't even know the last time I bought kitchen trash bags because even though I don't buy a lot of stuff I always have plenty! (I guess I also don't produce that much trash lol)
I just "McGyvered" a shelf in my greenhouse. I had seen those very simple floating shelves hanging inside a leather strap. But 1000NOK was not an option.. I have some sisal rope that I fix my cats scratching tower with occationally. So, I wrapped the ends of the rope together by using a darker brown jute thread. The shelf itself, I cut of a piece of a pallet and sanded it. It looks a bit more rustic, but perfect for my greenhouse 🤩
So clever -- plus you saved money!
Thank you for the video!! I find these hacks so inspiring
I use a lightbulb to mend socks
You can fix your cotton socks by sewing small patch from similar fabric. I use only woolsocks because they are easier to mend and I like how wool feels on my feet.
One of my frugal/underconsumption hack is that when I buy vegetables or open jar of olives or package of feta or some other similar cheese I use them on that food and put usable scraps to freezer in small bags. I do have pizzaday/pie day regulary and I mainly use those scraps from freezer as filling. By not waisting food is one good way to save planet. This is extra important if you use animalproducts.
I have to say that the flower earrings you made are absolutely gorgeous! It's giving hot summer night, dirty dancing with my lover vibes.
I as looking at some WW2 rationing coupons that were my parents. On the back it says, “ if you don’t need it, don’t buy it”. Good idea
Hi, at first I need to say that I love your Videos. One important theme in underconsumption for me is: accepting your body as it is and by doing so not buying things to e.g. get your hair curly or sleek and so on.
I remember waaay back when I was a teenager, my best friend and I did the research and calculations to find out how much it would cost us to get pretty, like, aaall the cool clothes and jewellry, hair dye, teeth whitening, stuff we thought would get rid of orange skin, and plastic surgery on everything, it was a big joke at the time, but when my friend and I said to each other "guess, we just have to stay ugly then..." it was actually half joking half serious.
I'm still ugly, just like nature made me 😂 Proud to say
I have tried to block and report Temu for so long but i keep getting their adds. I'm about to lose my mind🤯
same 😩 and they’re in my emails asking to collaborate every single week 💀
I think Temu, Wish and Shein should be banned in the EU! It's unfair business practises, and their products don't go through the safety and quality testing, which products sold in the EU should go through by law.
@@raapyna8544 And also banned in the US! They definitely aren't, though. 😮💨
Same.. Can't get rid of them
Funnily I actually like getting their ads. 1. It wastes targeted ads since I'm not buying. 2. I know I'm not going to buy from them. 3. They replace actual ads if be way more tempted by (any indie clothing brands or honestly a lot of the green washing large brands).
If a container feels empty, let's cut it open and scrap it clean ! I think I never bought any cleaning clothes, my mom had the habit of cutting old bed sheets, t shirts etc into smaller pieces to clean around the house, so we have a *stock* (and we still do it !). On the case of reusing boxes for packaging, you can also use paper shreds (like those documents with personnal info you'd rather shred to bits) as filler to secure the items ! you could also make new recycled paper with it.
These days, each time I watch one of your video, I do small sewing repairs on my clothes, it's really the right time format and the nice motivational push☺
I am short on time but what I do for my partner's everyday socks, instead of darning, is take one of his odd socks from the bottom of the laundry basket and cut it up to make a bunch of patches to reinforce the warn out parts of several other pairs of his socks. It's a bit quicker and less skilful, but it still allows him to get ware out of his socks for longer.
My Mum grew up in the UK during WW2. An original “Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without” Queen. NGL though, walking almost two miles to school on darned socks/tights is not my favorite memory. In fact at the time I was embarrassed by that way of approaching life, all my friends had all the ‘cool’ 80’s fashion, brand new. Now I appreciate the lessons she taught me.
