Zero Waste Can Save $1000s Per Year, Here’s How!
We are BACK with part three of my new favorite series: how much money a zero waste life can save you. The best part is is this is just TEN swaps! Part 1 and part 2 have 20 more swaps that will total to $1000s of savings each year.
I made this series to prove that while these zero waste swaps might be a bit costly up-front (but some of them are FREE) they will in fact save you money over the long run.
If you want MORE free ways to live zero waste, check out my full series on YouTube with over 350 ways to live zero waste on a budget. Let’s get into it!
Scrap broth
Veggie scrap broth is a great way to reuse those veggie scraps before composting AND get free broth/stock from it. Here’s how you make it:
Collect your veggie scraps in a bag and freeze it for later use to prevent rotting. The best veggies will be things like onion, pepper, carrot, potato, etc. You want to avoid any veggies with very strong flavor like cilantro, cucumber, and things of that nature.
Once you have enough, put the frozen veg in a stock pot or soup pot and cover with water. Here you can add any seasonings you like but I usually just stick to salt.
Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer. I let mine simmer for 30-60 minutes
Turn the heat off and let it cool to room temp
Strain the broth to get the chunks out that are now ready to be turned into compost
Funnel into jars and store in the fridge for a few weeks, the freezer (leave 1 inch of space at the top to prevent cracking) for months at a time, or you can even pressure can it!
I find old peanut butter jars are GREAT for this. They don’t break in the freezer, are perfectly shaped, and wash and reuse easily
Now, how much money will this save you? It depends on how much broth you usually use. Let’s just say you use 1 carton per week to make soups, pastas, or anything else of that nature. Maybe that’s a high estimate, but let’s stick with it.
Each carton runs about $2-8 depending on the brand and if you choose organic or not. Let’s call it an average of $5 per carton. One carton per week would run you about $260 per year. Even just using one carton per month, you’d still save $60 per year on the low end!
Prefer meat stock? You can make that too simply by using the leftover remains of a rotisserie chicken, thanksgiving turkey, or Chistmas ham for example!
Reusable diapers
As someone who is not a parent, I can’t attest to this first-hand, but I know many eco-parents who use reusable diapers. Heck, I know many not-very-eco parents who use reusables strictly for money-saving! Let’s see how much it can save you per year. And if you have multiple children, the savings will keep adding up!
Here’s a handy chart of estimates from Healthline. The number depends on the age. So, yes, you will have to buy several sizes as your baby grows.
Let’s calculate a range. Older babies will need 5 diapers a day on the low end and newborns will need 12 per day on the high end. 5 diapers a day will cost about 19 cents per diaper from Target which is about $1 per day. A more expensive option will run about 38 cents per diaper from Target which is nearly $2 per day.
Since children are in diapers for different amounts of time, let’s just do 1 year of use for easy math. One year in cheap diapers at 5 diapers a day would cost $365 per year and the more expensive diapers around $730 per year. Again, this is all low end.
Now on the high end for babies that need up to 12 diapers per day, that will cost you about 16 cents per diaper at Target which is about $2 per day. The higher end will cost nearly 32 cents per diaper at Target which is about $4 per day.
Again, just to keep the math simple, let’s say you use these for a year meaning it would cost between $730 and $1460 per year for 12 diapers a day.
Alright, moving on to reusables. GroVia recommends 36 reusable diapers for newborns, 24 for infants, and 20 for toddlers. Now the beautiful thing about reusable diapers that I found with most brands is that they are adjustable! Meaning, they can grow with your baby and you don’t need to buy a variety of sizes unless they grow a lot or are a preemie. So, for the low end of 20 diapers, I found this extremely cheap pack on Amazon (I doubt they are eco or ethical) for $30 for a pack of 6 or $5 per diaper. That means 20 diapers would cost $100 which easily pays for itself in just one year.
