Keep money in the bank and stuff out of landfill by avoiding these products that have simple and often free or very cheap alternatives.
secondhand
How to Make a Gluten-Free Sourdough Starter
I ground up teff grains in my grain mills to make a gluten-free sourdough starter but store-bought flour also works as do various grains.
11 Easy Kitchen Tricks with Tools You Already Own
Need a new gadget to execute a kitchen task? With a bit of creativity, you may fashion a fix using stuff you already have on hand.
Zero-Waste Babies and Toddlers
Like all things zero-waste, with a bit of planning, you can drastically reduce waste with babies and toddlers.
Needs Are Problems Looking for Solutions, not More Products
The marketing industry has trained us well to buy products that will supposedly solve all of life’s problems. But you might already have what you need.
How to Create a Secondhand Store in Your School
Teachers and parents! Want to help the planet and save money? Organize a clothing exchange at school to keep secondhand clothes out of landfill.
Getting Over the Ick Factor to Reduce Waste
The ick factor over dirt and germs leads us to buy stuff over and over and over rather than simply washing quality items we buy or make once an reuse over and over.
How to Equip a Kitchen When You Start Out or Start Over
When you choose kitchen tools, look for multi-purpose items. Yesterday on Instagram, two people sent me messages asking how to equip a kitchen from scratch. One was moving to a new apartment. The second? The Camp Fire had razed her home in Paradise, California. I can’t imagine losing my home in one of these mega-fires—the […]
My Home Is Filled With Discarded Stuff No One Wanted
Before I buy something new, I like to consider: How to dispose of the item at the end of its (usually short) life The type of material the item is made of—I avoid buying any new plastic The (usually excessive) packaging that accompanies the item The resources that went into manufacturing the item—water, energy, labor […]
How to Organize a Community Swap Meet and Why
Unless you’re like Gandhi and own fewer personal possessions than you can count on two hands, you likely have stuff cluttering your home—perfectly good stuff that someone else wants. Recent graduates, new parents, growing kids—they all have needs, perhaps for the items you no longer want. I belong to a zero-waste meetup group here in […]
My Zero-Waste World: The TMI Post
In recent interviews, people have asked me if I follow zero-waste practices in aspects of my life other than food. The short answer: Yes but besides food, what else is there? The long answer follows. Food I’ve got this one covered on this blog. Essentially, to go zero-waste in the kitchen: Put together a shopping […]