The Travel Jar

 Week 4 of the 24/24 Challenge , where I try to limit myself to only purchasing 24 *new* items for the entire year! Secondhand (thrift/antique/consignment/hand-me-down) does not count, nor does a new product that is Zero Waste (including packaging- which must be 100% compostable). I had another successful week of buying no new items. Here are the items I did get: From my local Buy Nothing Group, I asked for and scored some *secondhand* items from folks in my neighborhood: Kitchen compost bin liners, coffee filters and 2 empty MYRO deodorant sticks (a client gave me 11 refill pods but no sticks, so I got 2 from the group- one for me, one for Derrick). My client offered me a small rectangular container that she was decluttering, which I used to corral all our random Roomba accessories in a deep drawer in our kitchen. Tidbits & Wins Our garbage pickup was delayed a day due to the ice storm... Yet even after 8 days, this is all the trash we accumulated during that period! About hal...

Welcome back to week 3 of my 24/24 Challenge ! Purchases this week I purchased no new items this last week, though I did make plenty of purchases that were secondhand and Zero-Waste... On Wednesday I visited Soap Refill Station  in Waldo for the first time this year. First I presented a bag of empty containers that I had been saving for their in-store "Donation Station" of secondhand vessels. Then I chose 2 containers to refill for the 2 liquids I needed. The staff member weighed my containers before I filled them (they are thoughtful like that), then I filled an old dish soap container with the dishwasher detergent, and a plastic jar that once held sea salt to hold toilet bowl spray. Repurposed vessel = no new plastic created! Toilet Bowl cleaning concentrate     While in the shop, I found a new product to try: Tooth Tabs by un*Paste ! I've tried a different brand & flavor before and didn't care for them but these new ones are *cinnamon* and actually contain fluo...

  Purchases this week I bought no new items this week for my 24/24 challenge , except for medical eye drops (which, being medical, does not count toward the 24 new-item-limit). I did visit Scraps KC to drop off client donations, and while I was there I purchased a lidded storage tote and a laundry basket for $5. Everything sold at Scraps KC is donated/secondhand, so neither item counted toward my limit. The laundry basket is to collect client donations for work, and the tote is to store empty jars and containers in the basement for us to reuse. Then we can take our containers to Soap Refill Station  and fill them with whatever household cleaners or toiletries we need, once we use up what we have at home. Just $5 for both these bad gurlz The wall of containers for sale at Scraps KC- all secondhand, all 25 cents to $4 Tidbits & Wins I started re-reading Zero Waste Home  by Bea Johnson on my Kindle app- I first read the book in 2014. It's mind-boggling how Bea and her f...

 It has been about a week since I came up with my 24/24 challenge , and here's an update! Purchases this week A secondhand  Otterbox case to protect my phone (the old one was cracked after a year plus of use)- got a refurbished one on Amazon and saved $10! Fun fact: I recycled the cracked case in our TerraCycle bin , recycled the cardboard box it came in, and am taking the plastic film it was shipped in to Target's plastic bag recycling station (every Target has one). A trio of fabric swatches from Azazie.com, to eventually purchase a bridesmaid dress for my brother's wedding in August (my brother and I are both getting married this year!). The swatches were free because I used a discount code, however, they are new items and therefore created waste; the primary focus of this challenge is the environment, and my budget is secondary, so unfortunately these swatches count. However ! I have emailed Azazie and asked them if, when I ultimately purchase my bridesmaid dress and re...

This morning I woke up and came up with a fun little challenge for 2024: I will challenge myself to a limit of buying only 24 *new* items this year: 24 because 2024, but also because I can aim to average 2 new items per month. WHY? 1. Because I love the planet and don't want to create more garbage than necessary. 2. Because finances are tight. I started this year with $12,000 (to the cent) of debt- $9,000 still owed on an expensive foundation repair on our house from 2022, and $3,000 still owed from replacing 5 windows in our home last summer. I also owe my Savings account $11K after a decadent year of adventure (2023 rocked , no regrets, now it's time to settle down and repay the funds). We are also getting married in late September, and while we are set up to have an inexpensive wedding (eloping, and trying to stay under $5K), weddings are still weddings and they cost money. My goal is to totally eliminate both debts this year, and completely pay back my Savings. I'm stil...