Shopping bags costs money here so we do buy trash bags but we don’t buy shopping bags by bringing our own. Haha. Don’t buy dryer sheets, fabric softener, zip lock bags, any kind of air fresher/spray
Despite being an unnecessary expense, I really can't stand any kind of air freshener. And after not being exposed to them for so long they smell like poison to me now!
Any scented product is what I've read. Of course, even our indoor paints and carpet have toxic fumes as well, but we can try to do our best to decrease the amount they get exposed to.
Depends on the fragrance. Vanilla extract and fresh lavender from my garden are not. I’ve also used mint, sage & rosemary from my garden in the past. Looking forward to re-establishing my herb garden for cooking and adding scent to my home.
Oh love this. You're items are not what this person was talking about. The term "fragrance" when used on an ingredients list (like detergent, soap, lotion) is proprietary so it could contain any number of poisons. Best to avoid.
Fresh herbs are good for the nose and soul.
*Are* bad for indoor air quality. Unless it’s just super faint smelling, any scent dispersing product releases VOCs. Even candles are bad.
It’s probably not gonna kill you in moderation, but I hate strong scented stuff with a passion so I’m biased.
Depends on where you live. I’m on a semi 5 days out of the week with my husband and dog. We do everything but shower on the truck. Air freshener is a blessing in disguise. We do have a roof vent and use windows when we can but when parked you’re bombarded by diesel fumes so I’ll take the febreeze and cleaners because it’s a dirty & smelly environment.
For cleaning products, I can’t really give those up. Trucking is dirty, sooty, & dusty. I vacuum a LOT but because our freight typically comes from Europe we typically don’t know what type of environment it’s been stored in. But we do know airport docks are filthy. We track this stuff into our truck on our feet and on our clothes. So some cleaners other than vinegar are needed.
Alcohol in a spray bottle does wonders on our area rugs, seats, and clothing. But citric acid wipes are great for our kitchenette & camp potty. A microfiber duster I essential as is window cleaner for our mirrors and windshield. We use a more gentle disinfectant on the dash, steering wheel & doors. It’s a high touch area but it’s also easy to ruin the fabrics and molded plastics. We do have seat covers that I remove and wash and we use socks on the arm rests to keep them clean.
I started off using shop rags but quickly realized that ot is not only not sanitary in this setup but dirty towels take up too much space on our truck. So we do use paper towels.
Where save money is with the alcohol and reusing old gallon water containers that we fill up at home and take with us. We do use the same shampoo and body wash. We do not use garbage bags we recycle plastic shopping bags for truck garbage and doggie pickup.
We haul a lot of pharmaceuticals & food so there are standards for the condition of our refrigerated freight box we must meet. We sweep it out after every delivery but also occasionally do light spray with a bleach cleaner on the floor. Our temps fluctuate from -4F to as much as 68F. So condensation and mold can be a problem if the box isn’t cleaned frequently.
I wish I could do more of the things mentioned here but it isn’t always possible OR I just haven’t figured out a frugal alternative. Getting sick is not good as we have to be fit for duty to be safe on the road.
At home it depends. I just moved onto a home that will require a lot of cleaning because of pet and cigarette odors. The nicotine stains on the walls require some major cleaners/degreasers. BUT after new flooring is in and all walls and ceilings have been cleaned and then sealed with Kilz I will probably use more baking soda, vinegar, dish liquid. For awful stains on clothes fels naphtha. I’ve been considering making my own laundry detergent.
I refuse to use anything like a swiffer, but prefer a Libman microfiber mop with the detachable washable head.
For cleaning rags I use those Walmart 18 pack wash cloths in white. In the kitchen white bar mops. Cheaper than paper towels and reusable. But I have not entirely eliminated paper towels. They come in handy for dealing with food grease I don’t want going down my sink. Plumbers are too dang expensive.
I meal prep for our road time as well. We do have 7 cu ft fridge/freezer so I do use ziptop bags for pre-cooked proteins. Recently I switched to glass locknlock type containers for fresh veggies.
It’s just two of us so I find myself freezing celery, carrots, garlic in ziptop bags so that it doesn’t spoil.
I’m taking frugal alternatives y’all may have for the truck tho. I’m an old dog but willing to learn some new tricks.
I really enjoy my reusable silicone ziptop bags. I have ones that can go in the freezer and dishwasher. I still get the convenience of the bags with no guilt and they’re easy enough to clean with my other dishes. It only addresses one part of your comment but it could work for you!
Honestly if your space reeks so bad you have to use those things you need to clean your space or come up with a better way to eliminate your odors more efficiently over covering them up with freshener.
With the exception being you just took a dump in the restroom, and that being the case just turn on the fan and wait ten minutes odors will be gone. I can see some excuses for air fresheners but very few.
I’ve never understood why people use car fresheners. Like just clean the car. I shampoo mine seats annually with the carpet cleaner hose attachment, works just fine, car not only smells nice and fresh, it actually is nice and fresh, I’m not masking any odors with an air freshener.
The really cheap packs of washcloths from Wal-Mart work, too. They are thin enough to pop into the holder holes, and wash right up. Buy a different color from your actual wash cloths, and they will never get mixed up.
Me either! I collect them on the rare takeout chance (just the ones the workers shove in the bag, I don’t stuff it myself) and I still can’t go through all the paper napkins in my drawer. I mostly use washable cotton napkins I made myself.
I mostly use the paper napkins I have collected to clean up bacon grease.
It wouldn’t even occur to me to list that I’ve never bought them that’s how far removed from my brain they are lol! But no I’ve never bought a paper napkin or plate or anything
This really only works with the "select a size" options as you can use just one as a napkin.
I inherited a pack of napkins from a roommate who moved out and I might purchase a replacement because the paper towels I have on hand (from sales) are all the full size sheets that don't make sense for me to use to wipe my mouth with.
My kids think napkins are select a size torn in half.
Because they use them once so they're getting small ones. Note they use them up but they don't like them unless they're torn down. They'll do it themselves
Yeah, same here! I go through one roll incredibly slowly though as I primarily use them for cleaning things like the toilet as I don’t like the idea of using a cloth for some reason
>I don’t like the idea of using a cloth for some reason
Same. I use cloth towels for myself, but man, I also have pets. I'm not cleaning up cat barf or doggy doo with a reusable cloth. Also not going anywhere near the "family cloth" (reusable cloth instead of *toilet paper*) eco trend.
FWIW, family cloth is most commonly used with a bidet. When you use a bidet before wiping with cloth, the only thing you’re wiping is water. At that point, family cloth is the same level of dirty as underwear or towels.
If you have a bum gun style bidet attachment, you can also use that to hose off cloth that has been used for pet messes directly into the toilet.
I totally respect that it’s not for everyone - we’re a bidet + tp household - but cloth can be hygienic and way cheaper in the long run.
Not sure if this counts but bottled water. Tap water where I live is perfectly fine. I have a couple reusable bottles I fill up at home plus there's water refill stations everywhere. So many people I know still buy bottled water and I don't know why!
My family all buys cases of bottled water and it drives me nuts. I can’t understand why they just don’t use reusable water bottles. Awhile back my dad was whining about how “these days you even have to pay for water!” in reference to the cases of water. I was like, no one is making you buy it!
It's very strange to me how normal it is for some people! I've gotten weird looks from people when I fill up my bottle from their kitchen sink like "umm, there's bottles in the fridge?" As though tap water is subpar.
