October 13, 2020

SCHOOL UNIFORM SOURCING + LUNCH BOX CONTAINERS

I talked about this on stories as Clayton started school but I wanted to put it here so you could share and reference it more easily!

The real takeaway here is ASK QUESTIONS!

Even if nothing changes for you in an area, you might be part of things changing down the line. Explain why you care and see what workarounds you can find, uniform or any area. Yes it can be uncomfortable to be the one who asks if something can be done differently, but you’re not doing it to be difficult, you’re asking to bring needed change. So ask away!

For Clayton I first dug into what was listed by the school. Called the companies, looked at what they made clothes with and where. It wasn’t awful, there was some idea of supply chain but I knew I wanted to be a bit more sure on sourcing and materials. Sadly second hand wasn’t an option with 2020. So a few tips for starting out:

Ask about second hand sales: This is probably the best way to give uniform a longer life and spend less without using more resources!
Check local charity shops: sometimes local charity shops will have uniform basics or even specific pieces for local schools. This will be an ongoing thing – if I see something in a larger size I’m grab it before it’s needed!
Ask if there are facebook groups or online reselling options for your school: In the era of COVID some schools are doing more online methods of clothing reselling, find out what you have access to.
See if you can start something! If your school doesn’t have anything, ask if you can start something! A google doc with available pieces and email address? An appointment only second hand sale? A coordinator who people can check in with who handles it all with no contact – there could be so many options!

HERE’S WHAT WE DID!

UNIFORM BASICS

Ethical superstore (UK/ROI)

SHOES

Giesswein (US/UK/Europe)

GYM KIT

Ethical superstore (UK/ROI)

GYM PLIMSOLES

Trotters: not overall a brand I choose but they have one great plimsole option.

OUTDOOR SPORT SHOES

Second hand FB marketplace

SCHOOL COAT

Mini Boden Used via eBay

LUNCH BAGS

Used via eBay

LUNCH CONTAINERS

Eco lunch box (UK LINK)

Eco Lunch Box (US LINK)

Planet box – much less worth the cost to me but we do use it cos we have it! (US LINK HERE) (UK not available)

Stasher Bag (UK LINK)

Stasher Bag (US LINK)

Hydroflask Water Bottle (US LINK)

SCHOOL COLOURED SWEATER

OrBasics THIS sweater which they currently have in lots of great school basic colours.

SCHOOL COLOURED GYM SHIRT

Hope that helps!

PIN IT FOR WHEN IT MATTERS! :

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Start small • Go step by step • Make it fun!
📍West Sussex 🇬🇧
Kezianeusch@gmail.com

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🍳 The kind of food we eat most days, and eggs thanks to our favourite ladies 🐓 ✨
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Fried or poached eggs, homemade bread, veggie slaw, garden veggies, leftovers, and today radishes I grabbed before the rabbits get them all. Hey Peter 👋🏼🐰 ,
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All the recipes on this plate are in the #wholebasicsebook on the blog along with all of our every day cooking go tos for keeping food simple, low waste and on budget. We rotate very similar recipes using what we have or what’s local or in season, shaking it up when we need to. But mostly we run on a good few staple recipes and rotate with the seasons.
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I don’t buy many avocados - cos sourcing, water, all the unknown maybe grey area things - but when I do I get them through Abel and Cole so I feel a bit more confident on sourcing and transportation. Riverford are a fab one two, both are the main veg box options here and I love them for the ethics in sourcing. 📦👌🏼
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Do you think about where you food comes from and who’s growing it and picking it? Or more about organic? Or just price? Or what’s available with less packaging? It’s a massive great privilege to be able to think about those factors and I’m further on the journey in some areas than other areas, but I see it as a privilege to be used for the good of others not looked over along with the people it affects. It’s not something that makes me a better person, it’s something I get to do with any privilege I have in the area of choosing my food, or that’s how I see it so I keep digging into those little steps forward. ❤️

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Are you the right person to work with me?! 💻 🙋🏻‍♀️
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I'm Kezia, wife, mum, sometimes author, always coffee drinker and 5am blogger and I need some help. ☕️ My goal here is to make the small steps towards healthy, ethical, sustainable living feel simple.

It shouldn't be judgy and overwhelming and only for a few, it should be a journey we're all on together, that we all feel equipped to tackle, one step at a time.

But my world is a tad full to do what I want to well, 👆🏼 and I need some help!

