First of all, it is important to understand that in order to live a more simple life, you do not need to buy things!
Living a life free of being weighed down by things means resisting the urge to go out and buy, buy, buy.
Instead, think about eliminating things from your life. Where can you prevent unnecessary things from coming into your house? How can you repurpose, reuse, or repair something instead of buying something new? Only once you’ve determined that you absolutely need something, should you go out and buy it.
Once you’ve broken yourself of your over-consumption habits, it becomes a matter of making swaps from disposable single-use items to items that can be reused over and over, without contributing new trash to our landfills and oceans.
Here are some of my favourite low-impact items that can be swapped for disposables. (Click on the image to find the item on Amazon!)
Disclaimer: Simply.Less. is a member of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. This means that if you click on the link to purchase one of the products listed below, I earn a small commission on your purchase. This is at no additional cost to you, but I super appreciate your support!
Kitchen
If you are like me, the majority of your household trash comes from food packaging! Without a doubt, the easiest change I made was switching to unpackaged foods. It cut my household waste in half!
Probably the biggest tip I have for people looking to decrease their waste is bulk shopping. When you bulk shop, you can bring your own containers and bags, fill them up, then weigh and pay. I use mesh produce bags for fruits and vegetables, rice, pasta, nuts, and (my favourite) chocolate covered almonds. I use cotton bags for things like flours, powders, and baked goods (you can also use these bags to make homemade nut milks and cold brew coffee!). Finally, I use wide-mouth mason jars for liquids (honey, peanut butter, vinegar, cleaning products) and spices.
Mason jar accessories
While we’re talking about mason jars, they are the most versatile thing in my home. I use mason jars to store food, cleaning supplies, homemade products, and spare change. I drink water and coffee from them. And I use them as soap dispensers. I always have a mason jar in my purse, just in case!
Mason jars can be made into just about anything with the right accessory!
Personal products
After the kitchen, the bathroom is the next biggest source of trash! Plastic bottles of soap and shampoo can easily be replaced with bars of soap. Swap plastic toothbrushes for bamboo. Consider investing in a safety razor!
But don’t go out and buy it all at once! As you run out of things, do some research and see if you can find an earth-friendlier option!
Cleaning supplies
First of all, one of my pet peeves is that we’ve been made to believe that we need a different cleaner for windows, floors, counters, and toilets. It’s just not true! You can do all of your cleaning with vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol, dish soap, and castile soap. Trust me! My biggest cleaning tip is to ditch the paper towels (my husband is a paper towel addict – the struggle is real!) and stock up on rags!
