Higher Prices of Non Toxic Items

I think one of the biggest things that held me back when I began creating my healthy house was that I didn’t want to spend more money. I didn’t want to invest in these non toxic items because it felt a lot more expensive than just continuing to buy the toxic alternatives.

It took me a while, but I soon realized that while I was spending less at the store to purchase more toxic items, in the long run, I was spending a lot more on these items. Not only did the cheaply made items I was buying need replacement more quickly, but I was negatively impacting my own health, which is priceless.

Once I changed my mindset to not only purchasing less overall, but making intentional purchases for my home, I saw that I was actually spending less money right off the bat. That allowed me to spend more and invest in high quality products that would last for a lifetime. This meant I was replacing my items less frequently.

This little shift doesn’t even take into account that I’m preserving my health and wellness while I make these changes and I’m preventing future expenses when it comes to health care needs. Exposing my body to toxins so it’s not functioning as it should ends up not only costing me time in not feeling my best, but also in money trying to fix my body.

It doesn’t mean that I still don’t struggle with some of the more expensive price points of non toxic items, but I do have ways to make it a more worthwhile purchase as well as ways to help me process this price increase.

PRODUCTS AND ITEMS YOU CAN WORK ON SWAPPING OUT

When you start swapping out products and items, you’ll notice that going with a low toxin or non toxic version of whatever you’re hunting for, will be just a little more expensive. If it weren’t any more expensive than a conventional version, I think I would worry about the true validity of the product’s claims.

Some great places to start swapping non toxic products out start at home:

Cleaning Products (opt for plant based, fragrance free, and EWG verified)
Kitchen Food Storage (opt for platinum silicone, medical grade stainless steel, glass)
Kitchen Pots & Pans (opt for cast iron, 100% ceramic, stainless steel)
Soaps and Lotions (opt for EWG verified or ThinkDirty verified)
Textiles & Bedding (opt for 100% organic cotton)
Pillows (opt for GOLS certified latex, organic cotton, kapok or buckwheat)
Rugs (opt for organic cotton, organic wool, jute, sisal or other natural materials)

These are all products and materials that we end up purchasing fairly frequently, and so it makes it a great place to start swapping out for less toxic products. You should expect a little higher price for all these natural materials, but it’ll pay off in the long run.

WHY PRICES ARE HIGHER FOR NON TOXIC ITEMS

Many times non toxic items are just more expensive. But really, it’s for a good reason. Non Toxic items are made with ingredients and materials that just cost more for a manufacturer to use. For example, laminate and plastic are very cheap in comparison to things like solid wood, stone and metal. This is because man made materials can be produced whenever we want them. In comparison, natural materials must be found, harvested, altered and made ready for use. The process requires much more work before getting to the end result.

Products like personal care items, bath products and makeup products are also usually more expensive when it comes to the clean versions. This is because again, the ingredients are natural and have to be found and made ready for use. But these products also contain fewer preservatives, which means they have a shorter shelf life than their man-made alternatives. It’s better for you and your home when items are made in small batches and made with fewer preservatives, but it costs more for the manufacturer to make and produce.

Finally, there are third party certifications and testing that go into many of the non toxic products we purchase. While these certifications give us peace of mind and make it easy for us to shop for items we need, it comes at a cost to the company and brand making these non toxic products and items. Getting something certified costs the company, and usually that cost is reflected in a higher priced item. But there is peace of mind that comes with this as well as getting a product that is safe for your family and better for the earth.

STRATEGIES TO HELP HANDLE HIGHER PRICED NON TOXIC ITEMS

There are many strategies you can use to help you get past the higher price point of non toxic products, furniture and home goods. A lot of these strategies are simple mindset shifts that you’ll make as you go along your toxin free journey. I know for myself, as soon as I made just a few swaps, these mindset shifts came more naturally. It’s the first few more expensive purchases that were tough for me to wrap my head around. But as I saw the benefits to non-toxic items and products in my home, I saw these mindset shifts come more naturally.

Getting More for What You Spend: One of the mental shifts that really helped me was realizing I was getting more for what I was spending. So yes, I was spending a little more on a product, but I was getting more use out of it and I was also getting a higher quality product. For example, switching to a concentrated cleaner that was plant based and free from toxins did cost more for the bottle. But that bottle lasts months as opposed to a pre-made cleaner I buy at the store; which lasts just a few weeks.

The same is true for my hand soap. I invested in reusable hand soap pumps, which initially cost more, but I was reusing them and afterwards only had to purchase the actual soap, which is much less expensive than buying a new plastic hand soap every week or so.

Purchase Once: I love the idea of buying something for life. Unfortunately I think we live in a world where things are actually made to be thrown away because our tastes and styles change so much. I think back to my grandparents who have had the same living room set since I was born. Oddly enough, it’s still in great condition and still sits in their living room.

Items that are expensive in nature anyways, like furniture, should be bought with the idea that you’ll have them for a LONG time. This means maybe getting a more classic, traditional piece of furniture that will be an investment and last a long time in your space, rather than replacing it in a few years with a more updated, trendy version.

Healthy Living Mindset Shift: Another mindset shift, which can take a little getting used to, is to remember that by spending a little more on the products, food and items you buy now, you can be setting yourself up for a healthier future. Spending time, money and energy on health ailments in the future because of the toxins you may be exposing yourself to, can actually cost you more in the long run.

You really can’t put a price tag on a healthy body, and so it almost seems unfair to say that you’re saving money and time on healthcare in future. Prevention is the best medicine, and keeping your spaces as free from toxins as possible is a great way to keep your body healthy in the long run.

Spend Less on Replacing Throw-Away Items: Many non toxic items are made to be reusable and made to last so they cut down on not only toxins, but also on waste. Items like dryer balls that you might replace are reusable and so you won’t be purchasing dryer sheets on a regular basis. The same goes for reusable silicone snack bags instead of buying plastic bags to store snacks in. While these are usually a bit more expensive, you’ll reuse them for years and so you won’t be purchasing throw-away items.

One time use items are usually made of plastics, and if you can avoid them, you’ll not only be reducing your toxin exposure, but reducing what you contribute to landfills. Oftentimes the cost of the item you’re investing in is going to be less in the long run than purchasing countless throw away and one time use items.

Plan & Wait for Discounts & Sales: Instant gratification is the world we live in nowadays. If you want something now, usually we just purchase it. Unfortunately, this means we often spend more on items that we could have gotten for a discount or found a better deal on if we had just been patient. I’ve learned that there’s a process to purchasing non toxic items. I usually start with research in finding the product that I want to replace or purchase. Once I know what I’m looking for I watch for a sale or look for a discount code.

Oftentimes it helps to follow the brand’s social media accounts, where they might share sales and discount codes. The trick is to do the research beforehand and have an idea of what you’re going to be getting. For example, when I was going to add an air purifier to my home, I waited for a good sale, but all the time I was waiting, I knew which one I was going to purchase. I did the same with replacing makeup and bedding in my home too.