My best advice is probably to ask family and friends before you buy anything. Very often I find that I can get the things I need that way. Eg. an old sawing machine for mending. The old sawing box from an old relative who no longer uses it, etc. etc. And if you think frugal you most often also end of with the most suitable solution.
When I first started my zero waste journey about 5 years ago, I bought a safety razor, a menstrual cup, and reusable cotton rounds. Just those three things alone have saved me SO much money. I’ve implemented many more things over the years (thanks to many of your suggestions!). It definitely has been a huge money saver.
Omg girl that metal razor is something I’m never letting go! Such a smooth cut! My mom always buys from once upon a child. Most if not all second hand, so that’s great! I also recently just got period panties to try it, just for extra cushion, also for my light days. LOVE! I just do what I do with my regular clothes! it’s great bc I don’t leak so I’m not scrubbing and hanging pants every day!! Never buying useless panty liners again
Second hand everything (well, almost 😅). I mean furniture, electronics, yard supplies, clothes, shoes, sports equipment, tools, dishes, books, decor, cars...name it! Ask family & friends to borrow or if they are decluttering, we would gratefully accept, curbside freebies, yard sales, buy nothing groups, local online sales groups and only after all that I go thrifting. This has saved our family at least $10 K / year, some years way more. Love this series!
Same before I switched but it is so nice getting good cuts instead of only tossing out my razor when it cuts my skin more often than my hair. And replacement blades are pennies if that so still less cost than disposables
Use it til it rust! (Don’t use it rusted, but when you notice rust while cleaning toss it) usually after the 12th use so one razor usually lasted me 4 months, but I got a metal one and it’s amazing
Same! Weeks and weeks (years on the one I kept in my desk at work). I did, however, buy 2 different brands of safety razors thinking it would be great to never have to buy plastic again. I only shave my calves and I have light skin and average leg hair. I consistently found that I could not get through both legs with a new blade. The razor just turned into a skin exfoliator but NO hair cutting was happening. Wet shave in the shower, dry shave anytime day or night. I tried different blades and both razors and some questionable loosening of the blade so it could bend. Don’t know what the secret is but the safety razor has set me back several years of the price of disposable. 😢
I've been into reusable, refyce, re-use & recycle for decades. I'm 71 & still enjoy what I call urban hunting, when I shop 2nd hand. I purchase underwear & socks new. After those items almost everything else is recycled. Rugs, fyrniture, clothing everything. When my sons were babes, u did buy disposable duapers for Grandma visits, but at home it was cloth diapers. When I retired i bought a small rural property. I jerp chickens, Muscovy, goats. Planted orchards & gardens + I forage for wild foods. Luve the life you want.
My sis in law used top of the line reusable diapers with a diaper pickup service, but she had researched beforehand, and sold them after they no longer needed them. They had a high resale price. Though they spent more upfront, they had top quality, and spent almost nothing on diapers. The diaper pickup service was cheap and well worth it.
You can also re-use dull safety razor razor blades in a stovetop scraper, which is also useful to scrape off soot from the fireplace doors, old silikon from tile, annoying glue on glas jars and other things that are stubborn and sticky.
I freeze glass all the time. Leave 1.5-2 inches of head space (or below the shoulders for shouldered jars) and always thaw in the fridge. I have SO MANY kept jars. They’re everywhere 😂
@ for sure! Just wanted to share how to do it safely if people had more glass than plastic at home 😄 I could see why some folks would prefer plastic; it doesn’t shatter, even if it does burst.
I am mending a pair of jeans as I am watching. Also, you can air dry clothes inside the house. I use a garage sale bought metal clothes rack, and hang my clothes on hangers to dry. I also have a net (with a plastic base) sweater dryer for items I do not want to hang to dry. It works out well. My mother has always had clotheslines attached to the ceiling of her basement that we have used since they moved in, in the early seventies. Great tips, thanks for the video!
My experience was not this. Cloth diapering laundry was incredibly hard to keep up with. The added utility costs of running the laundry so much was significant. And my babies got bad diaper rash/ammonia build up burns you never get or have to deal with in disposables. I've heard this is a boy baby problem more often than a girl baby problem with cloth diapers. But...that's half of babies. Also a hard water problem....but again I've lived in the rockies and the Appalachians and Texas and I had hard water all of those places. Way too much trouble for a sleep deprived, post partum anxiety addled, stressed out of my gourd new mom. 0 stars, would not recommend
Broth - if you have a pressure cooker, it uses less power than the average stove and you can make the broth in half the time. If you buy a Costco Rotisserie chicken (which is cheaper, by weight, than raw chicken), remove all the bones and put them straight into your pot before anyone can touch them. Use these bones, skin, drippings, and any unwanted parts to make your broth. Once cool, freeze them flat in ziplock bags. (Takes less freezer space to flat pack all food).
I believe a big caveat is necessary to mention here: Not everybody has the time to save for those “cheaper in the long run” purchases. For those in the United States, our economy demands that we pay for our basic needs very quickly. Hence, why poor and lower income people are often losing most of their money as soon as they gain it. You can’t control when you have to pay rent or when you run out of food. Are there expensive purchases that save more later on? Yes, but not everyone has the “long run” to wait.
of course. And I never say everyone has to buy these. I cannot and do not force anyone to do anything. These are recommendations. This video is designed for those who want to know how much money these can save you. If that's not for you, great. Thanks for the comment!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I appreciate that you take the time to address these nuances! It definitely deserves more attention in the zero/low waste space and thankfully we’re getting there.
So very true ( fellow impoverish American here 😊). But it helps knowing what the benefits Might be. I skipped meals , went down to one large meal a day to save money and saved for just over two years to get the medical equipment I needed. No regrets. The consequences of not having it was too great. But I'm old and less prone to "want" than other generations. My shabby exterior made me a social outcast somewhat. Didn't matter but I doubt I would have felt that way if I still had little kids at home🤔. Hugs to all out there grinding away after a goal that gives them a leg up. ❤🎉 Frugal habits really pay off in the long run.
1st: You have the best sweatshirt! Air drying in the sun can help clean clothes more completely after washing (UV rays). Washcloths do almost everything. Cheap ones purchased years ago are thinner in places now but still holding up. They are napkins, cleaning wipes, and used also for intended uses. The different color ones were for diaper wipes. The kids are grown and now they wipe the floor.
Great ideas! I started making vegetable broth from my scraps probably a year and a half ago. I love it! I toss all my scraps into a crockpot and either cook it all day or over night on low. Let it cool, strain, and put the broth in plastic takeout soup containers and freeze. It has definitely cut down on the amount of broth we buy.
I would say you need to take into account cleaning/washing costs for some reusables. They're probably still a lot cheaper than one use items, but it does bother me that very few people include that extra cost because it is not free to run the washing machine, etc (though again, will be cheaper than one use, and definitely usually better for the environment). The best swap I ever made was my safety razor, but another swap that's saved loads is storage jars - instead of buying, I now just reuse jars from foods I've bought at the supermarket.
no, it's not free, but it's usually less than $1 per load. Plus I simply cannot calculate the water and energy user per diaper per load per region. My energy bill is different from yours and is different from the other 2k people who have already watched this. Plus, I wash my period underwear (different, but it's all I got) with my regular load therefore no extra money
I had the same thought years ago but I realized I was already doing a load of dish towels and so I wasn't running it extra, I was just getting more done per load so with that mentality it was better use of the water too
I did that with my son's old socks when he was little and never really wore them for very long. Now I just buy dark colored craft felt and the whole class can use small squares of that. Wash them every quarter or so without fabric softener, good to go again and cheap as it gets.
for the cost of a skein or cone of cotton you can knit or crochet up rounds or squares for all your sponge needs. make remover pads, dishwashing clothes. that torn sheet can be added to the scrap pile for a quilt/patching/rag rug
We use our they-don’t-dry-the dishes-well tea/kitchen towels as our paper napkins. It’s the one design of all our several tea towels that we don’t find useful for actual drying the dishes but we had them so they’re perfect to save on paper kitchen towels. The clothes drying racks are hella cheap where you are, around here you don’t easily find more hanging space than that thingy useful for hanging socks but definitely not enough room to hang an entire wash load, not even when hanging everything double (and believe me, I can load 1 rack up with A LOT lol). But even when they cost double, or in my case twice that (but I can hang 4 wash loads on the one rack if need me, though it’s most comfortable for 2-3 loads), it’s still definitely worth the money and even when you only use it half the time it still saves up enough to warrant having one. Due to chronic illnesses and other disabilities I can’t hang bed linen and such so I will never take being able to use a dryer for granted, by using the dryer for bed (and some bath) linen (it’s just too heavy and big for my muscles to handle), I save up on pain remedy products (and feel less discomfort in general) so it’s all about what’s most useful to you and your needs or disabilities. Not that I still feel the need to justefy MY use and needs and how they compare with the general standard guidelines but there are still some people out there that still need to hear this, so here it is ❤
This old girl is loving this series. I hope you'll do more. Saving money was originally why we started going more sustainable, just over 20 years ago. We're definitely not Emma level but we're doing okay.
when I make my broth, I cook it down as much as possible, put into ice cube trays, and I have concentrated broth - one cube of frozen broth and a cup of water works fine. Saves space in the freezer too!
