One of the most common excuses I hear against adopting a greener lifestyle is “it’s too expensive.” That’s why I get frustrated when I see articles like Everything you need to buy to go zero waste. Living a more sustainable life doesn’t have to cost a lot of money. In many ways, it can save you money. As proof, today’s post is a roundup of 40 things I no longer buy since going green.
Say NO to Black Friday and YES to Buy Nothing Day
Are you ready for the silly season to kick into high gear? This Friday is Black Friday—a day best known for retail mayhem across the United States. It’s also Buy Nothing Day—an opportunity to rethink out-of-control consumerism. In today’s post I’ll look at the origins of Buy Nothing Day, and seven ways you can celebrate it instead of heading to the malls.
6 great reasons to love thrift shops
Are you an avid thrift shopper or do you prefer brand new goods? August 17 is Thrift Shop Day, a day set aside to encourage people to visit thrift shops in their area and to purchase second-hand items. It’s an opportunity to look at the benefits of second-hand shopping and some great reasons to love thrift shops.
It’s time to stop excessive packaging waste – once and for all!
What do cucumbers have in common with cosmetics, toys, electronics accessories and many online purchases? If you guessed too much packaging, you’re right!
As someone who strives to reduce waste and live a more sustainable life, excessive packaging is a personal pet peeve of mine. We are starting to see some improvement in this area, but change is slow.
What I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge
This year, instead of giving up the usual things like chocolate or potato chips for Lent, I decided to do something I had been thinking about for a while – a Buy Nothing Challenge. How hard would it be to avoid all non-essential purchases for six weeks?
In today’s post, I’ll recap my experience and share what I learned from the Buy Nothing Challenge.
Buy Nothing Challenge for Lent
Lent starts on Wednesday. Every year since I was a child, I’ve heard the question “What are you giving up for Lent?”. This year, instead of giving up the standard temptations like potato chips, candy or alcohol, I’ve decided to do something different. I’m going to try a Buy Nothing Challenge.
In 2020, I set a goal to buy no new clothing for the year. Since then, I’ve been thinking about expanding that to a Buy Nothing Challenge. Lent feels like a good opportunity to give it a try.
Disposable world – why aren’t things made to last?
In late 2020, we had a run of bad luck at our house. In a three-month period, we replaced our water heater, our stove and our washing machine. That experience made me wonder if anything is built to last in our disposable world.
Save money with smart back-to-school shopping
At this time of year, our thoughts turn to back-to-school shopping. This time of year is big business for retailers. If you search “back-to-school shopping list”, you will find a lot of suggestions. But is everything on that list really necessary? Today, I suggest a dozen items you probably don’t need to buy every year.
January goal – no more disposable shopping bags
January’s waste reduction goal is to eliminate disposable shopping bags. This simple change can reduce a lot of waste. Think about it. If you make two trips to the store each week and use an average of five disposable bags on each visit, that’s over 500 bags a year.