On the high end, a fancier brand like Nora’s Nursery might run you $125 for 14 diapers or $9 per diaper or Kanga Care which is $409 for 10 diapers which is just over $40 per diaper. Multiply that by the max use of 36 diapers needed for a total of $324 for Nora’s (still significant savings, even with a cheap brand of disposables) or $1400 for Kanga Care which is just outrageous BUT will in fact still save you money for newborns using 12 disposables a day of Pamper’s brand. Wild!
This might be the biggest savings we’ve seen in this series yet! Right off the bat, going with a cheap or even average brand of reusable diapers will save you $41-$265 on the low end or $630-1360 per year on the high end in the first year. Every year after that is pure savings of $365-1460 per year!
Mending
Now, I have to admit, this one is going to be hard to capture since everyone wears out and mends a different number of items. Here are a few things I have mended this year that we can quantify:
1 pair of jeans: thrifted, but new is around $30 new (video here)
1 pair of sleep shorts: thrifted, but new is $14-50 depending on the brand
1 pair of Darn Tough socks: $24 new
Our fitted sheet: $90 new from Sheets and Giggles
1 t-shirt: thrifted so it’s technically irreplaceable, but if I were to replace it it would be with this $70 from Madi Stitches, I love her work!
Our comforter (I dyed it which is a different form of mending, but still mending in my opinion): $116 new from Buffy
1 Girlfriend Collective sweatshirt: $78 new
1 pair of Girlfriend Collective sweatpants: $47 new
So while the numbers will be different for everyone depending on what you’re mending and how frequently, just this year I have saved a grand total of $505 this year in mends! Doesn’t it cost money to mend them? The dyeing did cost me around $50 so we can say I profited $450, but the rest of my mending equipment I have thrifted over the years, was gifted, or have just had for so long that I have no idea how much I spent on it. But, let’s say you do need to start a sewing kit. I recommend heading to your local craft shop (avoid the big chains where you can) and simply get a set of needles (you don’t need a lot) and a few colors of thread in the colors you wear the most often. I’m willing to bet you can do this under $20, maybe even under $10. And for the savings? Totally worth it!
Making sourdough
I loveeee making sourdough! It tastes so much better and when loaves cost $8-10 (from experience) per loaf? The money savings have to be a lot, but just how much? I honestly have not even calculated this myself so let’s find out!
Let’s say that your household is buying 1 loaf per week. Whether you’re getting that at the grocery store or the farmer’s market, it’s probably around $5 on the low end to $10 on the high end from artisan bakers. That would cost $260-$520 a year just on sourdough.
But, if you make it at home, it’s free! Nah, you gotta buy flour and salt. But truly, that’s all you need to buy. I started making sourdough with NO equipment. I explain the entire process in this video. I used jars I had to grow my starter, bowls I had to mix and proof, and baked in a simple casserole dish I already had. You don’t need to buy anything to start making sourdough today.
So, when I buy a 5-pound bag of flour, it costs $7 directly from my fav brand themselves: King Arthur. This will usually make me about 4-5 loaves meaning I get 4-5 loaves for $7. Otherwise, 4-5 loaves would cost me $20-50!! So, every bag of flour, I’m profiting $13-43. Let’s round down and say I buy one bag per month for a total of $84 a year. That comes nowhere close to the numbers from above.
Now, you do have to account for the small amount of water coming out of your water bill per batch (I use 6.5 cups per bake), the electricity (I am going to be doing an experiment this winter to see if I can actually gauge how much money it costs to run the oven at that temp), a little salt here and there, and a little regular flour for feeding the starter. It’s hard to conceptualize this precisely, but honestly, it can’t be that much. For me, personally, these are not large enough to count, but let’s just say it’s an extra $10 per month or a total of $120 in other expenses.
That means your total expenses making it at home would be $204 or savings of $56-$316 per year by making your own sourdough at home!
This may also inspire you to make more of your own foods at home with the discard such as tortillas, English muffins, crackers, naan, pastries, and more!
Air drying clothes
Truly, this is my favorite zero waste activity. I love how therapeutic it can be to put it up and take it down and I love the smell and feel of my clothes after a warm, sunny day. I was spoiled in Vegas where I could do this all year long without risking humidity or freezing.