FYI... Darn Tough socks have a lifetime warranty. You'll spend out the wahoo for 1 pair but you can send them back for a new pair when they get a hole or just give out.
I just wanted to add that I like to hang dry my cloth napkins and handkerchiefs because they last longer. Same for favorite clothing, especially jeans. 😊
I cloth diapered, and i was able to get the diapers free. They were used from freecycle, remember to check them out, but a great way to save money is to get waterproof covers and some flour sack kitchen towels, they are super absorbant. And you can get some different ones for napkins and dye or embroidered them if you are handy.
We used reusable diapers starting at the end of 2019 through until pullups in 2022. It saved us thousands, especially with an infant who could go through 20 diapers in a day because he could not abide being wet. I got most of them second hand, and had a HUGE stash that I have since passed on to a friend who just had her first.
I bought a very soft towel in the make up section at dollar tree and it has replaced make up removing wipes. I wash it every few days. No more waste. Menstrual cups are awesome too. Will never go back to tampons.
I have that same Dutch oven and never thought to use it for baking bread. Definitely going to have to give that a try now that the weather is cooling down in CA.
A lot of these reminded me of the ways I benefited from my family’s thrifty habits! My laundry room is basically a long hallway that houses our furnace, water heater, etc, and my dad rigged up a pvc pipe to the ceiling using wire and screw eyes at the ends and middle of the pipe(threading the wire through two holes he screwed through the pipe at each hanging section). It’s where our winter jackets hang in the summer, and my husband and I get so much use out of it now! It’s also perfect because we need a dehumidifier for our basement, and it lives directly across from the drying rack. For makeup users who don’t want to buy a secondary product, I got a dupe of the Makeup Eraser cloths that take everything off with just water. They changed the game for me, and feel much nicer than disposable wipes ever have - you just have to make sure you’re gentle or you can irritate your eyes from over scrubbing! (That’s the only time I ever disliked them tbh)
I bought cloth napkins at Meijer when my children were preschool. I cooked 3 meals a day, and they were messy eaters. I’d go through 1-3 paper napkins per day 3 times a day so when they had the napkins on clearance I bought them. I think it was a dozen for $5. Enough for 3 days and since I didn’t buy a lot of clothes for my kids (as they outgrew them before wearing them out) I washed a load of laundry almost daily. One napkin per person per day worked and they would get washed with what ever I was washing that day. I haven’t gone back to paper and even camping I bring cloth napkins because I’ve found by refolding them I can get 3 or 4 days use of one napkin. I now use handkerchiefs instead of tissues since covid and the paper products shortages. I bought a Henson razor second hand and it works a charm. I had bought the leaf second hand but ever time I used it I cut my self, the sides of the razor are exposed and sharp and was part of the problem. I also bought the cheap men’s razor and had trouble getting it to shave evenly. Henson was almost exactly like using a 3 bladed disposable razor or the ones with the changeable heads from the start.
I used cloth diapers for my youngest. That was about 13 years ago. I used the brand called econo bums. They were basically an adjustable outer covering and then just replaceable inner lining which was Egyptian cotton prefold cloth diapers.
For broth, if you don't have the freezer space to make it from food scraps, you can use Better than Bouillon concentrate. It comes in glass jars with metal lids. Its more expensive than homemade, but wayyyy cheaper than buying cans or cartons. For bread, if you can't make your own at least freeze your bread before it goes bad. It saves so much money and so many bread bags. Target sells some pretty nice cloth napkins for anyone who has trouble finding or affording them.
Re: scrap stock. I dont use potato peels because they are too starchy, those go straight to compost. I nake scrap veg or chicken stock every week in the cooler months and at least once a month rhe rest of the year. I never feeeze it because i use it all up. Il You can use stock in place if water to in a lot of things like rice, cooking potatoes, curry, etc. Not just for soups!!
If you worry about the "extra" work from using cloth diapers, I like to tell people that I am one of the laziest people I know and I could keep up with them, even with twins! Saves you running out of diapers and having to run to the store, too.
i’ve had the leaf razor for almost 2 years now. i bought the whole kit with the travel case the grip the stand the tin and the extra blades. i have not had to buy new blades as of yet (i only shave once a week, but i also use all 3 blade slots) , and still have so many to go before i run out. the only thing is sometimes the shaving soap collects in the nooks and crannies, but washing with soapy water and an old toothbrush every now and again keeps it in tip top shape. such an amazing purchase and saves sooo much money and plastic in the long run. one of the best investments. also a diva cup + period underwear combo for the girlies is life changing and also saves so much money/hassle. another suggestion is wash cloths instead of loofahs. more hygienic, does a better job, and so easy to throw in with my weekly laundry. lastly, for everything new i wanna get, i always check facebook marketplace and the thrift store first
My experience is that period underwear wears out WAY faster than reusable pads! The elastic can expire and then the absorbent part can't be transferred. That said, you gotta do what works for you...I have a reusable disc, organic cotton disposable pads, reusable pads, AND period panties 😂
One change I did was using babyoil instead of (eye-) makeup remover. In my country a bottle at the drugstore is 2€ for 250ml or 8€ per liter, the cheapest oil-based makeup remover is 15€ per liter. My bottle has lasted me for a year now and there's still quite a bit in there because you only need a few drops. That way I only need to buy a plastic bottle every year or so instead of every couple of months like I did when I still used the conventional remover as it's a smaller bottle not as potent (in my opinion)☺️
I do like leaf because the learning curve is none, however if you want to save some money you can buy a traditional “man’s” safety razor which is single blade for about 20$ with blades included (I like the brand Viking on Amazon but it does have a learning curve)
When our dryer went down, I hung our clothes up on plastic hangers, then hung them off the the shower curtain rod in the bathroom. No equipment necessary and if they're clothes you hang up anyway, they can go straight into the closet when dry.
@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I live in TN; it's extra humid here. They still dry in the bathroom. You don't put them in the closet until they're dry. Or, yeah, they'd sour.
You can make any razor last longer by dragging it BACKWARDS across a towel several times after use (to hone the blade) them drying it off & store it in a safe, dry place WITHOUT the blade guard.
Protip: ask your local grocery deli counter to save their turkey carcasses around Thanksgiving. They probably would be tossed otherwise and you can make GALLONS of free stock to last the year
A lot of this is getting lucky, or having to spend money to save money. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck it’s hard to spend money when you have none to begin with. But I see your point. I’m going to see what I can do, and how I can implement more ways to save money. Simply because I like money and would end up rather spending it elsewhere, not because I need to.
Just a couple of comments. Foldable cloth diapers easily adjust as the child grows. When the baby outgrows diapers, the wornout diapers can be bleached, then used as cleaning rags. Unless you are buying a set, don't buy fitted sheets. Use two flat sheets for your bed, using hospital corners for the bottom sheet. Wash the bottom sheet on washing day, move the top sheet to the bottom. This keeps the linens rotated and adjusts the wear on the fabric while keeping your other bedding (blankets, comforters, etc.,) away from body oils.
I have saved the hangers from pants I bought from Walmart and I worked at a hotel for a while and saved all hangers that people left behind. I use them for hanging my clothing to dry. The clip ones are perfect for pants, underwear and socks. I don’t have an outside line so I have tension rods in doorways to hang clothes on to dry. I don’t use throw away makeup removers just a regular washcloth. I cut hand size squares from old towels to make reusable toilet squares (no more toilet paper). When I still had my monthly I got two period cups after the price went down a bit, awesome things, saved me hundreds over the eight to ten years I used them. Don’t buy paper napkins or paper towels, use a washcloth or squares from an old t shirt or hand towels or napkins from the thrift store, only use paper towels for really nasty stuff. I use old socks and tshirts for cleaning. Don’t buy a lot of fancy cleaners either, a good dish soap cleans most stuff, a basic cleaner for everything else. I make my own laundry soap too. Rummage sales and thrift stores are good but still keep an eye on store sales and clearance prices, sometimes new is better.
I’m sure someone has already said this but you can send your darn tough socks with holes back to the company and get store credit to get new socks. But darning is super fun and meditative.
On the reusable diapers - many people sell them secondhand in good or at least usable condition. Fb marketplace and groups are a good place to look. I got a whole super stock of like 30+ diapers including overnights for $200. I’m using them on my second kid now, and doing Elimination Communication so most of it goes in the potty and the diapers will be washed less and last for even more kids. I’m saving so much money!
I got some nice cloth diapers secondhand from my buy nothing group! We do use disposables occasionally (we are only human), but it’s been great to be able to significantly reduce our diaper waste and save a ton of money. I’ve bought some as well, but all together we’ve saved about $400 in the first year of my baby’s life even with using some disposables. I use a safety razor from Henson, and it works fine! Their blades are like 100 for $10, so cheap.