I need a virtual assistant to work remotely (you can be near or far!) for an initial 3 months, 5-10 hours a week. You’d help with admin, writing, working with brands, communication, and keeping my world efficient.

Drop your name and email in the swipe up in my stories, or at the link in my bio for more info on the role and how to apply. And I’d love you to share this post/position with anyone you think would be a great fit - it’s a remote roll so the right person could be anywhere! ❤️

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Aaaaalright. FOOD SHOPPING, who loves it? Who hates it? Or maybe the budgeting part... love or hate?!
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I shared all our shops for about 2 years and lots of you have asked me to bring it back, I think with everyone shopping differently at the start of COVID it didn’t feel helpful... but I REALLY believe in the value of grocery planning and budgeting for just so many different reasons so we’re back. Getting the most from whatever you do have to spend and whatever resources you have available is something I just want everyone to have.
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This is most of what we got this week (bar a sack of potatoes, another pint of milk and some cheese!) We do a local bulk shop every 10-14 days, we get a veg box delivery, and doorstep milk. I go to the supermarket for a few things and then our garden gives us eggs and a few extra veggies right now.
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This plus the not pictured bits was pretty much exactly £100. Some bits will last longer than the week, others we’ll shop for again next week, and we always have a few bits left from last week so I still have things like olive oil, flour and some chick peas and beets left to carry over. But our goal is about £90-100 or $115-130USD a week and to do our best to take care of health, people and planet with that money.
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5 years ago this would have been a mountain of plastic, a lot of meat in more plastic (we do still eat meat just 1-2x a month) and a grocery budget I was scared too look at so I was scared to look every time I spent. But digging into how we shop and our budget and what it actually is gave us the power to spend it in a way we value. To spend less in some places to spend more in others. But overall, no more. To cut some things out, and switch some things up. It’s been and still is a journey and always will be. But now I love my weekly shop and planning!

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The easiest plant based cinnamon rolls + why you might need them. ⬇️
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I mean, firstly cos they’re yummy. And you can knock these up tonight and have them warm and smelling like easy wholesome breakfast happiness on the table in the morning with no work tomorrow. Winning. The recipe is on the blog + if you get my no-need-to-scroll emails there will be a video tutorial hitting your inbox soon. 💌
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𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗮𝗺𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘀?
Personally I find it therapeutic ☺️, BUT I’d do it anyway if I didn’t for the same reasons we make most food from scratch - because I can choose the ingredients, buy in bulk, support local businesses - I can get fairly traded organic cinnamon, use organic flour, whole grain flour, and local honey, ingredients sourced the way I want, cook them in cast iron with little waste, and only pay less about 45p an organic honey/maple sweetened cinnamon roll. 👌🏼
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We stick to a “smaller” (by USDA numbers for our family size and we haven’t adjusted from US/UK living) grocery budget for all organic food so we do our best to make every bit count! Making food from scratch is one of the ways!

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Sunday pop quiz 👉🏼 Is it coffee in my mug or foraged blackberries? ☕️
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I mean, Sunday funday = it’s both. 💯 Coffee from our little local spot and then blackberries on the way home. 💁🏻‍♀️
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And for the price of a coffee or two, or for what the berries would have cost, I got these second hand leather gloves at @savechildrenuk charity shop this week for £4 and I’ll be wearing them till it warms up again SS2021 😆 So here’s your reminder for the week to FIRST pause 🛑 and look for everything you can second hand!
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Now it’s cold I’ll also be living in this coat, is a different kind of “used” made from old plastic bottles and recycled down (which helps the ethics debate for me on down).
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And my sunglasses which I cannot rave about enough aren’t used but are biodegradable and can be returned to be made into a new product too. I haven’t had luck with second hand ones so I chose to support a 👌🏼 company instead. 🕶
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Ill put all the links in stories where I also talked about the recycled bottles from the shampoo I’ve been using, my conditioner bar, and the glass bottled serum + eye cream that are on my face daily too. I’ll link it all over there!
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THE BIGGEST REMINDER: it happens step by step. 🦶🏻🦶🏼🦶🏽🦶🏾🦶🏿I know the story of all the things I used today and bought them carefully but it’s taken 6+ years of step by step to get to that place in our home. On a not giant budget. Step by step is what counts, so this week, just do ONE thing. Small or big, you’re making a difference!!

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