Quick Wins

• don't feel the need to buy everything new, especially for very young children.  Accept used items from friends and family, or check out the auction sites like TradeMe or Sella. Ask friends to buy you what you need, rather than getting lots of clothes.

• puree your own baby food rather than buying it in jars. Store it in icecube trays for easy defrosting as required.

• if you can, breastfeed - it is free!

• don't fill the bath for each child - use the same bath water for all your kids (unless they are really dirty!)

• find out what you can hire from your local toy library - once they have lost interest in the toy you can take it back for someone else to use.

• use items around the house that they can be creative with, for example old Christmas cards, plastic containers and bits of packaging can be turned into all sorts of interesting creations.

• use your children's discarded art as wrapping paper.

• find natural ways to entertain the kids rather than buying the latest toy or game, such as going to the beach, the park, or a bush or nature walk.

• go shopping without the kids so that you have time to compare prices and look for specials.

• make sure you claim your family tax credit from the IRD if you entitled to it.

• teach your kids to turn off lights when they leave the room.

• choose plant based products for general cleaning, dishwashing and laundry cleaning

• if you need throw away plates for your children's party, use plates that can be composted or recycled rather than using plastic plates

   

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Medium Term Wins

• avoid buying lots of plastic toys - they break a lot quicker and end up as extra waste in landfills that cannot be broken down.  There are lots of wooden toys available that also don't require batteries.

• invest in re-usable nappies for either part time or full time use - this will save you money in the long run and reduce the amount of waste going into landfill.

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