#1. A Bicycle (if It Can Be Electric, Better) and a Pair of Good Shoes
By depending on electricity and your feet to move, you cut your connection to oil and pollution. As such you also ensure a safer, cheaper and much better means of transport for your health. You may well have your shoes already, but the bicycle is a bit trickier. If you are in good shape, you can get a very light city bike, which will take you everywhere with minimal energy expenditure. But if you want to pedal calmly, applying your effort at will, you will need an electric bicycle, with a range of between 25 and 40 km. Many are foldable, and others have a removable battery for easy charging. It is not just a bicycle. There is a wide variety of electric vehicles to get you around, from urban wheels to battery-powered utility cars.
#2. A Trusted Supplier of Fresh Food (Fruits, Vegetables and Legumes and More) and a Cookbook
Whoever has a good greengrocer on the corner of their street has a treasure, but that is getting weird lately. However, unless you live in a “food desert,” you will indeed have good deals on good food close to your home. You can go one step further by connecting directly with local producers.
#3. A Robust, Battery-Powered Smartphone and a Collection of Useful Apps
The battery is usually the weak point of smartphones, but perfect models for approximately $125 give you adequate service. Once the phone is activated, it is a matter of loading a few apps that make your life easier and, at the same time, make it more sustainable. For example, those that allow you to connect with shared vehicle networks or with your local public transport system get the most out of it. There are many exciting apps so that you don’t get screwed when buying food and other things, or that allow you to put on sale or buy second-hand items, or ideas to reuse objects, etc.
#4. A Good Supplier of DIY Materials and a Simple Toolbox
Now is the time to repair, reuse, convert, and build. DIY is a great hobby, but it’s almost as useful a skill like cooking. If something breaks, you can try to repair it. If you need something particular, like a custom-made piece of furniture, you can build it yourself (and save a lot of money in the process). You can improve your life in many ways if you move to the DIY side of life.
#5. A Shopping List of Goods and Services That You Can Change or Improve
The much or little money you have to spend, you can direct it one way or another, with significant consequences for your health and that of the planet you inhabit. You can buy quality junk food or fresh food, and not long ago, you can even hire green electricity, coming (virtually) from renewable sources. You can buy muddy polyester clothing or good quality 100% cotton clothing, etc. You can make a (mental) list of quality things and in which you can spend your money profitably, and another of nonsense that you buy automatically, that you do not need and that cost you a lot. By reducing the latter, you will do more than save money; you’ll also help improve our planetary environment.
#6. Some Natural Elements: Plants and Animals
Cleaning and tidying up your house, making it a healthier place to live, does not consist of using bactericidal soaps and cloths or insecticidal sprays. You can start by getting rid of all kinds of toxic and aggressive products and then use only ordinary soap and a little vinegar to clean the whole house. The next step is to increase the nature elements supply in your home, according to your possibilities. From a pot on a table to a complete garden with a well and tool shed. The pet thing is very personal, but a clean house of toxins usually attracts exciting animals, such as geckos, spiders, sparrows, etc.