By shopping at Farmers Markets, you are voting with your pocketbook for small businesses. Farmers who produce goods for sale in markets are much more likely to be a sustainable choice than what you find in the grocery store. The mass produced products in the grocery store are produced for a profit above all else. The products you find in a farmers market are products that the farmers are passionate about. In smaller productions you will find more humane care of the animals and more consideration of the products that are used for weeding and pest management. That is because they are feeding their own families with their products. The same cannot be said for the large operations that are going to the stores. 

I know that if you want the best quality ingredients, you want to be able to talk to the farmer. You can do that at a farmers market. They love to talk about what they do because they are passionate about it. Now, not all farms are created equally, so it pays to do a little checking before your visit. Some markets have websites where the vendors are listed and you can see if they have a website or social media page. I have found this very helpful to be able to see what they do and what they value when giving them my business. 

You may be thinking, why not just get organic stuff from the grocery store. If there is no option for a farmers market in your area or it is off season, then organic may be a better choice for you. However, being able to buy from a farmer, whether that is at a farmers market or direct from the farm is the best choice. Some smaller farms will not be able to claim they are organic because of the expense and oversight needed to get that certification. If their primary purpose is to sustain their family and sell the excess at markets, then it may not serve them to get a certification. That doesn’t mean that they are not using organic practices or even doing better than organic. You just need to ask.  

Dryer sheets may be what your mother used, but we have learned a lot since then. Toxic load on our bodies is the accumulation of toxins over time. We use so many products with toxins in them on a daily basis and dryer sheets are one of the biggest culprits. According to the author of The Brain Wash, dryer sheets contain at least seven potentially toxic common chemicals found in dryer sheets that contribute to a multitude of problems. They are linked to central nervous system disorders, depression, headaches, dizziness and vomiting. 

We tend to think that it’s just my clothes so it’s not that bad. That’s when we remember that our skin is our largest organ and our clothes are rubbing against our skin all day. Our skin absorbs those toxins and our brains are affected. Those chemicals are also released into the air for everyone around us to breathe. 

So, avoid all of that and swap those dryer sheets for wool dryer balls. You can get dryer balls from a local store, your farmers market or even on Amazon. They come in a variety of colors. My favorite ones came from a farmers market and are made from alpaca fur. Your laundry will dry faster with dryer balls inside. You can add essential oils to the balls so you get that fresh, clean scent you have grown to love. I sometimes change my scents up depending on my mood or the season we are in. Your dryer balls will pay for themselves in just a few months because you are no longer needing to repurchase dryer sheets.

We know that we need to drink more water. Grabbing a water bottle on the way out the door helps us remember to stay hydrated. I get that. Instead of a plastic water bottle, take a stainless steel water bottle or cup with you. 

I have several favorites that travel well. You may consider a smaller one that fits in your bag to take to work. Or, if you are in your car a lot, you may prefer a cup with a straw. Either way, you are helping to protect the environment by decreasing the number of plastic bottles in the landfill. 

Refilling your water bottle with your own filtered water allows you to control what you are putting in your body as well and that’s always a good thing. By planning ahead and bringing what we need, we are less likely to need to buy a bottle of water on the go. This is being frugal as well. 

Paper towels are a staple of any kitchen, right? Well, they can be, but they don’t have to be. By using paper towels, we are throwing tons of paper into the landfills. These cannot be recycled, so we are contributing to the problem of growing landfills. 

We have started using cloth more frequently than paper. We started with a set of washcloths. By using cloth, we are no longer using single use products. I can use that same washcloth to wipe the counter, wash a pan and wipe down appliances. I tend to use them multiple times and rinsing or hand washing them in between. When they get soiled from greasy pans, I can just toss them in with the next load of laundry. It doesn’t have to be hard. It is just a mind shift to grab a cloth rather than a paper towel. 

I have become obsessed with these little Swedish dish cloths. They are super absorbent and can do just about anything I need them to do. When you get them wet, they can hold tons of liquid and are as soft as any cloth I have used. I squeeze them out and they work just like a paper towel. 

You could use the toxic stuff from the store, or you can make your own scrub that lets you breathe in good stuff while you clean. I know I don’t need any more excuses to avoid cleaning. I love to mix this stuff up in a mason jar that I keep in the bathroom. You could even double the recipe to save some time in the long run. I just sprinkle some on a damp cloth and my job is almost done.

Sink, Tile & Tub Scrub

● 1 cup baking soda

● 2 tsp castile soap or Thieves dish soap

● ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide

● 1 capful Thieves Household Cleaner

● 8 drops Lemon essential oil

● 5 drops Thieves essential oil

Mix together and scrub a dub dub