5 Easy Ways to Skip Plastic In the Store - Tips #1 - #5

Every Bit Counts: We don't need to be perfect, we just need to start F O O D   F O R   T H O U G H T   [2.5 minute read]     "I don't think I can do a Blisshaus kitchen, because I don't buy at the bulk bins""My family is not ready to skip all plastic"" I can't imagine life without Ziplock bags" These are the top three worries we hear from the most lovely, well-meaning folks when we talk about switching to Blisshaus jars for their kitchens. The thing is, we don't need to switch to bulk bin shopping and zero waste in order to Have a cleaner, better organized kitchen +Help save the planetWe just need to start. Bit by bit. Try This Tiny, New Habit:Pack your snacks in re-usable snack tins. The Baby Steps: Skip the 100-calorie snack-size baggies at the store Buy a giant bag of your favorite snack instead * * Yes, it's ok to grab the big plastic-bag of chips, pretzels, nuts, or cookies for now. It's ok, really. Let's just focus on getting started bit by bit. Pour the chips/cookies/pretzels/nuts into your Blisshaus jar Jumbo Jars are best for chips and pretzels We like Tall Boys for cookies and nuts Then, when it's time to pack your snack for school (a big hurrah for going in-person again!) fill your snack into a snack tin And voilá: You just helped save the planet! /  1  / You reduced food waste since the jars keep your snacks from going stale waaaay better than any bag or plastic container /   2  / You skipped lots of snack-sized plastic baggies   The facts: The average family of four produces 123 lbs of garbage each week. Over half of that is wasted food, the rest is packaging that might or might not get recycled.If we all cut our food and plastic waste in half, we will see a noticeable impact.  50% by many is more important than 100% by a few.Once you start using our Blisshaus tips on skipping plastic-packaged items, you'll see that it gets easier with time. Before you know it, you are shopping plastic-free almost all the time.We urge you to join us on this journey.The goal is progress. Don't let perfection get in the way to building a beautiful, earth-saving, new habit. Photo Credits: all photos by Blisshaus

... when you buy condiments & honey Our vacation pantry on our last trip to Maui Only 40 years ago, condiments, juices, sodas, and even milk all came in glass bottles. Today, you have to search quite a bit to find ketchup in glass at your store. However, the quest for glass is worthwhile! Glass can be endlessly recycled, so it is the material of choice for Blisshaus joy. Plus, the glass bottles look way better in your fridge than the plastic stuff.Making the switch is easy: When you are at the store, simply give the containers a solid squeeze. If it's plastic, skip it. Reach for the brand in glass instead. It's that easy.And when you find your favorite condiments in glass, we even give you permission to stock up.  We usually recommend you don't by multiples so that you can keep your shelves less crowded. But hey, if you L-O-V-E those pickles and they give you bliss, go for it.   Here are our 3 tips for skipping plastic when you buy your condiments in the store: Next time you reach for ketchup, mayo or mustard, squeeze the container and only buy it if it's made from glass. Skip broth in tetra paks because those are still extremely difficult to recycle. Use bouillon cubes instead. (yep, the pantry above has a few tetra paks left, but once those are used up, the family promised to switch to bouillon cubes.) Look for salt in paper cartons. There are several Kosher Salt brands that come 100% plastic-free. Let's bring back the new, old way of living and choose only products packaged in glass.After all, most plastic does not get recycled. Even when it is, plastic is not meant to be recycled. This means when it is being recycled, plastic produces all sorts of bad by-products. Why not avoid all that and make the switch to glass?  PLUS now you can show off your ketchup-bottle-banging skills to your kids. And no worries if you end up with a big blob of ketchup on your plate - admit it, this is the stuff dinner table memories are made of! Bonus Tip: The one thing our kids kept on begging for were those cute, squeezie honey-bear bottles.  We looked high and low for a cute alternative to that plastic bear - and voila! After a long search, we found the perfectly cute honey bear jar that you can refill either directly at your farmers' market or with honey from a traditional glass jar. There's nothing quite like our London tea time with the little bear on our table! And there you have it, another simple tip to skip the plastic. Show us a photo of your plastic-free condiments section in your fridge: Tag us at #blisshaus or send us your photo to hello@blisshaus.com. We love to see & share how all of us are healing our planet one kitchen, one trip to the store at a time! Click here to get your own Honey Bear Jar Wishing you many blissful moments in your home, - Wiebke & the Blisshaus Crew

BRING BACK THE HANDSOME MILKMAN... BOTTLE ... and skip that ugly plastic jug You might be lucky enough to remember the milkman. That handsome guy who made his rounds in the neighborhood. We truly should bring him back - complete with his uniform and spiffy hat!Short of that, skip the ugly plastic jugs in the dairy aisle and look for milk in glass bottles instead. The better grocers in your area likely carry one or two brands by local dairies in glass, for sure. This milk is more expensive than the milk in plastic jugs. But we think it's worth it because milk should be expensive and it should come in glass. Producing milk takes tons of labor, water, and land. Sometimes, if things are super cheap, there's a reason for it. Just say'n.Note: We understand that, if you have teenage boys at home who glug up gallons of milk, you might have to buy cheap gallons of milk in plastic jugs. Remember, 'near' plastic-free is better than giving up altogether - so if you need to, use your plastic-hall-pass for the jugs and let the teenagers glug away. Bonus Tip: Don't forget to get the $1-$2 refund on the bottle. When empty, pop your glass bottle into the dishwasher. Once clean, slip it into your grocery tote by your front door. That way, it's easy to remember to bring it back to your market for your refund.Photo courtesy to our beloved Straus Family Creamery in Northern Cal. This is not an ad - we just love you, Team Straus, so much. Thank you for the great work! And there you have it, another simple tip to skip the plastic. Show us a photo of your gorgeous glass bottles in your fridge: Tag us at #blisshaus or send us your photos to hello@blisshaus.com.We love to see & share how all of us are healing our planet one kitchen, one trip to the store at a time! Wishing you many blissful moments in your home, - Wiebke & the Blisshaus Crew