Welcome back to my Zero Waste on a Budget series, which was previously randomized, but I am working on organizing it slowly but surely. You can check out the full series here with nearly 500 ways to live zero waste without spending a single dollar. Some are organized into themes, and others are random, so watch which ones you prefer.
Today, let’s dive into zero-waste on a budget hobbies edition! From hiking and reading to crocheting and painting, we cover it all in this post without spending a single dollar.
Feel free to drop your eco-on-a-budget tips below to help this series continue to grow. And check out my full video about how you can make your hobbies eco-friendly here.
Generic tip #1:
Use what you have! The most sustainable thing is the thing you already own. Use the yarn you already have at home, play the games you already have at home, and so forth.
Generic tip #2:
Borrow and rent! Think about borrowing before instantly buying something brand new. If you want to read a book, borrow from the library or a friend. If you need a bowl or a movie or a lawn mower or whatever, try to borrow one from someone first before heading to Walmart. My rule of thumb is, if it’s something I’m going to use daily, weekly, or monthly, I will try to source it second-hand. If it’s something I will use once or twice a year, I will borrow or rent it.
Generic tip #3:
Make trading popular again. Let’s go back to the roots of humankind! Trading is great because you can give something away that you don’t like anymore to someone who will want it in exchange for something you truly want or need. You can utilize the Bunz app for this or local buy nothing groups or trading groups on Facebook or Instagram.
Generic tip #4:
Find a new hobby that’s not shopping. But if you love shopping, opt for shopping secondhand vs new. Check out more ways to break up with overconsumption here!
Video Games/Tech
Unplug your devices when not in use.
Put your computer to sleep or power off at night or while you’re out for the day to save energy.
Ditch Google and use Ecosia instead. They are a free search engine that plants a tree for every search.
Declutter your computer. Things like old files, old photos, old documents. This will help your computer run more efficiently and use less battery as well as keep it healthy and running well for longer.
Turn on optimized battery on your devices.
Don’t charge your devices to 100%, this causes stress. It’s best to charge batteries a few times throughout the day instead of one big charge.
Don’t charge your devices once they hit 100%.
Sell your old tech instead of throwing it away, even broken tech!
Also declutter your phone; get rid of old photos, delete apps you no longer use, and so forth. This, like your email, takes up less space, saving data and also energy as your phone won’t need to clutter up it’s memory with old files.
Buy videogames online vs physical games.
Fashion/Home Decor
Plan or attend a clothing swap. You get to declutter and obtain new clothes for free.
Learn about your impulses and try not to give in to them. Instead, write down when you want to make an impulse purchase and if you go a few weeks without thinking about it again, you probably don’t need it.
Don’t wash your clothes so often. Especially things like jeans and sweatshirts...it makes them last longer.
Before buying new decor, try rearranging your home and decorating with what you have.
If you have the option when purchasing something, opt for no receipt. As we learned in this video here, receipts are not recyclable. If you don’t need one, and you probably don’t in our age of digital banking, don’t get one.
Use the steam while you shower to get wrinkles out of clothes to prevent using the iron and save energy. Now, don’t take a frivolously long shower, but just hand your wrinkly clothes somewhere in the bathroom, ideally where the most steam is, and allow the shower to do the work! This cuts time out of getting ready too.
Or, throw your wrinkly clothing in the dryer with your damp items to get wrinkles out.
You can also place clothes in the freezer to disinfect them and get smells out. Or place them in the sun to do the same thing. Though the sun can bleach clothing. These are both great ways to conserve energy and water and make your clothes last longer!
Use vegetable scraps to make your own food/clothing dye.
Trim strings to avoid microplastics falling into the wilderness.
Remove pilling from clothing for the same reason.
When you declutter, be sure to donate old items. And if you donate to consignment shops vs thrift shops, you may get store credit, which allows you to continue using the circular economy, essentially shopping for free!
Movies, Shows, and Books
Watch a documentary about minimalism, veganism, environmentalism
Don’t mindlessly stream media. Anything from Netflix to YouTube to Spotify. All that data is stored in data centers which require energy to run. I want to dive further into this in a later video, but for now, stream with intention. Don’t just put it on as background noise.
Read a book about a similar topic.
