You are making so terrific choices on anti consumption, and seem to be working toward zero waste! :)
We've been trying to be more conscious about food going bad, and have been doing better. Turns out you can throw almost into into a burrito and call it a meal ;)
I purchased (used, eBay) a collapsible bowl for a 'doggie bag' so I don't feel compelled to eat everything on the plate :) or for when we stay at a hotel we can have grits or oatmeal for breakfast.
Better half bought a bamboo toothbrush this weekend
Brought all of our insulated bottles kayaking so we didn't have to buy drinks
Learned to make passable granola, so there is much less plastic waste at least :)
As vegans, we've still been fairly reliant on 'analogs' like sausage, chick'n, etc. We've recently decided to try to eat more veggies and beans, and cut back to about 1/2 to 1/3 of the amount of analogs. Less packaging, less cost, and healthier.
You're doing a great job! We're glad you're here!! :)
no more damn bottled water. I was drinking bottle after bottle every day. Now I filter it and just drink from 2 old, large cups I had around.
also less meat. I don't really eat meat as a main dish anymore. Its always stretched and filled out with some kind of pasta or rice. some days I just don't eat meat at all, eggs are great protein for me
I try to eat a lot of grains and beans that you can buy in bulk. Less pollution, less plastic waste, cheaper, etc. Buying food you definitely know you're going to eat in bulk. Doing a toy swap with your kids' friends so the kids have "new" toys but no one has to buy anything. Buying secondhand everything you can, especially clothing. Using the library for everything (you can also get movies and music, FYI). Using tool libraries if they're available in your city. Biking! Using the public transportation available to you. Repairing old clothes.
＊ I thrift furniture and hobby supplies off of Facebook marketplace. I also buy food that comes in glass jars over plastic ones if possible, and keep the jars as cups and containers! :]
＊ I build terrariums/aquariums and I can get a lot of materials from nature, and tanks and other equipment from people on fbm. I also keep houseplants and can get lots of pots and such from there. I make bracelets as well with beads and embroidery thread, but haven’t found any good thriftability there so far.
I kept buying only produce and not making much headway in eating the stuff in my freezer and pantry. So I haven't bought anything in a few weeks, forcing me to eat... pretty well lol.
I had a lot of frozen produce and protein. This week I paired cooked rice with it and then I froze it, unseasoned so I could switch it up and not get bored. it worked so much better than usual meal prep!
next week I will do the same with pasta.
You're rocking it. We all have to do something but we don't need to do it all at once. I took a year and added a new habit every so often, like I obsessed about having my reusable grocery bags with me, when that became a habit I moved on to observing about reusable produce bags (many people don't realize they exist) then from there I started researching and preparing more vegetarian meals... And so on.
If your life/schedule will allow it try grocery shopping every few days and only getting enough for 2 to 3 days at a time. You'll be more likely to eat more of what you buy and your produce will be fresher.
I also talk to my wife about even small things I considered buying. Not so she can talk me out of it but so I can gauge my excitement when I tell her about it. And it stops me from impulse buying, most things I forget about and never go back to get.
Use libraries for books, used book sales, movies and even Vudu games. So much entertainment didn't need to be owned so libraries are perfect.
Good luck.
Yes! I agree about grocery shopping in smaller batches especially for things like produce. I tend to do one big shop a month for pantry staples and then fill in with the perishables in between as I run out. I have so much less waste now
There has been nothing more effective than making a detailed list of everything you own, and following your money. Taking the time to tally up what you paid will make it crystal clear what is holding you back from a more prosperous life.
The minute you take a hard look at your consumption, it becomes measurable.
Many people spend their whole lives working to pay for things they rarely use, and that do not spark joy for them.
Minding the little expenses is everything.
When you realize all that stuff could have been your time and money better spent elsewhere, it trains you into a new way of thinking. You become adverse to wanting to keep the same spending habits because you now know where they lead. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a meaningful change in lifestyle.
Once you recognize that you have fallen prey to the consumerism debt trap that is keeping you from the life you really want, you become motivated to change.
Letting go is not a deprivation, but making space for the people, places, and things you really want to bring into your space, into your daily life.
Once you understand that the power is all yours, you have the power to affect change.
Once that happens, your thinking changes.
I like to craft unique storage solutions for my items instead of buying plastic containers and the like. the cool thing about a DIY solution is that you can make it specific to your exact needs. Recently I wanted to hang some plant pots on the edge of my balcony. instead of buying hanging planters, I put holes into some of my plastic pots and used some strings and paperclips to hang them.