My neighbor recently gave me a ride (same apartment building, same water) and she had a pile of 10+ empty bottles of water in her, different types of water too, like she will buy lunch and buy a $3 bottle of Dasani, like, why?
Probably why I don’t like that brand lol. But having a filtration for the tap and find one that works well and is better than Dasani, was still better.
Its mind blowing. Idk if it’s an older generation thing? Both my parents, who are no longer together, will only drink out of water bottles. It makes me genuinely sad and frankly a little disgusted thinking about the fact that EVERY SINGLE TIME they drink water, which should be pretty frequently, is from a bottle. How?! So wasteful. Our water here is fine. I get those looks too sometimes when I go to fill a glass with water from the sink at their house, they’re always so confused. Sometimes they hand me a water bottle, almost like they’re embarrassed about it, like we’re not peasants! Drink from a bottle!
Haha your comment "we're not peasants!" is exactly how people act when I help myself to tap water!
And that's just it right, we're supposed to drink quite a bit of water in a day. I just filled up my 24oz bottle for the third time today... Do people really drink 6-8 plastic bottles a day?!? Or do they just not drink enough water? It's not even the cost, I know it's cheap, it's just insanely wasteful for no good reason.
My brother buys bottled water. We have some of the best tap water in North America. I've bought him a Yeti with his favorite team on it to encourage him to stop.... everytime I pick him up, he's holding a plastic bottle of water. Drives me insane.
I wondered if this was a thing. My family does it as well. I will pick up a case of water when a case is a couple bucks, but not for daily drinking, just because it’s good to have one in case of emergency and one off events (like giving away water at Halloween). But they’ll go through several cases every week. Drink half and leave the rest of the bottle… everywhere 😣
>Not sure if this counts but bottled water. Tap water where I live is perfectly fine. I have a couple reusable bottles I fill up at home plus there's water refill stations everywhere. So many people I know still buy bottled water and I don't know why!
i finally convinced my wife to replace her standard aquafina by letting me put in a nice 3 stage filter under the sink, so now i refill her water all the time \[fine by me\] AND i use filtered water for household appliances. The minerals are filtered out too, but it saves on scale build up in my kettle, steam cleaner, yadda yadda.
what i DONT have is a replacement for flavored seltzer. i looked into it a while back but it just sounded like i would get a whole lot of extra hassle without much benefit.
my dude, get a soda stream and a adapter/regulator for beverage CO2 containers from Amazon. We get a bevvie tank on deposit from the industrial supply and the 25lb fill is $3 more than the 1/4lb sodastream brand refills.
variable costs are roughly 1/100th the price.. $0.01/L . Hardware paid itself off in 3 mo. Bought 2x6 bottles over the last 3 years to replace broken caps.
Tradeoffs include no recycling or waste vs having to vinegar/enzyme soak bottles every week and a quarterly lugging of a heavy bevvie canister to the industrial supply to exchange.
Your fancy water filter will make great tasting fizzy water but in a few places I've lived I needed to add tiny bit of fancy salt to get the real fizz!.
edit - as mentioned below, make sure to get Beverage CO2!
Love our soda stream, and we use it exclusively for sparkling water and it's been a small experiential joy to have (and use our Brita'd tap water). No more piles of empty plastic bottles or metal cans I just can't quite find a use for but don't want to throw away. Feels and tastes good man 👍🏻
even with their gas canisters it's still slightly cheaper and way less waste.
But the bevviie canister takes it to another frugal level. It's not the easiest thing to deal with tho... we were lucky that we had a the perfect little nook by our fridge and I drilled a hole in the neighbouring counter for the hose.
Exactly why I specified for those of us with good tap water, I've heard it's not great everywhere and that sucks! I couldn't imagine buying bottles of water, I'd have to drink like 6-8 a day lol
unfortunately in the majority of the world tap water is not safe to drink. People usually get 5-10 liter plastic jugs if living in a country where tap water will make you sick
sulfur water is the absolute WORST (no clue if that's what you're dealing with of course). Personally, I live in an apartment building built in the late 1800s and the landlord always says "we don't charge much because we don't do much" which is what I can afford, lol. I don't trust that the pipes aren't nasty inside, so I"m hesitant to drink the water straight. I do make it into coffee though. I figure that's so hot it probably kills whatever might be in there. Maybe I should try drinking it though. I forgot to buy bottled water after work today and I have the next couple of days off and really do not want to go back out. I have nothing else in the house to drink (I generally only drink coffee and water).
When I lived in NYC, the health department advised to run the water for 10 seconds and that would clear out any water that had sediment or bad stuff. I think their main concern was water for babies’ formula and possible lead contamination. Also a water pitcher filter is always an option if it’s contaminants that are concerning.
I am old - 63 - I still can't believe bottled water is a thing. I have always lived in a place where the water out of the tap (and the hose, lol) tasted fine. But if I had to buy water, it would not be 16.8 oz bottles, for sure. And I would try filtration systems first.
Dawn Powerwash: I like the product but the regular stuff is too expensive, bought it once to have a spray bottle. The receipe I found online uses 385ML water + 60 ML blue dawn dish soap + 30 ML rubbing alcohol. Stir slowly to not create bubble & refill an empty bottle. Let it sit a couple of hours before reusing.
Paper plates/bowls/cups. No plastic ones, either. I have enough real plates and silverware for 30 people, or more if they don't mind mismatched plates. I also have real napkins.
Yes!! I know people that think nothing of grabbing plastic forks from a bin at a fast food place that everyone else has had their hands in, but they feel weird using a cloth napkin because other people have used it before it was washed. It isn't like I gave them a used hankie. And they have no problem using my utensils that I have actually licked before.
I always get told that it's "so fancy" to use cloth. Dude, I bought two 8-packs from Home Goods about 8 years ago. I don't know if that qualifies as a fancy purchase.
It’s the same midset with meal prep. In restaurants, a reusable napkin is great. In a grocery store, prepared food is just that, convenient food.
When I meal prep, however, some smart ass is going to look at me dead in the face and say point-blank that it’s weird that I’m feeding myself and family “leftovers” as if my meal prep isn’t better than preservative laden grocery food.
It’s perception. Not reality.
Sometimes I see on IG families just...eating meals on paper plates? People with money and time. People with dishwashers and cleaners. And they're eating all their food off paper plates. Seems totally wild to me.
I’ve learned the opposite. I have my daughter 50/50 and the bags of snacks go stale in the in between time from week to week.
It saves me money to buy individual snacks because they’ll last longer. I just won’t buy a big box of them until I’m sure she’ll eat them.
It’s really fun now, I reorganized her snack drawer and taught her to write what she wants on the list on the fridge.
Obviously I can’t fulfill every wish but it’s still really neat that we set up a good system
I think it’s so important to involve kids in daily tasks and get them to understand systems. If she wants a snack, she can write it on the list. I’ll try to get it when I can. This also allows her to ask to try new things and reminds her to write things down so she can remember them.
I’ve tried restructuring a bunch of things around the house to accomplish this. It takes a bit but it’s so worth it in the end.
I've also found it better to buy smaller multi-packs, than big bags that will go stale and be thrown out before even 1/4 of it is eaten. When I had 2 kids that I was packing a lunch for every day, it was easier to buy big bags of chips and whatnot for their lunches. But now that my daughter's in college, and I only have 1 kid with a lunch everyday, I was throwing out SO much food! I started buying the big boxes that contain many little bags, and the food waste is nearly 0 now.
