“There must be more to life than having everything.”
-Maurice Sendak
Burnt out and beaten from our addiction to consumerism, and the mounting stress coming from the burden of our debt, a few years ago my husband and I finally made a decision to break free. We were just plain tired of the continual pressure to earn a certain level of income to pay for stuff that didn’t bring us lasting joy or contentment. So that’s when we decided to begin consuming less, downsizing, and decluttering.
That mentality brought a need to weave the principles of reduce, reuse, and recycle into our daily lives. You see, by it’s very nature, frugal living creates less waste — however, we’re always looking for ways to generate less than we already do.
The Price of Hyper-consumerism
Earlier this week I was very happy to hear that I was the recipient of a drawing held by my favorite raw materials supplier for my soap-making addiction hobby. What I’m sure was to be a quick call in order to notify me of the contest win, thankfully it turned into a 30 minute+ conversation.
We talked about the rate of increase occurring globally on the cost of raw materials. We discussed the effects of the recession on small/micro family owned businesses. But what captivated my attention, was our discussion regarding the rising cost of eco-friendly, recycled paper goods!?!
The United States is one of the most wasteful nations — we know this. In fact, did you know, we produce one of the highest amounts of quality waste paper — did you catch that — our “waste” contains some of the most sought after paper products in all the world.
In other words, countries like China are standing in line to buy our trash!!!
Nearly all of our waste is being shipped overseas. This is sadly forcing small American businesses to pay premiums for what is now considered a scare resource…recycled goods. So instead, we continue to consume newly manufactured products, while the world feasts on our waste.
Learning to Slash Our Trash
Learning to generate less waste is not only good for our environment…it’s good for our wallet! To be honest, I’ve never really focused on recycling for recycling’s sake (gasp). It’s sort of been a by-product of our frugal lifestyle.
For example, using reusable cloth wipes had nothing to “saving the planet” I just didn’t want to pay for baby wipes. In my mind, I thought I might as well clean by sweet baby’s bottom with a dollar bill and throw that in the trash — not really, but you get the idea 🙂
However, recently I have felt the need to go deeper — to be more intentional with reusing, recycling, and re-purposing things. And here are a few tips, should you choose to join me:
- Buy used. Something many of us try to do, but I’m seriously going to stick to this solely for a month. Nothing new, only secondhand. Secondhand items usually come without packaging…bonus!
- Cut out the overly package convenience foods. Tons of wasteful plastic and paper going on when we purchase boxed foodstuff. Not to mention the health benefits we receive from not eating all of that.
- Do away with disposables. i.e. diapers, wipes, paper plates, plastic utensils, paper coffee cups, canned shaving creams, etc. We love to camp! And one thing I did a couple years ago was to buy plates and silverware from the thrift store to keep in our camping gear — saved money and saved on waste!
- Look for goods in recycled containers. This is increasingly becoming a viable option. And if you must buy pre-packed, try to find items that are packed with recycled papers or plastics.
- Buy in Bulk. Buying in bulk has proven to save my family and I a ton of money! Likewise, it has really cut back on the amount of waste we see coming from our home. Instead of buying 25 boxes of 1 pound of quinoa — complete with box and plastic — I buy one 25 pound sack of the stuff and store it in a reusable food grade bucket (for half the price).
- Take your own bags to the store. Again, another trendy practice. I remember when I first started doing that and people just looked at me weird. Now, it’s hip 🙂 Putting and keeping reusable grocery bags in my car really helps me to remember to use them.
- Use the recycle bins. Use them if your town has them, start a recycling program if they don’t.
- Reuse and re-purpose everything. With the invention of Pinterest there’s no excuse for not having an idea for how to re-purpose something. Perhaps there’s a lack of time, but there shouldn’t be lack of inspiration. People often ask me how I have time to re-purpose things — I say it’s because I don’t have that much stuff to begin with 🙂
- Compost. From balcony style bins for apartment dwellers to large compost piles made of pallets to under the sink worms. Everyone, everywhere can compost a litle bit. We have rabbits and chicken, those guys and girls are my living compost machines!