Get a library card or membership. While reading is a great way to get educated, buying brand new paper books is not very eco-friendly. Library cards are completely free, AND borrowing books is one of the most eco-friendly ways to read. Plus, libraries offer so much more than books! They have shows, movies, games, magazines, and even the “library of things” to borrow items like a sewing machine!
Unsubscribe from magazines and coupons and newsletters you are not using or reading. Especially if these are actually paper. Chances are, they can’t even be recycling and it takes emissions to get them to you and it is totally free to cancel.
Don’t dog-ear books or write in them. Instead, use a bookmark and take notes in a separate journal. I also use trash for bookmarks!
Journaling
Consider an e-planner vs a paper planner. You can even just use the free calendar that comes with your phone
If that doesn’t work for you, try using the free notebook in your phone for lists vs paper notes
Use both sides of the notepad. I used to be guilty of this too. I would use one piece of this paper for one grocery trip and then into the recycling it went. But, Emma, it’s being recycled, what does it matter? Well, the less often you throw away or recycle something, the less you purchase, and the less of that product has to be created. This meaningless task actually has a huge impact. So, instead, use both sides and all areas of the paper.
Try taking notes in Word or Google Docs instead of on paper. This can be for school, work, or in my case, I put my video notes in Google Docs to save paper!
If you accidentally print a piece of paper or are done with a piece of printer paper, don’t throw it out or shred it, or recycle it! Start a scrap pile and use the blank side to print on again! I used this hack to print a shipping label onto send a package to my mom for Christmas, and the box was repurposed too! While you’re at it, as much as you can, don’t print double-sided.
Recycle paper yourself at home. It’s super fun and aesthetically pleasing and a fun skill to learn!
Houseplants
Another plant tip is to save banana peels, soak them in water for a few days, and use that water as a bit of fertilizer for your plants. Bananas also contain a lot of nutrients, and it’s a free, zero-waste, natural nourishment for your plants. Or just wipe the peels directly on plant leaves!
Yet another tip for plants is to save coffee grounds and add them to soil, too. Coffee grounds are another thing plants love, so don’t throw them in the trash; add a bit to your plants. Of course, with all these plant tips, do some research so as not to add too much to your plants!
Reuse pet water on plants. Or reuse other water from around the house: half-empty water bottles, water from the dehumidifier, water from your shower warming up, etc.
Reuse egg cartons and toilet paper tubes to start seeds in.
It’s free to propagate your plants!
Hiking/Camping
Know about fire safety in general, but esp when camping to prevent forest fires.
Put out campfires completely to avoid loose embers.
Secure belongings when you’re boating, paddle boarding, other water sports to prevent litter.
Store food properly in bear country. Keep bears wild.
Don’t intentionally feed wildlife. This also goes for not littering food waste on the trail or throwing food out your car window. Food waste IS litter and is dangerous for animals AND humans alike.
Stop making cairns.
Remove things before swimming in bodies of water to prevent litter.
Don’t step on roots.
Clean off shoes when you get home from a hike or before starting a new hike to prevent invasive species spread.
Don’t carve trees and be mindful not to hit trees while biking.
When bringing your dog along with you: pick up after your dog, don’t take dogs into non-dog areas, and keep dogs leashed.
Misc Crafts
Upcycle things in your home. We turned cans into a cat tree for almost no cost. I’ve upcycled wood I find on the side of the road to make decor
Learn a new skill that can help you reduce waste. Things like learning how to sew, wood working, upholstery, learning how to bake and more. This can help you reduce waste from the store and can help things from the landfill that simply just need repaired.
Join a neighborhood Facebook group and encourage others to post items they no longer want in order to send them from landfill. You may even have a Buy Nothing Group local to you that you can also check out to get rid of and claim unused items to keep them in circulation!
Clean out your candle jars and use them for cups, storage, or properly recycle them.
Here are a few painting tips:
Reuse paint brushes
Reuse paint trays
Cut clumps off paint brushes and keep using them
Reuse paint rollers
Reuse paint sticks
Try to mask off as little as possible
Upcycle old cloth into drop cloths
Throw away dried paint and let paint dry instead of washing it down the drain
Use scrap fabric, yarn, and thread to stuff pillows, stuffed animals, etc
That’s it! I hope you enjoyed. Again, let us know your eco-on-a-budget tips below to help this series continue to grow. And you can check out the full series here with nearly 500 ways to live zero waste without spending a single dollar.
As always, remember that your small actions make a big difference in the long run :)
Emma