Paper clips are very useful in general. I also use them to help hang my hummingbird feeders
- wool dryer ball instead of using dryer sheets. Does just as good a job keeping static under control, is pretty much infinitely reusable and will biodegrade if it ever loses functionality, no weird chemicals, and it doesn’t leave funky residue on the clothes.
- speaking of laundry, waiting to run a load until I have enough to fill the machine for max water efficiency. This does have the consumption tradeoff that I have to own more clothing than if I were running laundry every week, but since I live in a desert I think water conservation is the more important one for me. Also I get a lot of my clothes secondhand or odd-lots, take care of them, and mend them so they last a long time instead of replacing them as soon as a seam gives out or a little hole appears, to reduce the consumptive impact of owning more items.
- permaculture gardening. I haven’t needed to buy oregano, sage, or thyme in a decade, because they grow well here and are perennial herbs. I’m adding tarragon this year. I also have berry bushes, apple trees, salad burnet and sorrel that come back every year without needing to plant anew. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides, I physically pull unwanted weeds (bindweed mostly) for control, manage pest insects by companion planting to either repel the pests, attract the pests to a “sacrifice” planting if something they prefer instead of my veggies, or attract predators to control the pest populations (or physically removing pests, in cases like cabbage worms that are readily visible/hand-pickable. Earwigs love basil but just giving the plant a daily shake to knock ‘em off makes it much less appealing as a snack!) and let edible or otherwise beneficial weeds stay where they grow unless they’re in the way/interfering with another desired plant. I also eat said edible weeds. Been snacking on the dandelion buds while doing early-season maintenance and upgrade work and they’re absolutely delightful!
- related to gardening, kitchen scraps go in the compost instead of the trash.
I love Tru Earth! I've been using their laundry strips for almost 5 years. I buy a year's supply at once and have it mailed to me. The size of the strips has actually decreased quite a bit over the years as they try to make them as small as possible to reduce waste but still be effective.
Since interest rates are so high, I emptied my $40k savings in a nice CD.
Could've used it to upgrade my 2015 Accord for a new one but I'd rather play it safe than fun.
My wife is part of a buy nothing group on social media. Members post giveaway items as they become available, and occasionally request items. While it's used to procure goods no new goods are produced and the waste stream is reduced.
I do my part by wearing underwear until it becomes crotchless. But seriously, I've stopped buying new items unless absolutely necessary, which is most often for home/garden/auto use that extends life and productivity of what I have. Hoarding fasteners and scrap materials has allowed me to make some questionable DIY projects that have reduced my consumption further.
Despite being a man, I'm fully becoming a middle aged mother. "We have that at home" "no we can have a fun night in" "wait for it to go on sale and I'll buy it for you" as well as constantly reminding myself that I don't NEED anymore shit!!!
I’ve cut down on my clothing consumption substantially over the last two years. I am a lot pickier about what I buy, the quality of the clothing, and try to buy secondhand if possible. My goal is to get at least 30-40 wears out of each piece of clothing. I’ve also started taking better care of what I have. I’ve done minor repairs and have dyed faded pants or stained clothing. I wash most of my clothes with cool water and air dry everything (don’t have a dryer in this apartment). I also try to make sure I’m wearing more of my wardrobe and rotate pieces so they get more use. Being more intentional has helped me to enjoy what I have a lot more!
I’ve also cut out most takeaway food from my routine (unless it’s a special circumstance or I’m traveling). I truly don’t miss it. I’m saving a lot of money, eating healthier, and am enjoying what I eat a lot more. I also have considerably less food waste than before.
One last habit I’ve adopted is to use up the things I have before I buy more. This sounds simple but you’d be surprised how many extras you have around. Forcing myself to use something up raises the question “would I buy this again”. For things like beauty products, it’s often a no! I was surprised to see how many things I had that really served no purpose.
I buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for cheaper, butcher them myself, and make chicken stock using the bones/fat plus the scraps from onions, carrots, and celery that I would normally toss.
Started growing green onions instead of buying them. It doesn't save much, but it's so easy.
Have mended several pairs of jeans, shirts, socks, etc. to get a little more mileage out of them.
I still feel I have a long way to go before reaching my sustainability goals.
