sustainability as prep

hi all! for obvious reasons, i’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to prep my tiny apartment. for those of us without the space to grow or stock tons of food, i think learning to cut back where we can and make efficient use of what we do have is going to be really important. as i started going through my kitchen systematically to see what i can do there to prep, i realized that so many sustainability and health-related changes i’ve made in the past few years are basically preps that are going to save me money in the next few years. some of these seem obvious to those of you with lots of experience, but not so much if you’re new to the idea of prepping, so i just wanted to list them out for anyone in a similar position looking for inspiration!

• replaced non-stick cookware that seems to constantly need replacing with cast iron and stainless steel that will basically last a lifetime with good care

• also made the switch from plastic cutting boards and cooking utensils to wooden ones — not sure about the comparative longevity of the boards (probably similar i would think) but wooden utensils i think should last better than plastic

• switched from a keurig to an insulated stainless steel french press; less plastic waste, and i can store a lot more ground or whole bean coffee than i can k cups

• also switched to insulated mugs so coffee doesn’t go cold as quickly and end up going to waste

• found a really good deal on some high-quality knives and got a sharpener, so again with good care these shouldn’t need to be replaced for a long while

• got a good water filter and some stainless steel water bottles; no more buying disposable bottles when on the go

• switched to bar soap for the shower; no more plastic bottles, and these are so much smaller if you want to stock up on a few

• this one is still a work in progress, but buying clothes more thoughtfully (especially shoes and outwear); items of good quality that are versatile and not overly trendy

there are also some additional things i’ve been thinking about, but haven’t gotten around to it yet:

• bar shampoo!

• tablets or maybe bar format for dish soap

• a dish brush, or something less disposable than sponges

• swedish dish cloths, or some other alternative for paper towels

• cleaning products; i could definitely be more diy with vinegar and baking soda type solutions, but will need to do some more research

• higher quality bedsheets, because the cheap ones i have from target are about to disintegrate

• making a better effort to care for the clothes i do have; handwashing delicates, air drying when possible, learning some basic mending, polishing and maintaining my shoes

obviously these are not all super easy or cheap changes to make, and going out and buying all kinds of new stuff kind of defeats the purpose — but a little at a time as your old stuff needs replacing is a good way to go about it. i started by looking around at where i was producing the most waste (k cups x.x) and making a change there. if anyone has any other thoughts or ideas, feel free to share!

edited for formatting