- Buy things to last. Sometimes the frugal zealot is always after the cheap products. This practice, although not all bad, can at times end up costing you more in the long run. It’s always the smarter idea to purchase 1 $60 winter coat that will last you 15 years rather than purchasing 3-4 $30 coats within that same time frame.
- Cancel subscriptions and stop the junk mail. Click here to read more tips for stopping the junk mail.
- Don’t just throw it away. When decluttering the closets and garage, don’t just throw the stuff away…give it away. Think about the charity in your town, or what about the battered woman shelter, or maybe your church has a benevolent closet?
- Try to repair it. I know that we are losing many skills for repairing things, but it’s time to revive them. Within reason, learn to hem those socks, jeans and shirts or fix the appliance before you throw it out. You may delay spending if you can learn to repair it.
- Garden and preserve. Spring is coming! It’s time to begin planning for this year’s garden! New to gardening? Plan on growing what your family will eat the most of. Make it a goal to at least learn how to can highly acidic foods like tomatoes (they’re really easy to put up). Purchase and preserve seasonal foods from the farmer’s at the time of high harvest — when the prices are cheaper.
- Wants vs. Needs. Take time to consider…”Do I really need to buy that _______?” Most of the things we “think” we need are in fact creations of the consumer culture. Here’s the good news…we need so much less than we think we do in order to be happy!
Now it’s your turn! Share with us what you already do, and what you can do better, to intentionally reduce your consumption and reuse or recycle your waste?
Many thanks to the #CTWW Gang for the inspiration behind this post.
Living Without Electricity: Washing Clothes By Hand
We’re a very frugal household on a small budget. We walk or ride our bikes almost everywhere, or use the city busy system; we rarely drive our van. We buy all clothing second hand and I often buy items specifically to repurpose for my children since that’s the cheapest way to buy fabric. I’ve made swimming suits, shorts, shirts, dresses, skirts, pants and leggings that way. Because of my sons limited diet (He can’t have processed corn or soy products so i.e. no processed foods) we buy most of our food in bulk and I prepare all of our meals from scratch. If I’m not buying the large bags, I’m taking my large repurposed glass jars (in a previous life they were pickle jars) to the grocery with me. We grow as much of our own food as possible during the summer. We preserve most of that as well as what we get from the Farmer’s market. We buy very few canned goods because of that. And for those that say growing food in the winter is impossible, it’s not. While I don’t have the resources to do it (my landlady wouldn’t let me do it) a friend of mine has a great set-up for year round produce in the guise of hoop houses etc. We’re in N. Idaho and he just harvested some carrots & lettuce. The closest I come to growing my own produce in the winter is the sprout farm living on top of my fridge. 🙂 Also, during the summer, we use solar cookers to do a lot of our food. You would be amazed not only just how much food you can cook outside but also how absurdly simple it is to make your own cooker. You don’t have to buy those super expensive contraptions. You can actually make one for less than $20, especially if you take advantage of your local thrift stores to buy some of the supplies or hitting after season sales if you must buy new. Our society is overly dependent on buying everything pre-made at the store and it’s really time we moved away from that; it’s a lot simpler than most people actually realize. The great part about it is, if you just start small, take baby steps and keep going before you know it you’ll be doing all of it (using your own grocery bags, preparing your own meals from scratch, making your own yogurt or cheese, sprouting, making your own clothing, gardening or preserving, etc.) you’ll wondering how you thought you couldn’t do it before.
This sounds awesome. I just bought a book on how to make my own homemade dairy. Before I purchased the book, I found a recipe online for making homemade creme fraiche and my family loved it. I have always cooked real foods for my family, but I used to buy store-bought chicken stock, bread, cream of chicken, and cream of mushroom soups when I didn’t know any better. My daughter loves real food and appreciates my cooking it for her. I agree with you that we as a society have become too dependent on outsiders for our needs. People are disconnected from real foods. I was never taught how to cook, sew, clean, or anything else that a mother would teach her child, but I’ve learned a lot of things on my own. I am interested in learning how to make soap, sew, knit, make my own clothes, and how to grow a garden. Great post.
