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What if saving the planet could also save you a bunch of money? Here is my list of 11 everyday products you can replace with a sustainable, reusable option so you never have to purchase it again!
I try my best to find ways to be more eco friendly. Through this journey, I’ve found a lot of sustainable alternatives can actually save you a whole bunch of money!
Being intentional with your money will help you save more, spend less. If we could save money and the planet, that’s a good deal! So here are all my eco-friendly money saving tips.
Learn how to live frugally and be sustainable at the same time.
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Table of Contents
Plastic Water Bottles
Did you know water bottles had sales of 18.1 BILLION dollars in 2020? Let me write that number out for you, 18,100,000,000 dollars.
Are you still buying plastic water bottles? How much of that $18.1 billion did you spend? There are many ways to ensure you’re drinking fresh, clean water without purchasing plastic water bottles! You could be drinking water completely FREE.
You can either buy a water filter pitcher or a faucet water filter depending on what you prefer. Additionally, purchasing reusable water bottles is easy, cheap and you only have to do it once!
Let’s say you are drinking 8 glasses of water a day, so 64 ounces total. A 24 pack of 16.9 fluid ounces from Amazon costs $3.79. That’s about 3.7 water bottles a day which would cost about 58 cents.
Assuming you drank this much water the entire year, that would come out to $213 just on water bottles for one person.I did the math with the cheapest water bottles I could find; so depending on what brand you’re drinking it could be much, much more.
Savings: $200 – $400 per year
Coffee filters / K-cup Pods
I love coffee.
If you’re an every morning coffee drinker like me odds are you either use filters or k-cups. No matter how you choose to make your coffee, there is an alternative for you!
If you use a traditional coffee maker, you can replace filters with a reusable cup basket. Pour over? No problem! Whether you use a coffee cone or a chemex you can replace filters with a metal cone or coffeesock. Do you use Keurig? Get these reusable k-cups.
If you don’t want to try an alternative filter you can switch over to a french press. No filter necessary so there is already no waste.
Additionally, I’m going to add a reusable coffee cup as a number 2.1.
Every time you buy a coffee, that’s more waste. If you keep a glass, reusable coffee cup in your car or at your desk, you will always have it handy just in case you happen to stop to buy a coffee.
Sure this might take a bit more effort than the other items on this list but it could make a big difference!
Savings: $300 – $430 per year (k-cups) or $18 – $37 per year (coffee filters)
Cotton Pads/Balls
Most cotton pads or balls aren’t actually cotton. They are mixed with plastic to make them cheaper to produce. Additionally, these products always come in a plastic container.
It is not only cheaper, but much more beneficial to the environment. Eco-friendly alternatives to cotton pads are affordable and machine washable so you never have to replace them!
Savings: $14 – $30 per year
Paper Towels / Napkins
Paper towels are arguably the biggest item thrown away on this list. According to this article by The Atlantic “the US spends nearly as much on paper towels as every other country in the world combined”.
Paper towels also ain’t cheap.
Switching to dishcloths, washable cotton napkins or bamboo paper towels can end up saving you a lot of money.
Savings: $50 – $150 per year
Straws / Plastic Utensils
Obviously this one will depend on how often you use straws or plastic utensils. If you don’t use straws… you don’t need to buy reusable straws!
Just a friendly reminder that budgeting is individual. Don’t spend on things you personally don’t need!
If you use plastic utensils everyday this will impact you the most. Additionally, if you only use plastic utensils when you pack a lunch for work, it might seem annoying to bring a real fork with you but the pros out-weigh the cons.
Note: I personally love my glass straws (by love I mean I’m OBSESSED) and encourage everyone to purchase some. They make me feel like a real life pinterest board making really cute drinks.
Savings: $40 – $100 per year
ZipLock Bags
Reusable ziplock bags are incredibly easy to get accustomed to. They are basically the same thing as normal ziplocks except you don’t throw them away. Pretty simple!
