5 Eco-Friendly Products that SAVE you Money!

Are you looking for a few SIMPLE ways to make your home more earth-friendly & healthier this year? Here are five simple eco-friendly products that will make a positive impact on your health, your family & the earth, and as a bonus SAVE you money in the long run!

Simple, eco-friendly products that you’ll love!

Today, I am going to share with you five simple eco-friendly replacements you can easily make that offer a variety of benefits! Toxic household products contain harmful chemicals that not only leech into our foods and our bodies but into our atmosphere and soil.

You can opt to make simple, cost-effective changes that make a positive impact on your health, your family, and the earth. It’s a great feeling when you find a product that is healthy for your body, and the planet and saves you money! Let me show you my top favorite eco-friendly sustainable products and why our family LOVES them!

UPDATE- April 2022 We still use each of these products almost daily & LOVE each one of them! We will even be carrying a few of these products & more in our online shop coming this month!

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One earth-friendly step at a time

Making small changes one by one can add up and make a big difference. The first step is to choose the items you most want to replace in your home. Your motivating factor may be choosing the products you spend too much money on, the ones that make the most waste, or that are the most harmful to your family.

Opting to make your own eco-friendly products

Some toxic items we have said GOODBYE to purchasing are candles, room sprays, linen sprays, body sprays, bug sprays, and skincare products. We now make healthier versions ourselves using all-natural ingredients and storing them in reusable glass jars. I will be sharing many D.I.Y. tutorials with you & how to make those items (and more) for gifts! Here are just a few for starters.
How to Make a Quick & Easy Soothing Foot Soak
How to Make Beeswax Candles Quick & Easy

1. Reusable Stainless steel bento storage boxes

1-Swapping out plastic food containers for eco-friendly glass jars and stainless steel bento boxes. We use glass mason jars or reusable glass jugs to store everything from leftovers in our fridge to dry goods in our pantry.

My greatest find for lunch box food storage has been these STAINLESS STEEL BENTO BOXES with silicone lids from Brooklyn Bento. We have tried different bento boxes including ones made from wheatgrass to other stainless boxes. Some box lids pinched fingers while most others lids snapped or broke into pieces. (Still in new condition 2 years after purchasing, not one flaw or issue) and they are used multiple times a day!

I purchased two different sets from Brooklyn Bento and they are so easy to use and wash! They have no leak lids which are easy and safe for little hands to use. My kids love filling their BENTO LUNCH BOXES with their favorite food and snack choices. We were impressed with their amazing quality and the variety of sizes available!

UPDATE – 3 years after purchasing these BENTO BOXES are still in AMAZING condition without any issues even with daily use! 100% worth the investment!!! – 2021

2. REUSABLE eco-friendly drinking straws

2.-We said, “goodbye” to plastic straws and “hello” to reusable straws. They are available in a variety of materials such as STAINLESS, COPPER, BAMBOO, or FOOD GRADE SILICONE.

UPDATE – 3 years later we still have our original stainless & copper straws with zero issues! & have added Bamboo straws this summer & LOVE THEM so much I added them to our online inventory!

“Over 500 million straws are used and discarded daily in the U.S. and rarely recycled.”

Plastic Free Waters – a collaboration across public, private, & nonprofit sectors to reduce plastic & debris in all waterbodies

In order to stop straw waste, we switched over to reusable straws almost two years ago. We are now saving money as we are no longer buying plastic disposable versions. Our reusable versions will last for many years to come.
Our motivating factor to stop this waste was seeing photos of the damage that plastic straws are doing to our waters and their creatures. It was a quick and easy switch that we are so glad we made!

3. Wool dryer balls

3.-Ditching toxic dryer sheets for REUSABLE WOOL DRYER BALLS. We choose this brand because it’s made in the USA. Wool dryer balls are a big money saver! Not only will you no longer have to purchase boxes of chemical-laden dryer sheets but wool balls cut down on drying times and save energy. Sometimes we infuse ours with essential oils. I have friends who opt for organic fabric cloths soaked in white vinegar.

We made this switch over 6 years ago due to toxic chemicals in commercial fabric sheets and softeners. This one swap has saved us $100’s and saved us from unwanted chemicals on our clothing. We still use our original set of dryer balls a few times each day!

4. Plant-based household cleaner

plant based household cleaner by young living oils - eco-friendly products

4.-We ditched a dozen cleaners for one vegetable-based cleaning product. This one swap has saved us money, and time and put an end to the most waste created in our home. Before we were purchasing and storing a dozen different cleaning products for the floors, kitchen, bathroom, oven, furniture, glass spray, and laundry stain remover.

We switched to the plant-based THIEVES HOUSEHOLD CLEANER by Young Living for ALL of our cleaning needs. It was an easy swap, we fell in love with the natural scent, cleaning results, and how much money it saved us! We use it daily in both our home and business. It can be diluted to different strengths for a variety of tasks. Click here to read more about my Favorite Thieves products

5. Beeswax wraps & biodegradable paper

how to make beeswax wraps eco-friendly products

5.- Swapping out plastic wraps and sandwich bags for BEESWAX WRAPS and BIODEGRADABLE PARCHMENT PAPER. This was another easy swap to make and we fell in love with the scent and ease of use with the beeswax wraps. I will be sharing with you soon in a D.I.Y. tutorial on how to make your own wraps and reseal them after years of use! We swapped out toxic aluminum foil for parchment paper and use the paper with the wraps for food items that tend to dry out faster and need extra coverage. Here you’ll find my D.I.Y. tutorial for homemade beeswax wraps.

Other eco-friendly product options

Here are a few different purchasing options that can not only save you money but cut down on a lot of waste. For your convenience, I’ve added the product links (highlighted items) that you may directly SHOP from.

Purchasing more whole foods, fresh produce, buying items in reusable glass vs plastic, buying in bulk and locally when it’s available.

Packing a small TRAVEL KIT OF REUSABLE UTENSILS and THERMAL TRAVEL CUP will help to cut down on wasteful single-use plastics when grabbing food or coffee on the go.

Keeping REUSABLE CLOTH BAGS in your vehicle to have on hand for shopping trips cuts down on plastic and paper waste.

Opting first for borrowing, up-cycling, and buying second hand.

Buying sustainable, high-quality items that will last you a lot longer.

Our family’s next eco-friendly switch

UPDATE: 2022 We loved these products so much we decided to offer them for sale in our online store. BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSHES, BAMBOO HAIR BRUSHES, and a BAMBOO SCRUB BRUSH and NAIL BRUSH.

Slowly as our plastic brushes are wearing out, we will be replacing them with new brushes made from bamboo. Bamboo offers a more sustainable option that is healthier than plastic and is compostable, reusable, and biodegradable.

And these will be on my “To Try” list, as well. I actually am ordering a set of each for Christmas gifts. Reusable steel chopsticks and Reusable bamboo chopsticks