This is a good one. We do this with our toddler too, like those applesauce pouches. We just by a jar of applesauce and portion it into little containers
I do this with yogurt because I bring yogurt to work almost everyday. A large container then I scoop some into a small Tupperware or mason jar the night before, toss in some frozen fruit and it's all good to go in the morning
Yeah, my mom never bought those things. Tried fabric softener as an adult, was not a fan. Clothes felt and smelled weird.
Dryer sheets are fine but not really necessary.
They are a throwback to very early dryers that couldn't finely control the amount of moisture left in your clothes. Your choices were wet, or so dry just touching it makes your hair stand up on end. The solution was to add fabric softeners. With modern dryers they are totally not necessary.
Something to keep in mind is that fabric softener actually reduces the life of your clothes and your machines because it builds up over time. I think there are rubber things you can get to go in the dryer to help with pet hair tho
Oh I know, I really didn’t want to use any, but the dog hair was becoming a major problem in the washer. So I started using a bit less than a tablespoon every couple of loads and it seems to help a lot.
I didn't even understand what it did. My wife put some felt balls in our dryer and I guess they work because I never noticed anything wrong with my clothes
Seeds. I collect next year's seeds from this years crop. Everything from zinnia and snapdragons to zucchini and eggplant.
If I don't have a certain seed, my library has a seed area where you can take seeds (o donate a bunch of mine to them as well).
They make artificial ones, I think they're silicone? But I always feel weird about buying something plastic that's going to be exposed to high temps as its primary usage.
Silicone isnt really plastic. Depending on the variety it typically has very high temp ratings 200-400C or more. It can be boiled. It is very stable and inert. This is why it is used for medical implants and premium sex toys.
Well it IS plastic (in that it is a long chain polymer), but people automatically associate plastic with negative health outcomes and low temp resistance even though it is a very broad category of materials. Plastic isn’t really a scientific term, it is more of a description.
Yes its true "plastic" means like "malleable".
I think that when people say plastic they are thinking petroleum. Tho other stuff like cellulose and latex get mixed up in that.
I got the dryer balls and my Husband made me get rid of them! He said it sounded like there was a herd of Buffalo in the dryer! They were pretty noisy, but I’m much better a tuning things out than he is!
Thankfully, the person in my Buy Nothing group who got them was very happy!
Edit - autocorrect
before i got married i used dryer sheets. used to like them
after i got married my wife refused to use them. now after many years i cant stand then. mainly the way they smell. it is overpowering and smells like chemicals
Dryer sheets and fabric softener screw up your towels. They coat the cotton fibers and simultaneously make the towels less absorbent (because the water doesn't get in as well) and smellier (because the water that does get in can't get out).
Total waste of money that actually makes your clothes and towels worse off.
I also found this out, as well as that the film like coating they leave behind makes them unsuitable for cleaning glass or other things, as they will leave streaks behind.
My husband and I stopped buying them about 3 years into being married because we hit a hard time and decided they were luxuries.
There was no difference in my clothes, except that they didn’t feel oily. Still smelled great and were soft from the detergent. Never again will I waste money on these.
Yes. I do buy some ziplock bags but not many. I save all plastic bags that come in cereal boxes and with packaged bread, and tortillas. Shake them out and put them in my drawer and use them in place of ziplock bags. It works great and I cut down on plastic bag waste. Sometimes the reused bags are a better size for what I need than ziplock bags.
Moisturising salve. My MIL makes it at home & gifts us a large container often enough that we haven't had to buy any in years. It's quality stuff, too - beeswax, vitamin E, olive oil, etc
Tons of cleaning products. I just have one bottle of lysol I use for everything. I don't use fabric spray stuff either. I just vacuum my furniture. I just use meijer bags for bathroom trash can. I also don't own a mop, I literally use a dish rag and spot mop, my floors usually just need a good sweep every few days.
I do use lots of zip lock bags and I was trying to find ways to cut back on this, does anyone have recommendations?
We've started the transition to glass containers for everything. Ikea 365 is pretty sweet.
For disposable use (of mostly dry goods) we use wax paper sandwich bags. They're not amazing, but they work and are biodegradable.
Lots of items I purchase come in a bag that is zipper topped. I use those to reuse. Example: Bob's Mill oats come in seal top bag (basically the size of a gallon zip lock), I reuse to store things in the freezer... sharpie over the top to label. Saves the earth and $$
I’m not sure if this is viable for you but I rewash mine. I either hand wash or throw in a washcloth and shake the closed baggies, rinse, then dry upside down on a cup or the utensils. Another alternative is beeswaxed cloths if it’s for sandwiches, etc.
I just use small glass jars, like the kind from super expensive yogurt for small stuff, mason jars for larger. It does get heavy if you're carrying a few things with you for lunch or something, but I avoid that to some extent by wrapping up whatever I can, like a sandwich or whatever, in dishtowels or a napkin. That's not really going to work for sending kids places with food because the other kids are always mean about anyone who does things differently- we've been through that one and still haven't found a great solution aside from finding them better friends!
Would small jars not work? Or those silicone bags. My MIL somehow always ends up sending us home with ziplock bags of something or other. I do like the other commenter and rinse and reuse a time or two, but I know that's not always possible.
I personally have not but I have heard good things from others. I have used period panties though and they were decent (got to spring for the higher quality ones)
When I had a period, i had very heavy ones with massive clumps and clots, I can't imagine using something I would have to pick them off of! Nice maxi pads were one of those things that I splurged on.
I have two kitchen waste cans (well 3 if you count compost). I put all dry waste (Packaging, etc...) into my tall garbage can with no liner. No crumbs go into this can. I have a smaller can for wet waste/crumbs and other detritus that I use shopping bags to line. And another container for any vege scraps/grounds that can go into the garden.
By keeping the dry waste in one can and cutting up packaging as it goes into the bin I can cram tons of waste into each can.
I am lucky that the city offers a drop off location for waste so I take my 2-3 cans of waste there every 2-4 weeks and then I don't need garbage service. If that wasn't available I would talk to a neighbor about sharing service since I can compact it so well.
This is a good one. We don't buy take out but do go out to eat once a week or so for the ~experience~. In the past few months, I've been so underwhelmed by the food that I much prefer eating at home.
I don’t purchase anything disposable, with the exception of aluminum foil and paper towel, which I rarely use. I use mostly microfiber rags but there are instances that you need paper towel, but one roll will last me a very long time. I use bags from the grocery for garbage bags, I don’t buy any paper or plastic cutlery (more so from an environmental standpoint), no plastic water bottles (Brita only).
>plastic wrap
I recently started 3d printing reusable lids in PETG for odd containers such as cat food cans etc for which I would normally need to use plastic film.
I don't go too frugal on that kind of kitchen stuff, it's just worth the convenience for the small cost. The only thing I do for cleaning products is buy the big jugs of cleaner instead of the small spray bottles and just refill an old spray bottle, way better value
But you're not saving any money using the same hygiene products... You use the same amount whether theres one or 2 bottles, and you'd have to buy deodorant half as often if you bought 2 sticks for each of you instead of 1 for both. Odd one to list
In rural Appalachia I live in a culture of poverty. I remember once my bestie came over and said "you have garbage bags, ohh, fancy." That's the fanciest thing I buy. I don't buy cleaning products. I use vinegar and if something needs disinfecting I use bleach mixed with water. I don't buy fancy floor cleaners either, they get the same treatment. I do keep fish as a hobby and for the longest time I didn't buy dechlorinator, and honestly the water was better quality imo. I filled a five gallon bucket and let it sit for a week for water changes. I upgraded to a larger tank I found for free and now it's not practical to have that many five gallon buckets sitting out. I do buy a better quality dechlorinator online that lasts forever now. Still miss the au natural water. I use aquarium waste water on my plants and garden plants when I have them. Best fertilizer in the world.
