Last Year Reflections, and New Year Resolutions

 2022 was our biggest year yet, Thoughtful Consumers, with 39 posts. Do you feel like you've made a difference, or picked up some new good habits? After several years of trying to make small, personal changes, I've realized just how much they can add up, especially when you look at all of the things we don't give ourselves credit for... for example, the thrifted jeans from years ago, that are still giving me value today. 

Let's remember all the awesome things we did in 2022: 

Food Waste:

• We reduced packaging and stale, old spices by combining some bulk basics into our own spice blends. 
• Saving the liquid from a can of chickpeas meant we got a 2 recipes for the price of one: hummus from the chickpeas, and ranch dressing from the leftover aquafaba. 
• Saved corn cobs, crab shells, and shrimp shells made the most flavorful broth as the bi-product of other meals.
• Using the whole vegetable helped me maximize the value of my grocery run - my broccoli stems became a new bowl of soup!
• Choosing the right right recipe let us eat whole lemons (yep, the skins too!) and whole fennel (chop the fronds like any herb) for a flavorful, no waste meal. 
• The heel of a loaf of bread gained new purpose - keeping our sweets fresh!
• Those end-of-season tomatoes became this winter's tomato sauce. 
• A cheesy cream sauce made a refreshing twist on my Thanksgiving leftovers.
  

Fashion: 

• Being intentional with outfit completion helped us make the most of our existing wardrobe and saved us $48. 
• We got out of our remote-office athleisure, and put on some "real" clothes, all while saving $52. 
• Reliving 90s prom the second time around called for a second-hand gown (saving $30!) and choker.
• Brand name clothes didn't break the bank (we saved $161!) with a combo of thrifting and gifting. 
• Buy Nothing provided me with $125 quality sandals to start my summer off supported and in style.
• We were able to emulate our style icon while saving $15, due to thrifting.  
• Poshmark helped me save $20 while copying the look of a co-worker. (Imitation is flattery, right?)
• We extended the life of our favorite boots, one more time, by repairing them with Shoe Goo. 
• Shopping with a friend led me to save $44 on a fierce critter-print dress. 
• We served our less-flashy, but Brooklyn 99-inspired best looks, and saved $103. 
• The 90s revival was strong when we saved $121 on a houndstooth capelet.
  

DIY: 

• Restoring my front doormat was a fun craft project that saved me $20, and brightened my home.
• An old mason jar and some scrap material turned into a cute sewing kit. 
• Last year's birthday balloon was this year's wrapping paper, saving $3+.
• A best-ever thrifting trip helped me save $320 on a gown to use for my Halloween costume, but using removable adhesive allowed my to use the gown well beyond Halloween. 
• Some sealant and gold pigment extended the life of a favorite bowl, in the Japanese kintsugi style.
• We learned how to (and how not to!) make a DIY snowglobe from a reused jar. 
  

Company Spotlights: 

• We learned that Lego is making a difference through donate/reuse programs and well as creating new plant-based plastics pieces. 
• A trip to Portland led me to Mama and Hapa's, an awesome refill store for all your household cleaners and bath products. 
• A volunteer day with Clean the World taught us about re-manufacturing hotel soaps to make new soaps for refugees. 
• Taco Time NW serves up sustainability realness (in addition to delicious tacos), through their 100% compostable serviceware and carbon neutrality initiatives. 
• Benziger Winery's tram tour taught us all about biodynamic farming and keeping the land grape-ready for generations to come. 
• San Pellegrino hosts a great website and series of short videos promoting tips against food waste, disguised as an entertaining competition between top chefs!
• We learned about Brightly, a company that makes all sorts of eco-friendly home goods, including the unique Wishcloth greeting card. 

Other: 

• We used our Ridwell subscription to get rid of non-traditional recyclable items, including plastic film, batteries, lightbulbs, old eyeglasses, cell phones, wine corks, and more!
  
• Public transport saved us $96+ vs taxis while on vacation and was a great way to explore a new city with unlimited rides. 
• We completed a trash audit for Earth Day to identify where we could make our biggest changes. 
• The reopening of coffee-shop lobbies and loosening of policies post-COVID allowed the return to reusable mugs, saving us $.10 each visit. 
• We eliminated giant plastic jugs from our laundry routine by switching to Dropps. (And not written about, but we were so pleased, we also swapped our dish detergent later in the year!)
• We explored designer resale as one of several options to make better choices during the holiday shopping season. 
• A trip through Whidbey Island and Anacortes helped us find several great shops, both vintage/antique and those with new eco-friendly products. 

All in all, we saved over $1158, all while saving food waste, fashion waste, packaging waste, fuel, and more. 

In 2023, we'll double down, continuing with the new habits we've formed over the last few years, and discovering new ways to improve our own impact, as well as companies who we should support.