I’ll be honest with you: at home we were counting the days to to put up our Christmas decorations and playing those cheesy christmas pop songs!
There is really something magical about Christmas and even if we don’t celebrate the religious aspect of it, the winter holidays are truly times for joy, celebration, and togetherness.
However, especially those days of consumerism, sales and trends, Christmas can also be a time of excessive consumption and waste.
Themed mugs, plastic decorations, fake Christmas trees, a billion different jumpers, perfumes, toys, etc.
Christmas could easily turn in a disaster for our planet and for our pockets.
Is it possible to have a more intentional, mindful and sustainable winter celebration in our beloved London?
Of course it is.
These are few of our best experiences to save money while nurturing our souls, families, friends and the environment:
1. Gift an experience!
“Oh no, not another hat!”
I have said this sentence many times! Every Christmas I used to receive essentially the same objects: pyjamas, hats, socks, jumpers.
Two months later, they were living in the drawer and to sadly only come out the following Christmas, just in time to be replaced by next ones.
Most gifted object are really not needed and they end up creating clutter and/or being disposed and contribute to environmental pollution. Objects are not forever.
So, instead of buying material gifts that will just end up in landfill, consider giving the gift of experience.
This could be a voucher for a cooking class, a ticket to a theatre show, or a donation to a charity in their name.
Shared memories last for a lifetime, and cannot be lost.
So, go and plan an experience to share with your loved ones!
2. Explore a Christmas market!
If you really need to buy that winter decoration, then local Christmas markets are the perfect place. Not only do they often sell handmade and tailored products, made with intentionality and with care for the environment, but these markets are also a great way to support local businesses.
We have explored a bunch of South London markets and our favourites are “Southbank Centre Winter Market“, “Brixton Market” and “Greenwich Christmas Market”.
They are all with free admission and lots to see! Stroll through the lights and take in some sights together.
The markets are a perfect match if you, like us, go just for the experience without buying objects, as they always provide great local food, music, and amazing winter vibes!
For more on the South London Christmas Market, you can follow this amazing guide provided by the South London Club.
3. Take in a movie together at the cinema!
Christmas movies are a great classic and we have been watching a few in the cosiness of our home.
But isn’t even more magical to wrap up in warm clothes, buy some popcorn and immerse ourselves in an actual cinema?
What a great experience that is! And it makes it a perfect sustainable winter gift!
A cinema ticket, carefully tucked inside a festive envelope, is more than a ticket to a film; it’s an invitation to laughter, tears, and unforgettable moments.
Whether it’s a timeless classic, a blockbuster hit, or an indie gem, this thoughtful gesture allows your loved ones to immerse themselves in a world of storytelling, where the memories linger long after the credits roll.
Yes, yes, I can see you thinking that cinemas are not really low cost.
Well, if you live in South London, they are!
Peckhamplex in Peckham and Odeon in Streatham, Surrey Quays, Wimbledon and Greenwich, for example, offer films for £6 and under!
They are cute, old school, local cinemas which are not just low budget, but also super cosy (we managed to bring in our own food too!)
If you haven’t been yet, this is the season.
4. Host an event!
If you know us by now, you know that we truly love two things: food and people.
There is nothing more magical than spending time with your loved ones around the table eating, drinking, laughing and telling stories.
Yes, we don’t really need a festivity to invite people over, but we take any excuse to do so.
Hosting an event is a great way to celebrate the winter season without spending an enormous amount of money eating out, and also gives the chance to try some low-cost, low-waste recipes (you will find a few on our blog).
You can also try to organize a potluck!
Make a few main dishes, and invite each of your friends to bring a dish!
And what about picking a theme?
Choose a fun theme to add the festivity of your holiday dinner!
You can also create mementos and send your guests home with something to remember the night, like a Polaroid picture or a personalised placecard!
Food and social makes a long lasting gift for the memories.
5. D.I.Y.
Not sold on gifting an experience? Wanting to show up with something tangible?
Well, then the most sustainable thing you can do is to create something with your own two hands!
You can gift some homemade treats for example.