I make my own versions of store-bought items, such as, chicken stock, cream of mushroom soup, and homemade bread. I’ve recently started recycling plastic and paper bags from the grocery store. I used to have a lot of the reusable grocery bags, but there were cheap and it’s not really frugal to have to buy those bags over and over. I’ve learned how to use leftovers and stop wasting so much food. Learning how to be frugal takes a lot of time, but it’s worth it when you save money and help the environment. Love this post. I am on a journey to learn all the forgotten skills that haven’t been taught to me, and I am teaching my daughter so that when she gets older, she will have skills to be frugal and self-sufficient.
That.is.awesome. You got it! Teaching our children is such an important piece!
It sure is.
Great post! I’m learning how to be more frugal, and your blog is definitely helping me on my way! Like Neeli, I’m having to learn as an adult all of the things that I wasn’t taught as a child. I’ve had recent success with removing most chemical cleaners from my home and this weekend I’m going to learn how to use the sewing machine my mother gave me. My first project- repurposing an old flat sheet into cloth napkins.
I never learned these things as a child. In fact, growing up it was the exact opposite-never really thinking about being frugal or conscious of what I was wasting or using. Now, as a 26 year old, I am trying to learn to change, but there is so much to do I don’t always feel like I am making progress. I hope I can teach my kids these things.
Baby steps Jess! Even the little things matter! Trust me…sometimes I look back over the past few years and I see just how far we’ve come. Leading by example is the best thing you can do for your children. They need to see your failures and your successes 🙂 Blessings to you my friend!
Great list! I’ve been doing a lot of these things since I was in college…ages ago! 🙂 Yes, people thought I was weird, but they do anyway, so who cares!
The only thing I would add is to spread the word…which you are already doing! The more people we have living this lifestyle, the better.
Thanks for the great post!
At the beginning of my green journey, I was a recycling fool. 🙂 And I was so proud of myself. Then, as I evolved, I started to realize that recycling isn’t perfect … many things aren’t actually being recycled but rather downcycled into something different which means that more virgin materials are being used to create more of the original item. This is the case with most plastics … at best they can be turned into other things … not another water bottle, cleanser bottle or food container. So I realized that if we want to really make a difference, we need to start long before recycling and reduce the amount of stuff we have in the first place and reuse what we have. That is tricky with plastic because they have such a tendency to leach toxins so reusing them, especially plastic food containers, isn’t safe. Not buying them in the first place is absolutely best. I really like your tip about fixing things. We live in such a “toss away” society … the minute something stops functioning we tend to toss it and buy a new replacement. That is such a waste because often it can be repaired for a lot less money and will last and last. My favorite example of this is cars. Advertisers encourage us to buy the newest car … and I personally know people who upgrade every 5 years like clockwork. Now that might be a good idea with the new Eco-friendly vehicles coming on the market. But … in many cases it would be better to repair what we have, keep it in good working order and keep it from the junk yard. Again, it’s less expensive and will also save on things like insurance and license.
Thank you for another wonderful post!
I am right there with you on the recycling! The key is keeping plastic out of our lives as much as possible, I am finding. It can be difficult because it is EVERYWHERE!!!
Yeah I hear you with the plastics!! Visits to the tip are showing me yuk plastics and tons of recyclable stuff being put into landfill.
Trying to cut out plastic usage is tricky and I often only hear that you should without how you can. You still need to bring food stuff home from the shops and not everything can go into a recyclable bag (eg wheat, nuts, etc). They are answers I’d like to see 🙂
I have been wondering about all of those plastic containers all of our food comes in that you would buy at the store, plus for example the plastic bags we use to freeze stuff in. What a waste, and in the end it just ends in a landfill…
Thank you for sharing these great tips…I love to repurpose everything…and fixing things….if you dont know how, there’s probably a you tube video showing you how! Keep up the great work!