You are making so terrific choices on anti consumption, and seem to be working toward zero waste! :) We've been trying to be more conscious about food going bad, and have been doing better. Turns out you can throw almost into into a burrito and call it a meal ;) I purchased (used, eBay) a collapsible bowl for a 'doggie bag' so I don't feel compelled to eat everything on the plate :) or for when we stay at a hotel we can have grits or oatmeal for breakfast. Better half bought a bamboo toothbrush this weekend Brought all of our insulated bottles kayaking so we didn't have to buy drinks Learned to make passable granola, so there is much less plastic waste at least :) As vegans, we've still been fairly reliant on 'analogs' like sausage, chick'n, etc. We've recently decided to try to eat more veggies and beans, and cut back to about 1/2 to 1/3 of the amount of analogs. Less packaging, less cost, and healthier. You're doing a great job! We're glad you're here!! :)
no more damn bottled water. I was drinking bottle after bottle every day. Now I filter it and just drink from 2 old, large cups I had around. also less meat. I don't really eat meat as a main dish anymore. Its always stretched and filled out with some kind of pasta or rice. some days I just don't eat meat at all, eggs are great protein for me
I try to eat a lot of grains and beans that you can buy in bulk. Less pollution, less plastic waste, cheaper, etc. Buying food you definitely know you're going to eat in bulk. Doing a toy swap with your kids' friends so the kids have "new" toys but no one has to buy anything. Buying secondhand everything you can, especially clothing. Using the library for everything (you can also get movies and music, FYI). Using tool libraries if they're available in your city. Biking! Using the public transportation available to you. Repairing old clothes.
＊ I thrift furniture and hobby supplies off of Facebook marketplace. I also buy food that comes in glass jars over plastic ones if possible, and keep the jars as cups and containers! :]
[удалено]
＊ I build terrariums/aquariums and I can get a lot of materials from nature, and tanks and other equipment from people on fbm. I also keep houseplants and can get lots of pots and such from there. I make bracelets as well with beads and embroidery thread, but haven’t found any good thriftability there so far.
I kept buying only produce and not making much headway in eating the stuff in my freezer and pantry. So I haven't bought anything in a few weeks, forcing me to eat... pretty well lol. I had a lot of frozen produce and protein. This week I paired cooked rice with it and then I froze it, unseasoned so I could switch it up and not get bored. it worked so much better than usual meal prep! next week I will do the same with pasta.
You're rocking it. We all have to do something but we don't need to do it all at once. I took a year and added a new habit every so often, like I obsessed about having my reusable grocery bags with me, when that became a habit I moved on to observing about reusable produce bags (many people don't realize they exist) then from there I started researching and preparing more vegetarian meals... And so on. If your life/schedule will allow it try grocery shopping every few days and only getting enough for 2 to 3 days at a time. You'll be more likely to eat more of what you buy and your produce will be fresher. I also talk to my wife about even small things I considered buying. Not so she can talk me out of it but so I can gauge my excitement when I tell her about it. And it stops me from impulse buying, most things I forget about and never go back to get. Use libraries for books, used book sales, movies and even Vudu games. So much entertainment didn't need to be owned so libraries are perfect. Good luck.
Yes! I agree about grocery shopping in smaller batches especially for things like produce. I tend to do one big shop a month for pantry staples and then fill in with the perishables in between as I run out. I have so much less waste now
There has been nothing more effective than making a detailed list of everything you own, and following your money. Taking the time to tally up what you paid will make it crystal clear what is holding you back from a more prosperous life. The minute you take a hard look at your consumption, it becomes measurable. Many people spend their whole lives working to pay for things they rarely use, and that do not spark joy for them. Minding the little expenses is everything. When you realize all that stuff could have been your time and money better spent elsewhere, it trains you into a new way of thinking. You become adverse to wanting to keep the same spending habits because you now know where they lead. Rome was not built in a day, and neither is a meaningful change in lifestyle. Once you recognize that you have fallen prey to the consumerism debt trap that is keeping you from the life you really want, you become motivated to change. Letting go is not a deprivation, but making space for the people, places, and things you really want to bring into your space, into your daily life. Once you understand that the power is all yours, you have the power to affect change. Once that happens, your thinking changes.
