Zero Waste for Zero Dollars: Sustainability That Saves Money

“I wish I could go Zero Waste but the products are so expensive!”

Alright, friends. Today is the last day you ever identify with this sentence, okay? We’re going to talk about how the phrase “Zero Waste” has turned into a hippie-dippie marketing scheme and how we can all engage in low waste habits regardless of our budgets.

When done properly, many aspects of a low waste lifestyle can actually SAVE you money.

**As always, I will remind our readers that this is a blog based almost entirely on our experiences, perspectives, and successes. Our zero waste lifestyle suggestions are neither comprehensive nor one-size-fits-all. We want to make you think. We DON’T want to shame you.

This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we may earn a commission for any purchases made through our links.

1. Change your Mindset

At its roots, a zero waste lifestyle is a mindset shift – not simply a change in shopping habits. Living in the consumerist society we do, it’s easy to forget that because we’re being marketed “natural,” “recyclable” and “sustainable” products all the time.

Buying better is certainly one aspect of a zero waste lifestyle, but folks often forget about simply buying less and using it more.

Ask yourself how you can get the most out of every item you own. Some items can be used for multiple purposes. Some items can be maintained well past their intended use. No matter what the item, if you teach yourself that nothing is trash, eventually you find ways to make that true.

Examples:

• Old clothes become cleaning rags, ending the need for paper towels and microfiber cleaning cloths. Use them until they’re truly useless then send the scraps to textile recycling (or compost if they’re 100 percent natural fibers like cotton)

• Appliances and electronics don’t need to be replaced every year or two. If the vacuum bites the dust (pun intended) repair it. No more, “It’s only 20 bucks more to buy new.” $100 spent at a local repair shop is better than $120 spent at a big box store. Only when an item is truly toast do you send it to electronics recycling and buy a new or refurbished item.

• Screws, bolts, twist ties, drawstring bags and more can be saved from packaging on new items and then reused for other projects. Packaging waste is an issue that is going to take a long time to address at the source level. In the meantime let us make use of every random extra piece we possibly can.

2. Utilities Should be a Zero Waste Priority

So now that you’re in the right mindset, let’s think about how to prioritize our waste reduction efforts. Modifying our consumption habits is important but doesn’t really provide immediate financial results if you’re already a fairly thrifty person. Energy usage on the other hand – you might be surprised at how drastically you can cut your utility bills by doing even a handful of the following things:

• Unplug everything – if you’re not using it or it’s actively charging up, unplug it.

• Turn the water heater down & wash laundry on cold cycles. Line dry whenever possible.

• Adjust the thermostat a few degrees higher or lower than you’re usually comfortable with. Dress accordingly, but your body will adapt to further extremes than you think.

I know it sounds wild, but budgeting our energy usage was a key component of our savings plan when I left my career to stay home with our kiddo in 2020. Thinking about our water and electrical use isn’t something that comes naturally to most Americans because we’re used to having as much as we like at the flip of a switch of faucet, but it really does make a financial difference with almost no modification to quality of living.

We’d always been pretty thrifty and low waste people, but when COVID happened and I had to leave my career to stay home with the kiddo, utilities were the first major budget item Ean and I reviewed. We were surprised how quickly we could bring those bills down, and it made it possible to ultimately make the decisions we did to buy a house as an extended family unit with our in-laws and take our zero waste game to the next level.

3. Talk About Why You’re Making Zero Waste Changes

This may seem like a no-brainer but simply talking to your friends and family about the changes you’re making in your consumption habits is incredibly important. So much of what prevents the sustainability movement from gaining steam is the misperception that it’s extremely challenging to do, or that the changes make you weird.

The stigma around low waste living won’t end until we normalize it in all types of lifestyles and prove to the people in our lives that their perceptions are misguided. When you make sustainability personal to you and your lifestyle, people are more likely to listen.

In this regard – the smaller the better!

Talking about the low waste changes you make in your life also brings up lots of opportunities to practice setting boundaries – which is a sustainable habit that extends far beyond waste preferences!

• For example, we have a No Battery rule for our kiddo. We prioritize low waste play with found objects. The toys he does have almost never have batteries or screens or electronic components. We’re firm on this boundary within our network and enjoy the occasional conversation we get to have about why we have this rule and why low waste, low tech gifts are a better fit for our kiddo and family.

4. Reframe How You Calculate “Cost” and “Need”

So now you’ve adjusted your mindset toward what you already own, you’ve saved up some pennies on utilities, and are ready to start switching over to some sustainable products. You still look at those price tags and gasp though, don’t you?

“That’s all I get?! This is NOT going to be cheaper no matter how much I save on electricity!”

Here’s the thing though – Regular marketing relies on your brain thinking bigger is better and more is better. People are conditioned to look for the best deals and to try and get the most volume of product for their dollars.

Zero waste shopping doesn’t quite work this way. Which is daunting! You do kind of have to rethink your whole thought process.

But once you do, you’ll find most things aren’t actually that much more expensive. Buy less, buy better becomes your norm and balance is found.

A good zero waste shop wants you to buy the least amount of product possible. They are truly focused on quality over quantity, so their products are tiny and admittedly somewhat expensive. They don’t want you to buy all the things in their shop, though! They want you to buy only the things you really need, and they want you to factor in the long-term environmental cost of your purchases – not simply the short-term financial factors that incentivize you to buy the cheapest product.

Examples:

• I purchase liquid shampoo from our local refill shop. I take in my refillable bottles and purchase a much smaller volume of product for way more money than my old shampoo. Traditional thinking would tell me this is a “bad deal,” because I get “less” product. But I don’t place value solely on the volume of product! I place value on quality, environmental impact, and the fact that I can use less of it for the same result.

• We use vinegar and water for much of our cleaning. Sure, sanitizing wipes and traditional disinfecting products are handy to have around for heavy cleaning days or when someone is sick but it isn’t necessary to use heavy-duty disinfecting products for every surface around the house all the time. We save a lot of dollars and plastic bottles by limiting our use of unnecessary cleaning products. (Here’s a good article that breaks down the dos and don’ts of using vinegar as a daily cleaner.)

5. Read All The Things!

Finally, if none of these things are jumping out at you as possible in your lifestyle I encourage you to simply work on educating yourself in whatever way is accessible to you.

We have a suggested reading list and I also recommend checking out your local library. If books aren’t really your thing, take to social media or other blogs. Find entertaining nonprofits and creators to follow that will help you keep sustainability-related content at the top of your mind, even during a good ol’ doomscrolling session.

By staying in the loop on climate news, sustainable products, and zero waste tips and tricks of all kinds, you will be better able to suggest resources to folks whose budgets are both larger and smaller than your own.

Zero Waste for Zero Dollars: One Step At a Time

Hopefully, you’ve skimmed through this and come up with some ideas for how you could apply a zero waste perspective to your own life. There are infinite ways to sustainably pinch pennies, and anything that helps you save money and waste less is a valid way to start “going zero waste.” Getting started is the key. Whatever your personal plan is, make sure your changes are sustainable within your lifestyle and budget. Don’t jump in all at once – go at a pace that will work for you, and you’ll find it easier to do as you go along.

Set realistic goals that challenge you to cut costs in one area, but allow you to invest the savings in other sustainable products that are most important to you. And remember: The goal of zero waste is never zero.

The goal is progress. And progress can be made without spending a penny.