Savings: $50 – $70
Loofahs
Not only do loofahs take forever to decompose, they can also be sending tiny bits of microplastics from your shower drain into the sewage system which leads to the ocean.
Eco-friendly alternatives to loofahs can be made of plant fibers or bamboo. Which are 100% compostable and biodegradable.
Savings: About the same cost
Plastic Wrap
Plastic wrap has many easy alternatives. If you are using plastic wrap over your leftover food, you can try Beeswax food wraps instead! However, these will have to be replaced yearly.
Plastic wrap alternatives that don’t need replacement:
- Glass Tupperware
- Silicone Stretch Food Covers
- Reusable Ziplock Bags
There are many options depending on what you’re looking for and what you use plastic wrap for!
Savings: About the same cost
Dryer Sheets
Using reusable wool dryer balls is a great eco-friendly alternative to dryer sheets because they will reduce the amount of lint on your clothing and reduce the amount of wrinkles.
Not only can they work the same, if not better, than dryer sheets but they will not emit chemical toxins into your clothes!
Savings: About the same cost
Razors
Not gonna lie, I was very intimidated to use a “legit” razor. Admittedly, I did end up cutting myself the first time I tried to use it but if you’re careful this will definitely not happen to you.
Not only is this razor great for the environment, it is actually very affordable and will give you a much better shave. I don’t think I’ve ever had such smooth legs.
The only thing you will have to replace are the razor blades when it starts getting dull, however a pack of 100 is only 7 dollars. Make sure to properly recycle these blades! They can be dangerous.
Note: Razor companies used shame and sex appeal to grow their industry. If you want to save the most money, the most water, and rise up against the patriarchy, then stopping all hair removal is probably the best option.
You can also consider getting an epilator if shaving isn’t for you.
Savings: $150 – $250 a year
Aluminum foil
Tin foil and plastic wrap tend to have the same uses. The difference being, using tin foil in the oven for cooking. You can try a silicone baking mat or sheet as an easy alternative.
They are fairly thick and won’t move around nearly as much as tin foil! Additionally, you will no longer have to use a non-stick spray because the silicone will naturally prevent food from getting stuck.
Savings: About the same cost
These 11 Eco-Friendly Alternatives alone, can save you between $800 – $1,400 dollars per year! What would you do with an additional $1,400 dollars this year?
Each item individually can save you a significant amount of money or costs the exact same for you to purchase. Being eco-friendly on a budget has never been easier!
Bonus: Eco-friendly Money Saving Alternatives (will need replacing)!
Cleaning Supplies
Check out this Ultimate Guide to Zero Waste Cleaning from Going Zero Waste.
Make-up Remover
Depending on how you are removing your make-up, makeup wipes can get expensive! The cheapest make-up remover wipes I found were a pack of 25 sold for $5.99. That adds up to about $90 dollars per year, for the cheapest option.
Instead, try using coconut oil! Coconut oil will last longer and save you money.
Final Thoughts
There are so many additional ways we could help the environment. For example, by switching our shampoo and conditioner sold in plastic bottles to bars. However, this list only talks about products you won’t have to routinely buy anymore. If you want a more in-depth way to go green and save money, check out this post to see how you could save money with food, at work, with your clothes and much more!
Do you want more eco-friendly money saving tips? Let me know what you think and what products you’ll stop buying!
All the products I talk about have links and I use most of them myself! So you can check out those efficient alternatives so you can have a low budget eco-friendly household!
What topics do you want to read about? Let me know in the comments or send me an email!
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This is an awesome post. I already use a filtered water pitcher, metal straws, reusable coffee cups and storage containers, but I’ve found a few more things to look Into. Thanks so much!!
Thanks for reading Cindy! I’m glad you found some new ideas 🙂
oh goodness, I hate thinking about how many K-Cups there are in landfills! Switching over can be so easy! I also love silpats, they work great, and I’m thinking about switching over to dryer balls, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kari! I’m glad you found this post helpful!