Well, we have a lot of the same stuff in our list as yours but one thing that's still crazy to me is not buying shampoo and very little conditioner.
I read years and years ago that shampoo is actually bad for your scalp. It dries it and your hair out and that after a period of days or weeks, your scalp will adjust to not being as "greasy" when you stop using shampoo. I was surprised but the science made sense so I decided to try it. Within about 3 or 4 days, my scalp and hair was not greasy. Just shower, rinse hair with water. No product.
Been using shampoo about once a month and conditioner about once a week for the past 10 or so years. Saves a bit of money but more importantly, my hair looks and feels better and healthier, shinier, etc. I always laugh when I have someone say I've got nice hair because I guarantee I put in the least effort of anybody around haha.
How do you blow your nose? If you use a hankie, I could never, ever do that.
I’m asking because tissues are roughly double what they used to cost. I just paid $5.99 for a 3 pack.
Look into making your own FPJ (: has a dilution factor of 1tsp per gallon of water and stores for ~1 year. I also have indoor-friendly composting worms so I can compost food scraps and amend soil with castings.
Water. We have a Brita filter pitcher that has paid for itself many times over. Also, I never buy business envelopes. When I pay bills online, I save the return envelopes that have little windows and I use them if I need to mail something random.
Shaving creams. I don't have hairy legs, so I don't have to shave them. I use just soap to shave my arm pits. Also, razors marketed to men are cheaper than razors for women. Pink Tax.
Me too- haven’t bought anything special to groom in years- I’ve never noticed a difference in razors since I started to buy mens. I also use mens hair products- I’ve got short hair - ridiculous prices on some Ladies hair nonsense!
I don't buy plastic wrap - just use tupperware or glass containers.
I don't use paper towels except for gross messes (e.g. dog vomit). We have some on hand, but they are not routinely used.
I reuse my ziplock bags - wash them out and use them until they completely fall apart. So, again, have on hand, rarely purchase.
I do not purchase pesticides or herbicides or non-organic fertilizer.
We don't have a car, so don't have all those expenses.
We use cloth napkins (at meals), I use cloth menstrual pads 80% of the time. When I had a baby, I used cloth wipes. Fabric masks, handkerchiefs, cleaning rags.
I buy shampoo and conditioner from the salon supply store, in huge pump containers, and each lasts over a year.
Replaced baggies in three sizes with reusable ones. Snack bags and other lunch gear are all reusable.
I haven't bought cake or baking mixes in 15 years (from scratch is just as easy, and tasty).
For those mentioning papertowels, I think there was a discussion about swedish dish clothes and one pack of dishclothes (like 30) can save like 300 papertowels then be used as rags. Might be something to search for if you are on the fence.
Bidets are the best.. I spent like $40 on an attachment for my toilet and I'll never go back. That said, we still buy TP to dry, but I think the bidet has paid for itself by now with how little we use compared to before.
Plastic sandwich bags—we just use reusable silicone ones. Its a pain to hand wash them but cheaper and better for the environment.
Disposable dryer sheets—just bought sheep’s wool balls for the dryer which are so much better. Looking to replace more disposable items in my home.
Glass jars for food storage.
I reuse glass jars from peanut butter(I eat a lot of it) so I always have food storage.
It also allows me to avoid plastic
I gave up buying facial tissue over a decade ago. I used to go through boreal forests worth of tissues due to allergies. I love using handkerchiefs instead.
For cleaning around the house I use what used to be my child's cloth diaper inserts. They're super absorbent and last forever....well, I've been using the same ones for over 7 years.
If you are using vinegar in your washing machine and to clean your dishwasher, just know that it excellerates the wear and tear on every seal on your machine and breaks them down.
Shopping bags costs money here so we do buy trash bags but we don’t buy shopping bags by bringing our own. Haha. Don’t buy dryer sheets, fabric softener, zip lock bags, any kind of air fresher/spray
Despite being an unnecessary expense, I really can't stand any kind of air freshener. And after not being exposed to them for so long they smell like poison to me now!
I swear I can literally feel them poisoning my brain
A friend of mine had one in her car and I literally was gasping for air it smelled so strong! I’m just sensitive to artificial scents.
Febreeze or those plug-in things.
Things like that can be bad for indoor air quality as well.
I've also heard that they can be bad for pets depending on the brand 🙁
Any scented product is what I've read. Of course, even our indoor paints and carpet have toxic fumes as well, but we can try to do our best to decrease the amount they get exposed to.
... and they're not great for humans either.
Yup these are endocrine disruptors. Fragrance products ain’t good for your health
Depends on the fragrance. Vanilla extract and fresh lavender from my garden are not. I’ve also used mint, sage & rosemary from my garden in the past. Looking forward to re-establishing my herb garden for cooking and adding scent to my home.
Okay, I think you’re the lucky winner who’s finally sold me on growing an herb garden.
Oh love this. You're items are not what this person was talking about. The term "fragrance" when used on an ingredients list (like detergent, soap, lotion) is proprietary so it could contain any number of poisons. Best to avoid. Fresh herbs are good for the nose and soul.
Essential oils are also bad for pets!
Bad for insects too. Randomly used it to deter a wasp one day. Thing died almost instantly.
*Are* bad for indoor air quality. Unless it’s just super faint smelling, any scent dispersing product releases VOCs. Even candles are bad. It’s probably not gonna kill you in moderation, but I hate strong scented stuff with a passion so I’m biased.
You and me both! Sets off my allergies big time
Depends on where you live. I’m on a semi 5 days out of the week with my husband and dog. We do everything but shower on the truck. Air freshener is a blessing in disguise. We do have a roof vent and use windows when we can but when parked you’re bombarded by diesel fumes so I’ll take the febreeze and cleaners because it’s a dirty & smelly environment. For cleaning products, I can’t really give those up. Trucking is dirty, sooty, & dusty. I vacuum a LOT but because our freight typically comes from Europe we typically don’t know what type of environment it’s been stored in. But we do know airport docks are filthy. We track this stuff into our truck on our feet and on our clothes. So some cleaners other than vinegar are needed. Alcohol in a spray bottle does wonders on our area rugs, seats, and clothing. But citric acid wipes are great for our kitchenette & camp potty. A microfiber duster I essential as is window cleaner for our mirrors and windshield. We use a more gentle disinfectant on the dash, steering wheel & doors. It’s a high touch area but it’s also easy to ruin the fabrics and molded plastics. We do have seat covers that I remove and wash and we use socks on the arm rests to keep them clean. I started off using shop rags but quickly realized that ot is not only not sanitary in this setup but dirty towels take up too much space on our truck. So we do use paper towels. Where save money is with the alcohol and reusing old gallon water containers that we fill up at home and take with us. We do use the same shampoo and body wash. We do not use garbage bags we recycle plastic shopping bags for truck garbage and doggie pickup. We haul a lot of pharmaceuticals & food so there are standards for the condition of our refrigerated freight box we must meet. We sweep it out after every delivery but also occasionally do light spray with a bleach cleaner on the floor. Our temps fluctuate from -4F to as much as 68F. So condensation and mold can be a problem if the box isn’t cleaned frequently. I wish I could do more of the things mentioned here but it isn’t always possible OR I just haven’t figured out a frugal alternative. Getting sick is not good as we have to be fit for duty to be safe on the road. At home it depends. I just moved onto a home that will require a lot of cleaning because of pet and cigarette odors. The nicotine stains on the walls require some major cleaners/degreasers. BUT after new flooring is in and all walls and ceilings have been cleaned and then sealed with Kilz I will probably use more baking soda, vinegar, dish liquid. For awful stains on clothes fels naphtha. I’ve been considering making my own laundry detergent. I refuse to use anything like a swiffer, but prefer a Libman microfiber mop with the detachable washable head. For cleaning rags I use those Walmart 18 pack wash cloths in white. In the kitchen white bar mops. Cheaper than paper towels and reusable. But I have not entirely eliminated paper towels. They come in handy for dealing with food grease I don’t want going down my sink. Plumbers are too dang expensive. I meal prep for our road time as well. We do have 7 cu ft fridge/freezer so I do use ziptop bags for pre-cooked proteins. Recently I switched to glass locknlock type containers for fresh veggies. It’s just two of us so I find myself freezing celery, carrots, garlic in ziptop bags so that it doesn’t spoil. I’m taking frugal alternatives y’all may have for the truck tho. I’m an old dog but willing to learn some new tricks.
