To think you can't be environmentally friendly on a low income?

[Mummamama]

How do you be green on a low income? I try and find ways to reduce my impact but the green options are expensive! Particularly lately i've been looking at all the plastic waste of bottles of shampoo/shower gel but when i've looked for alternatives shampoo bars are really expensive considering I spend 90p on a bottle of shampoo!

Shall we all just sit back and watch the world burn then @mrsrobbiehart?

Yes, because that’s the only alternative to spending money you don’t have trying to find soap with recyclable packaging and beating yourself up for not managing it, isn’t it?

I mean, do you have kids @LikeTheOceansWeRise? Because if you do you’ve already done far more damage than you’ll ever be able to reverse by buying eco soap and you’re not sitting on the high horse you think you are. But if it makes you feel good, that’s what matters, eh?

Don't beat yourself up about this OP, it looks like you're doing a damn sight more than most!

I never heard of a shampoo bar.
I have started spreading the word on this product throughout my watsapp groups.

Every day is a school day on MN.

Don’t worry OP. This is something that I’ve become really angry about recently. I’m sick of being told by people like Greta and politicians and even my kid’s schools that I’m killing the earth for my kids. They can fuck right off. I take one holiday abroad every 4-5 years. I rarely drive, but probably do drive more during winter, probably using £50-£60 petrol a month. I walk to work, but I’m wfh these days. I recycle everything. Eat meat 2-3 times a week. Some weeks we have all vegan food out of preference. Use electricity and gas as a normal family does; I’m not going to leave my kids in darkness and coldness.

Don’t tell me, a normal person like you or me are responsible for global warming? Greta travels around the world more than people like us, her carbon footprint must be ginormous. Including bojo and Keith’s.

I’m sick of people telling me I’m responsible to do my part. Make the rich stop flying and living in massive houses and driving big houses. Stop them using business models like Amazon or Deliveroo or Uber and getting rich from it. Stop the rich companies using factories in poor countries and ruining their environment and causing climate change.

You have nothing to feel guilty about. It’s just another ploy from the rich making us feel we’re responsible and should buy their overpriced shitty shampoos, whilst they’re getting rich from it? Fuck off.

I'm loving all the tips and reminders because I do try to be environmentally friendly but sometimes I slip and a lot of this is jogging my memory to do things that I've got lazy about.
Soap is something we have switched to but keep handwash in bathrooms for the kids. We do get the refills though which cuts down a bit.

I'm very low income & my "green footprint" is minimal. I agree that the governments & industry need to take responsibility & change, quickly; but if we all do our bit, that's millions of individuals.
I recycle, walk everywhere (don't drive!) have been veggie since early teens, wear second hand clothes, use green services such as Smol to save on money & bad chemicals... You don't have to buy expensive product to be green!

We use an eco egg for washing. It's better for the environment and lasts for 100 washes so has saved us lots of money. You need to add a scoop of vanish for tough stains but it works fine for every day washing.

@Mrsrobbieheart ah I think you misunderstood me. I think the OP is already doing loads. I just don't think it's hugely helpful to tell someone who is trying to be more environmentally conscious to not bother because rich people are wasteful and undoing all your good work.

[quote LikeTheOceansWeRise]@Mrsrobbieheart ah I think you misunderstood me. I think the OP is already doing loads. I just don't think it's hugely helpful to tell someone who is trying to be more environmentally conscious to not bother because rich people are wasteful and undoing all your good work.[/quote]
No I think you you just misrepresented my post. Whether that was deliberate or not, I’ll leave for you to say.

Presumably if you are on a low income your carbon footprint will be significantly below average (no flights, thermostat on low in a small property etc). So anything you do above and beyond that is a bonus. Maybe look at any free energy efficient home improvements you might be entitled to due to being low income (they often apply to tenants as well as home owners, my tenants had solar panels fitted to my BTL house for free a couple of years ago).

This is a set of shampoo and conditioner bars I use
www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08586DK8J/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_X0ZVJDHEV5M2E0H1AMM7?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21

Excuse the ugly link, on my phone.

I use a menstrual cup and washable pads as well. Big outlay on both tbh which isn’t necessarily affordable but even primark are now doing period pants so there are reusable options.

We used to mindlessly use kitchen towel as napkins most meals, realised it was insanely wasteful and got some cheap seersucker napkins off eBay for a few quid. They barely add to the laundry as one lasts all day per person.

I think changes have to be sustainable and convenient. Most people don’t make changes that cost money or add to workload. And that’s okay.

Having read all the comments, I think IABU. I got too caught up in thinking about the eco choices I could make if I had money to burn and didn't think about the stuff I already do. However I can now up my game anyway and find cheaper shampoo bars and switch to hand soap, I know its only a drop in the ocean but all the plastic bottles in my shower make me feel bad. Thanks for the tips everyone

OP, as someone on a low budget you are by default already having a comparatively low impact on the environment, just because you are probably only buying what you need. There are people out there, millions of them, who splurge on crap, go on holiday and consume way more than their fair share and don’t give a damn about it. They are the ones who should be worrying. Just recycle what you can, walk if you can, don’t waste stuff and be thrifty and you’ll be doing alright. Everything would be ok if we all just took what we needed from life.

@Mummamama do what you can, it’s always better than nothing. And don’t listen to all the stuff people with more disposable income supposedly do. You are doing your bit, end of.

If you have a garden, having your own compost bins is a huge contribution. Basic wood frame ones work well can be made from waste wood or pallets

A) you create your own compost so saves money and compost being transported
b) saves that stuff being transported and then being dumped on landfill all mixed up where it won’t compost easily.

We are an average kind of family. We don't go abroad very often,have one car and dh cycles to work. I recycle everything, buy on e bay and find a fairly small amount of a good shampoo or original source shower gel goes a long way. We enjoy veggie options. I think you are right though it's easier to be green when you are not on a budget. You sound as though you are doing well though

It depends. For example, veganism - I often hear people saying veganism is middle class and expensive. But it can be the cheapest way to eat. I'm vegan and on an extremely small budget. Lentils, oats, potatoes, rice etc extremely cheap, and healthy. I often forage wild fruits too. Many of the world's poorest people, in the developing world, eat mostly a plant-based diet because that's all they can afford. But, of course, it can be expensive if people are buying fancy meat alternatives etc.
Same principle applies to clothing - cheap second-hand is great; but fancy trendy organic clothing can be extremely expensive. Both eco options, one very cheap, one very pricey.
Walking or cycling free or cheap; electric car expensive etc etc.
I don't have a car because I can't afford one. It's also one big way I'm reducing my carbon footprint.
Re shampoo - do you have an international/middle-eastern type shop near you? If so, they may sell big blocks of Aleppo soap. The most amazing thing. Can be used for washing hands, face, body, hair, clothes, everything! Lasts weeks and costs about £2! Much cheaper than Lush stuff or similar. It's one of my greatest, money-saving, planet-saving discoveries