Regardless, according to Energy Sage, it costs about $5.53 per month to run a drying machine or $66.41 per year. This is an average, every region will be different, but not a whole lot. Of course, you do need to acquire a clothesline or other drying rack first. This can look different depending on your living situation but I know they are quite easy to find secondhand. I’ve had many different styles in my life that I got for free or less than $10. I even thrifted clothespins in Vegas for less than $5! Our clothesline in Vegas was a little extra. Dan built it and we even cemented it into the ground. A little more expensive than you need to do.
So, let’s say you buy a cheap drying rack. Even brand new it will cost you $10-40 depending on where you get it. Clothes pins will cost you another $5-10. Again, check secondhand for more savings!
In your first year, you will save $16-41 per year and every year after that you will save the full $66.
Silicone baking mat
Truly an underrated zero waste swap! Before doing any research, I suspect that this actually may not be cheaper. Parchment paper is just SO cheap! But, it simply saves so much waste. Anywho…let’s find out!
Gridman is a really popular brand that I have found at local zero waste and refill stores and they even have them at Target. They’re easy to find and quite affordable at $11 for a pack of 2. These will theoretically last a lifetime…theoretically. I did cut one on accident while making pizza, so be careful with that. And I had another one bubble up and was not sure why that happened.
Anyway, a box of parchment paper costs $4.80 at Grove for 24 uses. I also found this roll on Amazon for $16 which gets you 200 feet of paper. Let’s say your pan is 2 feet long so you get 100 uses out of this roll.
Regardless, you will easily get over 100 uses out of your two silicone baking mats and still save $5. Depending on how much you bake, the savings can easily add up!
Just for fun, let’s say you only bake once per week for 52 times per year. You’d still save $5 in your first year switching to a silicone baking mat from Amazon or you’d just about break even if you bought the pack from Grove. Every year after that, you’re saving the full $16. Not huge, but savings are savings!
Reusable napkins
Maybe I’m weird, but I’ve never used paper napkins at home…is it common? Regardless, let’s run the numbers to see how much money you can save by switching to reusable napkins, or my personal favorite, rags haha.
Since I don’t use napkins at home regularly, reusable or disposable, I use reusable tissues and rags. If it’s a big mess, a rag. If it’s just a little something I need to get off my face, I use a reusable tissue. Both of which I already have and I cover the savings of them in this post.
So, if you do what I do and just opt for something you already have, this will cost you $0!
According to Statista, 245.91 million Americans used paper napkins at home in 2023. That’s far more than I thought! We’re people thinking that paper napkins = paper towels? I’m not sure. According to Business Insider, it is estimated that the average American uses 2200 napkins per year! Though I assume this comes from nationwide paper napkin sales.
On the low end, you can get 200 napkins for $3.60 or $39.60 per year in napkins for one person. Honestly, I’m going to leave it at that. I truly cannot believe that a family of 4 would use nearly 10,000 napkins per year but maybe I’m mistaken. Let me know if I should re-run the numbers below, I just don’t want to inflate it too much.
On the high end, you might see something like this pack of 300 for $18 or $132 for 2200 napkins.
If you want to be fancy and buy reusable napkins, it looks like the average cost is $15-25.
In your first year, you’d save $14.60 - $117 and every year after that you’d save $39.60 and $132!
Safety razor
Probably one of the most zero waste swaps that I get asked if it’s worth it or not is a Leaf Shave razor. Now, you don’t have to buy THEIR safety razor. Is it excellent? Yes. But do cheaper, locally procured razors work just as well? Yup. We shall compare them both!
But first, the wasteful counterpart, the disposable razor. According to Gillette themselves, you can use a disposable razor 3-10 times. Let’s call it an even 1 razor per week to be generous or 52 razors per year. That’s a lot of waste! But how much money?
This popular brand, Venus, sells packs of 3 for $7 or $2.33 per razor. Over the course of the year, it would cost you $121.33. Though popular, it’s not the cheapest, this pack from Bic sells a pack of 10 for $3 or 30 cents per razor. BUT Bic’s packaging suggests only 3 uses per razor here. Cheaper does not mean better. Let’s double it for easy math and just say 2 razors per week for a total of $31.20. Pretty good!