I live in east germany and my parents are the most "sustainable" people I know. They didnt had much by the time the berlin wall exists and had to reuse, repair, share things. Its not because they want or try to be the trendy "sustainable" but because they grew up like that and cant imagine to buy useless stuff or throw stuff away. Even the 25 year old couch is now in the garden of a friend. 😂
My hack kind of borders on hoarding.. but I actually found it useful.. I absolutely hate throwing away (and even donating sometimes) clothes.. because I keep thinking "what if I need it later?" So what we have been doing as a family was we go through our wardrobes and pick things out that we don't wear anymore but that are still good and put them in bins in the basement. Then when we feel like we need a wardrobe update (generally at least a year later) we first check the basement and see if our tastes have changed and if we now would love to wear whatever it was that didn't like a year ago. This helps keep the closest small and more manageable and you don't feel as much guilt putting things away as you would throwing them out or donating them (yes, I know donating is good, but I still feel guilty for getting an item of clothing that I don't end up wearing). Also, you get a really fun experience of "shopping your basement" which seems to be a mix of archeology and thinking "wow, fashion really is cyclical"
This is good for many reasons. Often things we donate to thrift stores are thrown away, so this way you know your stuff will be used later!
I used to do this with larger/smaller sized clothes, of course I donated my larger sizes just in time for 2020 and the 'vid to hit and I regained most of the weight 🤦 I've had to repurchase most of a work dresscode appropriate wardrobe as a result (about a week's worth but still) and I'm constantly kicking myself for donating those (I used to keep size above and size below, so when I manage to lose this think I'll hold on to these ones this time 🙄)
This makes me think of a shirt I had MANY years ago. My mom bought it for me for something I was going to. I didn't like it. It hung in my closet for 2 years. Finally one day I decided to wear it. And I ended up absolutely loving it! I don't know if my tastes changed or what, but I literally wore that shirt until it was threadbare in spots. Great idea!
The earrings you made was so creative and you looked stuning!
I've followed you for ages and am loving your recent videos! Your energy right now is fantastic, you can tell you're enjoying life
Second comment on this video, but I guess it’s good for the algorithm - Use the boxes you get stuff in to organise your home. Got a delivery? Free organisation. Given a gift? Free organisation. I (finally!) bought the 3-in-1 sandwich toaster/waffle iron/grill I’ve been wanting for years. Cut that box in half and now my picknick stuff is easily accessed and organised. Is it as aesthetic as the clear acrylic containers that restockers want us to buy? No. Was it free and something I already had? Yes.
I’m currently sitting next to a lidless plastic ice cream container with an expiry date print of Feb-2013 which has held my muffin liners and similar bakeware since.. 2013 I guess. Reorganised yesterday to a different bakeware organisation solution, and this container is 100% about to find a new purpose in my home.
Exactly! I also use smaller boxes to organise my drawers and stationery. I especially love organising with tissue paper boxes, I just cut out the upper part 😃
My family keeps the 1 gallon Kemps ice cream containers for all sorts of stuff, from garbage/sick bucket in the car to cleaning rag storage
Free aldi crates for pantry/ craft storage, different colours. Cover in decorative papers or washi tapes to generate decor and reduce visual clutter. I use my veg boxes as storage cubes. They are easily covered in thrifted/scrap fabrics, twine, or ropes. Cut up the cardboard to create drawer dividers or use to reinforce shape in fabric storage cubes.
Your heading for "save your fabric scraps " actually reads " save your fabric craps " lol, you have just misseď out the S at the beginning of the word .
Dear Gittemarie , you are bringing out the teacher in me : )
hey “fabric craps” works too 😎
Hi Gittemary, just wanted to say how validated, and how much better I feel about my true self when I watched this video. Living on a street where it seems people live in the "keeping up with the Jones'", your videos always bring me reassurance about how I live my life. Thank you, from Vancouver Island, Canada
Yes!! Me too 😂
you had my whole heart at 'how can I MacGyver this' 😂
I always thought I loved to MacGyver stuff because I'm a pothead and all the potheads in my life are very creative problem solvers.