I use old cut up t~shirts for toilet paper ( for #1) and use toilet paper for number 2, I’ve only have save on hundreds the last time i bought tp was in 2023. I wash the t~shirts with my white loads which is the only time I wash with hot and bleach. And I also bought reusable paper towels, I only use my paper towels for greasy cleanup but for everything else I use my reusable paper towels. One roll of paper towel will last me over 6 months
Sourdough pancakes or cornbread is a nice way to use your sourdough starter. I love making corn cakes instead of cornbread. It is not as dry. Muffins are also a way to use sourdough.
Reading about reusable diapers is what led me to doscovering reusable menstral pads. No where near a baby yet but plan on doing a reusable & disposable hybrid system when i do (i have read most people prefer pure disposable the first few weeks of post-pardom in particular)
I can get behind everything that you said except for the diapers. I have 3 kids. 2 are under 3 years old and my oldest is 5. As someone whos a full time mom who has a full time job in a wfh setup, disposable diapers definitely saves me time. You also have to take into account the time that it takes washing these reusable diapers and the electricity, water, detergent that you consume just to clean them.
I don't know if everyone would be satisfied with them, but I use soap nuts instead of buying laundry detergent. It's less irritating for sensitive skin, and you get multiple uses for each group of nuts (you use several at a time). It saves space and money--no more big containers of detergent. Just a small bag that lasts a good while.
Added note…resist the urge to stir the broth as it cooks…stirring makes your broth makes it cloudy. Cloudy broth is fine to use…it’s just an esthetic thing.
My mama used old towels for diapers when we were little but when we left the house, disposable ones plus we wore a plastic underwear over the diaper. We've never had a dryer. Our clothesline is still working, just need to replace the lines every couple of years. I bought a drying rack and a hanging rack for socks, etc for when it rains. I also hang clothes on the shower & hung a broom stick over the doorway so i can hang more clothes. For paper towels i cut up old tshirts & use old washcloths. I cut up old pillowcases to use as tissues and they have served me well so far.
I use a combo of reusable and disposable diapers because traveling with reusables is more messy than we can handle 😂 but we got 19 reusables on FB marketplace for $100 and we love them. Also I don’t bother shaving (I’m FAB so not a ton of facial hair). Don’t have the time or energy and just don’t care about hairy pits and legs.
There are some hidden costs in cloth diapering. You have to consider the cost of water/electricity to run the washer and dryer (unless you choose to hang dry) and laundry detergent. In my experience, cloth diapers have to be washed frequently (most likely daily) to avoid an ammonia smell. I tried so hard to cloth diaper, but at the end of the day didn’t feel that it was worth the stress it was causing me.
sure...but I simply could not caluclate the water for every single person watching this video. Good to note, though! Would you say it's significant? I imagine it can't be that much
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist totally get that you can’t calculate that for everyone! But simply mentioning the other costs associated would have gotten the point across. When I calculated it for our family, with our older washer and dryer, it was costing .50-.60 cents per load to wash and dry diapers, which I had to do daily to avoid the ammonia smell. I found that I had to use a pricier laundry detergent to get the smells out AND not irritate my kiddos skin, so add on at least .20 cents per load, total we’re at .70 cents a day to use cloth. At the time my baby was using about 4 disposable diapers a day (cloth diapers have to be changed more frequently, so we were using around 6 cloth diapers a day and a disposable at night because cloth just wasn’t absorbent enough for my kids to last all night with). I was getting disposable diapers for about .15 cents each - 4x.15 is .60 cents. It turned out to be .10 cents cheaper per day for me to buy disposable than to wash cloth 🤷🏼♀️ and that doesn’t even take in to account the initial cost of the cloth diapers. Maybe the numbers are different for other people, depending on their circumstances. That was just my experience. That’s why I feel it’s important to at least mention that there are other costs involved.
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I should also say that I know a lot of people probably feel that the .10 cents per day is worth it for the environment. And I totally respect and support that! For our family, the fact that it wasn’t cheaper and it was yet another thing I had to take care of during the day, we decided to prioritize other ways of helping the environment. Sometimes our own mental health has to take priority.
Now for the confronters big tip and savings use a confronters cover or just sew a cover with 2 sheets. I've been sewing patches on my jeans and friends new patching methods. And darning my socks and my sons.
I admit it. I bought a boujie Leaf razor in 2021. Before that, I was using an Atra from the eighties. My husband uses a Leaf too. You can buy a cheaper safety razor, but the Leaf is easier to use in the shower. Cartridges can run $20 a month, or more, for 1 person. A 50 count of the best Feather blades is under $17 on Amazon. They work so well that I sometimes forget to change the blades on a weekly basis. (My fancy razor holds 1 and a half blades, broken in half.) After the initial investment for the razor, which paid for itself in just over 6 months, shaving now cost me less per month than I previously spent in a year. In the past 3 years, that's $669, if cartridges haven't significantly increased in cost.
I got a stainless steel razor, the little brush thing to make the soap foamy and a nice bar of conditioning soap. Not buying the shaving gel has saved me so much as well.
We use paper towels in the bathroom, it has stopped spreading school illnesses. We have hand towels too but if anyone is sick, they dry their hands with paper towels. If any are used to dry things on, they are saved, dried and use again to clean up bearded dragon poop. I have been saving old clothes to cut up for pee rags. I need to figure out what to use as a diaper pail for soaking them.
I love my silicon bakeware too. Last week I had to throw one out as it was falling apart. How old was it? Emma is the same age as my son, and he (and therefore Emma too) was in highschool. I have never been good with any bladed razor, thank you bad eyesight. I went to Kmart and bought a rechargeable shaver for $10. And yes, it does legs just fine.
I read somewhere that to resharpen a disposable razor, rub the razor on some hair going with the hair. I tried it and it actually worked. You can get far more than 10 uses out of it.
If you're like me, there's not much here that I can use. My kids are adults, so no diapers. If I'm using broth, I don't want a veggie broth, I want a meat broth. I don't eat much bread. Other than buttons, I don't have much mending to do. I don't eat a lot of bread. I can get a loaf of regular white bread at Aldi's for $0.99. I rarely use napkins. If I do need one, I just use a paper towel. I don't wear makeup. I've hung my clothes on the line for years, even during the winter. So, unfortunately, this video isn't saving me any money.
I make my own laundry soap and cleaning products from vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and water. White vinegar is a laundry deodorizer and clothes softener, great for daily cleaning, etc... so many ways to use. Theses have saved me hundreds of dollars as window cleaner, multipurpose clear, and laundry products add up. My laundry soap cost is less than $3 for about 1.5 months worth. For tough or needing more i use the laundry ingredient to soak laundry which had even removed paint odor as well as regular dirts and oils not removed in a conventional washing machine.
I have a folding dry rack. I set it up with the air from my dehumidifier blowing on it, I do a load of laundry at night and it is typically dry and ready to put away in the morning. In my area, a dryer load is estimated to cost about 35 cents to dry. I typically dry 3 loads a week this way, mostly kitchen towels, cloth napkins, underwear…. . That’s not a huge savings, maybe $60 a year. That is probably a weeks worth of electricity. Looking at it like that makes it seem worth it. . it is satisfying to use less energy. My cloth napkins fold better when they are line dried. The real savings is in the reusable napkins and cleaning cloths.
I'm always confused about the scrap broth. my scraps from veggies are always the bad parts like mold that I cut off. is it safe to make broth put of those parts after freezing?? so confused
Kathy/VeganPrepper mentioned grinding your own flour from whole grains- I believe that is saving $$$ 🤩Planting your own herbs, vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, ect. will reduce plastic and $$$. The plasma lighters, multi packs was so helpful as small gifts to myself and hopefully some of the family members 😊
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist yeah, Kathy spoke of the whole process, so I would equate it as an investment like a food dehydrator, freeze dryer etc. And later you can always grown your own grain and see what will thrive in your area 😊If I wan to go the rebuy route and old grinder from a thrift store etc. just to test how I would like it.
@@NguyenVinhHang haha if only I didn't live in an RV park! I try to keep my tips as accessible to me and others but this is a great advanced swap if you have the time and money!
Hi there, just a quick sidenote: In europe, energy is super expensive. Freezing scraps, cooking them, freezing the broth, all of that costs energy which can really ad up. If you do this, at least let the scraps defrost please.
Wonderful series! Sourdough Bread: Couldn’t you make shorter loaves, or even dinner roll size, or subway sandwich size in your small RV oven? I love PS: starting in the 1970s my family went to reusable cloth napkins & each kid had a wooden napkin ring. Then whichever kid was clearing the table & washing dishes on Friday night gathered up the dirty napkins & put into the dirty clothes basket by the washer for whoever is doing the laundry Saturday. Oh we had spare clean cloth napkins is there was a “messy meal”. Now contrast that with my spouse who is addicted to paper napkins… well you see the conflict. Sigh.
