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How to Go Grocery Shopping Sustainably

https://pixabay.com/photos/supermarket-stalls-coolers-market

Going zero-waste might be the right thing to do for the planet, but it is certainly not the easiest to accomplish. Almost every grocery store you visit will have food packaged and stored behind layers and layers of plastic. Most foods are produced with high carbon emissions. It costs both your wallet and the planet way more than it should.

Practicing sustainable measures while grocery shopping is the only solution to this lifestyle problem that impacts Earth as much as it impacts us. To make your journey towards a sustainable life more accessible, there are 8 tips you can follow. Let’s dive in.

1. Bring Your Own Reusable Bags

Statistics suggest that nearly 40% of all the plastic produced every year is single-use plastic used for packaging. This kind of plastic is really difficult to recycle as it gets tangled in the machinery and interferes with robotic sensors used in the recycling process. Their obvious fate is ending up in landfills and water bodies where they have detrimental impacts on the environment.

Each time you purchase something that uses single-use plastics, you contribute to the growing plastic crisis. Bringing your own grocery shopping bags really pays off in this scenario. If you resolve to bring your own reusable bags and containers, you can say “no” to single-use plastic every time while grocery shopping. With a few storage and organization tips, incorporating reusable bags and containers into your life can be easy as pie.

2. Buy Loose Produce

While we’re on the topic of plastic packaging, you should know that using reusable bags only works when you buy loose produce. Putting a container of packaged vegetables or meat in your tote bag defeats the purpose. You are still creating significant plastic waste. To prevent this, visit stores that contain fresh, unwrapped foods.

Buying loose produce helps you control the amount you want to buy and save money in the process. In organic stores, you will find a wide range of loose products — fruits, vegetables, spices, pasta, cereals, rice, biscuits, and much more! In a supermarket, however, most of these products will be wrapped in plastic.

3. Steer Clear of Processed Food

How much do you pay for packets of chips, biscuits, or cookies per month? $20? $50? More? Try spending that amount on buying whole, raw ingredients. You’ll easily make twice as much food that’s thrice as healthy!

It’s called “shopping the perimeter”. When you shop the perimeter, you buy your cheese and pasta separately instead of buying a box of microwaveable mac and cheese. Better yet, make your own pasta from scratch!

Processed food comes with a lot of drawbacks: huge carbon footprint, higher costs, loss of nutrients, unhealthy additives, and excessive packaging, just to name a few. These impair your health, tarnish the environment, and snowball your grocery bill. You can live a much healthier life by sacrificing snacks and easy food options for more healthy recipes.

4. Opt for a Plant-Based Diet

Does making your own pasta sound like an odious task to you? Were you thinking of veering towards meat more? If so, think twice! Eating a predominantly animal-based diet can be even more detrimental than eating overly processed food.

Plant-based foods have a smaller carbon-footprint. Most animal-based foods are way more resource intensive and harmful for the environment. A study found that beef production requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more greenhouse gas than common plant-based protein sources such as beans, peas and lentils. Chicken and pork require thrice the amount of resources as plants.

5. Read the Labels

Labels can reveal so many secrets about how the food is produced and the impact it has on the environment. Not all processed food and meat out there hurts the planet. Some of it is responsibly and consciously produced. Certain food labels can certify that. Lookout for trustable certifications like Fair Trade, American Grassfed, Organic, Bird Friendly, Animal Welfare Approved, Safe Catch, BPI Compostable, Non-GMO, and so on. Eat responsibly!

6. Shop Local and In-Season

Food can have a high emission tag if it is transported from somewhere far away or exported from another part of the world. This is often the case when we try to eat fruits or vegetables that are not in season. This means more energy consumption, higher carbon emission, and outrageous prices.

If you eat what is locally grown around you, you consume food with negligible carbon emissions and low prices. Shopping from your local farmers’ market is a great way to start.

7. Know Your Plastics

Sometimes, purchasing items with plastic packaging is unavoidable if you do not have any plastic-free alternatives at your local grocery stores. In such dire scenarios, check the plastic resin identification number. It’ll be a small code inside of a triangle. This symbol reveals which type of plastic is used to make a packaging material.

Always go for HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) plastics since they are more easily recyclable than other kinds of plastic. Learn more about recycling and upcycling to keep yourself updated about ways you can repurpose plastic containers.

8. Always Carry a List and Never Go In Hungry

Going grocery shopping without a list is how you get confused. Going in hungry is how you lose focus and self-control. The result is buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Overbuying leads to food wastage. Annually, Americans waste 30-40% of the US food supply. You sure don’t want to contribute to this number.