What about Leaf? A new razor will run you $84 for the razor itself and $12 for a pack of 50 blades for a total of $96. Keep in mind, a blade should last you 3-10 uses like the disposables! So, those 50 blades will last you an entire year. Your first year will cost you $96 but every year after that will be $12.
Even at full price, you’ll still save $25 if you buy Venus in the first year but you’ll be out $60 if you shop for the cheapest of the razors. But, every year after that you will only be spending $12 every year and saving $19-109 per year!
Makeup remover pads
Single-use makeup remover pads create SO much waste. But does it save money to use the reusables? Target brand will cost $2.89 for 25 wipes or 12 cents per wipe. Assuming you need to use one per day, you’d spend about $42.20 per year. Though, this is on the cheaper end. Neutrogena is $5.67 for 25 wipes which is 23 cents per wipe or $83 per year in wipes.
This is another swap you can make for free. You can simply cut an old t-shirt into squares and use that without sewing or you can even get out the sewing machine and sew something very nice out of materials you already had. I love a good free option myself! Here’s how I did it.
Or, you can buy some reusable makeup remover pads and an eco-friendly makeup remover, I like this one from Zerra & Co for $24. A little goes a long way so you can easily make it last a year. There are many options for reusable makeup remover pads, I’ve heard great things about this one from Zero Waste Store, and they’re all around $20. Up front, that’s a total of $44.
So, for the cheap option, you’ll be out just shy of $2, not bad, and the more expensive option comparison will save you $39 in the first year. Every year after that you will save $42.20-$83!
Rechargeable lighter
Lastly for today is a rechargeable lighter. Another swap I’m not sure will save you much year after year, but hey, every dollar counts! This will really save you money if you’re a big candle person.
First, let’s compare it to matches. Matches are dirt cheap. I found a pack of 900 for just $9 or only 1 cent per match. Unless you’re lighting every candles every single day, this pack will last you years and years.
But, let’s also compare it to disposable lighters. Did you know lighters use to be commonly refilled like milk bottles? You can still buy refillable lighters, but it’s hard to find somewhere to refill them. Anyway, disposable lighters cost about $14 for a pack of 4 or $3.50 per lighter. Again, this should last you easily more than a year unless you’re burning candle after candle after candle.
A rechargeable lighter, my favorite is from the USB Lighter Company, costs around $40 for one. Now, this will last you your entire life, but for $40 you could get 4,000 matches or 11 lighters. Both of which will last you a long, long time, but not your entire life.
Let’s say you use one match per day. That seems excessive, but let’s see what happens. That means your pack of 900 matches will last you just shy of 3 years. Disposable lighters can last up to 1,000 uses EACH so your pack of 4 will last you 4,000 uses/days or 11 years! So, after 4 years, you will save $9 per year on matches and after 11 years you will save $40.
Truly not great savings here, but it was fun to work it out!
This series had 29 amazing swaps that save tons of money and 1 swap that really isn’t that great BUT will save plenty of waste and eventually money in your lifetime.
Now, for the grand totals!
Scrap broth: $60-$260
Reusable diapers: $41-$1460
Mending: around $500 per year from personal experience
Sourdough from scratch: $56-$316
Air-drying clothing: $16-$66
Silicone baking mat: $5-$16
Reusable napkins: $14.60-$132
Safety razor: $60-$109
Makeup remover pads: $39-$83
Rechargeable lighter: no significant savings
Total: $731.60 - $2942 !!
Again, that is just THESE ten swaps! Our first ten swaps saved $1415-2359 and our second ten swaps saved $951-2995. That means with these 30 (well, 29) swaps, you can potentially save a total of…
$3097.60 - $8296 per year, that is WILD!!
AND, there is more where this came from. This series has the potential to be endless so leave your favorite money-saving zero waste swaps below and we will see them in future iterations.
How do you live low waste on a budget?
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma