Mother shares two simple swaps that help her save £5,700 a year

An eco-friendly mother says ditching the family car and making her own cleaning products could save you £5,700 a year.Eff Coral, 30, sold her vehicle in July 2022 to help reduce her carbon footprint – and clawed back £350 a month in the process.She also embarked on a zero waste lifestyle three years ago, which she estimates saves her another £130 per month.Eff and partner Andres Kristofferson, 30, slashed their plastic waste by investing in shampoo bars, making their own cleaning products and using toothpaste tablets.The mother-of-one, from Uppsala, Sweden, also tries to buy secondhand clothes and reusable nappies for her daughter, Olivia, two, whenever she can.Eff, who is the owner of a zero waste business, said: ‘I remember looking at all the plastic bottles in my shower one day and just thinking it was awful.’Now I’m conscious to try and have a zero waste lifestyle. I buy all secondhand for my daughter, which is also so much cheaper.’We decided to sell our car and now uses bikes to get round which has saved us £350 a month.’We refill all our food and use toothpaste tablets and shampoo bars. It is about balance though, as if Olivia or I do want to buy something new, we won’t restrict ourselves.’It’s about doing what we can.’Mother-of-one, Eff Coral tries to live a zero-waste lifestyle Eff also makes more of her own food to keep her waste and living costs down.She said: ‘I try and cook with as little waste as possible. I use reusable coffee filters and tea bags and don’t buy any cleaning products anymore.’Instead I use white vinegar and baking soda to clean.’Eff uses shampoo bars and toothpaste tablets instead of traditional liquid productsEff’s alternative eco productsEff says she and her family try to be as waste-free as possible but still maintain a manageable balance.She added: ‘On the whole I live a minimalist lifestyle and we buy secondhand and reduce our waste where we can.’I think a lot of people think being zero waste is expensive, but it’s saved us money.’It might cost more to buy alternative house products in the first place but they last so much longer that it ends up being cheaper.’We’ve halved our monthly budget on household and food products.’