No More Excuses! The First Steps Towards Living Sustainably

Discover what steps I've taken towards living sustainably since starting my blog and moving to Milton Keynes, featuring local businesses and events to explore.

Those who follow my blog may have noticed a slight change. What started as a document of my journey into adulthood has turned into a greener adventure - figuratively and literally! - as I take my first steps towards living sustainably.

Since moving to Milton Keynes, so much has changed in my life. These past two months have been non-stop as my partner, Dan, and I have started to settle into adult life. We have already taken countless new steps, from paying council tax to learning how to find our way around the myriad roundabouts that make up the streets of Milton Keynes. As you can probably imagine, it is ridiculously stressful, but at the same time, super exciting!

One of the biggest steps we’ve taken has to be our first step towards living sustainably.

Moving into our first ‘proper adult home’ without the constraints we’ve had in the past with shared student accommodation means we can now make ALL of our own choices. Our fresh start has given us the perfect opportunity to start living sustainably - there are no more excuses! In fact, the greatest surprise I have had since starting this journey is just how easy it is to start making environmentally friendly choices when you’re on a budget. With only one wage coming in at the moment, we have to be careful how much we spend, but most of the changes we’ve made have saved us money, or, even better, been completely free.

Until now, I’ve always hesitated to start making sustainable changes to my daily life as I’ve assumed that it would cost too much, and on a student's 'income’ (if you can really call it that!) it seemed almost impossible. An excuse which seemed reasonable at the time, but was just that: an excuse. Sure, I’ve swapped plastic bottles for a reusable one I take everywhere with me, and I now take a responsibly sourced reusable coffee cup to cafes instead of using disposable ones. But, up until moving, they had been the only real investments I’d made towards protecting the planet.

However, I didn't realise that choices towards living sustainably don't always have to be an investment.

For example, one of our first steps towards living sustainably didn't save us money in the long run, it saved us money there and then. Actually, if I’m being completely honest, we didn’t even do it with sustainability in mind – not at first anyway! The day Dan and I moved in, we had nothing but duct-taped boxes and various misshapen bags in the apartment, so we began trawling through Gumtree to find some furniture we could pick up that day – neither of us particularly fancied sitting on the floor for any longer than we had to! We found a lovely second-hand brown faux-leather sofa in a matter of minutes, which we picked up from a super helpful guy around the corner, not even an hour later. Only afterwards did I realise that we had inadvertently made that tiny yet important step towards sustainability by simply looking out for our bank accounts. This realisation was a lovely little boost, and, since then, I’ve become more aware of how we can make choices that mean we are doing our bit for the environment and our wallets.

When shopping second-hand hasn’t been an option, we’ve been actively buying earth-friendly products or shopping in ethical stores. Luckily for us, moving to Milton Keynes has been the perfect decision, as it is full of amazing shops and independent businesses that sell or promote ethical products and sustainable shopping, all at a great price. This has meant I’ve already begun narrowing down what and where I can buy sustainably – I'm taking care of my bank account with the planet in mind, and supporting local independent businesses, too – it’s a win-win! In addition, we’ve also already witnessed Milton Keynes hosting some great eco-friendly events; within our first month of living here we had the special opportunity to check out ‘MK Green Fest’, an entire eco-friendly festival hosted by the Milton Keynes Lush store at the beautiful Campbell Park, which introduced us to a multitude of sustainable local businesses and stores. One that really caught our eyes was the MK Refill Market, an independent zero-waste shopping project funded by OurMK, something Dan and I are definitely going to be checking out soon!

Milton Keynes isn’t the only place pushing eco-friendly shopping, however. If you're taking steps towards living sustainably too, I'd recommend mooching around your local area to see what eco-friendly shops are nearby – bonus points if they're independent businesses! Also, don’t be afraid to check out second-hand shopping apps, such as Gumtree and Facebook Market, or even visit your local charity shops – you can find some stunning hidden gems you might not spot in a typical shop.

That first step may seem like the most difficult, but once you take the leap, you’ll find it’s not half as overwhelming, expensive, or difficult as it seems, and the rewarding feeling you get knowing you’re doing your bit for the environment is so worth it. As always, it’s good to remember that progress, not perfection, is the most important thing - even the smallest step in the right direction can make the biggest difference!

It’s only been a few months, and Dan and I are still settling in, learning to be independent, and finding our feet. Our journey has only just begun, but we have well and truly left our excuses at the door and taken our first step towards living sustainably – I couldn’t be happier.