I didnt realize Gilette has their razors 3-6 uses per razor!! Damn I have been quote/unquote, using razor's well beyond their prime! 😂 It wasn't till I switched to a safety razor that I figured out -When the blade takes effort to cut hair it's time to replace. I think i keep my single blades for .. 2-3 weeks each? I shave 2-3 days a week...maybe. Love reusable toner pads!
Cloth diapers has saved me SO MUCH. They generally don't fit newborns well, (They do have "Newborn sized" cloth diapers, but they only last the first few months) but I have used mine many times ever since she started sitting up. They are gross and annoying to clean but totally worth it if you have the time for it. Also great for potty training 👍
I had the snap adjustable kind but they really only work for a baby up to a certain size. Had to get another round of larger sized cloth diapers for my very large LO!
They do go in the dishwasher but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. Because of their size & because they’re so ‘floppy’ they either don’t get super clean themselves or they prevent the water going around well so your other dishes don’t get cleaned properly. Personally I handwas it and let it dry over our faucet. 😊
love an extra budget option :) this just usually isn't my first recommendation since there is almost no way that was made ethically. But if it's your only option I understand!
You are talking really fast and I am having trouble following you. I turned on the captions and it is helping. Great ideas. I have never made Sour dough but your comment about plastic bread bags is very true. I use peanut butter jars too.
I've been contemplating using old socks for reusable makeup remover pads... I just don't wear much makeup so I'm not sure if it's worth my time (like 1-4x/year); I have bamboo socks and they die a wee bit faster than other socks (I'm working on getting my collection of GOOD socks up to the point where I can just wear those and cut out the others). They're super soft and my socks are all black - I'm not a fan of stains. Now... cue the ewie from the peanut gallery! :)
I am not completely sold on silicone baking mats. A lot of the aren't rated for above 400/425F. While that number is decently high i just dont trust the manufacturing contamination risk for outgassing of contaminants. While paper is not the best material due to it's high water demand to produce buying compostable parchment paper allows it to be home composted (thus zero waste). Personally, i use crisco. Even tho it has an expiration date, does it actually expire. I also use heat (when cooking veggies when you get them to a high enough temp they release themselves from the sheet pan) and minor parchment paper for specific applications. I have had the same roll of parchment paper for roughly 3 years. I go thru 1 roll about evey 4 years. Crisco i go thru a jar like every 2 years (a little goes a long way), alternatives are coconut oil too.
We use damp cloths to wipe our kids' hands and faces after eating instead of using baby wipes...at two kids times probably five uses a day each, thats 3,650 wipes we're NOT using (assuming we only used one each time). Its $30 for 900 wipes at costco, or $120/year for hand and face wiping we aren't paying. Even using a set of very expensive Norwex cloths (tbey dont stink as fast as others), it's $68 for 6, so even in year one you're saving over $50. And tbese cloths last basically forever. My other favourite swap is toilet cloth - even just using it part time, you can save a bunch on toilet paper!! I guesstimate that without using any cloth, we spend about $200/year on plastic free recycled toilet paper from Staples. If we used cloth 50% of the time, made exclusively from old flannel baby blankets and sheets for a cost of $0, we could reduce our toilet paper cost by $50-100/year!
There was a study a few years ago (pre-pandemic, iirc) that claimed disposable diapers saved money over reusable diapers and were less impactful on the environment (I believe specifically related to the environmental costs of production). I couldn't help but notice they failed to calculate the costs of those disposable diapers never breaking down in landfills. Edit: also, I tried a reusable lighter but somehow managed to destroy it trying to light my wood wick candles lol. Back to matches or disposables for me.
do you have a cover for the comforter? I know covers are super annoying but they are more sanitary and protect the comforter so the expensive comforter (time, material, and labor) will last much longer and stay cleaner. I will wash the duvet cover roughly 3x more than the need to wash the comforter, in cold climates (like where I live) in the winter you can even put the comforter outside in below freezing temps to help refresh the comforter without using water.
My aunt made me my cloth (white flannel) diapers when I had my daughter, back in the 80s. They did last thru her 2.3 years she was in diapers.. & I was lucky that she stayed slim & never outgrew the larger size before she toilet trained. I definitely used less of the bigger diapers per day (just so you know) I didn't catch you discuss the cost of laundering the cloth diapers. Small babies produce small pees quite often. Larger babies pee less often, but more at a time. I probably didn't have as many diapers as you recommended, so they were washed Often. I did find that I had many diapers wearing out by the time I had baby #2. Because we knew we were not planning 3 kids, I used disposable at the sitters & didn't buy more reusable diapers.. I think my aunt may have made another dozen smaller diapers. My 2nd child was 3.5 when he finally bought into the idea that he seriously needed to stop long enough to pee.. seriously. (He was a lot older than that before he really started to sit & eat much. I definitely try to not judge mothers with misbehaving kids, cuz I definitely tried hard with my son. He's a Wonderful husband.. not interested in kids of his own) Yes, it saved a lot of $$
My best advice is probably to ask family and friends before you buy anything. Very often I find that I can get the things I need that way. Eg. an old sawing machine for mending. The old sawing box from an old relative who no longer uses it, etc. etc.
And if you think frugal you most often also end of with the most suitable solution.
SO TRUE!! You can get zero waste swaps for free :)
Yes!!! Why don’t we borrow things anymore?
@@hollyhock.and.lavender wild how uncommon it is now!
I found an old Treadle sewing machine at an antique store for SEVENTEEN DOLLARS!!! best thing I've ever bought
Also there are "giving with integrity/ but nothing" groups in FB for posting things you're looking to borrow or obtain permanently or to give away
When I first started my zero waste journey about 5 years ago, I bought a safety razor, a menstrual cup, and reusable cotton rounds. Just those three things alone have saved me SO much money. I’ve implemented many more things over the years (thanks to many of your suggestions!). It definitely has been a huge money saver.
literally! thanks for your testimonial :)
Omg girl that metal razor is something I’m never letting go! Such a smooth cut!
My mom always buys from once upon a child. Most if not all second hand, so that’s great!
I also recently just got period panties to try it, just for extra cushion, also for my light days. LOVE! I just do what I do with my regular clothes! it’s great bc I don’t leak so I’m not scrubbing and hanging pants every day!! Never buying useless panty liners again
Harry's razors have great blades too.
Second hand everything (well, almost 😅). I mean furniture, electronics, yard supplies, clothes, shoes, sports equipment, tools, dishes, books, decor, cars...name it! Ask family & friends to borrow or if they are decluttering, we would gratefully accept, curbside freebies, yard sales, buy nothing groups, local online sales groups and only after all that I go thrifting. This has saved our family at least $10 K / year, some years way more.
Love this series!
yay love to hear it!
Agree. We have a free Facebook site to share stuff locally and I enjoy getting rid of my clutter thst way.
So I definitely use my "disposable" razor at least 10x longer than suggested 👀
that's a version of living zero waste imo ;)
Same before I switched but it is so nice getting good cuts instead of only tossing out my razor when it cuts my skin more often than my hair. And replacement blades are pennies if that so still less cost than disposables
@@ciannacoleman5125 so true!
Use it til it rust! (Don’t use it rusted, but when you notice rust while cleaning toss it) usually after the 12th use so one razor usually lasted me 4 months, but I got a metal one and it’s amazing
Same! Weeks and weeks (years on the one I kept in my desk at work). I did, however, buy 2 different brands of safety razors thinking it would be great to never have to buy plastic again. I only shave my calves and I have light skin and average leg hair. I consistently found that I could not get through both legs with a new blade. The razor just turned into a skin exfoliator but NO hair cutting was happening. Wet shave in the shower, dry shave anytime day or night. I tried different blades and both razors and some questionable loosening of the blade so it could bend. Don’t know what the secret is but the safety razor has set me back several years of the price of disposable. 😢
I've been into reusable, refyce, re-use & recycle for decades. I'm 71 & still enjoy what I call urban hunting, when I shop 2nd hand. I purchase underwear & socks new. After those items almost everything else is recycled. Rugs, fyrniture, clothing everything.
When my sons were babes, u did buy disposable duapers for Grandma visits, but at home it was cloth diapers.
When I retired i bought a small rural property. I jerp chickens, Muscovy, goats. Planted orchards & gardens + I forage for wild foods.
Luve the life you want.
love to hear it!
My sis in law used top of the line reusable diapers with a diaper pickup service, but she had researched beforehand, and sold them after they no longer needed them. They had a high resale price.
Though they spent more upfront, they had top quality, and spent almost nothing on diapers. The diaper pickup service was cheap and well worth it.
woah interesting!
Mind sharing what brand your sister used?
@@runway5338+1 for this. Would like to know the brand.
You can also re-use dull safety razor razor blades in a stovetop scraper, which is also useful to scrape off soot from the fireplace doors, old silikon from tile, annoying glue on glas jars and other things that are stubborn and sticky.
good idea!!
I freeze glass all the time.