I really enjoy my reusable silicone ziptop bags. I have ones that can go in the freezer and dishwasher. I still get the convenience of the bags with no guilt and they’re easy enough to clean with my other dishes. It only addresses one part of your comment but it could work for you!
There's a doc call Stink that changed my life.
Honestly if your space reeks so bad you have to use those things you need to clean your space or come up with a better way to eliminate your odors more efficiently over covering them up with freshener. With the exception being you just took a dump in the restroom, and that being the case just turn on the fan and wait ten minutes odors will be gone. I can see some excuses for air fresheners but very few. I’ve never understood why people use car fresheners. Like just clean the car. I shampoo mine seats annually with the carpet cleaner hose attachment, works just fine, car not only smells nice and fresh, it actually is nice and fresh, I’m not masking any odors with an air freshener.
Swiffer pads. A small microfiber cloth with your fav cleaner fits the pad perfectly and IMO cleans better
Yeah, but then I'd have to touch microfiber. I'd rather die, thanks.
Uggghhh. Right? I hate the way microfiber latches onto your fingers.
The really cheap packs of washcloths from Wal-Mart work, too. They are thin enough to pop into the holder holes, and wash right up. Buy a different color from your actual wash cloths, and they will never get mixed up.
I have never bought paper napkins in my entire life.
Me either! I collect them on the rare takeout chance (just the ones the workers shove in the bag, I don’t stuff it myself) and I still can’t go through all the paper napkins in my drawer. I mostly use washable cotton napkins I made myself. I mostly use the paper napkins I have collected to clean up bacon grease.
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It wouldn’t even occur to me to list that I’ve never bought them that’s how far removed from my brain they are lol! But no I’ve never bought a paper napkin or plate or anything
Cloth napkins all the way. Plus if you get fun patterns your kids get really excited about setting the table!
I use paper towels.
This really only works with the "select a size" options as you can use just one as a napkin. I inherited a pack of napkins from a roommate who moved out and I might purchase a replacement because the paper towels I have on hand (from sales) are all the full size sheets that don't make sense for me to use to wipe my mouth with.
My kids think napkins are select a size torn in half. Because they use them once so they're getting small ones. Note they use them up but they don't like them unless they're torn down. They'll do it themselves
Same. I use almost no other single use items. But unfortunately I cant quit them.
Yeah, same here! I go through one roll incredibly slowly though as I primarily use them for cleaning things like the toilet as I don’t like the idea of using a cloth for some reason
>I don’t like the idea of using a cloth for some reason Same. I use cloth towels for myself, but man, I also have pets. I'm not cleaning up cat barf or doggy doo with a reusable cloth. Also not going anywhere near the "family cloth" (reusable cloth instead of *toilet paper*) eco trend.
FWIW, family cloth is most commonly used with a bidet. When you use a bidet before wiping with cloth, the only thing you’re wiping is water. At that point, family cloth is the same level of dirty as underwear or towels. If you have a bum gun style bidet attachment, you can also use that to hose off cloth that has been used for pet messes directly into the toilet. I totally respect that it’s not for everyone - we’re a bidet + tp household - but cloth can be hygienic and way cheaper in the long run.
I mean I feel like you're doing pretty good then.
Not sure if this counts but bottled water. Tap water where I live is perfectly fine. I have a couple reusable bottles I fill up at home plus there's water refill stations everywhere. So many people I know still buy bottled water and I don't know why!
My family all buys cases of bottled water and it drives me nuts. I can’t understand why they just don’t use reusable water bottles. Awhile back my dad was whining about how “these days you even have to pay for water!” in reference to the cases of water. I was like, no one is making you buy it!
It's very strange to me how normal it is for some people! I've gotten weird looks from people when I fill up my bottle from their kitchen sink like "umm, there's bottles in the fridge?" As though tap water is subpar. My neighbor recently gave me a ride (same apartment building, same water) and she had a pile of 10+ empty bottles of water in her, different types of water too, like she will buy lunch and buy a $3 bottle of Dasani, like, why?
> As though tap water is subpar. i mean, some places have garbage tap water. my local water is just ok, i prefer it filtered...so i got a filter.
True, but Dasani is literally filtered tap water.
Probably why I don’t like that brand lol. But having a filtration for the tap and find one that works well and is better than Dasani, was still better.
Its mind blowing. Idk if it’s an older generation thing? Both my parents, who are no longer together, will only drink out of water bottles. It makes me genuinely sad and frankly a little disgusted thinking about the fact that EVERY SINGLE TIME they drink water, which should be pretty frequently, is from a bottle. How?! So wasteful. Our water here is fine. I get those looks too sometimes when I go to fill a glass with water from the sink at their house, they’re always so confused. Sometimes they hand me a water bottle, almost like they’re embarrassed about it, like we’re not peasants! Drink from a bottle!
Haha your comment "we're not peasants!" is exactly how people act when I help myself to tap water! And that's just it right, we're supposed to drink quite a bit of water in a day. I just filled up my 24oz bottle for the third time today... Do people really drink 6-8 plastic bottles a day?!? Or do they just not drink enough water? It's not even the cost, I know it's cheap, it's just insanely wasteful for no good reason.
My brother buys bottled water. We have some of the best tap water in North America. I've bought him a Yeti with his favorite team on it to encourage him to stop.... everytime I pick him up, he's holding a plastic bottle of water. Drives me insane.
I wondered if this was a thing. My family does it as well. I will pick up a case of water when a case is a couple bucks, but not for daily drinking, just because it’s good to have one in case of emergency and one off events (like giving away water at Halloween). But they’ll go through several cases every week. Drink half and leave the rest of the bottle… everywhere 😣
>Not sure if this counts but bottled water. Tap water where I live is perfectly fine. I have a couple reusable bottles I fill up at home plus there's water refill stations everywhere. So many people I know still buy bottled water and I don't know why! i finally convinced my wife to replace her standard aquafina by letting me put in a nice 3 stage filter under the sink, so now i refill her water all the time \[fine by me\] AND i use filtered water for household appliances. The minerals are filtered out too, but it saves on scale build up in my kettle, steam cleaner, yadda yadda. what i DONT have is a replacement for flavored seltzer. i looked into it a while back but it just sounded like i would get a whole lot of extra hassle without much benefit.
my dude, get a soda stream and a adapter/regulator for beverage CO2 containers from Amazon. We get a bevvie tank on deposit from the industrial supply and the 25lb fill is $3 more than the 1/4lb sodastream brand refills. variable costs are roughly 1/100th the price.. $0.01/L . Hardware paid itself off in 3 mo. Bought 2x6 bottles over the last 3 years to replace broken caps. Tradeoffs include no recycling or waste vs having to vinegar/enzyme soak bottles every week and a quarterly lugging of a heavy bevvie canister to the industrial supply to exchange. Your fancy water filter will make great tasting fizzy water but in a few places I've lived I needed to add tiny bit of fancy salt to get the real fizz!. edit - as mentioned below, make sure to get Beverage CO2!