Then when cleaning out my grandparents' house after they passed, we found all kinds of MacGyver'd decor and projects! My favorite was a set of curtains. She ran out of the beautiful seashell material she'd used for the curtains and still needed one more piece. She bought plain, sand-colored fabric that matched the background, splatter-painted to give it sandy depth, and then cut a small piece of the shell fabric and attached as a border. 🤯 I was so blown away to learn MacGyvering is a family trait I inherited 🥹
Growing up with a parent that lived through the depression taught me a lot. Talk to older people.
Do you have any good top tips?
There was an old phrase: Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. Stop and think about that when tempted. Take a minute and consider each thing before making a purchase-do I need it? Can I use something I already have? Is there a more creative solution to the problem? We wanted new Christmas ornaments…and made little people from acorns we found. It was a festive time and it was pretty. Dh’s sandals broke, I fixed them with ShoeGoo (I use that a bunch to keep my shoes YEARS longer)…over and over and over.
If you do something that will make your clothes smelly wear clothes that are already a little bit dirty/smelly. That way you can wash your clothes less which saves water and will make the clothes last longer. For example: If I want to cook some pasta sauce that includes roasting garlic and onions I will often change into some clothes that I have worn a few times and that need washing anyway.
I can’t steal my dad’s clothes really. He’s the OG sustainable king so most of his clothes are older than I am 😂
My dad's the professor with holes in his shirts. Sometimes he doesn't start to wear a new shirt he has already waiting in his closet before an older one breaks. When his father died, he left behind unused shirts still in plastic packaging. They are the same... 😂
I like the style but as a woman, I can't really pull that off in the same way. I try to mend and patch my clothes in a pretty way instead.
I always travel with a little bundle of (washed and ready to reuse) zipper lock bags, as well as string and a few clothespins. They don’t take up much space, and that way I can shop at farmers markets without taking more plastic bags, and I can make an impromptu indoor clothesline any time I need to.
I knit the cotton dish cloths and my friends are all addicted. They all use them until they disintegrate and I use my old ones as protection in between my cooking pans.
Why didn't I think of using these between my cooking pans? Great tip!
Most of these hacks are already done by my mom (or most moms probably 😂). I love this and I love your energetic enthusiasm, it just shows how passionate you are on being sustainable and not being wasteful.
I'm already back from holidays in Danmark an so I appreceiated "the danish vibe" of your video : )
In our Airbnb we had a garden an there were a lot of fallen fruits an so I saved this fruits the whole holiday and had a nice fruit porridge
'Use up your tech'. Listening to this on the headphones of which one side got cablebreak, so one ear works and the other just hangs around. Also lost the silicone piece in my bag 😂
sustainable queen behaviour 🫶
If the other side is dead. You can normally cut it off to make it more comfortable.
”I’m being environmentally conscious” is now the retort I’ll use when my friends make fun of my home laptop. It’s a MacBook Pro which was purchased 2nd hand by my best friend and refurbished to be given to me for my 25th birthday. It already had 5 years of life in it at that point. I just turned 34, which makes this laptop 14 years old. I’ve swapped the battery and the hard drive for an SSD, and while you can definitely tell it’s TIRED, it lives next to my (hand-me-down) TV and all it does is stream things to be viewed on my bigger screen, soooo-
@@RoseFire6that’s what I’ve done! (Cut off the broken side - like pruning out in my garden 😅 ) I’m like, "This side still works - why would I throw it away!" I use only one ear when listening in bed, anyway. It doesn’t need to have hi-fi/stereo sound to listen to my "Watch later" UA-cam list.
I love this! I save my own fabric scraps and have been that weirdo that asks family, friends, and even strangers for specifically stained , old, and holey garments to use in my crafts so nothing gets tossed. Sometimes their old torn pants make it back to them as a new purse for the holidays lol 😂
Girl, i just clicked onto the video and had to pause to comment this. You look absolutely stunning!! My gay heart can't handle it lol
About gifts - I'm turning 50 in a few weeks, and a while ago, I posted an extensive wishlist on my blog. My sister told me that that was such a greedy and imbarrassing thing to do. I think it's the best thing I can do: I'm quite old by now, I have basically everything that I need, and I know exactly what I do need. I don't want gifts "just because" - I much prefer help with the garden, or something secondhand from my wishlist (even something you found in the back of your storage), than a thing you just got at a store because you thought that you needed to give me something, even if that happened to be an expensive gift. One - I much prefer things to be secondhand or sustainable or from indie makers, I don't do fast anything. Two - I'm picky with what I like. Three - I much prefer something that will last for a long time, reminding me of the one that gave me the gift, than something with a short lifespan, for example I'd love a plant for my garden instead of a bouquet of flowers. But no, my sister thought that it was tacky and greedy... I thought that I was being thoughtful and considerate!
