Plastic Free-ish Challenge

Skeptics Guide To A Zero Waste Period - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #12

I left this one for last deliberately because I was very skeptical of the period cups I had heard so much about. Honestly, I was kind of scared of them. It's a long post because it was the most asked about challenge for the whole year so I've tried to cover as much information as possible. Here's my skeptic's guide to a zero waste period by swapping to a menstrual cup. I also recommend watching my video recap because some things were easier to explain by having the cup there as a visual.

Using A Cling Wrap Alternative - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #11

To be honest, I didn't use a lot of cling wrap to begin with so this swap was a fairly easy one. Since starting the plastic free-ish challenge, I have built habits of putting food in containers or Stasher Bags more than wrapping them, and it has reduced a lot of my cling wrap use. Still, I wanted to have an alternative for the times I do need to wrap food so I chose swap number 11 to be finding an eco-friendly cling wrap alternative. Here's how it went.

Eco Friendly Toilet Paper - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #10

I can't believe we are up to number 10 of the plastic free-ish challenge for the year! This month I'm recapping my challenge to swap to an eco friendly toilet paper. It didn't go exactly as I had originally planned, but as with many of the other swaps, I was able to improvise and find other solutions.

Low Waste And Zero Waste Toiletries - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #9

Welcome back to another episode of my plastic free-ish challenge! In today's post, I'm recapping my September goal to swap to low and zero waste toiletries as much as possible. I'm sharing the swaps that went well, the swaps that didn't (I'm still working on some), and tips for making your own plastic-free or low waste swaps in the bathroom as well as while traveling.

Low Waste Household Cleaners - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #8

Swapping to low waste household cleaners wasn't quite as easy as I thought it would be. I tried a few different things before I found the best option that worked for my goal of reducing plastic waste. Though it took a few goes to get to a good alternative, it was so worth it. I ended up finding a product that could cover almost all of my household cleaning usages in just one bottle! Here's what I tried and how it all went for this month's plastic free-ish challenge.

Plastic Cutlery Alternative For Travel - Plastic Free-ish Challenge #7

Welcome back to another episode of my 2019 plastic free-ish challenge. In this episode, I'm going to be going through what I used as a plastic cutlery alternative. This swap was a little tricky for me because I don't eat out very often. I started earlier in the year to get as much practice to be able to put a useful post together and I'm glad I did. As you'll find out, my first swap wasn't the best idea for me and I since found what I think is a better solution for the majority of people. I hope this can help you if you're trying to make some plastic free-ish changes.

Ziplock Bag Alternative - Plastic Free-Ish Challenge #6

Ciao! I'm back again with another plastic free-ish update. This month I'm recapping June where I gave up single-use plastic ziplock bags. Well, mostly because there's one situation you'll read about where I have a firm stance on using the single-use plastic ziplock bags for now. Here's my look at the single-use plastic ziplock bag alternative I chose, as well as some other options and how it all went.

Collapsible Straw Review – Plastic Free-ish Challenge Swap #5

Want to know something crazy? I had been using reusable straws at home for a few years as a way to use less plastic. But I hadn't really considered using one for when I am out and about. I was still using and throwing away the single-use plastic ones. Partly, it seems like there was almost a disconnect in the way I thought about it. As if I was considering the waste in my home but not when I was out - which seems crazy to me now. And it was also because I had never found anything that made it easy to use a reusable straw when I am out. Here's my plastic free-ish challenge recap for May, as well as my collapsible straw review of the straw that finally helped me make the change.

Using A Reusable Water Bottle For Travel – Plastic Free-ish Challenge Swap #4

Welcome back to the plastic free-ish challenge. Last month I gave up plastic water bottles. Eeek this might have been the hardest change for me. I have focused the post on using a reusable water bottle specifically for travel. It's not a challenge to not use plastic water bottles at home - I'm assuming you have cups. I burn through a lot of plastic water bottles when I travel though. I am embarrassed to admit that I have used way too many every time. This was the challenge for me and it's what I had to overcome this month. Here's my recap for April and how it all went.

Reusable Bags Review - Plastic Free-ish Challenge Swap #3

Here we are again with another update on the plastic free-ish challenge for 2019. Today I'm sharing a reusable bags review. By now, we kind of all know that plastic bags are bad for the environment and most of us probably also have a couple of reusable bags of our own. I was in that boat as well but I wasn't very disciplined in using them. My goal for March was to ditch plastic bags and get more disciplined in using reusable bags. Here's how it went, what I used, and my tips to help if you want to make the swap.

Washable Paper Towels Review - Plastic Free-ish Challenge Swap #2

Playing catch up this week and sharing the review for my February plastic free-ish swap which was switching to washable paper towels. I had posted my video to YouTube a couple of weeks ago, but here is the written review for anyone who prefers blog posts to videos. Here's a little about the washable 'unpaper' towels I chose, the pros, cons, and whether they were worth it.

Washable Puppy Pads Review - Plastic Free-ish Challenge Swap #1

Welcome back to my 2019 Plastic Free-ish challenge. It's funny when I made the original post, I was just sharing my goal for the year and I didn't really think many people would be interested in it. I had no plans to make any more posts on it until the end of the year when I would say 'mission complete' and share the swaps that worked throughout the year. But, since it got a good response and it seems like people are interested in it, I decided I will make a monthly post to share what I change for that month and any tips or recommendations. I know it's not travel content, but I think it will be useful and, since traveling leaves a t-rex size carbon footprint, I think it's important for us to do what we can. In January I tried out using washable puppy pads and ditched the single-use ones, and here's my review on how it all went.

2019 Plastic Free Challenge On $50 A Month (Well, Plastic Free-ish)

I'm breaking up with plastic. Well, sort of. I've made it my goal for 2019 to eliminate as much of the unnecessary plastic I use in everyday life as possible. It's bad for the planet, bad for us, and really just unnecessary since there are so many alternatives. At first it seemed a bit too expensive for my budget, but, after some research, it looks like you don't have to spend a lot to make some positive changes, and, in fact, it will probably save money in the long run. If you want to join my 2019 plastic-free challenge, or even just want some ideas for things you can replace, then read on because I'm sharing my plans in today's post. If you have any suggestions, I'd definitely love to hear them because I'm at the beginner stage! I'll keep you all updated here and on Instagram stories throughout the year as I start using the new items, but for now I've added the links for the products I plan to get.