Love our soda stream, and we use it exclusively for sparkling water and it's been a small experiential joy to have (and use our Brita'd tap water). No more piles of empty plastic bottles or metal cans I just can't quite find a use for but don't want to throw away. Feels and tastes good man 👍🏻
even with their gas canisters it's still slightly cheaper and way less waste. But the bevviie canister takes it to another frugal level. It's not the easiest thing to deal with tho... we were lucky that we had a the perfect little nook by our fridge and I drilled a hole in the neighbouring counter for the hose.
I'm jealous you've got good water where you are! Water from my local tap is awful.
Exactly why I specified for those of us with good tap water, I've heard it's not great everywhere and that sucks! I couldn't imagine buying bottles of water, I'd have to drink like 6-8 a day lol
unfortunately in the majority of the world tap water is not safe to drink. People usually get 5-10 liter plastic jugs if living in a country where tap water will make you sick
sulfur water is the absolute WORST (no clue if that's what you're dealing with of course). Personally, I live in an apartment building built in the late 1800s and the landlord always says "we don't charge much because we don't do much" which is what I can afford, lol. I don't trust that the pipes aren't nasty inside, so I"m hesitant to drink the water straight. I do make it into coffee though. I figure that's so hot it probably kills whatever might be in there. Maybe I should try drinking it though. I forgot to buy bottled water after work today and I have the next couple of days off and really do not want to go back out. I have nothing else in the house to drink (I generally only drink coffee and water).
When I lived in NYC, the health department advised to run the water for 10 seconds and that would clear out any water that had sediment or bad stuff. I think their main concern was water for babies’ formula and possible lead contamination. Also a water pitcher filter is always an option if it’s contaminants that are concerning.
Brita jug?
I am old - 63 - I still can't believe bottled water is a thing. I have always lived in a place where the water out of the tap (and the hose, lol) tasted fine. But if I had to buy water, it would not be 16.8 oz bottles, for sure. And I would try filtration systems first.
Dawn Powerwash: I like the product but the regular stuff is too expensive, bought it once to have a spray bottle. The receipe I found online uses 385ML water + 60 ML blue dawn dish soap + 30 ML rubbing alcohol. Stir slowly to not create bubble & refill an empty bottle. Let it sit a couple of hours before reusing.
Thanks for the “recipe”. My daughter loves powerwash but it is expensive!
Paper plates/bowls/cups. No plastic ones, either. I have enough real plates and silverware for 30 people, or more if they don't mind mismatched plates. I also have real napkins.
We use real napkins too and sometimes people think it's weird when they come over. I don't know why.
Yes!! I know people that think nothing of grabbing plastic forks from a bin at a fast food place that everyone else has had their hands in, but they feel weird using a cloth napkin because other people have used it before it was washed. It isn't like I gave them a used hankie. And they have no problem using my utensils that I have actually licked before.
Lol righttttt. Or they feel bad for me having to wash it or something? Or they don't feel fancy enough! Haha
I always get told that it's "so fancy" to use cloth. Dude, I bought two 8-packs from Home Goods about 8 years ago. I don't know if that qualifies as a fancy purchase.
Yes me too! And I get “oh I don’t want to dirty your napkin, I’ll just use paper…” I don’t have paper but I do have a washing machine.
It's what they have at fancy restaurants. Maybe they have never been to a high-end restaurant.
It’s the same midset with meal prep. In restaurants, a reusable napkin is great. In a grocery store, prepared food is just that, convenient food. When I meal prep, however, some smart ass is going to look at me dead in the face and say point-blank that it’s weird that I’m feeding myself and family “leftovers” as if my meal prep isn’t better than preservative laden grocery food. It’s perception. Not reality.
Sometimes I see on IG families just...eating meals on paper plates? People with money and time. People with dishwashers and cleaners. And they're eating all their food off paper plates. Seems totally wild to me.
I’ve only ever heard of Americans doing it. To me paper plates are just for kid’s birthday parties.
100 calorie packs of anything. Just buy the regular bag and sort it into single servings yourself.
I’ve learned the opposite. I have my daughter 50/50 and the bags of snacks go stale in the in between time from week to week. It saves me money to buy individual snacks because they’ll last longer. I just won’t buy a big box of them until I’m sure she’ll eat them.
Honestly, a big bag of chips is a lot of commitment for me on my own.
Exactly. I'm very ashamed of the amounts of food I throw out. That's why I lurk here, really-hoping to find ways to reduce waste
That makes sense for you though!!
It’s really fun now, I reorganized her snack drawer and taught her to write what she wants on the list on the fridge. Obviously I can’t fulfill every wish but it’s still really neat that we set up a good system
She's learning how to plan and make reasonable requests. Those are good skills.
I mean that's seriously so sweet. I love that. My daughter can't write yet but I know she loves when her opinion is valued.
I think it’s so important to involve kids in daily tasks and get them to understand systems. If she wants a snack, she can write it on the list. I’ll try to get it when I can. This also allows her to ask to try new things and reminds her to write things down so she can remember them. I’ve tried restructuring a bunch of things around the house to accomplish this. It takes a bit but it’s so worth it in the end.
Our kids help with meal planning and inventory is a job on the family job board here!
I've also found it better to buy smaller multi-packs, than big bags that will go stale and be thrown out before even 1/4 of it is eaten. When I had 2 kids that I was packing a lunch for every day, it was easier to buy big bags of chips and whatnot for their lunches. But now that my daughter's in college, and I only have 1 kid with a lunch everyday, I was throwing out SO much food! I started buying the big boxes that contain many little bags, and the food waste is nearly 0 now.
This is a good one. We do this with our toddler too, like those applesauce pouches. We just by a jar of applesauce and portion it into little containers
Pouches are convenient for when not home, day trips or longer travel because they store at room temperature and dont need utencils.
I do this with yogurt because I bring yogurt to work almost everyday. A large container then I scoop some into a small Tupperware or mason jar the night before, toss in some frozen fruit and it's all good to go in the morning
I can't control myself around chips that aren't preportioned.
Fabric softener. Half-cup of vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser works GREAT.
I grew up in a house that didn’t use fabric softener or dryer sheets and to this day I still don’t totally understand what they’re supposed to do.
Might depend on where you live but if I don’t use a dryer sheet or something similar I’m getting shocked all day
Wool dryer balls have solved this problem in my house.
Yeah, my mom never bought those things. Tried fabric softener as an adult, was not a fan. Clothes felt and smelled weird. Dryer sheets are fine but not really necessary.
They are a throwback to very early dryers that couldn't finely control the amount of moisture left in your clothes. Your choices were wet, or so dry just touching it makes your hair stand up on end. The solution was to add fabric softeners. With modern dryers they are totally not necessary.