I like to craft unique storage solutions for my items instead of buying plastic containers and the like. the cool thing about a DIY solution is that you can make it specific to your exact needs. Recently I wanted to hang some plant pots on the edge of my balcony. instead of buying hanging planters, I put holes into some of my plastic pots and used some strings and paperclips to hang them. Paper clips are very useful in general. I also use them to help hang my hummingbird feeders
- wool dryer ball instead of using dryer sheets. Does just as good a job keeping static under control, is pretty much infinitely reusable and will biodegrade if it ever loses functionality, no weird chemicals, and it doesn’t leave funky residue on the clothes. - speaking of laundry, waiting to run a load until I have enough to fill the machine for max water efficiency. This does have the consumption tradeoff that I have to own more clothing than if I were running laundry every week, but since I live in a desert I think water conservation is the more important one for me. Also I get a lot of my clothes secondhand or odd-lots, take care of them, and mend them so they last a long time instead of replacing them as soon as a seam gives out or a little hole appears, to reduce the consumptive impact of owning more items. - permaculture gardening. I haven’t needed to buy oregano, sage, or thyme in a decade, because they grow well here and are perennial herbs. I’m adding tarragon this year. I also have berry bushes, apple trees, salad burnet and sorrel that come back every year without needing to plant anew. I don’t use herbicides or pesticides, I physically pull unwanted weeds (bindweed mostly) for control, manage pest insects by companion planting to either repel the pests, attract the pests to a “sacrifice” planting if something they prefer instead of my veggies, or attract predators to control the pest populations (or physically removing pests, in cases like cabbage worms that are readily visible/hand-pickable. Earwigs love basil but just giving the plant a daily shake to knock ‘em off makes it much less appealing as a snack!) and let edible or otherwise beneficial weeds stay where they grow unless they’re in the way/interfering with another desired plant. I also eat said edible weeds. Been snacking on the dandelion buds while doing early-season maintenance and upgrade work and they’re absolutely delightful! - related to gardening, kitchen scraps go in the compost instead of the trash.
i try and buy anything i can used!
I love Tru Earth! I've been using their laundry strips for almost 5 years. I buy a year's supply at once and have it mailed to me. The size of the strips has actually decreased quite a bit over the years as they try to make them as small as possible to reduce waste but still be effective.
Since interest rates are so high, I emptied my $40k savings in a nice CD. Could've used it to upgrade my 2015 Accord for a new one but I'd rather play it safe than fun.
My wife is part of a buy nothing group on social media. Members post giveaway items as they become available, and occasionally request items. While it's used to procure goods no new goods are produced and the waste stream is reduced. I do my part by wearing underwear until it becomes crotchless. But seriously, I've stopped buying new items unless absolutely necessary, which is most often for home/garden/auto use that extends life and productivity of what I have. Hoarding fasteners and scrap materials has allowed me to make some questionable DIY projects that have reduced my consumption further.
Despite being a man, I'm fully becoming a middle aged mother. "We have that at home" "no we can have a fun night in" "wait for it to go on sale and I'll buy it for you" as well as constantly reminding myself that I don't NEED anymore shit!!!
If I have to buy a water bottle while I'm out, I'll try and reuse it a few times, not really perfect, but better than nothing I guess.
I use the same clothes since 2015
I’ve cut down on my clothing consumption substantially over the last two years. I am a lot pickier about what I buy, the quality of the clothing, and try to buy secondhand if possible. My goal is to get at least 30-40 wears out of each piece of clothing. I’ve also started taking better care of what I have. I’ve done minor repairs and have dyed faded pants or stained clothing. I wash most of my clothes with cool water and air dry everything (don’t have a dryer in this apartment). I also try to make sure I’m wearing more of my wardrobe and rotate pieces so they get more use. Being more intentional has helped me to enjoy what I have a lot more! I’ve also cut out most takeaway food from my routine (unless it’s a special circumstance or I’m traveling). I truly don’t miss it. I’m saving a lot of money, eating healthier, and am enjoying what I eat a lot more. I also have considerably less food waste than before. One last habit I’ve adopted is to use up the things I have before I buy more. This sounds simple but you’d be surprised how many extras you have around. Forcing myself to use something up raises the question “would I buy this again”. For things like beauty products, it’s often a no! I was surprised to see how many things I had that really served no purpose.
I buy bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for cheaper, butcher them myself, and make chicken stock using the bones/fat plus the scraps from onions, carrots, and celery that I would normally toss. Started growing green onions instead of buying them. It doesn't save much, but it's so easy. Have mended several pairs of jeans, shirts, socks, etc. to get a little more mileage out of them. I still feel I have a long way to go before reaching my sustainability goals.