Kelly's Healthy Home

One of the books I love as a business owner and sales person is Darren Hardy’s, The Compound Effect. The book dives into the principle of reaping great rewards from small, seemingly insignificant actions. The choices you make every day, do make an impact, whether it’s a small or eventually a big impact. And the those small choices, could and often do, form habits.

At home, we make choices (or habits) every day that ultimately can cause big consequences to our health, our wallet and our planet. Through being more aware of the consequences, hopefully you will choose to make some small changes to your daily routine. As a result, your small actions will make a difference. Yes, one person can make a difference!

If you’re thinking “what on earth could I change that actually makes a difference?” Well, I’ve got some suggestions!

1. Remove your shoes when coming home. God knows what you stepped on outside during your walk to work or even just to your car. The bacteria and toxins do not need to come into your home. Indoor air quality is so important to overall health and removing shoes is a simple way to reduce exposure. If this is new for you, put a sign on your door as a reminder. Place slippers next to your door to slip on when you come in. Soon enough, it will become habit.
2. Make your coffee at home. Not only does this save on your wallet, but it reduces waste- significantly. Just stay away from the pods, stick to drip, french press or even instant coffee like we do! Next time you buy a coffee, think about where your cup is going to end up (and no, it likely wont be recycled) and if it’s worth that and $5.
3. DIY cleaning products. Making your own basic cleaning products and having a reusable bottle ultimately saves money, waste and reduces toxins in your home. Through simple ingredients like vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, refilling my bottle also saves me time going to the store to restock! I like this website for mixtures and suggestions.
4. Buy less. This can be hard. I’m sympathetic to that. But I also know you can do it! What you must do is- stop and think before purchasing. Think- do I really need this. Second, can I make this. Third, can I find this used/second hand. Halting that urge to buy the item and taking a minute, hour, day or week to really decide if it’s a necessity will help your budget, your clutter and ultimately, demand.

My hope is that one or two of these are things you can start implementing TODAY. Once you start making small changes, you’ll be able to add on more and more- compounding your impact. Trust me, you won’t feel deprived. You’ll likely feel liberated. You will likely have fun shopping second hand. You will learn new cooking skills. You’ll have more money for savings, fun experiences or other needs. There really is no downside.

“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples”. Mother Teresa.