Since the holidays are the time for indulgence, do make use of the time off, and learn to make something yummy to bring to that friend or family dinner.
Or if you are hosting, the end of the year is the perfect time to reinvent your space, and with DIY methods, you can do so on a budget!
You can still create a festive atmosphere at home without using excessive amounts of plastic and disposable items.
Re-use decorations from previous years, or make your own from natural materials.
And when it comes to wrapping paper, opt for reusable or recyclable alternatives.
If you really feel creative, you can even try to craft some Christmas decorations to gift.
The internet is full of ideas and tutorials. Find one and start moving your hands!
6. Donate your time
If you are looking to spend zero pennies but still gift something valuable, you can donate your time.
Volunteer at a local charity, donate food to a food bank, or simply smile and say hello to your neighbours.
South London is full of charities and food banks you can volunteer or donate, and the homeless people are struggling in winter more than ever (here for a list of London’s food banks)
Small acts of kindness can make a big difference.
This Winter Holiday, donate experiences, memories, handcrafts or your time instead of objects.
Last year when I was a full time teacher I once did a little workshop about how to bake.
I thought that only few students (16-18) would be interested, given that we live in a society of take aways, ready meals, deliveries.
To my surprise, 150 students signed up…150!
I was pleasantly surprised.
Young people needs that no one talk about:
When I asked them what made them sign up for a baking lesson in school, they all had pretty much the same answer: “no one ever taught us this!”
After the workshop, which features nearly adult people cracking an egg for the first time in their life, they all asked for more.
“It is such a shame that school doesn’t teach us the skills of our grandparents.”
“I have no idea how to change a lightbulb”
“My family calls the handyman when something breaks so I have no idea what to do myself in those situations”.
It was very inspiring.
These nearly adults were craving something we didn’t think they would: real life skills!
Skill to sustain themselves and finally leap into independent adulthood!
This is one of the very reasons why Southstainable was born. To inspire curiosity and educate people about the good old skill that gives us the ability to sustain ourselves, our household and everybody’s household (a.k.a. Planet Earth).
The Sustainable Skills for Life
There are many useful household skills that can contribute to a more organized, efficient, and sustainable life.
Here are what we think are the most valuable household skills (ok random order-ish) that we should consider learning:
1. Cooking
This is our personal core value.
Being able to prepare nutritious meals, knowing where to buy the ingredients low waste and how to dispose of them, can save money, improve health, and massively help being in harmony with ourselves and the planet.
A conscious relationship with food is indeed one of the pillars of sustainable living,.
2. Basic Sewing
Being able to mend clothing or make simple repairs can extend the life of your garments and save money on alterations.
In a world of fast fashion or expensive brands, repairing socks or patch broken clothes, for example can really be a money and planet saver.
3. Energy Conservation
Do you know how much your house consumes?
How much does a 15Kw electric heater consume and cost to run?
When is the best time to run the washing machine?
With energy bills being a very costly part of our life now, learning to be mindful of energy usage and adopting energy-saving practices can contribute to a more sustainable living and really build a cost-effective home.
4. Budgeting and Financial Management
Even grown up adults struggle to fully understanding how to pay bills, taxes, claims, pensions, etc.
To be fair, we are on the same boat and are putting in a good effort to become more financially literate.
And let’s remember that the more we can sustain ourselves financially, the less of a burden and worry becomes to sustain others.
5. Laundry and Cleaning Skills
Understanding how to properly sort, wash, and care for your clothing can help them last longer and maintain their quality.
Knowing how to use alternative sustainable products such as soda bicarbonate or vinegar, can make a real difference not only for the environment but also for our pockets!
The more we know how to use every day products, the less we need to buy them!
6. Basic Home Repairs
When is the last time you change a light bulb?
Can you use a drill?
Can you fix a toilet pipe?
Knowing basic home repairs save tons of money and time and it by far one of the most important thing to learn.
Back in the days most people knew how to take care of their own home without having to spend money or wait for a technician to come.
How freeing would it be to go back to this?
7. Gardening
Today is all about house plants.