Happy Shopping!

https://pixabay.com/photos/shop-supermarket-grocery-cart-4527402/

If you’re already living a pretty sustainable lifestyle, the above tips will only add to it. And if your next grocery trip is going to be your first attempt at being sustainable, following these tips will make for an effortless transition into this lifestyle. Either way, more power to you!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.

 

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How To Go Grocery Shopping Sustainably

https://pixabay.com/photos/supermarket-stalls-coolers-market-949913/

Going zero-waste might be the right thing to do for the planet, but it is certainly not the easiest to accomplish. Almost every grocery store you visit will have food packaged and stored behind layers and layers of plastic. Most foods are produced with high carbon emissions. It costs both your wallet and the planet way more than it should.

Practicing sustainable measures while grocery shopping is the only solution to this lifestyle problem that impacts Earth as much as it impacts us. To make your journey towards a sustainable life more accessible, there are 8 tips you can follow. Let’s dive in.

1. Bring Your Own Reusable Bags

Statistics suggest that nearly 40% of all the plastic produced every year is single-use plastic used for packaging. This kind of plastic is really difficult to recycle as it gets tangled in the machinery and interferes with robotic sensors used in the recycling process. Their obvious fate is ending up in landfills and water bodies where they have detrimental impacts on the environment.

Each time you purchase something that uses single-use plastics, you contribute to the growing plastic crisis. Bringing your own grocery shopping bags really pays off in this scenario. If you resolve to bring your own reusable bags and containers, you can say “no” to single-use plastic every time while grocery shopping. With a few storage and organization tips, incorporating reusable bags and containers into your life can be easy as pie.

2. Buy Loose Produce

While we’re on the topic of plastic packaging, you should know that using reusable bags only works when you buy loose produce. Putting a container of packaged vegetables or meat in your tote bag defeats the purpose. You are still creating significant plastic waste. To prevent this, visit stores that contain fresh, unwrapped foods.

Buying loose produce helps you control the amount you want to buy and save money in the process. In organic stores, you will find a wide range of loose products — fruits, vegetables, spices, pasta, cereals, rice, biscuits, and much more! In a supermarket, however, most of these products will be wrapped in plastic.

3. Steer Clear of Processed Food

How much do you pay for packets of chips, biscuits, or cookies per month? $20? $50? More? Try spending that amount on buying whole, raw ingredients. You’ll easily make twice as much food that’s thrice as healthy!

It’s called “shopping the perimeter”. When you shop the perimeter, you buy your cheese and pasta separately instead of buying a box of microwaveable mac and cheese. Better yet, make your own pasta from scratch!

Processed food comes with a lot of drawbacks: huge carbon footprint, higher costs, loss of nutrients, unhealthy additives, and excessive packaging, just to name a few. These impair your health, tarnish the environment, and snowball your grocery bill. You can live a much healthier life by sacrificing snacks and easy food options for more healthy recipes.

4. Opt for a Plant-Based Diet

Does making your own pasta sound like an odious task to you? Were you thinking of veering towards meat more? If so, think twice! Eating a predominantly animal-based diet can be even more detrimental than eating overly processed food.

Plant-based foods have a smaller carbon-footprint. Most animal-based foods are way more resource intensive and harmful for the environment. A study found that beef production requires 20 times more land and emits 20 times more greenhouse gas than common plant-based protein sources such as beans, peas and lentils. Chicken and pork require thrice the amount of resources as plants.

5. Read the Labels

Labels can reveal so many secrets about how the food is produced and the impact it has on the environment. Not all processed food and meat out there hurts the planet. Some of it is responsibly and consciously produced. Certain food labels can certify that. Lookout for trustable certifications like Fair Trade, American Grassfed, Organic, Bird Friendly, Animal Welfare Approved, Safe Catch, BPI Compostable, Non-GMO, and so on. Eat responsibly!

6. Shop Local and In-Season

Food can have a high emission tag if it is transported from somewhere far away or exported from another part of the world. This is often the case when we try to eat fruits or vegetables that are not in season. This means more energy consumption, higher carbon emission, and outrageous prices.

If you eat what is locally grown around you, you consume food with negligible carbon emissions and low prices. Shopping from your local farmers’ market is a great way to start.