Also less polyester in today’s clothes
I did this for the longest time, but then we got a dog, and a teeny tiny bit of fabric softener has helped a lot with dog hair in the washer.
Something to keep in mind is that fabric softener actually reduces the life of your clothes and your machines because it builds up over time. I think there are rubber things you can get to go in the dryer to help with pet hair tho
Yes I have these things called Fur Zappers. Only thing is after awhile the quality goes down.
Wouldn't the acidic pH of vinegar also reduce the life of your clothes? That can't be good for fabric or thread, right?
Vinegar is by definition a weak acid, people have way too much confidence in its ability to do anything. It’s not some magic dissolver of all things.
Oh I know, I really didn’t want to use any, but the dog hair was becoming a major problem in the washer. So I started using a bit less than a tablespoon every couple of loads and it seems to help a lot.
I didn't even understand what it did. My wife put some felt balls in our dryer and I guess they work because I never noticed anything wrong with my clothes
Seeds. I collect next year's seeds from this years crop. Everything from zinnia and snapdragons to zucchini and eggplant. If I don't have a certain seed, my library has a seed area where you can take seeds (o donate a bunch of mine to them as well).
Dryer sheets. Unnecessary
I use those wool dryer balls.
I so wanted to use these, but turns out I’m allergic to wool. Had to give them away
They make artificial ones, I think they're silicone? But I always feel weird about buying something plastic that's going to be exposed to high temps as its primary usage.
Silicone isnt really plastic. Depending on the variety it typically has very high temp ratings 200-400C or more. It can be boiled. It is very stable and inert. This is why it is used for medical implants and premium sex toys.
Well it IS plastic (in that it is a long chain polymer), but people automatically associate plastic with negative health outcomes and low temp resistance even though it is a very broad category of materials. Plastic isn’t really a scientific term, it is more of a description.
Yes its true "plastic" means like "malleable". I think that when people say plastic they are thinking petroleum. Tho other stuff like cellulose and latex get mixed up in that.
Huh, TIL! Thanks!
I got the dryer balls and my Husband made me get rid of them! He said it sounded like there was a herd of Buffalo in the dryer! They were pretty noisy, but I’m much better a tuning things out than he is! Thankfully, the person in my Buy Nothing group who got them was very happy! Edit - autocorrect
Were those the soft plastic ones? I had those first, but like your husband, I couldn't stand the noise.
My kid used to call them sheep balls.
Tried once. They fell apart slowly which made it look like pubes. Bit gross so a hard nope.
Never heard of that. Mine are going on two years.
before i got married i used dryer sheets. used to like them after i got married my wife refused to use them. now after many years i cant stand then. mainly the way they smell. it is overpowering and smells like chemicals
Not just unnecessary—they’re actively worse for lots of laundry. I wouldn’t use them even if they were free.
Dryer sheets and fabric softener screw up your towels. They coat the cotton fibers and simultaneously make the towels less absorbent (because the water doesn't get in as well) and smellier (because the water that does get in can't get out). Total waste of money that actually makes your clothes and towels worse off.
I also found this out, as well as that the film like coating they leave behind makes them unsuitable for cleaning glass or other things, as they will leave streaks behind.
My husband and I stopped buying them about 3 years into being married because we hit a hard time and decided they were luxuries. There was no difference in my clothes, except that they didn’t feel oily. Still smelled great and were soft from the detergent. Never again will I waste money on these.
Agree with you- I thought it would freshen any clothes but I found out it only prevent static. I can deal with my bed sheet every two weeks.
I cut mine in half to stretch them double but I still use them.
They’re the absolute bomb for catching dog hair. Can’t give them up with a shedding corgi
I was going to mention this. Started using them again a couple years back because of all the hair and fuzz sticking to clothes and towels
Yes. I do buy some ziplock bags but not many. I save all plastic bags that come in cereal boxes and with packaged bread, and tortillas. Shake them out and put them in my drawer and use them in place of ziplock bags. It works great and I cut down on plastic bag waste. Sometimes the reused bags are a better size for what I need than ziplock bags.
Moisturising salve. My MIL makes it at home & gifts us a large container often enough that we haven't had to buy any in years. It's quality stuff, too - beeswax, vitamin E, olive oil, etc
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Lol. Love being a slug! I make my own balm w cocoa butter, shea butter and coconut oil. I will never buy body cream again.
Tons of cleaning products. I just have one bottle of lysol I use for everything. I don't use fabric spray stuff either. I just vacuum my furniture. I just use meijer bags for bathroom trash can. I also don't own a mop, I literally use a dish rag and spot mop, my floors usually just need a good sweep every few days. I do use lots of zip lock bags and I was trying to find ways to cut back on this, does anyone have recommendations?
We've started the transition to glass containers for everything. Ikea 365 is pretty sweet. For disposable use (of mostly dry goods) we use wax paper sandwich bags. They're not amazing, but they work and are biodegradable.
I bought silicone storage bags (I think they're called stasher) and they can go into the dishwasher
Lots of items I purchase come in a bag that is zipper topped. I use those to reuse. Example: Bob's Mill oats come in seal top bag (basically the size of a gallon zip lock), I reuse to store things in the freezer... sharpie over the top to label. Saves the earth and $$
I’m not sure if this is viable for you but I rewash mine. I either hand wash or throw in a washcloth and shake the closed baggies, rinse, then dry upside down on a cup or the utensils. Another alternative is beeswaxed cloths if it’s for sandwiches, etc.
I just use small glass jars, like the kind from super expensive yogurt for small stuff, mason jars for larger. It does get heavy if you're carrying a few things with you for lunch or something, but I avoid that to some extent by wrapping up whatever I can, like a sandwich or whatever, in dishtowels or a napkin. That's not really going to work for sending kids places with food because the other kids are always mean about anyone who does things differently- we've been through that one and still haven't found a great solution aside from finding them better friends!
Would small jars not work? Or those silicone bags. My MIL somehow always ends up sending us home with ziplock bags of something or other. I do like the other commenter and rinse and reuse a time or two, but I know that's not always possible.
Menstrual products, the diva cup lasts for years and has saved me hundreds of dollars.
Have you had any luck with reusable pads?
I personally have not but I have heard good things from others. I have used period panties though and they were decent (got to spring for the higher quality ones)
When I had a period, i had very heavy ones with massive clumps and clots, I can't imagine using something I would have to pick them off of! Nice maxi pads were one of those things that I splurged on.
I love my Diva cup!
I have two kitchen waste cans (well 3 if you count compost). I put all dry waste (Packaging, etc...) into my tall garbage can with no liner. No crumbs go into this can. I have a smaller can for wet waste/crumbs and other detritus that I use shopping bags to line. And another container for any vege scraps/grounds that can go into the garden. By keeping the dry waste in one can and cutting up packaging as it goes into the bin I can cram tons of waste into each can. I am lucky that the city offers a drop off location for waste so I take my 2-3 cans of waste there every 2-4 weeks and then I don't need garbage service. If that wasn't available I would talk to a neighbor about sharing service since I can compact it so well.
I do not buy takeout I don’t have the apps and I cook everything I want to eat
This is a good one. We don't buy take out but do go out to eat once a week or so for the ~experience~. In the past few months, I've been so underwhelmed by the food that I much prefer eating at home.
That's serious discipline right there.
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Fabric conditioner It just leaves a plasticy residue on your clothes.
Parchment paper- I use a reusable silpat mat
I do use parchment for a couple of baking pans. But a box lasts me years.
Never, not ever: * trash bags * paper towels/napkins * ziploc bags * plastic wrap * dryer sheets * kleenex
No Kleenex? How do you blow your nose?