People will always interpret things differently. I would maintain consistency in that it is simply communication, not a list of demands. Wishlists are helpful to some gift givers. My family also establishes communication in small conversations for certain gift appreciated:
I insist on hostess gifts, my brother's favourite soda is Dr. Pepper. I could bring a more performative olive oil or wine- but he likes this the best.
My sister-in-law (other brother) have a tradition of socks for Christmas.
Just asking for a particular limit or food & consumables instead can help.
Cheers❤
7:36 Im catering for 30 people for a weekend.... and I don't have enough catering / cooking stuff😬. So I've been op shopping (thrift/ second hand), borrowed, buy nothing groups, face book market place..... I may have too much now but until I do the event I won't know exactly what I need. And it will be multiple repeat event so it's an investment... for 1/10 th the price!!
Good luck on your hosting!
I love cloth napkins. Especially if I find them in a thrift shop.
Hankies are my other thing. I have thrifted ones and home made ones from old clothes and pillow cases.
Yes to hankies!! I have quite a good collection - I use them for all sorts - except for blowing my nose🤣.
I don’t wear sox anymore but I do recommend a darning mushroom. A tennis ball has fibres that you can catch. We have various plastic bags and we wash them. They are in the washing up every day. My mum has jars and containers from when I was a child. We used to always get staples from a co op or bulk sellers where you take your own bag but we no longer have one close and it makes me cringe at all the packaging from the supermarket. Left overs are brilliant for lunches. I also like to take a snack and a sandwich when I go out for the day. Love the idea of embroidery in imperfections. Patches and embroidery on clothes used to be fashionable when I was younger. Yes I am that old. Such a lovely reminder. Textile waste or cabbage is handy for stuffing. It is lovely sharing stuff. All the new and changing eco stuff makes me sick. Every season there is something new. I grew up with out money and I never went without. Make do and mend. I grew up with a passionate bush walker. My grandparents met rambling in the uk and my parents met bush walking in Australia. I always give my phone to my Mum so I only up grade when her phone is wearing out. I love regifting. In the Hobbit/LOTR the hobbits give presents on their birthday and some of those gifts were things they had been given. I so love this idea. I love rehoming gifts I don’t want. I subscribe to get the discount on something I want and then I unsubscribe. My mum has always saved envelopes, packaging etc. all our shopping lists and reminder lists are on the back of envelopes or pages from old address books or old note pads. My mum pours water on her green tea several times every morning. She doesnt use new tea every pot. Yes using old clothes are great for rags. Also cotton tshirts are great for making a cover on a worm farm. Make sure it is 100% coz those little wormies end up eating it. Never stole my Dads clothes but stole my ex partners clothes when we were together of course. We always wash down the benches when we do the washing up. Dish liquid is good for all sinks and counters and it is good for getting stains out of clothes. We are using up lots of paper napkins but we have cloth napkins for special occasions. I was taught to sew as a child coz we had no money and we had to make our own clothes. Now I am an adult friends get me to alter their clothes. It amazes me how many people can not see a button. My mum and step dad used to always put their heads and skills together and were able to make, mend and repair anything. Trends are so ridiculous fast. Be classic. Be yourself. Waiting to buy something that is not a necessity is a great idea. Sometimes you get it, sometimes you forget it, sometimes you miss out. It is all fine. If something works and I use it I keep it.
Thank you so~ for keeping it fun… keepin it movin!
Yes to have a tag 🏷️ for it, *the Walk I’ve walked for all of this life/ 4 decades; “under-consumption core” is a ❤.