Leave 1.5-2 inches of head space (or below the shoulders for shouldered jars) and always thaw in the fridge. I have SO MANY kept jars. They’re everywhere 😂
yup! it's possible, but plastic is safest for newbies I think :) thanks for sharing!
@ for sure! Just wanted to share how to do it safely if people had more glass than plastic at home 😄 I could see why some folks would prefer plastic; it doesn’t shatter, even if it does burst.
@@hollyhock.and.lavender yeah!!
Sashiko mending might be a rabbit hole you want to go down on TH-cam. It's artistic mending. It's pretty cool.
oooh fun!
Ohhh thank you! This looks COOL!!!
@@skellymom !!
I am mending a pair of jeans as I am watching. Also, you can air dry clothes inside the house. I use a garage sale bought metal clothes rack, and hang my clothes on hangers to dry. I also have a net (with a plastic base) sweater dryer for items I do not want to hang to dry. It works out well. My mother has always had clotheslines attached to the ceiling of her basement that we have used since they moved in, in the early seventies. Great tips, thanks for the video!
yay for mending! Thank you so much :)
I did cloth diapering and reusable wipes with two kids for 4.5 years and it really wasn't bad at all. Saved a small fortune
wow amzing!
I tried to talk my daughter into this. She won't do it.
@@StormCaller5 that's okay!
My experience was not this. Cloth diapering laundry was incredibly hard to keep up with. The added utility costs of running the laundry so much was significant. And my babies got bad diaper rash/ammonia build up burns you never get or have to deal with in disposables. I've heard this is a boy baby problem more often than a girl baby problem with cloth diapers. But...that's half of babies. Also a hard water problem....but again I've lived in the rockies and the Appalachians and Texas and I had hard water all of those places. Way too much trouble for a sleep deprived, post partum anxiety addled, stressed out of my gourd new mom. 0 stars, would not recommend
@@CeresIsABetterPlanetThanPluto yes while it might not be positive for everyone it is also not negative for everyone but all reviews are welcome!
Broth - if you have a pressure cooker, it uses less power than the average stove and you can make the broth in half the time. If you buy a Costco Rotisserie chicken (which is cheaper, by weight, than raw chicken), remove all the bones and put them straight into your pot before anyone can touch them. Use these bones, skin, drippings, and any unwanted parts to make your broth. Once cool, freeze them flat in ziplock bags. (Takes less freezer space to flat pack all food).
great idea!
I believe a big caveat is necessary to mention here: Not everybody has the time to save for those “cheaper in the long run” purchases. For those in the United States, our economy demands that we pay for our basic needs very quickly. Hence, why poor and lower income people are often losing most of their money as soon as they gain it. You can’t control when you have to pay rent or when you run out of food. Are there expensive purchases that save more later on? Yes, but not everyone has the “long run” to wait.
of course. And I never say everyone has to buy these. I cannot and do not force anyone to do anything. These are recommendations. This video is designed for those who want to know how much money these can save you. If that's not for you, great. Thanks for the comment!
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I appreciate that you take the time to address these nuances! It definitely deserves more attention in the zero/low waste space and thankfully we’re getting there.
@@wireddifferent4343 i do my best! It's impossible to address every little bit of nuance :)
Vimes’ boot theory. It’s expensive to be poor.
So very true ( fellow impoverish American here 😊). But it helps knowing what the benefits Might be. I skipped meals , went down to one large meal a day to save money and saved for just over two years to get the medical equipment I needed. No regrets. The consequences of not having it was too great.
But I'm old and less prone to "want" than other generations. My shabby exterior made me a social outcast somewhat. Didn't matter but I doubt I would have felt that way if I still had little kids at home🤔. Hugs to all out there grinding away after a goal that gives them a leg up. ❤🎉
Frugal habits really pay off in the long run.
1st: You have the best sweatshirt!
Air drying in the sun can help clean clothes more completely after washing (UV rays).
Washcloths do almost everything. Cheap ones purchased years ago are thinner in places now but still holding up. They are napkins, cleaning wipes, and used also for intended uses. The different color ones were for diaper wipes. The kids are grown and now they wipe the floor.
omg thanks I thrifted it! I love air drying clothes for so many reasons :)
I always love how informative, honest, and pressure-free your videos are! Genuinely enjoy watching your stuff :)
woohoo thank you so much that means a lot! I'm glad that comes across, some people just don't get that message!
Great ideas! I started making vegetable broth from my scraps probably a year and a half ago. I love it! I toss all my scraps into a crockpot and either cook it all day or over night on low. Let it cool, strain, and put the broth in plastic takeout soup containers and freeze. It has definitely cut down on the amount of broth we buy.
that's amazing!
I would say you need to take into account cleaning/washing costs for some reusables. They're probably still a lot cheaper than one use items, but it does bother me that very few people include that extra cost because it is not free to run the washing machine, etc (though again, will be cheaper than one use, and definitely usually better for the environment).
The best swap I ever made was my safety razor, but another swap that's saved loads is storage jars - instead of buying, I now just reuse jars from foods I've bought at the supermarket.
no, it's not free, but it's usually less than $1 per load. Plus I simply cannot calculate the water and energy user per diaper per load per region. My energy bill is different from yours and is different from the other 2k people who have already watched this. Plus, I wash my period underwear (different, but it's all I got) with my regular load therefore no extra money
I had the same thought years ago but I realized I was already doing a load of dish towels and so I wasn't running it extra, I was just getting more done per load so with that mentality it was better use of the water too
@@benthicbios9395 cool!!
I wash reusable things with my regular laundry. It really does not cost extra for me
I’m a teacher. One of my coworkers taught me to buy gray baby socks and slip them over the dry erasers. Now I never need to replace them.
woah !! you just take the sock off and wash I assume?
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist yes
@@audreybressler7199 woah that's cool!!
I did that with my son's old socks when he was little and never really wore them for very long. Now I just buy dark colored craft felt and the whole class can use small squares of that. Wash them every quarter or so without fabric softener, good to go again and cheap as it gets.
@@cc1k435 nice!!
Dying a faded, yellowed blanket is actually such a good idea. Even if its totally clean it still can age! That's a great way to preserve
yes true!
for the cost of a skein or cone of cotton you can knit or crochet up rounds or squares for all your sponge needs. make remover pads, dishwashing clothes. that torn sheet can be added to the scrap pile for a quilt/patching/rag rug
yes true!!
We use our they-don’t-dry-the dishes-well tea/kitchen towels as our paper napkins. It’s the one design of all our several tea towels that we don’t find useful for actual drying the dishes but we had them so they’re perfect to save on paper kitchen towels.
The clothes drying racks are hella cheap where you are, around here you don’t easily find more hanging space than that thingy useful for hanging socks but definitely not enough room to hang an entire wash load, not even when hanging everything double (and believe me, I can load 1 rack up with A LOT lol). But even when they cost double, or in my case twice that (but I can hang 4 wash loads on the one rack if need me, though it’s most comfortable for 2-3 loads), it’s still definitely worth the money and even when you only use it half the time it still saves up enough to warrant having one. Due to chronic illnesses and other disabilities I can’t hang bed linen and such so I will never take being able to use a dryer for granted, by using the dryer for bed (and some bath) linen (it’s just too heavy and big for my muscles to handle), I save up on pain remedy products (and feel less discomfort in general) so it’s all about what’s most useful to you and your needs or disabilities. Not that I still feel the need to justefy MY use and needs and how they compare with the general standard guidelines but there are still some people out there that still need to hear this, so here it is ❤
hahaha what a great idea for those towels that just don't seem to work!
This old girl is loving this series. I hope you'll do more.
Saving money was originally why we started going more sustainable, just over 20 years ago. We're definitely not Emma level but we're doing okay.
aww thank you! I sure have more planned :)
oh, I am by no means perfect or advanced, you got this!
when I make my broth, I cook it down as much as possible, put into ice cube trays, and I have concentrated broth - one cube of frozen broth and a cup of water works fine. Saves space in the freezer too!
11:29 those silicone mats are only oven safe up to like 400-425 f. If you had it any higher, that could explain the bubbling.
I don't recall I did but yes that may explain it!
FYI... Darn Tough socks have a lifetime warranty. You'll spend out the wahoo for 1 pair but you can send them back for a new pair when they get a hole or just give out.
yes!! I love them for that! thankfully they honor the warranty even if you repair them yourself so I like to make mine last as long as possible :)
I just wanted to add that I like to hang dry my cloth napkins and handkerchiefs because they last longer. Same for favorite clothing, especially jeans. 😊
oooh great ideas!
I cloth diapered, and i was able to get the diapers free. They were used from freecycle, remember to check them out, but a great way to save money is to get waterproof covers and some flour sack kitchen towels, they are super absorbant. And you can get some different ones for napkins and dye or embroidered them if you are handy.
wow I love to hear success stories!
I also love hanging clothes outside on the line-very therapeutic!
YES! the best :)
I love the smell of line dried clothes! And yes, it is therapeutic. I listen to my jams as I hang them up. 😊
We used reusable diapers starting at the end of 2019 through until pullups in 2022. It saved us thousands, especially with an infant who could go through 20 diapers in a day because he could not abide being wet. I got most of them second hand, and had a HUGE stash that I have since passed on to a friend who just had her first.
love to hear this experience!
I bought a very soft towel in the make up section at dollar tree and it has replaced make up removing wipes. I wash it every few days. No more waste. Menstrual cups are awesome too. Will never go back to tampons.
great idea!
I have that same Dutch oven and never thought to use it for baking bread. Definitely going to have to give that a try now that the weather is cooling down in CA.
it's perfect for sourdough!
It's a great idea!
@@cc1k435 !!
Every one of these were in use by everyone during my childhood. Zero waste or just living really, really, retro. ;)
cool for sure!
If you already have microfiber rags- the microfiber is an awesome makeup remover- really gets off stubborn mascara!
good to know!
A lot of these reminded me of the ways I benefited from my family’s thrifty habits!
My laundry room is basically a long hallway that houses our furnace, water heater, etc, and my dad rigged up a pvc pipe to the ceiling using wire and screw eyes at the ends and middle of the pipe(threading the wire through two holes he screwed through the pipe at each hanging section). It’s where our winter jackets hang in the summer, and my husband and I get so much use out of it now! It’s also perfect because we need a dehumidifier for our basement, and it lives directly across from the drying rack.
For makeup users who don’t want to buy a secondary product, I got a dupe of the Makeup Eraser cloths that take everything off with just water. They changed the game for me, and feel much nicer than disposable wipes ever have - you just have to make sure you’re gentle or you can irritate your eyes from over scrubbing! (That’s the only time I ever disliked them tbh)
aww love that!
I bought cloth napkins at Meijer when my children were preschool. I cooked 3 meals a day, and they were messy eaters. I’d go through 1-3 paper napkins per day 3 times a day so when they had the napkins on clearance I bought them. I think it was a dozen for $5. Enough for 3 days and since I didn’t buy a lot of clothes for my kids (as they outgrew them before wearing them out) I washed a load of laundry almost daily. One napkin per person per day worked and they would get washed with what ever I was washing that day. I haven’t gone back to paper and even camping I bring cloth napkins because I’ve found by refolding them I can get 3 or 4 days use of one napkin. I now use handkerchiefs instead of tissues since covid and the paper products shortages. I bought a Henson razor second hand and it works a charm. I had bought the leaf second hand but ever time I used it I cut my self, the sides of the razor are exposed and sharp and was part of the problem. I also bought the cheap men’s razor and had trouble getting it to shave evenly. Henson was almost exactly like using a 3 bladed disposable razor or the ones with the changeable heads from the start.
yes! I love the idea of buying zero waste swaps on sale to save even MORE money!
Makeup can easily be removed by rubbing oil on your makeup, like olive oil works great. Then wash your face. Better than most makeup removal products.
woah!
I used cloth diapers for my youngest. That was about 13 years ago. I used the brand called econo bums. They were basically an adjustable outer covering and then just replaceable inner lining which was Egyptian cotton prefold cloth diapers.
wow nice!
For broth, if you don't have the freezer space to make it from food scraps, you can use Better than Bouillon concentrate. It comes in glass jars with metal lids. Its more expensive than homemade, but wayyyy cheaper than buying cans or cartons. For bread, if you can't make your own at least freeze your bread before it goes bad. It saves so much money and so many bread bags. Target sells some pretty nice cloth napkins for anyone who has trouble finding or affording them.
Get the organic better than bouillon one. The other one is GMO.
yes I use that and love it for far less waste!
GMOs are not bad
GMOs are not bad
Re: scrap stock. I dont use potato peels because they are too starchy, those go straight to compost. I nake scrap veg or chicken stock every week in the cooler months and at least once a month rhe rest of the year. I never feeeze it because i use it all up. Il
You can use stock in place if water to in a lot of things like rice, cooking potatoes, curry, etc. Not just for soups!!
good to know!! thanks for the additions and tips :)
If you worry about the "extra" work from using cloth diapers, I like to tell people that I am one of the laziest people I know and I could keep up with them, even with twins! Saves you running out of diapers and having to run to the store, too.
The first place my kids were taught to walk to was the bathroom 😂
wow that's great to hear!
hahaha amazing
i’ve had the leaf razor for almost 2 years now. i bought the whole kit with the travel case the grip the stand the tin and the extra blades. i have not had to buy new blades as of yet (i only shave once a week, but i also use all 3 blade slots) , and still have so many to go before i run out. the only thing is sometimes the shaving soap collects in the nooks and crannies, but washing with soapy water and an old toothbrush every now and again keeps it in tip top shape. such an amazing purchase and saves sooo much money and plastic in the long run. one of the best investments. also a diva cup + period underwear combo for the girlies is life changing and also saves so much money/hassle. another suggestion is wash cloths instead of loofahs. more hygienic, does a better job, and so easy to throw in with my weekly laundry. lastly, for everything new i wanna get, i always check facebook marketplace and the thrift store first
glad to hear you like these swaps!
My experience is that period underwear wears out WAY faster than reusable pads! The elastic can expire and then the absorbent part can't be transferred. That said, you gotta do what works for you...I have a reusable disc, organic cotton disposable pads, reusable pads, AND period panties 😂
One change I did was using babyoil instead of (eye-) makeup remover. In my country a bottle at the drugstore is 2€ for 250ml or 8€ per liter, the cheapest oil-based makeup remover is 15€ per liter. My bottle has lasted me for a year now and there's still quite a bit in there because you only need a few drops. That way I only need to buy a plastic bottle every year or so instead of every couple of months like I did when I still used the conventional remover as it's a smaller bottle not as potent (in my opinion)☺️
I do like leaf because the learning curve is none, however if you want to save some money you can buy a traditional “man’s” safety razor which is single blade for about 20$ with blades included (I like the brand Viking on Amazon but it does have a learning curve)
for sure get a generic one anywhere!
When our dryer went down, I hung our clothes up on plastic hangers, then hung them off the the shower curtain rod in the bathroom. No equipment necessary and if they're clothes you hang up anyway, they can go straight into the closet when dry.
good idea!! thanks for the tip :) though that last bit may not work for those of us in humid climates since closets don't have air flow
@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I live in TN; it's extra humid here. They still dry in the bathroom. You don't put them in the closet until they're dry. Or, yeah, they'd sour.
@@kerim.peardon5551 omg I totally read that as "go in the closet as wet" hahaha thanks for clarifying!!
You can make any razor last longer by dragging it BACKWARDS across a towel several times after use (to hone the blade) them drying it off & store it in a safe, dry place WITHOUT the blade guard.
woah!
Protip: ask your local grocery deli counter to save their turkey carcasses around Thanksgiving. They probably would be tossed otherwise and you can make GALLONS of free stock to last the year
oooh cool!
A lot of this is getting lucky, or having to spend money to save money. When you’re living paycheck to paycheck it’s hard to spend money when you have none to begin with.
But I see your point.
I’m going to see what I can do, and how I can implement more ways to save money. Simply because I like money and would end up rather spending it elsewhere, not because I need to.
Just a couple of comments. Foldable cloth diapers easily adjust as the child grows. When the baby outgrows diapers, the wornout diapers can be bleached, then used as cleaning rags. Unless you are buying a set, don't buy fitted sheets. Use two flat sheets for your bed, using hospital corners for the bottom sheet. Wash the bottom sheet on washing day, move the top sheet to the bottom. This keeps the linens rotated and adjusts the wear on the fabric while keeping your other bedding (blankets, comforters, etc.,) away from body oils.
omg hospital corners on a flat sheet gave me flashbacks to military basic training haha maybe that's why I use a fitted sheet hahahahahahaha
I have saved the hangers from pants I bought from Walmart and I worked at a hotel for a while and saved all hangers that people left behind. I use them for hanging my clothing to dry. The clip ones are perfect for pants, underwear and socks. I don’t have an outside line so I have tension rods in doorways to hang clothes on to dry. I don’t use throw away makeup removers just a regular washcloth. I cut hand size squares from old towels to make reusable toilet squares (no more toilet paper). When I still had my monthly I got two period cups after the price went down a bit, awesome things, saved me hundreds over the eight to ten years I used them. Don’t buy paper napkins or paper towels, use a washcloth or squares from an old t shirt or hand towels or napkins from the thrift store, only use paper towels for really nasty stuff. I use old socks and tshirts for cleaning. Don’t buy a lot of fancy cleaners either, a good dish soap cleans most stuff, a basic cleaner for everything else. I make my own laundry soap too. Rummage sales and thrift stores are good but still keep an eye on store sales and clearance prices, sometimes new is better.
great reuse!
I’m sure someone has already said this but you can send your darn tough socks with holes back to the company and get store credit to get new socks. But darning is super fun and meditative.
yes for sure! I always repair before recycling :)
On the reusable diapers - many people sell them secondhand in good or at least usable condition. Fb marketplace and groups are a good place to look. I got a whole super stock of like 30+ diapers including overnights for $200. I’m using them on my second kid now, and doing Elimination Communication so most of it goes in the potty and the diapers will be washed less and last for even more kids. I’m saving so much money!
so true!!
I got some nice cloth diapers secondhand from my buy nothing group! We do use disposables occasionally (we are only human), but it’s been great to be able to significantly reduce our diaper waste and save a ton of money. I’ve bought some as well, but all together we’ve saved about $400 in the first year of my baby’s life even with using some disposables. I use a safety razor from Henson, and it works fine! Their blades are like 100 for $10, so cheap.
for sure no one is perfect!
I use old cut up t~shirts for toilet paper ( for #1) and use toilet paper for number 2, I’ve only have save on hundreds the last time i bought tp was in 2023. I wash the t~shirts with my white loads which is the only time I wash with hot and bleach. And I also bought reusable paper towels, I only use my paper towels for greasy cleanup but for everything else I use my reusable paper towels. One roll of paper towel will last me over 6 months
that's still a reduction!
Sourdough pancakes or cornbread is a nice way to use your sourdough starter. I love making corn cakes instead of cornbread. It is not as dry. Muffins are also a way to use sourdough.
yes true!
Reading about reusable diapers is what led me to doscovering reusable menstral pads. No where near a baby yet but plan on doing a reusable & disposable hybrid system when i do (i have read most people prefer pure disposable the first few weeks of post-pardom in particular)
Yes that's so true they can be helpful postpartum as well as period underwear too!
I can get behind everything that you said except for the diapers. I have 3 kids. 2 are under 3 years old and my oldest is 5.
As someone whos a full time mom who has a full time job in a wfh setup, disposable diapers definitely saves me time. You also have to take into account the time that it takes washing these reusable diapers and the electricity, water, detergent that you consume just to clean them.
yeah it's not for everyone!
A note if you are pressure can broth some spices/herbs become bitter in the prosses so its better to add them when you use it
good to know!
I don't know if everyone would be satisfied with them, but I use soap nuts instead of buying laundry detergent. It's less irritating for sensitive skin, and you get multiple uses for each group of nuts (you use several at a time). It saves space and money--no more big containers of detergent. Just a small bag that lasts a good while.
I enjoy them though I haven't used them in years! I found they worked well!
Ooops. I definitely used my Gilletw razor 20+ times before changing it
hey whatever works for you!
I use kitchen paper towels, but I cut the roll in a half and use one half at a time.
reusable rags are a great way to reduce waste :)
I have the razors that have four blades and i use that same disposable razor for over a year for my legs and underarms and it works great.
cool!
Added note…resist the urge to stir the broth as it cooks…stirring makes your broth makes it cloudy. Cloudy broth is fine to use…it’s just an esthetic thing.
ohhhh good to know!
My mama used old towels for diapers when we were little but when we left the house, disposable ones plus we wore a plastic underwear over the diaper.
We've never had a dryer. Our clothesline is still working, just need to replace the lines every couple of years. I bought a drying rack and a hanging rack for socks, etc for when it rains. I also hang clothes on the shower & hung a broom stick over the doorway so i can hang more clothes.
For paper towels i cut up old tshirts & use old washcloths. I cut up old pillowcases to use as tissues and they have served me well so far.
makes sense!
I use a combo of reusable and disposable diapers because traveling with reusables is more messy than we can handle 😂 but we got 19 reusables on FB marketplace for $100 and we love them. Also I don’t bother shaving (I’m FAB so not a ton of facial hair). Don’t have the time or energy and just don’t care about hairy pits and legs.
totally makes sense!
There are some hidden costs in cloth diapering. You have to consider the cost of water/electricity to run the washer and dryer (unless you choose to hang dry) and laundry detergent. In my experience, cloth diapers have to be washed frequently (most likely daily) to avoid an ammonia smell. I tried so hard to cloth diaper, but at the end of the day didn’t feel that it was worth the stress it was causing me.
sure...but I simply could not caluclate the water for every single person watching this video. Good to note, though! Would you say it's significant? I imagine it can't be that much
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist totally get that you can’t calculate that for everyone! But simply mentioning the other costs associated would have gotten the point across.
When I calculated it for our family, with our older washer and dryer, it was costing .50-.60 cents per load to wash and dry diapers, which I had to do daily to avoid the ammonia smell. I found that I had to use a pricier laundry detergent to get the smells out AND not irritate my kiddos skin, so add on at least .20 cents per load, total we’re at .70 cents a day to use cloth. At the time my baby was using about 4 disposable diapers a day (cloth diapers have to be changed more frequently, so we were using around 6 cloth diapers a day and a disposable at night because cloth just wasn’t absorbent enough for my kids to last all night with). I was getting disposable diapers for about .15 cents each - 4x.15 is .60 cents. It turned out to be .10 cents cheaper per day for me to buy disposable than to wash cloth 🤷🏼♀️ and that doesn’t even take in to account the initial cost of the cloth diapers. Maybe the numbers are different for other people, depending on their circumstances. That was just my experience. That’s why I feel it’s important to at least mention that there are other costs involved.
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist I should also say that I know a lot of people probably feel that the .10 cents per day is worth it for the environment. And I totally respect and support that! For our family, the fact that it wasn’t cheaper and it was yet another thing I had to take care of during the day, we decided to prioritize other ways of helping the environment. Sometimes our own mental health has to take priority.
@@laurenyost1526 for sure! I'm sure the frequency will depend on the person as will the detergent, but this is good to know!
@@laurenyost1526 for sure! as i always say, do what you gotta do and what makes sense for you!
I've got to start doing the veggie scrap, I've been going through vegetable broth way to fast. Also love your shirt
for sure! thanks :)
Razor blades can last much longer cleaning them with an old toothbrush. Very good list, and there are hundreds more items you can save on.
cool cool! yes so true!
I make my own dishwasher soap - just a few inexpensive ingredients and reuse the same container each time so less plastic containers. 😊
how nice!
Now for the confronters big tip and savings use a confronters cover or just sew a cover with 2 sheets. I've been sewing patches on my jeans and friends new patching methods. And darning my socks and my sons.
Yes, a comforter cover like a duvet would work!
I admit it. I bought a boujie Leaf razor in 2021. Before that, I was using an Atra from the eighties. My husband uses a Leaf too. You can buy a cheaper safety razor, but the Leaf is easier to use in the shower. Cartridges can run $20 a month, or more, for 1 person. A 50 count of the best Feather blades is under $17 on Amazon. They work so well that I sometimes forget to change the blades on a weekly basis. (My fancy razor holds 1 and a half blades, broken in half.) After the initial investment for the razor, which paid for itself in just over 6 months, shaving now cost me less per month than I previously spent in a year. In the past 3 years, that's $669, if cartridges haven't significantly increased in cost.
agreed, the leaf is just so good! thanks for the testimony!
I got a stainless steel razor, the little brush thing to make the soap foamy and a nice bar of conditioning soap. Not buying the shaving gel has saved me so much as well.
yay that's great!
We use paper towels in the bathroom, it has stopped spreading school illnesses. We have hand towels too but if anyone is sick, they dry their hands with paper towels.
If any are used to dry things on, they are saved, dried and use again to clean up bearded dragon poop.
I have been saving old clothes to cut up for pee rags. I need to figure out what to use as a diaper pail for soaking them.
good to know
I love my silicon bakeware too. Last week I had to throw one out as it was falling apart. How old was it? Emma is the same age as my son, and he (and therefore Emma too) was in highschool.
I have never been good with any bladed razor, thank you bad eyesight. I went to Kmart and bought a rechargeable shaver for $10. And yes, it does legs just fine.
silicone bakeware is the best!
I love mending. I've saved several clothing items I love this year. :)
it's the best!
This list is helpful for deciding which habits have the best payoff. Thanks!
yay thank you!
glass doesnt crack jsut leave 1 - 1/2 inch for expansion
perhaps. I've done that and it still has cracked. For safety, i like to avoid it personally and that's okay!
I read somewhere that to resharpen a disposable razor, rub the razor on some hair going with the hair. I tried it and it actually worked. You can get far more than 10 uses out of it.
woah!
If you're like me, there's not much here that I can use.
My kids are adults, so no diapers.
If I'm using broth, I don't want a veggie broth, I want a meat broth.
I don't eat much bread.
Other than buttons, I don't have much mending to do.
I don't eat a lot of bread. I can get a loaf of regular white bread at Aldi's for $0.99.
I rarely use napkins. If I do need one, I just use a paper towel.
I don't wear makeup.
I've hung my clothes on the line for years, even during the winter.
So, unfortunately, this video isn't saving me any money.
good thing this is part 3 in this series!! check out the other ones :)
I make my own laundry soap and cleaning products from vinegar, baking soda, dish soap and water.
White vinegar is a laundry deodorizer and clothes softener, great for daily cleaning, etc... so many ways to use.
Theses have saved me hundreds of dollars as window cleaner, multipurpose clear, and laundry products add up. My laundry soap cost is less than $3 for about 1.5 months worth. For tough or needing more i use the laundry ingredient to soak laundry which had even removed paint odor as well as regular dirts and oils not removed in a conventional washing machine.
love to see it!
I have a folding dry rack. I set it up with the air from my dehumidifier blowing on it, I do a load of laundry at night and it is typically dry and ready to put away in the morning. In my area, a dryer load is estimated to cost about 35 cents to dry. I typically dry 3 loads a week this way, mostly kitchen towels, cloth napkins, underwear…. . That’s not a huge savings, maybe $60 a year. That is probably a weeks worth of electricity. Looking at it like that makes it seem worth it. . it is satisfying to use less energy. My cloth napkins fold better when they are line dried. The real savings is in the reusable napkins and cleaning cloths.
great idea!
Love mine. Use it all the time
I'm always confused about the scrap broth. my scraps from veggies are always the bad parts like mold that I cut off. is it safe to make broth put of those parts after freezing?? so confused
Definitely don't use anything moldy. You can use onion skins, roots, the very top of carrots, the base stump of celery, the leaves of the celery, etc.
the other commenter said it best!
great comment!
Kathy/VeganPrepper mentioned grinding your own flour from whole grains- I believe that is saving $$$ 🤩Planting your own herbs, vegetables, fruits, flowers, trees, ect. will reduce plastic and $$$. The plasma lighters, multi packs was so helpful as small gifts to myself and hopefully some of the family members 😊
woah interesting! I'm not sure where to find cheap grain though it's so expensive plus the equipment?
@@TheSimpleEnvironmentalist yeah, Kathy spoke of the whole process, so I would equate it as an investment like a food dehydrator, freeze dryer etc. And later you can always grown your own grain and see what will thrive in your area 😊If I wan to go the rebuy route and old grinder from a thrift store etc. just to test how I would like it.
@@NguyenVinhHang haha if only I didn't live in an RV park! I try to keep my tips as accessible to me and others but this is a great advanced swap if you have the time and money!
Hi there, just a quick sidenote:
In europe, energy is super expensive. Freezing scraps, cooking them, freezing the broth, all of that costs energy which can really ad up.
If you do this, at least let the scraps defrost please.
yes great energy saving tip! or you don't even have to freeze them in the first place :)
Wonderful series! Sourdough Bread: Couldn’t you make shorter loaves, or even dinner roll size, or subway sandwich size in your small RV oven? I love
PS: starting in the 1970s my family went to reusable cloth napkins & each kid had a wooden napkin ring. Then whichever kid was clearing the table & washing dishes on Friday night gathered up the dirty napkins & put into the dirty clothes basket by the washer for whoever is doing the laundry Saturday. Oh we had spare clean cloth napkins is there was a “messy meal”. Now contrast that with my spouse who is addicted to paper napkins… well you see the conflict. Sigh.
thank you! No, I can't cause the oven also burns on the bottom
I didnt realize Gilette has their razors 3-6 uses per razor!!
Damn I have been quote/unquote, using razor's well beyond their prime! 😂
It wasn't till I switched to a safety razor that I figured out -When the blade takes effort to cut hair it's time to replace. I think i keep my single blades for .. 2-3 weeks each? I shave 2-3 days a week...maybe.
Love reusable toner pads!
Cloth diapers has saved me SO MUCH. They generally don't fit newborns well, (They do have "Newborn sized" cloth diapers, but they only last the first few months) but I have used mine many times ever since she started sitting up. They are gross and annoying to clean but totally worth it if you have the time for it. Also great for potty training 👍
glad to hear it!
How do you typically clean your diapers?
I had the snap adjustable kind but they really only work for a baby up to a certain size. Had to get another round of larger sized cloth diapers for my very large LO!
Love this series, I do almost all of these!
Can the baking mats go in the dishwasher? I might have to ask for one for Christmas.
They do go in the dishwasher but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. Because of their size & because they’re so ‘floppy’ they either don’t get super clean themselves or they prevent the water going around well so your other dishes don’t get cleaned properly. Personally I handwas it and let it dry over our faucet. 😊
yes they can!
true!
I use an electric epilator instead of any razor. Been doing this 20 years, have bought 2 epilators over that time for a total cost of about $70.
woah cool!
Apparently they sell safety razors at Dollar Tree now! $1.25 for the handle and some starter blades
love an extra budget option :) this just usually isn't my first recommendation since there is almost no way that was made ethically. But if it's your only option I understand!
You are talking really fast and I am having trouble following you. I turned on the captions and it is helping. Great ideas. I have never made Sour dough but your comment about plastic bread bags is very true. I use peanut butter jars too.
good news, youtube has a gear icon in the bottom right that can slow the speed of the video for you :)
The problem a lighter has is that they can accidentally be discharged meaning you don’t have them when you need them
ohhhh
I love vids like this! Thank you for sharing.
thank you so much! there is more where this came from so don't forget to follow along!
I save paper napkins from takeout in a cookie tin, so if i have family visit that wants one i got it for free and avoided tossing it out unused
great idea!!
I've been contemplating using old socks for reusable makeup remover pads... I just don't wear much makeup so I'm not sure if it's worth my time (like 1-4x/year); I have bamboo socks and they die a wee bit faster than other socks (I'm working on getting my collection of GOOD socks up to the point where I can just wear those and cut out the others). They're super soft and my socks are all black - I'm not a fan of stains.
Now... cue the ewie from the peanut gallery! :)
that's a good idea!
I am not completely sold on silicone baking mats. A lot of the aren't rated for above 400/425F. While that number is decently high i just dont trust the manufacturing contamination risk for outgassing of contaminants. While paper is not the best material due to it's high water demand to produce buying compostable parchment paper allows it to be home composted (thus zero waste).
Personally, i use crisco. Even tho it has an expiration date, does it actually expire. I also use heat (when cooking veggies when you get them to a high enough temp they release themselves from the sheet pan) and minor parchment paper for specific applications. I have had the same roll of parchment paper for roughly 3 years. I go thru 1 roll about evey 4 years. Crisco i go thru a jar like every 2 years (a little goes a long way), alternatives are coconut oil too.
that is good to hear I will do more research on my future brands of mats !
We use damp cloths to wipe our kids' hands and faces after eating instead of using baby wipes...at two kids times probably five uses a day each, thats 3,650 wipes we're NOT using (assuming we only used one each time). Its $30 for 900 wipes at costco, or $120/year for hand and face wiping we aren't paying. Even using a set of very expensive Norwex cloths (tbey dont stink as fast as others), it's $68 for 6, so even in year one you're saving over $50. And tbese cloths last basically forever.
My other favourite swap is toilet cloth - even just using it part time, you can save a bunch on toilet paper!! I guesstimate that without using any cloth, we spend about $200/year on plastic free recycled toilet paper from Staples. If we used cloth 50% of the time, made exclusively from old flannel baby blankets and sheets for a cost of $0, we could reduce our toilet paper cost by $50-100/year!
great ideas!!
There was a study a few years ago (pre-pandemic, iirc) that claimed disposable diapers saved money over reusable diapers and were less impactful on the environment (I believe specifically related to the environmental costs of production). I couldn't help but notice they failed to calculate the costs of those disposable diapers never breaking down in landfills.
Edit: also, I tried a reusable lighter but somehow managed to destroy it trying to light my wood wick candles lol. Back to matches or disposables for me.
do you have a cover for the comforter?
I know covers are super annoying but they are more sanitary and protect the comforter so the expensive comforter (time, material, and labor) will last much longer and stay cleaner.
I will wash the duvet cover roughly 3x more than the need to wash the comforter, in cold climates (like where I live) in the winter you can even put the comforter outside in below freezing temps to help refresh the comforter without using water.
I'll have to try one out!
You can make sourdough English muffins. They are can be cooked in a covered skillet
yummy!
My aunt made me my cloth (white flannel) diapers when I had my daughter, back in the 80s.
They did last thru her 2.3 years she was in diapers.. & I was lucky that she stayed slim & never outgrew the larger size before she toilet trained.
I definitely used less of the bigger diapers per day (just so you know)
I didn't catch you discuss the cost of laundering the cloth diapers.
Small babies produce small pees quite often.
Larger babies pee less often, but more at a time.
I probably didn't have as many diapers as you recommended, so they were washed Often.
I did find that I had many diapers wearing out by the time I had baby #2.
Because we knew we were not planning 3 kids, I used disposable at the sitters & didn't buy more reusable diapers..
I think my aunt may have made another dozen smaller diapers.
My 2nd child was 3.5 when he finally bought into the idea that he seriously needed to stop long enough to pee.. seriously.
(He was a lot older than that before he really started to sit & eat much. I definitely try to not judge mothers with misbehaving kids, cuz I definitely tried hard with my son. He's a Wonderful husband.. not interested in kids of his own)
Yes, it saved a lot of $$
good to hear!