 One of the biggest deterrents for people from going plastic-free is that it's typically thought to be more expensive than buying traditional plastic products. And while this can be true, most of the time I find that the products are more expensive up front but then save you money in the end. I also completely recognize that being able to afford these things up front is a huge privilege and it's not accessible to everyone, I do however think it's helpful to see how much more expensive plastic can add up to be. Remember- the most sustainable thing is the thing you already own, so don't feel bad about any plastic you already have but use those products up to the fullest extent you can! Not to mention: you don't have to make every swap. If you can only afford to make one or two changes then that's huge! Never feel bad about doing what you can. Here's my list of plastic free alternatives to save you money: 1. Stasher Bags: I love these bags for my kitchen! They can go in the freezer, microwave, even the oven so they are 100% versatile. I've slowly been replacing my ziplock disposable baggies with these. Here's the math: 1 box of 40 gallon Ziploc bags at Walmart is $6.64 and one half gallon Stasher bag is $26.99. Which means after only buying the Ziploc bags 4 times you would have paid for the Stasher bag!  2. Reusable Cotton Rounds: I use one cotton round a day in my morning skincare routine, which really adds up in both waste and cost! I switched to reusable cotton rounds a year ago and haven't looked back since. Here's the math: 1 pack of cotton rounds at Walmart is $2.88. If you buy a pack of reusable cotton rounds from Marley's Monsters it's $17. Which means after only 6 purchases of the disposable rounds, the reusable cotton rounds are cheaper.  3. Deodorant: Okay so this one isn't necessarily cheaper but it's the same price for the swap! So many brands are now making plastic free deodorants from Tom's to Old Spice. I had been using Old Spice deodorant for a few years which is $4.99 apiece. But I recently found Hey Humans plastic free deodorant at Target for $4.99. Who doesn't love some easy math!?!  4. Toothpaste: Along with the deodorant I recently found that Target carries Hey Humans plastic free toothpaste for $3.99. I typically use Sensodyne toothpaste because I have sensitivity in my teeth, which is $10 a tube so this really might depend on what toothpaste you are currently using but for me this price difference is massive!  5. Water Bottle: Seriously this is one of my biggest pet peeves. Of course exceptions being anyone who doesn't live with safe drinking water or when you're prepping for power outages during storms, but otherwise why are you buying bottled water? A pack of bottled water is $3.98 at Walmart. Let's say you buy one a week, it will only take you 3 weeks to buy a reusable water bottle (Here's one for $12, you can honestly even find them for less - here's one for $1!). What plastic free swap will you make this Plastic Free July? Let me know in the comments below!
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