I would adore having the kind of friends who could share gear w/ me! All fabulous!
In regards to the last tip, it is not always the case. Refrigerator have become so much more energy efficient that replacing an old one with a energy efficient one it's better for the environment. The energy used for the production is offset by the energy savings.
I used to watch your videos years and yeaeeeaars ago and just found you again. I am so glad to see that you are still on this path and still inspiring others! You go girl!!!
Fix your own electronics! The best precision tool maker makes facilitating this, and the right to repair as well, their mission. They really do make excellent tools and they also have a good UA-cam channel that walks you through changing screens and batteries on lots of different products which are the most common needs. It’s not as hard as you think. You could do a whole episode on this!
I did a sew on patch heart on a denim dress, it looked so cool
I love sewing and repairing items as it gives me an excuse to watch TV I consider watching TV generally a complete waste of time, but if there is something that needs to be stitched or repaired, that is my automatic excuse to throw on a movie and get to the Repair😂
We are required where we live to have all garbage bagged before putting it in the bin, so I use my extra plastic bags to line my smaller garbage cans around my home. It's not an ideal scenario but I've at least adapted so I'm not wasting a bag I paid for. Earlier this year I invested in a set of silicone zip close storage bags for my kitchen and they are awesome!! I wish I'd kept track of how may times I washed one so that I could see how many fewer bags went into a landfill.
I live in a very small home and I borrow things from my mom all the time so I don't have to store them. She has about everything someone would ever need since she's lived in the same place over thirty years.
OMG embroidery over stain! 😮 That's a new one for me and I'm all in! Thank you!
Love every idea!!!
I just updated my IPhone 8plus. I’ve had it since it came out. I got the 15 with the intention of having it until it isn’t being supported anymore!!!!
My friends called it my vintage phone 🤣🤣🤣
Girl the clip when you put on your diy earrings?!?!? I swear to god you're the most beautiful person in the world 😍❤️
Also reusing your hairclip like that was pure genious!
Thank you for showing us highly efficient hacks! 🤩 When I saw your new flower earrings, the instant thought of mine was that you could've also clipped them to ✨spice up✨ your regular heels or flats for some fancy event 👠🥿
One underconsumption thing I've started doing is mending my rubber dish gloves with super glue. Ik it's probs better to not use them at all but I get grossed out by cleaning dishes and I was tired of throwing them out when they got holes
When I forget my reusable produce bags and have to get one of the plastic ones from the store, I like to reuse those thin plastic produce bags to pack my shoes when I'm travelling. They help keep my suitcase clean from any dirt on the shoes.
Re. no. 8: Share stuff with your colleagues, find a friend to share with. My work Slack has a tool pool because there’s no point in 10 people at the same work place owning 10 e.g. miter boxes. We built a catio on my friend’s balcony (aka. Catcatraz), so now I also have a staple gun and netting nippers. I’m adding picture frame moulding to my living and sleeping rooms so she will have a laser level and tall ladder.
I loooove this trend so much, it is super funny and inspiring to see this "reverse" trend ! Here is my contribution : I have a veeeeery old toaster, like it belongs to my mother when she was a student (-> she is 62 now) and it still working ! It is baby chick yellow with little bread slice shape around it, so not the best addition for a kitchen aesthetic vibe, but hey, it works and now i am attached to it ! And I convinced myself that it is almost a cute japanese appliance (the mind power is strong here 😜) Enjoy your old stuff ! And try embroidery : it is really fun and you can make beautiful enhancement, even if you only learn a stitch or two !
I love the idea of embroidering over stains! I absolutely will be learning how to do this!💖 Also, I have an interesting way of looking at re-gifting. I don't look at it as someone giving away something I got for them. I look at it as it was still helpful, because it filled a need or want in their life. They may not have used it by "using" it, but it still helped them by them by giving them something they can give to someone else instead of them having to go and by something for that person. Plus, if it eventually gets to someone who loves it or could really use it, it was still worth it. Obviously, try to by things for people they want or need, but I'd rather it be re-gifted than thrown away or taking up space in their home, because they are too afraid to hurt my feelings. 💖
Thank you Gittemary, this kind of videos is so helpful! ✨
One thing I've been doing for a while is cutting the tube of face cream to be able to use every last drop of it!
