Ella Charlotte Jones

Did you know, the average woman uses 11,000 menstrual disposable products in their lifetime? Think about if you multiplied that by all the women in our world! Period products are an essential part of being a woman, we will always have to consume them, which is why I think it is so important that we find ways for our periods to have the smallest environmental footprint possible! *This blog post includes affiliate links and sponsored content, but all opinions are my own* Since making the switch to a zero waste period, I've tried out a few different types of products to help me in reducing my plastic waste. I thought I'd make a blog post to summarise my experience with all of these products, and show you which are my 'essentials' when it comes to having a plastic-free period, without extra hassle! Period underwear One of these additional essentials for me is period underwear!  Modibodi have reached out to me to promote zero waste period products, to which I am very excited

 I've worn glasses for over 10 years, so when I had the opportunity to try a zero waste glasses lens cleaner I was more than excited! Switching to sustainable and low waste products can be difficult if you have specific needs which need to be met, but the eco-version of the product doesn't exist. For me and my glasses wearing family, lens cleaner was one of those products. They always come in plastic spray bottles - in which the cap/spray nozzle system can be difficult to recycle once you have finished with it.  The Frugal & Green (AD) lens cleaner set comes with 2 glass bottles, one filled with the dissolvable cleaning tablets and the other an empty spray bottle to refill with the solution. As each refill of the lens cleaner is a combination of 1 tablet and some water - it means you aren't buying a new bottle of lens cleaner every time you run out - reducing the amount of plastic you are using. So how does it work? 1) Fill the spray bottle with water 2) Put one of the

Completing a wardrobe audit is something I have wanted to do for a while, but I was never sure how to go about it - without creating some hectic and confusing spreadsheet. That was until I discovered the app YourCloset, which made my outfit tracking process a LOT easier.  How did I successfully complete my wardrobe audit? All I had to do was take photos of each item of clothing, process them into the app and then I could mix and match my outfits forever! The layout of it reminds me of the previously wonderful Polyvore, where you could visually create outfits without putting them on. Of the 120 ish items of clothing I own, I've been able to make nearly 600 outfits (which is certainly more than I will ever wear in a year, but the minimalist side of my brain hasn't quite reached tackling the wardrobe in full potential yet.) So, using the calendar tracking feature of the app, I logged every outfit I wore for the entire of 2020. This means that the app can grab a load of statistics

Since starting my journey towards simple, environmentally-conscious living, I've reached the conclusion that the difference between this and my previous lifestyle is my rate of material consumption. It has made me question whether purchases I have made in the past were impulsive or considered, and what potentially influenced me to buy so many things. Both marketing and capitalism push for mass-consumption in order to make profits, but was I just an unconscious cog in the system or was I really aware of what I was doing?    Why do we consume so much in the first place? Western consumers have more possessions than they need, yet they spend more time and effort buying new things ( Menzel and Mann 1994 ). The majority of us have everything we could ever need to survive, yet we still continue to consume more and more. It seems like there is this culture-wide striving for a material goal that will never be achieved. In regards to clothing, consumers are driven by social pressures to wear

The shift to a low waste period was always going to be the hardest step for me. Menstruating is annoying anyway, so for me to change my tried and tested stress free routine of using pads, it was going to require a lot of motivation to shift to using a menstrual cup ! I've never really enjoyed using tampons, so the idea of something being inside me all day, as opposed to just a pad wasn't very comforting. But I was chatting to a few friends who use a Mooncup , and I thought I'd give it a try - with the aim of reducing my waste. As someone who doesn't use makeup wipes or create much bathroom waste ( I wrote a post about the swaps I made ), my period and disposable plastic pads seemed to be the only waste I created. So eliminating my period waste would be a huge achievement in my zero waste journey! This post contains affiliate links, meaning I earn a small commission if you buy through my link!  Before I start talking about the benefits of switching to a plastic fre

Selling on Depop can seem time-consuming and difficult, but I think with some practice and the right approach, anyone can be successful on the app! Yes, there are more users on Depop than when I first started out, but instead of looking at it as 'more competition' you should look at is as 'more potential customers'! Learning how to sell on Depop is a process. I started selling on Depop in 2016 and haven't stopped since, and here is how I sold over 200+ items since then. What is Depop? Depop is an app where you can primarily sell and buy second hand clothes - though it is also used to sell/buy other items such as books/cds/home-decor. There are approximately 13 million users on the app, with a generally younger age demograhic than eBay or Vinted ( other places you can buy second hand clothes .) The format is very similar to Instagram where you have a 'grid' profile with 3x3 squares and a 'feed' showing the recently posted items of people you

Not all of us are blessed with local treasure-filled charity shops or thrift stores, and I realise that this can put a lot of people off when it comes to buying second hand clothing. They walk into a local charity shop, which is unfortunately full of clothes they don't like, and then they give up completely on buying second hand. First of all, 1 trip to a charity shop should NOT determine your liking for second hand shopping. I gave some key advice on How To Find Good Clothes in Charity Shops a while ago, if you have plenty in your local area but just haven't been successful. However, I understand that the stock of a charity shop depends on the donations, so you may not get what you are looking for if there aren't many people in your area with your style! This is where online second hand shopping becomes your new best friend! It's understandable that not everyone enjoys rummaging through edless rails of old clothes in attempt to find a gem. I know for me that the &#