Jinked

I have taken some small steps in my life to waste a little less and live a little more. When I first moved out I bought bottled water all the time… until some months down the road when I realized I was wasting all these little plastic bottles for no apparent reason.

Why did my water have to even come in a bottle in the first place!? It’s not that it’s any cleaner than the water that comes out of my tap. Why not just put it in a pitcher and stick it in the fridge until it’s nice and cold? Needless to say, I have been using a Brita pitcher for the last three years. Yes, I still need the filtration; Valpo water is pretty hard.

I’ve stopped using plastic bags at the grocery store. Instead I have all these totes from various trade shows that make excellent grocery bags. My mom even crocheted me a little bag for when I go to the farmer’s market in the summertime!

Let me tell you, you fit a hell of a lot more in one non-disposable sack than you do in a little plastic bag. Plus, I don’t even have to walk through the store with a cart anymore, something I dread because other cart drivers are stupid. You don’t leave your cart in the middle of an aisle when you stop to pull something off a shelf! Jeez. With a bag on my shoulder, I can just whiz right past these morons.

The newest step I’ve taken in wasting a little less was making my period waste free. Anne gave me a DivaCup for the holiday season. I had talked about getting one, but never took the plunge to do it. She did it for me. I think I needed that little push.

I’ve been using tampons since I was about twelve. I remember that I had wanted to go swimming or to a water park and my mom said the only way I could go was if I wore a tampon. I really wanted to swim, but I couldn’t get it inside me. It hurt and I think I even cried because I was so frustrated. My mother had to insert my first tampon, which was a little embarrassing at the time, but still fine by me. SWIMMING WAS ACHIEVED (without blood in the pool)!

Given my menstrual history, maybe that was why the DivaCup worked out so beautifully for my first period with it. I could insert it easily. There was no pain. It was easily to clean (even when I was at work in a shared restroom) and actually pretty awesome to see how much I actually bleed during one cycle. It’s not a lot at all, much to my surprise. It always looked like so much more. As cheesy as it sounds, I feel a little more in tune with my body now.

No, I’m not going to make any crazy menstrual blood paintings. Don’t even ask.

As for panty liners (I didn’t know if the DivaCup would leak) I had purchased some “fluff” from WAHM on etsy named crea8tivemama. They are comfortable, soft and easy to clean. Plus, she has some pretty fun and fancyfree fabrics to choose from, if you’re picky about the patterns in your panties. I got four for $14.00 which is a steal compared to what Lunapads wants for just one pad.

So yes, making this long story short: it was nice to end my period without having to put a single thing in the trash.

Hooray for less waste!