I feel like the people who will really do well with the whole "underconsumption core" will be those who are relatively financially prohibited from the general consumption habits that too many people take part in.
Many people who did it out of necessity end up carrying those habits far longer than it is required by their circumstances, though. People who grew up in the Great Depression often remained frugal even long into the boom times, and a significant number of people who matured in the Great Recession seem to behave the same way.
Ironically those same people who developed the habit of living on less and don’t return to general consumption habits tend to end up in a less restrictive financial position than their peers after some years.
In addition to saving shipping packaging I also save any strings or ribbons from packages to reuse later.
I noticed today on the Ziploc bag box that I bought recently that they are encouraging people to wash and reuse the bags. I use them very sparingly so I haven’t bought a new box in a long time, but it was still nice to see. Definitely falls into the greenwashing a bit since it’s still technically a single use plastic when you could just use a container. But like you said, sometimes that airtight seal is important, so in that case, I’m glad that they put the message on the box.
Cloth napkins are definitely on my list to look out for at the thrift store! Just moved so I need to get a lot of stuff and I'm enjoying the process of slowly finding what I need second hand. My favourite find so far is a bookshelf I picked up for free from someone gutting an old house. Would never have found one like it new!
Ha! Happy to see my ultimate hack mentioned: "Spend time in nature because there's nothing to buy there." I just came back from a little stroll, and it's such a way to aid your mental health, too. And you might find some mushrooms. 🍄🍄🍄
My camping gear is a sad excuse for camping gear, and nowadays I carry this with pride. My sleeping back? Bought in 1998. Still works just fine, unless I want to sleep in the cold. My clothes? I just use old jeans that have a little give, so I can bend down if I find mushrooms. Tent? Oh boy do I hope there's no gusts of wind if I sleep in it. Only thing I spend money on is the shoes. And then I use those shoes until they eventually fall apart beyond repair. I'd love to have those stylish hiking shoes, but who cares? Why does it matter when you move in the woods? It's not a fashion show. I'm on my third pair of hiking shoes, and I've been moving in nature since my childhood. I'm 34 now.
Hello Gittemary! I just want to say that you're my favorite UA-camr and your videos make me feel so much better about life in general. Thanks :)
My mother’s family had washed stockings in a number of their pillows. So. The ‘stuffing pillows with old clothes’ might’ve been a depression era hack.
It goes back to the Middle Ages or earlier!
Not the same thing, but we actually have our only examples of certain garments because they got soaked in pitch and jammed between the boards of a ship to stop leaks.
I cut up clothes that are beyond repair and use them for rags and I have two aprons made out of just fabric scraps that I love lol.
My TV just broke 2 days ago. I'm going to start this journey by going without one for this holiday season and see how I feel about it in January.
And still not replacing the living room floor lamp that broke this last year.
I am exhausted and done with spending money!
I’ve discovered your channel and I love it . I’ve been doing so many of your tips since ages thanks to my parents :) they have always been sustainable😅😊
You have inspired me to use my old stained t shirts as washcloths instead of buying new ones! Thankyou for the video
I love cloth napkins so much. We have a few dozen in rotation and they are so easily laundered alongside towels. I am not a super dedicated zero waste person (yet) but we go through 1-2 rolls of paper towels in a year and I can't even imagine otherwise. Kitchen towels, rags, and napkins are just better and so much nicer to use in most cases. Most people I know buy gigantic packs of paper towels every 2 months. Some buy paper napkins also.
I started using trainer socks as dusters years ago before I discovered zero waste (I won't lie, I was just lazy and didn't want to find a cloth). Now I always use socks for dusting then pop them in the wash and use them again.
I like this trend a lot, but some of the things I see are normal in other parts of the world.
I am Romanian living in the UK.
The amount of plastic that I see here is shocking. Supermarkets in Romania look like farmers markets compared to here. Herbs in plastic bags are a thing that I cannot get over.
