Thursday, January 22, 2009

Thrifty Green Thursday!

This is my first attempt at joining a "blog carnival," so here it goes! As a part of my New Year's Resolution to live a greener lifestyle (and save moola at the same time), I decided to join Green Baby Guide's Thrifty Green Thursday. I've already learned so many great tips from other bloggers!

As I said in my last post, last week I went to Whole Foods to try and find some greener and less toxic alternatives to cosmetics and toiletries. I'm only replacing items as we run out, because I just can't stand the thought of throwing things away. One of the items we were out of was shower soap. Usually, I buy Aveeno's liquid body wash for the shower, but at Whole Foods, most of the liquid body washes were quite expensive! I was really looking for something with no fragrance, and no extra chemicals, but most of these liquid soaps were over $10 for a tiny bottle - over $10 for a gigantic bottle, and I wasn't ready to spend that much on a new product.

Then I found their store brand bar soaps, which were only $1.50! I quickly realized that I would not only save money, but also cut down on extra packaging and plastics. I bought the unscented version, just because I have extra-sensitive skin, but there are a lots and lots of other fragrances and options out there, at almost every store. Bar soap can be a little drying, but since I lather myself up with lotion after every shower, I haven't noticed a difference at all.

So, my green tip of the week is: buy bar soap! It has less packaging, AND saves you money!

For more Thrifty Green Thursday tips, visit the Green Baby Guide here.

6 comments:

Kathleen W. said...

You're right, shower gels are expensive compared to bar soap. And I remember seeing a post somewhere about making your own gel soap from a bar, by shaving it and adding water. Probably if you google "handmade liquid soap" you'd find a recipe. And that would really be a cheap solution, plus you can control what you put in it.

suzannah | the smitten word said...

i like bar soap better, anyway:)

Allison said...

Cool! I'm going to check it out!

Rebecca said...

I like that bar soap often comes wrapped in paper, which can be recycled. Liquid soap comes in bottle after bottle, and not everyone is able to recycle them.

Thanks for your first ever Thrifty Green Thursday contribution!

Joy said...

We're so glad you joined us this week! Embracing a green, frugal lifestyle involves several small (often seemingly obvious) suggestions like buying soap in bars. You're right on track to be a regular contributor! Thanks for being a part of our Thrifty Green Thursday.

Sarah Ring said...

I love whole foods!