7. Know Your Plastics

Sometimes, purchasing items with plastic packaging is unavoidable if you do not have any plastic-free alternatives at your local grocery stores. In such dire scenarios, check the plastic resin identification number. It’ll be a small code inside of a triangle. This symbol reveals which type of plastic is used to make a packaging material.

Always go for HDPE (high-density polyethylene) and PETE (polyethylene terephthalate) plastics since they are more easily recyclable than other kinds of plastic. Learn more about recycling and upcycling to keep yourself updated about ways you can repurpose plastic containers.

8. Always Carry a List and Never Go In Hungry

Going grocery shopping without a list is how you get confused. Going in hungry is how you lose focus and self-control. The result is buying a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Overbuying leads to food wastage. Annually, Americans waste 30-40% of the US food supply. You sure don’t want to contribute to this number.

Happy Shopping!

https://pixabay.com/photos/shop-supermarket-grocery-cart-4527402/

If you’re already living a pretty sustainable lifestyle, the above tips will only add to it. And if your next grocery trip is going to be your first attempt at being sustainable, following these tips will make for an effortless transition into this lifestyle. Either way, more power to you!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.

The Modern Rules Of Choosing A Style For A Rug

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With spring bringing in a new wave of good, sunny vibes to your day-to-day, you’re ready to add those same vibes to your favorite place—your home sweet home. And a new rug can go a long way in chasing out those winter blues and making your retreat space look and feel brand new.

Not so fast, though.

Not all rugs are perfect for every home situation. You don’t want to buy a huge rug that you’ll have trouble placing in your living room. And the last thing you want is a rug that adds an unwanted aesthetic to your space. On the contrary, the right rug can instantly add definition and color to your established decor, whether it’s a captivating modern one or an elegant traditional one.

The question is, with the wide range of rug materials, colors, and styles available today, how can you go about choosing the right rug style for your home?

Here’s a rundown on the top modern rules of choosing a style for a rug this spring.

Don’t Go Too Big

Size matters when you’re selecting a rug for your room. For example, if you have a tiny apartment with several pieces of statement furniture or eclectic objects in it, you don’t want a rug that will overpower your space. So, before you shop, be sure to measure the area in which you will be placing your rug.

As a general rule of thumb, your rug should cover the width and length of your furnishings if you’re placing it in your family room. A 5’ 0” x 8’ 1” rug or a 6’ 3” x 9’ 11” rug is typically a great size for clustering furniture around in an intimate space. If you wish to expand this space, choose a bigger size that will outline your area’s perimeter.

In your dining room, the rug you select needs to be big enough to provide ample space for your chairs, even after they’ve been pulled out from your table. So, measure your dining table and then add two feet to determine the best rug size for this space.

Also, in a space where your floor is wooden, try to keep between 18 and 24 inches of wooden flooring around your room’s perimeter. 

Consider Your Lifestyle

Think about how you plan to use the space where your new rug will go. Perhaps you plan to put the rug in an area that receives high traffic, like a family room or hallway. Or, maybe you have pets or young children? If so, look for luxury rugs that are simple to clean and durable, like wool rugs. And try to stick with a rug that is dark enough to hide dirt or stains.

Perhaps you’re planning to place a new rug in your home office. Create a sophisticated and classically elegant work from home space with a bamboo silk rug.

Online School Living Room Children – Free photo on Pixabay

Create the Right Mood

In addition to considering the usability of your space, think about the type of mood you want to create in your space when purchasing a rug. A rug anchors a room, so the style and color of your rug plays a major role in establishing its mood.

For instance, stick with rich, dark hues to define an intimate space. Meanwhile, choose light colors to make a tinier space look larger. Also, spicy colors—like red, yellow, or orange—add warmth to a room, whereas cool colors help to create a calm feeling, particularly in a space that is sunny.

However, as you search for rugs of certain colors, keep in mind that your target rug should ideally complement your room’s 2-3 main hues. As an example, you could choose a rug whose pattern’s secondary color matches your couch’s solid color. Then, try to make the rug’s third color match your room’s accents, like the wall, drape, or throw pillow color. This will help to tie your room’s look together.

Of course, you don’t always have to go with patterned rugs. Solid-colored rugs also work well in rooms, especially if your rooms’ primary furnishings are upholstered in patterns or feature elaborate designs.

Don’t Put a Pause on Patterns

Let’s dive into patterns a bit more. Patterned rugs are generally an excellent choice if you want to create an eclectic look in your room. Your patterns will instantly become the room’s primary focal point. For instance, feel free to choose rugs with floral or even zigzag spiral patterns. You can also choose rugs with more subtle patterns if you’d rather not harshly define the space.