But, I am using that plastic. All the containers from fruits I am reusing as fridge containers/organizers or to store all sorts of things.
Same with the Ferrero boxes.
To be fair, I am a box hoarder at this point. All my drawers have random boxes that I used to organize my stuff.
Old chloting becomes loungewear, then painting chloting, then rags.
But this is something that I have learned from my grandmother, who lived in different times when fabric was scarce.
I also find it interesting the way I can always repurpose things.
If I can't find a use for a box, it will sit in the garage until I have a use for it.
When I moved, I used a lot of the random boxes I had and just put stickers on them.
I also love reusing bottles as flower vases.
Drying flowers, making pillows out of scraps, and a lot more.
My only sadness is that I can not seem to keep a steady weight due to multiple reasons, and I cannot wear my chlothes for long and have to buy others.
At this point I want to lose weight just to wear the clothes that I have put away in vacuum bags
I love to Mcgyver things! Reusing old clothes can also be good when you have pets. I made my guinea pig a bed out of my old bathrobe and he absolutely loves it. They also enjoy toilet roll tubes or paper bags filled with hay and houses made from old cardboard boxes
When my Dad passed away my Mum gave me one of his favourite flannel shirts. It was worn out in the cuffs so I just sewed some fabric over them so I could wear it. I also darn socks and put heart shaped patches on clothes. I wear clothes until they are thread bare. Then I cut them up to use as cleaning cloths.
My plastic bags typically get reused as trash bags and litter trash bags.
I have a darning tool that has a mushroom pattern on it, it's so cute! I'm still bad at darning though. XD but I try
Thank you so much for your content! You have become an inspiration to this middle-aged woman . I want to do better and be better for our environment and for others.
the LYXBAG would be super cute during the fall with a nude or tan or even tonal outfit! i’m thinking a tan wool coat with that bag!!
Your lovely vibes motivate me to try many of these creative ideas. Thanks for sharing, keep it up!
"theres nothing to buy in nature!" Love it! To get the gear you need (in the us) thrres eBay, rei garage sale, Patagonia resale and a bunch of stores specifically for second hand camping and backpacking gear. But also, borrow first! Try it out and if it seems like your going to continue using it, then try to find it second hand. (The reason there is so much second hand gear is because people think they're going to get in to backpacking or hiking so they buy all the gear and then go once)😊
For me, it's 'go out to the shops and buy it in person if you want the thing'. Generally, after facing the faff of getting out and going to the shops and finding the thing, it really makes me confront whether I actually truly need the thing. (If I do manage to get out and can't find the thing, then I have to do the research about where I can best find the thing I do actually need.) When it's that much effort to buy things, it really cuts down on it.
If you're like me and your clothes look hideous when you alter them yourself, you can usually contact dress shops and ask if they employ or can recommend a tailor or seamstress, and then your clothes look good and you're supporting a small business, too. My daughter's prom dress arrived without a zipper, and it only cost us $12 to repair. That was the zipper plus the labor.
I also cut open cosmetics (there's no option to refill them where I live) - it turns out there is SO MUCH produce still there when it feels empty. It works best on any kind of creams and balms but I've done it with the shampoo or conditioner bottles as well.
Yes. Also, I started making my own lip balm out of melted candle wax and coconut oil. I pour the warm mixture into old containers, and when cool the consistency is just like commercial lip balm. I suppose I could also add other ingredients like sunscreen or color if I wanted to.
I do this with basically everything but like, especially with toothpaste and chapsticks, there’s always at LEAST another week of use in those packagings.
Had to pause the video 20 seconds in and come down here because SHEESH Gittemary you look mad pretty 😵✨✨
Off the topic, but you look absolutely stunning in this video.
If you want your jars to match you can choose the lid. For example I just keep the metallic ones
For those who don't know how to sew, you can also iron on patches over stains.
Great video,
Borrowing not buying things such as books and also repurposing cosmetics as art supplies when they no longer work for you , your family and friends.
This use of the word nifty is new to me and adorable 😂