How I Prioritized Low Tox Living Making $34k/Year

Feb 24

I shared this last fall over on my instagram (@thenaturalmindedmomma), but I’m feeling called to share again. I do want to also say, I was not married and I did not have kids when doing this. I had more "time" on my hands. However, I think the overall messaging still rings true. While maybe all of this would not apply to you, your family and situation - I hope it at least will encourage you and perhaps give you some lower cost ideas to living lower tox.

I used castile soap, vinegar, rubbing alcohol and baking soda for pretty much everything cleaning wise. Just straight up generic versions.

DIY laundry detergent

DIY dish soap

DIY cleaner

DIY oven cleaner

DIY dishwasher soap

DIY window cleaner etc.

I just went on Pinterest and found different recipes. I found glass spray bottles at the thrift store and my parents house - I would buy spray tops at the dollar tree if I needed one. I have all of the recipes for my homemade cleaners in a blog post here if you want to check them out.

I eventually switched to a lower tox laundry detergent once I was able to afford it. I found a local farmer that was willing to give me cheaper cuts of meat for the same price (often lower) than my grocery store - but it was locally sourced and I liked that I knew their diet. I reached out to him, told him my current situation and he volunteered to work with me in my budget. I was also able to score a decent amount of free left over eggs from his chickens that he didn't end up selling. Sometimes all you have to do is just ask and have a conversation with your farmers and you'll be surprised how willing they are to help you, too.

Even when I could not get eggs from him, I still bought eggs in store. Yes, the non organic, not free range - Just regular eggs. There was too much "good" in a regular egg to pass up. I realized that by not shopping conventional named brand items and by going with the in store organic brand I was VERY OFTEN able to get things like organic canned goods for cheaper than the conventional canned foods.

If and when I could afford it, I found buying dry goods in bulk was significantly cheaper. I would store them in thrifted glass jars. When I did get meat at the store, I prioritized a whole chicken - it would last me much longer, it was far cheaper than buying chicken breasts, AND I could use the bones to make broth to cook with or eat later. I did aim for eating higher protein since I was working out a fair amount - the ONLY supplement I bought was protein powder for a long time.

I bought a lot of frozen produce, sometimes it was store brand organic when it was on sale, but typically it was just plain frozen produce. I didn't care so much about the brand as long as the ingredients were solely the produce in the bag. I found it MUCH cheaper to buy fruits & veggies this way. Fruit was especially expensive for me - I only bought fresh fruit typically if it was in season, on buy 1 get 1, etc.

I would buy a fair amount of fresh root veggies because in theory even the non organic kind would have less pesticides use. Plus, they lasted longer for me. Yes, I knew organic was "best" but real whole foods, even with those pesticides - were still whole nutritious foods. I believed in body to aid in filtering out what wasn't needed or "toxic"

I kicked my soda habit. I stopped buying ultra processed foods as much as it made sense to me. I did not have an expensive gym membership, but I was lucky my apartment had a "gym" - I say gym lightly because it was just a treadmill and some free weights - but it did the job if I wanted it. I walked my dog a lot. All around the apartment complex, weekend hikes when I could. I got outside, in the sun, and moved my body. I YouTubed a bunch of home workouts and did a lot of body weight exercises.

I did not own a water filter, but I knew I wanted one. I saved up for quite awhile and bought a quality pitcher water filter on Black Friday (not a Brita). However, before that - I drank regular tap water.

When I went to my office I would fill up an extra few bottles of water there with the water filter in office and bring them home at night. I knew it wasn't filtering everything but knew it was a bit better than my city of Atlanta tap water. Otherwise, I just drank the tap water. A water filter was the only "extra" thing I did for years.

I asked myself - what is FREE that I can do for my health?

Getting morning/evening sun
Letting myselfbuild up daytime sun exposure to get quality vitamin d
Not aimlessly scrolling social media
Not arguing with strangers online
Grounding
Cooking at home and not eating out
Not having excessive caffeine
Turning my wifi off at night
Not cooking with seed oils
Not drinking alcohol
Opening my windows and doors
I stopped using plug-ins, scented candles and perfume sprays all together
Cutting out juice - it was too expensive to justify for me and wasn't a need
I went to bed EARLIER and tried to prioritize sleep
I didn't wear shoes in my apartment
I didn't use my microwave
Not going in debt for the latest health hacks or gadgets

I could not afford buying all non-tox personal care items. At the time, there were not a ton of options either. So - as things ran out, I slowly started transitioning. I started with aluminum free deodorant. I couldn't always afford to buy the better options - so I asked myself what was a "good option" for me? Typically it was just buying something "unscented" - but that was fair for me. Occasionally I would find "better" options (like Acure) on clearance in stores - but it was rare.

I cut back on my makeup use - significantly. I was always someone afraid to go out in public without makeup but I realized how unhealthy that behavior was for me. I started to embrace my bare face more and be thankful for it. I still liked to wear makeup - and I found the Mineral Fusion line at Wal mart that was a better/more affordable option. I was able to fit things, one by one, in my budget and it was at least cutting out the big endocrine disruptors.

I had one pan to cook with for the longest time. It was a stainless steel pan I found at T] Maxx - I think. The one pot I used to cook with I took from my parents house - thanks, Mom! I eventually ended up getting wooden utensils from Tj Maxx or WalMart way later on. But I didn't prioritize them at first.

I cooked with butter - not organic, or grass fed, just regular butter - not margarine. Or I was able to find a giant container of coconut oil for pretty cheap a few times. If I made bacon or my older neighbor across the hall did, I saved it and cooked with later. I wasn't using Avocado oil. It was too expensive.

I thrifted a lot. My clothes, stuff in my apartment, my furniture - it was all either pass downs or I bought it used. Thrift stores and Craigs List/FB were my besties. No, it wasn't organic or GOTS certified, etc but my used furniture wasn't off gassing like crazy, I wasn't letting things go into waste and it wasn't putting me into debt which would equal more stress which would impact my health.

I also drove my Kia for near a decade. It was not all or nothing for me. And it was not a transition I made in a day - it was slow over the course of a few years. But one by one things added up. I felt better.

My health was better. and I was happy.

In an Instagram world telling you that you have to do absolutely every single thing if you want to live low tox, do more or you're not low tox... I am here to tell you to ignore the noise and do the BEST you can as it makes sense for you, your budget and your life.

Just don't become a toxic person yourself on your quest to avoid toxins.