We are told that green is calming, that plants clean air, that makes our mind feel more happy.
Apart from that, learning how to take care of plants can provide great help to a sustainable living.
Cultivating a small garden, even if it’s just a few potted plants, can provide fresh herbs, vegetables, or flowers. It can light up your indoor space.
It can teach us how to pay attention to the slow but steady rythm of nature.
And if we are joining a community garden, it can really foster belonging and kindness.
8. First Aid
Basic first aid skills can be crucial in handling minor injuries or emergencies that may arise at home.
Some of these are taught in school and at CPD or private courses.
We feel it is very important that everyone has at least a basic understanding of how to deal with healthy issues.
It can really save lives.
9. Waste Management
you know how much we care about this. It breaks our heart to see how dirty and full of trash our streets and garden are sometimes.
Properly recycling and disposing of waste materials is not only environmentally responsible but also contributes to a cleaner and safer living space.
Not only in our house but also in our communities.
10. Communication Skills
Lastly, probably the most important skills of all.
The art of being humans, of being kind, of being a family.
Effective communication is key to maintaining healthy relationships within the household.
This includes active listening, expressing oneself clearly, and resolving conflicts peacefully.
Sometimes we see people on the street shouting at each other, even at children, or treating other people with anger and rudeness.
Everyone can have bad days, worries or stress, so it is a fundamental skill to learn to navigate ourselves through our emotions in a safe and nurturing way.
When I started my sustainable journey, the first action I focussed on was trying to shop zero waste.
I was fully committed to buying as little packaging as possible.
I discovered a couple of bulk stores, zero waste shops and local markets around me and only shopped at those places.
I became obsessed with it.
Problem was, they were not always near me, and often reachable only by at least half an hour bus.
But I was adamant about either shopping there or not at all.
Sometimes, this meant that I was either not eating certain foods for weeks because they were not available plastic-free in the shops near me, or I would wait ages for restocking, for example on coffee, because I only wanted to buy it zero waste.
That became unsustainable.
And more expensive too.
My housemates started complaining that our house couldn’t be dependent on if we had the time to shop zero waste or not.
Days with no coffee or no pasta hit us.
So, upon reflection, I decided to change.
I reflected on balance and on the real meaning of sustainability.
I asked myself: is zero waste sustainable for my soul and the people around me?
The answer was, clearly, no.
I began a journey of discovery. A journey to find balance.
The balance between not dropping my values of buying the least amount of packaging and the essential needs of my household and me.
The truth was, the prospect of waiting weeks without being able to make my morning coffee with my Italian percolator (we call it Moka) was really not sustainable for my mind.
And nor could sustain the sanity of my housemates.
The journey leads to discovery, and discovery leads to knowledge.
I discovered that the key is knowing where to shop for what, because there is always an alternative to what is around.
And by around I mean even sometimes at the corner shop or the Tesco down the road.
Sure, those places also have a ludicrous amount of unnecessary plastic, but this is the point. I knew that I didn’t need to buy lemons in plastic net in a shop because I explored enough to know that the shop next to it had lemons without plastic.
And this shop hopping started saving me money.
Why should I buy something at this corner store if I know that the next one sells it for less?
So, if I have to give you the most sustainable tip, here is it: know the shops near you and visit them all by buying what is cheaper and more sustainable in each shop.
Sustainability is really about learning about your community, what it has to offer and how you can make your life easier by knowing it.
I discovered that sustainability is to find your most sustainable way.
There isn’t a most sustainable way.
If everything that is plastic would cost double, would this be sustainable? For many people, it would not.
But the alternative is not to give up, or even worse, not try, the alternative is to find a way that includes both goals of living as sustainably as possible, the least stressful life as possible and as much financially doable as possible.
And it’s okay to start small, it’s okay to buy some plastic every now and then, with no guilt because that doesn’t make us horrible, or hypocritical or unsustainable.
It is a journey, and a journey is never linear.
Sustainability is embracing imperfection, embracing that it’s always a journey, that the more we try, the more we know, and the more we will learn how to sustain ourselves with peace and intention.