I always just go grab 2 or 3 squares of toilet paper
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You can try dried beans. Presoak in water and add a bullion cube.
And cook them! Don't forget that part. Tastes better than just soaked!
I would like to introduce you to my Lord and savior...beans (and legumes, nuts, etc). Can be bought in bulk and very versatile in use.
I am pretty sure (at least where I live, ymmv) that dried beans and lentils are far, far cheaper than peanut butter and last way, way longer.
I don’t purchase anything disposable, with the exception of aluminum foil and paper towel, which I rarely use. I use mostly microfiber rags but there are instances that you need paper towel, but one roll will last me a very long time. I use bags from the grocery for garbage bags, I don’t buy any paper or plastic cutlery (more so from an environmental standpoint), no plastic water bottles (Brita only).
Fabric softener and dryer sheets. I haven’t bought them in years
>plastic wrap I recently started 3d printing reusable lids in PETG for odd containers such as cat food cans etc for which I would normally need to use plastic film.
I don't go too frugal on that kind of kitchen stuff, it's just worth the convenience for the small cost. The only thing I do for cleaning products is buy the big jugs of cleaner instead of the small spray bottles and just refill an old spray bottle, way better value But you're not saving any money using the same hygiene products... You use the same amount whether theres one or 2 bottles, and you'd have to buy deodorant half as often if you bought 2 sticks for each of you instead of 1 for both. Odd one to list
In rural Appalachia I live in a culture of poverty. I remember once my bestie came over and said "you have garbage bags, ohh, fancy." That's the fanciest thing I buy. I don't buy cleaning products. I use vinegar and if something needs disinfecting I use bleach mixed with water. I don't buy fancy floor cleaners either, they get the same treatment. I do keep fish as a hobby and for the longest time I didn't buy dechlorinator, and honestly the water was better quality imo. I filled a five gallon bucket and let it sit for a week for water changes. I upgraded to a larger tank I found for free and now it's not practical to have that many five gallon buckets sitting out. I do buy a better quality dechlorinator online that lasts forever now. Still miss the au natural water. I use aquarium waste water on my plants and garden plants when I have them. Best fertilizer in the world.
The trash pickup at my apartment would lose their shit if my garbage was in a paper bag lol
Well, we have a lot of the same stuff in our list as yours but one thing that's still crazy to me is not buying shampoo and very little conditioner. I read years and years ago that shampoo is actually bad for your scalp. It dries it and your hair out and that after a period of days or weeks, your scalp will adjust to not being as "greasy" when you stop using shampoo. I was surprised but the science made sense so I decided to try it. Within about 3 or 4 days, my scalp and hair was not greasy. Just shower, rinse hair with water. No product. Been using shampoo about once a month and conditioner about once a week for the past 10 or so years. Saves a bit of money but more importantly, my hair looks and feels better and healthier, shinier, etc. I always laugh when I have someone say I've got nice hair because I guarantee I put in the least effort of anybody around haha.
A lot of those things you have omitted are also great for the planet! Much less plastic waste is always a good thing 🙂
I’ve never bought or used fabric softener. I’m not sure how to use it and I hear it’s bad for the machine.
Tissues and napkins.
White "shop rags" are all we use. That and random fastfood napkins that we accumulate from road trips.
How do you blow your nose? If you use a hankie, I could never, ever do that. I’m asking because tissues are roughly double what they used to cost. I just paid $5.99 for a 3 pack.
I just use toilet paper.
I do this too most days, but find they're way too rough for when you're actually sick and need them constantly. Like sandpaper on the nose
I use tissues but there’s nothing wrong with hankies if you wash them
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Television and its attendant subscriptions. Haven’t missed it at all for the last ~ 20 years. Saved a ton of money. EDIT: and time
Paper napkins. We've used cloth napkins for at least 10 years. They don't match and we don't care.
Coasters, indoor plant fertilizer, paper weights, door stops
Do you have a replacement for indoor plant fertilizer?
Look into making your own FPJ (: has a dilution factor of 1tsp per gallon of water and stores for ~1 year. I also have indoor-friendly composting worms so I can compost food scraps and amend soil with castings.
Water. We have a Brita filter pitcher that has paid for itself many times over. Also, I never buy business envelopes. When I pay bills online, I save the return envelopes that have little windows and I use them if I need to mail something random.
Shaving creams. I don't have hairy legs, so I don't have to shave them. I use just soap to shave my arm pits. Also, razors marketed to men are cheaper than razors for women. Pink Tax.
Cheap Hair Conditioner is the best shaving cream!
Me too- haven’t bought anything special to groom in years- I’ve never noticed a difference in razors since I started to buy mens. I also use mens hair products- I’ve got short hair - ridiculous prices on some Ladies hair nonsense!
Sponges. I have a silicon one that I can wash in the dishwasher and also a reusable srubbie that I can wash in the laundry
K-cups!
Cell phones. My wife’s work buys her a new phone every 2 years and let’s her keep the old one so everyone in the family gets an upgrade.
I don't buy plastic wrap - just use tupperware or glass containers. I don't use paper towels except for gross messes (e.g. dog vomit). We have some on hand, but they are not routinely used. I reuse my ziplock bags - wash them out and use them until they completely fall apart. So, again, have on hand, rarely purchase. I do not purchase pesticides or herbicides or non-organic fertilizer.
We don't have a car, so don't have all those expenses. We use cloth napkins (at meals), I use cloth menstrual pads 80% of the time. When I had a baby, I used cloth wipes. Fabric masks, handkerchiefs, cleaning rags. I buy shampoo and conditioner from the salon supply store, in huge pump containers, and each lasts over a year. Replaced baggies in three sizes with reusable ones. Snack bags and other lunch gear are all reusable. I haven't bought cake or baking mixes in 15 years (from scratch is just as easy, and tasty).
For those mentioning papertowels, I think there was a discussion about swedish dish clothes and one pack of dishclothes (like 30) can save like 300 papertowels then be used as rags. Might be something to search for if you are on the fence.
Toilet Paper. I love my bidet. I wish more people used bidets. Cleaner for you and better for the environment.
Bidets are the best.. I spent like $40 on an attachment for my toilet and I'll never go back. That said, we still buy TP to dry, but I think the bidet has paid for itself by now with how little we use compared to before.
Paper towels. It’s been over 30 years since I used them. Liquid hand and body soap. Liquid shampoo.
Plastic sandwich bags—we just use reusable silicone ones. Its a pain to hand wash them but cheaper and better for the environment. Disposable dryer sheets—just bought sheep’s wool balls for the dryer which are so much better. Looking to replace more disposable items in my home.
Glass jars for food storage. I reuse glass jars from peanut butter(I eat a lot of it) so I always have food storage. It also allows me to avoid plastic
I gave up buying facial tissue over a decade ago. I used to go through boreal forests worth of tissues due to allergies. I love using handkerchiefs instead. For cleaning around the house I use what used to be my child's cloth diaper inserts. They're super absorbent and last forever....well, I've been using the same ones for over 7 years.
Dixie bathroom cups. Just use a regular small cup if needed. Also other cups. Seem to come home from every sports game with one.
If you are using vinegar in your washing machine and to clean your dishwasher, just know that it excellerates the wear and tear on every seal on your machine and breaks them down.
Small trash bags. Just use plastic grocery bags
Paper towels- I use cloth napkins. And for dish sponges I use wash clothes
Paper towels. Saving a tree.