Living Room Luxury House – Free photo on Pixabay

Choose the Perfect Rug for Your Space This Spring

Rugs have always been and will always be one of the most quintessential decorative accessories due to their ability to add warmth and personality to any room. But choosing the right rug—one that won’t take up an exorbitant amount of space, for example—is critical for making your dream look and vibe for your room a reality.

Consider the above-listed modern rules for choosing a rug that fits your style and your room’s layout this spring. In no time, you can bring comfort, coziness, and a chic ambiance to your living space this spring!

Author Bio:

Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.

How To Amp Up Your Small Rental Apartment

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Renting a new apartment is an exciting opportunity for decorating your place in a way that lets your personality shine through. Even if the rental apartment is small, there’s no reason to compromise and not go big on style. Depending on the type of apartment you have and your own personal taste, there are tons of ways to decorate your living space! We have a few ideas on how to amp up your small rental apartment.

Lighting

One of the best places to start with when it comes to amping up an apartment is the lighting. Picking the right set of lights can give your room a defining character and become the standard by which you add the next set of furniture and decor.

If you’ve been staying up to date with lighting trends, you’ll know that certain styles of lighting can trick visitors into thinking the space is much larger than it actually is. Ceiling fixtures that hang down draw the eyes upwards and open up your apartment in a way that makes it feel larger than it actually is. If you have permission to swap out your ceiling fixtures, this is a great place to start!

As for floor lighting and lampshades, you’ll want to go for softer, more incandescent lights as they make your room feel inviting and warm, as opposed to colder tones that can often appear uninviting.

Lastly, an aspect of lighting that many people don’t quite appreciate enough is reflections. Intelligently using mirrors both as decor and as an instrument to complement and improve lighting in your apartment can go a long way in creating a more open, brighter space that radiates positive energy. You’ll want to place mirrors directly in the path of light coming in from the windows to bounce the light around and give the impression of a larger room.

It’s The Small Things

Contrary to popular belief, it’s not always big statements like oversized doors and beds that give small apartments character and size, but rather tiny items that can make a big impact. Attention to detail goes a long way in spicing up any apartment and every little change you make counts.

A great place to start here is with doorknobs. It might sound random, but they’re actually one of the items we interact with the most in any home. Rustic door knobs can add a unique life to your apartment, and convey a thoughtful, nostalgic sense of style with just a glance. Certain well-crafted door knobs also combine form and function by being incredibly appealing to look at and use, as well as secure thanks to modern locking technology. If you have permission to change out your doorknobs, this small change can make a large visual impact.

For even smaller apartments that might not even have doors to open, there are still several things that you can do to enlarge and beautify the space. A common piece of decor that people use in small apartments is a glass partition. Adding a glass partition is an ingenious idea for small studio apartments that often have just one room to boast of. Partitions stretch small spaces while still allowing for light to pass through. For apartments that might not be able to accommodate glass partitions, consider a foldable wooden divider. These serve a similar purpose, and can even be a better fit aesthetically for some apartments depending on lighting and other decor.

https://unsplash.com/photos/GqbU78bdJFM

Work With The Bed

Smart home design in small apartments revolves around intelligently managing bedroom decor. Since beds take up a large amount of the limited space available to you, how you decorate and use it can have a big impact on your quality of life. For starters, using trundle or retractable beds that you can use as a sofa or slide away when not in use is a common sight in smaller apartments.

As for decor, certain visual tweaks like using bright and bold handmade pillow covers is an easy way to make a statement. You can pair these with a comfortable and slim duvet that folds up easily into your bed’s storage for clever space management.

Utilizing Space

Renting out a small apartment, even one that’s been renovated recently, comes with its own quirks. These quirks take the form of unique nooks and crannies that you can take advantage of to make your space your own. A common example of this, particularly in cramped cities like New York, are the tiny alcoves below the windows found in small apartments. Adding a small couch or table here can do a lot to create a cozy space for you to inhabit.

Living Large

Being smart about how you decorate and use your small rental apartment is all it takes to make the most of what you have. Use your apartment’s unique features and accent them with subtle decor to live larger than ever before.

Author Bio:

Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.

Top 10 Organization Tips For Spring Cleaning This Year

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A clean home is a happy home. Participating in spring cleaning can do wonders for opening up the space in your home, as well as provide you with mental clarity. When you’re no longer stressed about the state of your home, you can put more effort into planning activities or simply living in the moment. If you’re looking for a little divine inspiration, we have you covered. Let’s go over our top 10 organization tips for deep spring cleaning.

