IKEA - småles

We understand being a parent isn’t easy and every few weeks, we would like to share some tips we hope would be helpful for you. This time, we talk about living sustainably at home, not only is it green, it is helps to cut costs in many ways!

1. Lighten your laundry load.

Having kids increases the laundry by loads, but we can limit the washing. Kids may go through multiple outfits in a single day. Remind them that they need not throw a shirt in the laundry basket, if they’ve only worn it for 30 minutes.

Once the clothes are really dirty, wash only a full load for maximum efficiency. Use cold water and cold water detergent when possible. In sunny Malaysia, dry the clothes in the sun rather than using a dryer.

2. Reuse and recycle.

We love our kids and tend to want to give the best to them, and also the newest!

Save money and the planet by borrowing or buying gently used items whenever possible. Recycling isn’t just limited to placing our newspaper in the recycling bin, re-using things are an even more efficient form of recycling, and saves lots of cost too!

3. Host a kids’ clothing swap.

Invite friends with kids over for a clothing swap. Fancy outfits worn only once or twice are great to be swapped. Not only that, you get to use this as an excuse to hang out with other parents, clean out your kid’s closet and get new opportunities to buy more clothes.

4. Expose children to nature.

Let kids get a chance to go hiking or look out for varying types of plants and insects at the Malaysia botanic gardens. You don't need to spend lots of money or travel far to enjoy adventures like that!

5. Bring your own bag.

Instead of using the grocery market’s plastic bag,bring your own reusable bag and have your children in charge of decorating them, this makes the grocery shopping less dreary and more of a experience for both you and the kiddos.