This is an area that I am truly passionate about. About 3 years ago I just became disgusted with what a wasteful society we live in. When you start really looking at the grocery shelves and the amount of single-use plastic on them it really opens your eyes. We are working hard to reduce our trash and it really is extremely minimal at this point. Our next step is worm composting! Also, I recently purchased 8 large cloths at the dollar store that will be made into 16 napkins for my family of 4 so that we will be done with paper napkins and towels in the kitchen. I have been using reusable bags for a long time and even now reusable containers for bulk foods, and our CSA box is pretty much package free since any packaging (the box, etc) gets reused. I have not gone shopping for clothes in forever, either.
I love hearing about other people’s experiences, too! Blessings everyone.
This post is awesome! Couldn’t have said it better myself. I use cloth napkins now, we don’t even keep paper towels in the house. When I was at my mother-in-law’s one day I washed my hands and was looking for a towel to dry them on and she started to rip off a paper towel to give to me and I quickly said, “NO! That’s okay, I’ll use my pants.” She said, “Why?” I told her it’s a waste of resources. She chuckled and rolled her eyes and I politely responded, “Well, we all gotta start somewhere.” She changed her tune and said, “This is true.” hehe. I was tickled. Let’s see, I cloth diaper. I still use throw away wipes though :/ Need to start using the cotton wipes, shoot I already own them! We do recycle. We compost and have a garden. We are on the right track but there are many changes to still make! I love this phrase:
No one can do everything, but everyone can do something!
I actually JUST blogged about this last week! 🙂 http://www.lexienaturals.com/2012/02/reduce-reuse-recycle-and-save-some.html
Love this!…..my Hubbie and I are newly vegan..I am cooking huge amounts of veggies as a result. After washing all my produce I take all the stems and peelings and whatever I would normally have composted ,and simmer them in a pot ,strain and freeze for future soup vegetable broths. I make soup many times a week and have the best soups you could imagine….
Love all the wonderful Ideas and thought provoking topics that really challenge us to actually think before buying!!!
Great post. I am the ‘crazy’ recycle/green person at work. But slowly I am having an influence on my co workers. haha. Thanks for all the ideas, I do most of them, but still have a way to go!
I’ve been shopping second hand for years and only buy new for the very hard to find things — children’s shoes, being one item it’s hard to find used. The other thing I love is bartering or just giving away stuff to people that can use what I don’t need. Many communities have Freecycle programs. I’m part of a trade group on Facebook. It’s wonderful to trade something that’s been in my attic for five years for a dozen homemade muffins. It’s win-win all around!
Bartering is an excellent idea Charlene! Thank you for including that 🙂
Great post, but I would like to add 1more thing to the Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle mantra and that is REFUSE. Do you really need 1more useless give away just because it’s free?
Excellent!
I am not into saving the world on behalf of the “World faith” as seems to be played these days LOL !
reuse & recycle in the Proper Old way…this generation thinks they invented something new. LOL..
ask the Grands in your family about making do & doing with out.. it was not about saving the ‘world faith’ it was common sence &born of necessity .
( Old Grand )
Great blog! Since my hubby and I coordinated a class for Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University, it seems that the lessons we put into place for that have translated to so many other ares including weight loss and purchasing less.
I really feel that the vintage items that I find at second hand stores, auctions and yard sales are often of a better quality than I can get at the store today which gives us a better quality of life overall.
My parents and grandparents lived that way and it is a good way to live no matter your income level.
Great post! This is something near and dear to my heart. As a Christian I believe that God has made us stewards of the resources on earth. He has blessed us greatly and it is my goal to be as careful and respectful as I can with what He has given us. Waste is just NOT good!
Some of the things that I don’t buy anymore are laundry soap, deoderant, shampoo, conditioner and feminime hygiene products because I have learned to make my own (using things that come in boxes that can be recycled) or to have reusable products instead.
It is a lot of fun to involve our 4 kids in the process of using less. Lately I have been reading aloud to them a book with lots of stories from the great depression. The resourcefulness of the people of that time is really inpiring to us.
Something else we have been doing lately is seeing if we can go all winter (starting in January and going to May) without going shopping. We have had to buy a few food nessesities but otherwise are doing great with our challange. There is so little that we truly need when we stop to think about it.