I went to zero waste options even before I knew it existed because I did not have enough money to afford the things I needed when I migrated to Australia. This is why I know that this lifestyle is not necessarily more expensive. On the contrary it can help you to save money. If you can’t afford or don’t want to buy reusable items, that’s fine! You can start or continue focusing on the cheap ways to live a more eco friendly life.
1. DIYs
It’s not a secret, doing things yourself instead of buying it pre-made (with some exceptions) is cheaper.
Here are some easy DIYs you can do:
- Vegan zero waste deodorant
- Zero waste multipurpose cleaning product
- Vegan Food staples
- Growing your own vegetables – check out my guide for urban gardening on a budget
If you are new to the eco friendly lifestyle, try to choose DIYs that are easy and quick to make before you move to more advanced DIYs.
Some DIYs require specific skills – woodworking, sewing, cosmetics making (chemistry), cooking, etc. You can look for workshops near you that could help you learn and practice these skills. If your birthday or Christmas is coming soon, you could ask your family and friends to give you vouchers for such workshops instead of buying you objects that could potentially end up in waste one day.
2. Use what you have (& be creative!)
You can reuse objects for the same intended use, for example reusing a takeaway container for meal prep food.
You can also “upcycle” your objects by giving a new function. You would do this if you need an object with a specific function. For example, you could use a glass tomato sauce bottle as a reusable water bottle. Some upcycle projects can be very creative and you can really use your imagination to create new objects from existing single use objects. For example, I upcycled metal cans & other material to make super cute candles!
Some easy ways to reuse & upcycle are:
- Reuse jars, cups, cutlery as takeaway items
- Use cardboard boxes to store
- Use old clothes as tea towel
- Use Food containers for storage or as garden pots
- Dry flowers to decorate your home forever
3. Second hand (here are the FREE things!)
You can save huge amounts of money if you buy second hand instead of new! Second hand does not mean low quality items, it’s quite the opposite! There is an abundance of quality & sturdy items on the second hand market!
I furnished my 2-bedroom house in Sydney for less $2,000 with second hand items. It includes a fridge, washing machine, TV, couch, bed, wardrobe, 3 shelves, 2 desks, a kitchen island, bar chairs, coffee table, rugs, 2 office chairs, 10-15 storage boxes, a day bed, multiple lamps, a few kitchen appliances and much more! Check out my Youtube Video below (I did some updates in my house since then, but it could give you a good idea of what I got for $2,000).
Here are some tips to find FREE and cheap second hand items:
- Second hand website such as gumtree or craigslist – check for freebies/ free items. Be quick & ready to pick up as free items go fast!
- Charity shops – shops who sell clothes to use as funds for a non-profit organisation ( differ from vintage shops which are a proper business). In Sydney try Salvos or Vinnies.
- Facebook Marketplace – Check out Free items
- The Street – In Sydney at least people unfortunately dump a lot in the street often items in really good conditions. Can’t tell you how much I furnished my house.
4. Repair
There are so many resources you can find on the internet to repair anything. So if something is broken, you might want to look it up. You can even find the parts to buy as well as detailed tutorials to repair the exact model you have (try Ifixit for electrical).
Some organisations now also offer “tool libraries” (in Sydney, The Bower and Inner West) so you can rent tools that you would only need from time to time to repair something specific. There are two in Sydney, but check in your local area.
If you feel that you don’t have the skills and the time, you may find some great help in your local areas where community groups/ charity can support you in repairing your items. Here are some examples:
- Electrical items: Repair cafes (search for your local area)
- Phone repairs, something part of repair cafes or specific workshops, check your local area.
- Bicycle repairs – in Australia, you can repair your bikes at these workshops.
- Clothing repair workshops (Mending, repairing socks etc…). In Sydney, some councils regularly organise free workshops and the Bower has a free cloth repair workshop once a month.
If this is still not suitable for you, these same organisations may offer affordable repairs or you might want to seek out a professional. I had some second hand trousers that I got adjusted for $20 which cost me less than buying new ones!
