As I have ventured farther along in my minimalism journey I have started thinking about some steps that I can take to reduce waste. I’m not talking about living a “zero waste” kind of life – not that that isn’t commendable – but I’m just not going to even attempt that. I’m also not going to be investing in a Diva Cup! I know a lot of people rave about how awesome they are, but no, I just cannot wrap my head around doing that! 🙂 However, there are some small changes that I can make today that will reduce mine and my family’s carbon footprint.
I’m sure that as time goes on I will add to this list but these are some changes that I plan to make immediately.
- Stop buying paper plates. It is amazing how many of these we use in a day. Not to say that I don’t use real plates but you know some times it is just easier, especially with kids, to use paper. I am going to commit to stop buying them!
- Start taking reusable bags when I go grocery shopping or to any store. I have so many of these reusable bags just sitting in the car and I always forget to bring them into the stores. I’m sure so many people are in the same boat. You have them, you just forget to use them!
- Buy a nut milk bag instead of using cheesecloth. I go through so much cheesecloth making my own coconut milk and cold brew coffee each week. I recently bought a nut milk bag and it is so easy to wash out and reuse and it was only $9. So much better!
- I stopped my Birchbox subscription. I had been receiving BB for 3 1/2 years and last month I decided to cancel it. I was receiving so many product samples every month that I didn’t know what to do with them all. Some I used right away and others just started collecting in drawers to the point of being overwhelming and wasteful.
- We are seriously considering going down to a one vehicle family. Since Jim and I are both home during the days we really do not need two vehicles. It seems so wasteful. I know that there will be times where only having one vehicle will make life a little inconvenient but we both think it will be worth it!
I would love to hear of ways you or your family have challenged your self to reduce the waste in your life!