9 Ways To Reduce Cost Of Living By Reducing Your Waste
Many are struggling with the cost of living at the moment. How can you reduce your cost of living by reducing your waste? We share 9 ways in which reducing our waste has reduced our spending and cost of living.
A lot of wasting less is really buying less and using what you have for as long as possible and for as for many uses as possible, repairing it and reusing it until it is truly no longer usable. Going zero waste has reduced our spending and cost of living in many ways. Here’s 9 ways to reduce your cost of living by reducing your waste.
1. Reusables over continuously repurchasing single-use
Investing in a reusable alternative to a single-use product saves you a lot of money in the long run. Using washable reusable cloths instead of paper towels, fabric face wipes instead of cotton balls, a reusable water bottle filled with tap water over buying water in plastic bottles, a stainless-steel safety razor instead of disposable plastic razors, and reusable menstrual products instead of disposable ones all adds up to huge savings.
You may need to pay more up front, for instance to buy a safety razor, a water filter for your tap water, or period pants or a menstrual cup, but it won’t take long to see the savings.
For example, while US$150-$300 is spent on feminine hygiene disposables each year on average, cloth menstrual pads, which cost around US$20 for a pack of eight, can be reused for about 5 years, and period underwear and menstrual cups, which both cost around US$30, should last at least 2 and around 10 years, respectively. (Find out how to choose the right reusable menstrual product for you, as well as how to clean them and other FAQ.)
It only takes two months for the one-time purchase of a safety razor pays for itself (all the info on making this switch and our recommendations here), according to Biome. Add to this no longer buying paper towels and replacing them with rags made from old clothing or reusable paper towels, also called unpaper towels, which will last many years, and no longer buying bottled water, which consumers spent $18.5 billion on in 2018, and the price of your grocery shop will definitely reduce.
It’s hard and costly to make these changes all at once, but if you slowly transition and make an investment each month or every so often, you’ll soon see savings.
Reusable nappies are another reusable saving people lots in the long run. 6000 disposable nappies, which comes to around $1800 to $3000, is the amount used by a baby on average. Getting set up with reusable nappies generally costs between $500 and $1000, depending on the brand and if you buy second-hand or new. Buying second hand will obviously be much cheaper.
So, reusing is good for the planet and your pocket!
2. Reusing what you already have over buying
Before buying something, take the time to think about whether you really need to buy it or if you could you make do without it or use something you already have for the purpose instead. We have found it helps to not impulse buy and buy something immediately when you first think you need it, but to wait and see if you can live without it or find a way around needing it. We often find we didn’t need it after all, or we have something else that will do for the task, necessity being the mother of invention and all that! You can also reuse something by repairing it, which brings us to number three…
3. Repairing & buying second hand instead of new
Before rebuying something that is broken or past its prime, attempt to get the item repaired or revitalised. Either try mending it yourself, take it to your local repair café, or get it repaired by a professional. Holey socks can be darned, rips and tears can be visibly mended (or invisibly if preferred!), and electronics can be rewired and back to working in no time and at no or little cost.
If you do really need to replace something or get something, look for it second-hand to get it cheaper and without wasting resources by getting something new instead of something that already exists. You’ll be amazed at what you can buy used online on websites like eBay and Facebook marketplace and the as-new clothing you can thrift on apps like Depop at a much lower price. You can also make some money by selling things you no longer use or need to others.
You can also ask for things you need and give away things you no longer need on local free goods groups on Facebook like Buy Nothing groups, or on the Olio app, which is for sharing and giving away food and other non-food items as well.
4. Simplifying your body care & beauty regime & cleaning routine
Another way we spend less is by having simple skincare and beauty regimes and not buying unnecessary cleaning products. What each person needs and wants for their body and skin care and beauty regime differs of course, but most people buy products they don’t need.
We’ve found the less products we use and the more natural the products we use for our skincare and haircare, the less we need to use. A good way to start is to do an audit of what you have and use, to use up what you have before buying new, and to find a simple low waste minimalist bathroom regime that works for you. Our 11 Easy Eco-Friendly Bathroom Switches to Save The Planet & Money blog post, which includes some zero waste DIY recipes, might give you some inspiration.
When it comes to cleaning, many marketed products are not actually needed (read our Wasteful Cleaning Products You Really Don’t Need blog for more on this) and a lot of the time one product can be used for many uses instead of getting many different products. For instance, white vinegar can be used to homemake many household cleaners (see our 11 white vinegar cleaning recipe DIYs) and, if you prefer not to DIY, multipurpose products like Dr Bronner’s (AU here, UK here and US/CAN here), which can be used as a body and hand wash, a shaving cream, and shampoo, as well as a cleaning spray, dishwash and laundry soap, can be used throughout your household.
5. Reducing your food waste
The cost of the amount of food wasted by many households is huge. In fact, the average Australian household throws out AU$1026 worth of food a year, around one in five bags of groceries. Meanwhile, the average UK household wastes around 13% of edible food and drink purchases at a cost of €620 per year.
Implementing tactics to reduce your food waste, or eating food that would be wasted (here’s how I ate only food waste for a month), which is often cheaper or free, will save you from buying food that you don’t end up eating, as well as saving food from being wasted.
Ways we do this include planning our grocery shop and only buying what we need and will use for the week, ensuring we store our food properly and so it lasts (here’s storage tips for keeping plastic-free food fresh in your fridge and freezer, and to stop bulk dry goods from spoiling), and using food that would be wasted to make meals and other edibles (like these 14 food waste recipes)
6. DIYing & growing your own instead of buying
Make your own cleaning spray (recipes for DIY white vinegar cleaners), home make vegetable stock from food scraps, whip up some homemade body scrub and DIY your deodorant (recipes here), as well as many other home cleaning and bathroom products, instead of buying them to reduce costs and waste.
At least grow your own herbs to save yourself from having to buy these in plastic wrapped bundles that are too big and try grow whatever other food you can to save yourself from having to purchase some of your produce. You can then save the seeds to keep growing more for free.
Baking your own bread, making your own coffee at home instead of getting a takeaway coffee, and taking lunch to work instead of buying lunch out are all other ways to reduce waste and living costs.
You’ll find all our DIYs and recipes here.
7. Buying eco products in bulk sizes yourself
A different way to be low waste and reduce your plastic use is to be your own bulk store, buying the large sized cleaning and bathroom product refill containers and biggest food bags, which reduces the amount of packaging and the price.
For example, while ATTITUDE’s all-purpose cleaner refill in bulk (US) contains up to 2.5 times more product, it comes with 76% less plastic and less spent per litre. Ecoleaf’s (UK) eco-friendly cleaning products can be bought in 5 litre and 20 litre bottles, and Ecover’s 15 litre ‘Bag-in-a-Box’ (UK), which reduces the plastic used even further by coming in a cardboard box, is a great option for refilling your cleaning sprays and bottles at home, as it comes with a tap. The Well Store (AU) has a large range of sustainable wholesale cleaning supplies to supply homes and businesses with bulk cleaning and laundry products.
It’s easier to do this with household cleaners and body care products like body wash and shampoo as they can be stored for longer without worrying about them spoiling. But food stuffs you eat often can also be bought in bulk and stored in large airtight containers if you have the space and right place for them.
8. Borrowing & swapping instead of buying
Another way to save is to borrow or swap things instead of buying. This is especially useful when you only need an item once or very rarely.
Instead of purchasing it and having to store it, you can borrow it from a family member, friend or neighbour, a local library (you get libraries for all kinds of things not just books, for example tool libraries, toy libraries, kitchen libraries), or via websites like Checkout My Shed. You can also lend out your items on these websites to help others save and to make some money. Clothing can also be borrowed or hired instead of purchased for a special event.
You can swap and share food at food swaps, seeds at seed libraries or swaps, and clothing at clothes swaps. Keep an eye out for and get involved in local community initiatives like these! Our Community Sharing Directory maps and lists community initiatives around Australia and the rest of the world.
9. Waste less electricity, water, & fuel
Being zero waste is not only about landfill waste and being plastic free and single-use free, although this is often the focus; it is about not wasting any resources, including water and energy. Reduce your electricity and water bills and reduce your fuel usage by being less wasteful and using less wherever possible.
This can look like many things and there are many other sites that go into this in more detail, but the ways in which we do this include:
walking, riding our bikes, or using public transport over driving our shared car (having one car we share has also reduced our living costs and my e-bike has really made this much easier) whenever possible,
doing one big grocery trip and getting everything we need when out once a week rather than doing multiple trips when driving,
saving rainwater in a tank and the water in our shower in a bucket for use in the garden,
installing a water efficient shower head and other water resource conservation tools,
having solar panels,
keeping on top of our water and energy use using smart plugs and usage readers,
implementing passive heating and cooling techniques, and
using insulation to minimise using heating and cooling.
The My Efficient Electric Home (MEEH) Facebook group is an amazing resource for reducing energy use.
For more tips and tricks, download our Zero Budget Zero Waste e-book, which shares 61 ways to be zero waste that’ll cost you nothing and save you money in many ways!
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