5. Minimal investment
You want to focus on investments that will give you a maximum return over a short period. You should also look at the life duration of the objects. If you only need to buy a new one every 5 years, it will increase your return on investment.
Here are three things that I think are worth investing in because the savings will be quick and guaranteed.
Bicycle
If your city is quite bike friendly, this is an investment that will save you so much!
Obviously it will depend on how much you invest in your bicycle. If you buy a first price like mine it will be really worth it! I paid my bicycle $400 + $100 of accessories and I had one service and few repairs ($200) in over 7 years.
In Sydney, an average trip for me is $3.5 and over the past seven years I did about 6 trips a week (with my bicycle) so the total savings has been $1,100 per year. This means that I almost saved $7000 by cycling instead of using the public transports!
New to cycling? Check out my 10 tips to cycle in big cities.
Cleaning items
Your usual items can be replaced by natural sponges, scrubbers and brushes. They are not overly priced and last a lot longer than their plastic counterparts.
Sanitary products
If you have periods you can definitely save with cups, pads and periods panties as they can be reused for quite a long time which definitely saves you money!
6. Make the most of promotional items
Just like us, lots of companies have moved from single use plastic promotional items to reusable items. And it’s not just tote bags! Some companies now give away items such as:
- Toothbrushes
- Straws
- Cutlery sets
So if you go to an event, make sure to check out what eco friendly merchandise they have!
7. Same item for multiple uses
I guess that’s where we touch on minimalism, but I think that this definitely helps to save money. When you feel like you need something for a specific use, try to think about what you could use se instead. Here are three examples from my life:
3 uses for a steamer pan
I use this as a regular steamer, like bamboo steamer for dumplings (just using some parchment paper to avoid stickiness and as strainer for when I cook pasta and other things!
Cosmetics products
For a long time, I used specific products for hygiene or beauty while it’s absolutely not necessary. I saved so much by limiting my number of cosmetics products and I now buy in bulk the products I have which helps to save.
Cleaning products
I did the same with cleaning products. I used to have specific products for many areas in our house while we could pretty much use the same thing everywhere. Check out my multi-purpose cleaner recipe!
8. Lifestyle changes
Go to the market
Local and in season fruits and veggies are usually 20% cheaper as they need less resources to grow and get to the end consumers. Check out markets in your area and find out if the products are local and in season to save!
Make your own food
Eating out & takeaway food is usually a big spending area but we don’t realise it as we feel like we only spend a little bit each time. It compounds! Making your own food will save you so much and is so much more eco-friendly as you can choose the products you’ll use.
It does take time to learn to cook if you never have, so start with quick simple meals, maybe just one a day and then move to make your breakfast, lunch and dinner. The next step would be to make some of the products you buy pre-made such as meal ready mix (curry paste), tomato sauce etc..
Experiences vs consumption
If you focus on experiences instead of consumption, you could save a lot of money. Firstly because lots of experiences are free (or can be made free): going for a walk, going to a museum, watching a movie at home, gardening, cycling with friends. Secondly, because you can pay for experiences that will teach you something you can use in your life especially through workshops, for example learn to make soap, to cook vegan, to compost or garden.
9. Ask yourself the right questions
A zero waste lifestyle is about consuming less which will save you money. However it can be challenging as we’ve learnt to consume so much. The following questions can help you to decide if you really need to spend money.
- Is that something that I need?
- If I don’t need it, why do I want it? Do I really love it, will I really wear it for a long time?
- Can I find the same (quality + durability) second hand?
- If not, is it ethical or environmentally friendly?
- Is it really worth spending the money?
10. Connect with the community
You’re not the only one who’s trying to save money and be more eco friendly! There is a huge low waste community so try to join it and connect with others to discover the best tips that will allow you to save money. You can find it on instagram and Facebook. You can also join my Facebook Group Zero Waste on the budget for savvy eco friendly tips.
11. Take your time + Learn
You don’t have to rush it and buy the zero waste items trending on Instagram. You can take your time, research, find DIYs and ideas to reuse before buying something new!
As you probably realised if you read till the bottom, I love cheap zero waste tips and above all, I love to share them with others! Join me on Instagram to discover my best ecofriendly savy tips!