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Holiday Favorites, Holidays · January 27, 2022

Low Waste Gifts for the Whole Family!

It’s never a bad time to start considering buying your gifts for family and friends. Whether you like to get a head start on your gifting or you’re visiting for the holiday season, you’ll love these low-waste products brought to you by a selection of small businesses.

If you haven’t already trudged down the aisles of a crowded department store, I’ve got a complete low-waste gift guide to help you find the perfect gifts for everyone on your list!

If you’re new to being low waste like me, you’re bound to make mistakes or exceptions while transitioning your lifestyle. For some, it’s easy to believe that by not being a “perfect” zero-waster you spoil the rest of your good habits. Don’t downplay the long-term effect of making small changes to your habits like integrating your values into your gift-giving.

I want to thank all the business owners that collaborated with me on making this post by sending me products to try. Though it may be daunting to find sustainable gifts for everyone, there are plenty of options to choose from, so get to browsing for one that grabs your attention!

For Mom

Looking for a gift suitable for your mother (or in-law) can be tricky.

They do a lot, so your gifts can’t underestimate all that hard work! But shopping for them doesn’t have to be so difficult. There are plenty of lotions, spa kits, and other self-care goodies available with all-natural ingredients and zero-waste packaging!

Here are just a few of the options to consider while shopping for mom this year:

Self Care

  • Goat milk soaps
  • Lotion bars/salves
  • Essential oils
  • Body scrubs
  • Spa kits
  • Natural loofahs

Miscellaneous

  • Candles
  • Jewelry (recycled materials)
  • Upcycled clothing/shoes
  • Bamboo bowls
  • Cutlery sets/bamboo straws

Personally, I love the idea of giving someone else a head start in their low-waste journey while giving them a meaningful gift at the same time! Consumable gifts, or a gift that you can use up, are great for people who you aren’t sure what to get. They’re also a good option for people who prefer practical gifts.

Try pairing a few items together for a spa basket of sorts, or create a themed gift set to make your gift shopping easier to narrow down.

For Dad

While I have never had a hard time finding a good gift from the hardware store, some dads can be pretty difficult to shop for. It would be even harder to try and find a zero-waste gift, especially in that kind of retail environment.

If you’re looking for something more along the lines of hardware, try your local antique shops for something nice to add to Dad’s Workshop. Pair it with some muscle rub for those long hours in the shed or workshop and you’re set!

Self Care

  • Muscle rub
  • Natural shave soap
  • Straight razor (or all-metal alternative)
  • Hand creams/unscented lotions
  • Beard cream/soap

Miscellaneous

  • Secondhand toolkits (toolboxes work well)
  • Leather travel bags
  • Leather wallet
  • Secondhand watches

Don’t be afraid to gift something just because it’s secondhand!

The majority of what we buy today will end up in the garbage a year from now, so to gift something that has already proved its worth is nothing to be ashamed of!

In fact, more people are willing to receive secondhand gifts than they are willing to gift them, simply because of fear that the gift won’t be accepted. Help beat the stigma that secondhand gifts mean any less than brand-new ones by gifting some this holiday season!

For gifts like clothing, jewelry, or other accessories, washing is courteous and recommended before gifting. Items from your own home may be different, but regardless, it doesn’t take much time to make it look or feel brand new again!

Cosmetics and body care products should typically be avoided as secondhand gifts, though there are plenty of small businesses that offer zero-waste makeup, body and hair care lines, or bath sets to make the gift even more personalized!

For your siblings

Even though they drive us crazy, siblings deserve presents too!

For those who are a little tricky to shop for, check out the lists below for low-waste gift ideas they’ll enjoy for months to come!

Sisters

  • Hair/face masks
  • Bath sets/spa kits
  • Recycled cork yoga mat
  • Secondhand clothing/jewelry
  • Zero-waste makeup/nail polish
  • Bamboo straws/cutlery set

Mix and match any of these ideas with the self-care gift ideas from the previous lists!

Brothers

  • Secondhand games
  • Wooden sunglasses
  • All-natural beard balm
  • Recycled beer candle
  • Leather wallets/passport holders
  • Leather headphone case

For the kids

Kids can be picky and hard to shop for, but there are plenty of options for getting toys, books, and even clothing without producing so much waste or consuming more than we need.

Donation centers with discounted secondhand items are a godsend when it comes to children’s toys. I stick to hard plastic toys or clothing when I’m at these shops for ease of cleaning. In general, it is a good rule of thumb to avoid items that cannot easily be sanitized or have areas that cannot be accessed such as rubber bath toys with an air hole. These areas can easily trap bacteria and create a health hazard.

Books are another practical gift that can last through the ages. Children are often the most expensive people to buy gifts for, but they don’t have to empty your wallet! Find children’s books at secondhand shops or at a free book exchange near you.

Save a few bucks this year and teach the young ones in your family about regifting, passing down, and reusing to reduce waste. For those of you who still have a few stuffed animals laying around, giving one with sentimental value can mean a lot to the child.

Posted By: byshannonamos@gmail.com · In: Holiday Favorites, Holidays

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Who remembers these journals? They were the very f Who remembers these journals? They were the very first product I ever made with my TUO photography on it and I still have a couple leftover 💕 I of course kept one for myself and have since filled it almost halfway full of journal entries straight from the heart

What would you use this journal for?
Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb Alright y’all, who’s ready for my Italian herb cracker recipe?! 🙋🏻‍♀️ I made these for our trip to Deep Creek as we always stop by @fireflymarketdeepcreek and they made the perfect base for all the different flavors we got 🤤

I’m in the final stages of getting this posted, so keep an eye out!
I’ve been considering an update to last year’s I’ve been considering an update to last year’s post on fall earring inspiration… these definitely need to make it on there!
There’s always something to admire in the space There’s always something to admire in the space around us. This little guy was happy buzzing around (quite loudly) while I washed my car and I couldn’t help but watch him for a while. If you’re lucky, you can catch them leaping from one flower to the next, letting their wings dance around in the wind rather than putting them to work.
In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is In case you didn’t know, the Untamed Optimist is 7 years old as of August 2023 and I couldn’t be more proud of where it’s come in all these years. I know it’s been pushed to the back burner recently as my other business has picked up, but I can’t wait to make more TUO content for you in the coming weeks ☺️ thank you for sticking with me all this time, and get ready for new posts by #theuntamedoptimist coming soon!

I’m definitely sharing my Italian herb cracker recipe with you cause it was just too damn good not to, and I’ve got a few new ideas brewing for my local readers 😉 you’ll have to stay tuned for that one though!
There’s something so special about the wildflowe There’s something so special about the wildflowers that pop up around our garden spaces. The ones that are planted by the birds and cultivated by only Mother Nature’s touch.

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Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful Our Hostas are blooming and I’m feeling grateful for the long lasting blooms we get this time of year. I made a point to scatter the Hostas around the garden beds earlier this season in an effort to do two things:

Toward the end of last summer, the hostas had completely outgrown their space and weren’t living up to their potential. Dividing them filled the otherwise empty spaces in our beds whilst allowing each individual plant to grow bigger to fill it in.

While the largest section of Hostas wasn’t quite as showy as last year, our garden is already fuller and will only fill in more as the years go on. Turns out, plants and people aren’t so different if you think about it 🤔
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Ask yourself, how do you ground yourself in the present? There are more opportunities than you may expect.
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