1.    Plan Ahead For Springtime Pests

When spring arrives, so do the bugs. Enjoy your sunshine-filled days to the fullest without the stress of bug bites or home infestations. Keep unwanted visitors out of your home with preventative DIY pest control. Combat all your common pest problems without the hassle or expenses of booking an exterminator. Secure your entire property line with easy-to-use pest control spray equipment. Bask in the beauty of spring with the comfort of knowing your home is safe from household pests.

2.    Switch Out Your Wardrobe

Out with the winter and in with the spring! As the days get warmer, will you really be wearing that turtleneck? It’s an important question to ask when you’re trying to emulate that clean-slate, spring-clean feeling. Be sure to use space-saving containers that can easily fit in any storage area, so your winter clothes are out of sight and out of mind. Plus, going through your wardrobe is an excellent excuse for another key spring organizational tactic.

https://unsplash.com/photos/oa7pqZmmhuA

3.    Donate What Doesn’t Bring You Joy

It can be easy to let your collection of clothes build up over the years. Rather than continue to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of clothes you have accumulated, take time to sort through your seasonal wardrobes and create a donation pile. You’ll feel a lot better, lighter, and more inclined to enter the next chapter of your style. And don’t forget that clothing donations qualify for a tax deduction.

4.    Create A Cleaning Plan

In a perfect world, a complete spring cleaning can happen in a day. Most of the time, this isn’t an option. And that’s okay! Plan ahead for the effort it takes to clean your home. Schedule out a week-long or multi-week cleaning plan checklist that you can refer to as you work room by room. It’s entirely up to you, your schedule, and your preferred cleaning methods. If you need some inspiration, there are plenty of spring cleaning resources online.

5.    Find Functional Storage Hacks

The internet is ripe with tips and tricks for creating usable storage in the smallest spaces. Think your situation is helpless? Think again! There are plenty of online organization experts ready and willing to share their secrets. Check out creative storage hacks for immediate improvements to your home’s organizational system.

6.    Put Effort Into Your Kitchen

Your fridge, pantry, and kitchen cabinets should bring you peace amidst life’s chaos. The last thing you want to do is come home to a disorganized kitchen that brings stress before meal planning. Craft the kitchen of your dreams with a spice organizer. Deep clean remnants of old produce and eliminate expired condiments from the fridge. You will feel the weight of stress lift off your shoulders in no time. A clean kitchen should feel like a weekly fresh start and not a constant chore looming over your head.

7.    Deep Clean Your Mattress

When’s the last time you did this? Many people skip their mattress entirely when it comes to an annual spring clean, but it deserves some TLC. Get rid of dust, bacteria, and sweat with an easy sprayable cleaning solution made of dish soap, hydrogen peroxide, and a little baking soda. This also may give your mattress a longer life expectancy. Pro tip: flip your mattress twice a year for maximum comfort and even use!

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8.    Take A Crack At The Garage

Ah, the garage. To many people, this is the no-fly zone when it comes to cleaning. The overwhelming feeling of staring into a disorganized garage is not for the faint of heart. Give yourself a day during your spring cleaning journey to do some damage. Starting is half the battle. Sometimes all it takes is just a mindless clean to give yourself a future organization game plan that you can stick to all year long.

9.    Create a Calming Atmosphere

Create a calming atmosphere in your home with house plants, essential oils, or even a decorative candle or two. Your home is your sanctuary and it deserves to be treated as such. Create a clean atmosphere that you look forward to entering every day. Try a citrus-scented air freshener for a natural odor eliminator that smells delightful or experiment with seasonal scents you can’t get enough of.

10. Keep It Sustainable

If you decide on a super complicated organizational system for your fridge, how likely are you to stick with it? Be honest with yourself. The goal of spring cleaning is to set yourself up for success, but make sure your system is maintainable for you and your family. A realistic cleaning organizational system will keep your house in great shape and give you the opportunity to focus on other parts of life.

Let’s Get Cleaning

However you decide to start your spring cleaning process, be sure to plan ahead. Set intentions and goals, and try your best to see them through. Giving your home a well-deserved deep clean is an awesome way to enter springtime feeling like you’ve turned a new leaf.

Author Bio:

Carolyn Mitchell is a freelance writer and content strategist with a passion for home décor. She can often be found re-painting and updating the furnishings in her home, and she is also a dedicated cat mom to two adorable kitties.