At the age of 30, I decided to start saving money.
At the age of 33, I embarked on a minimalist lifestyle.
These two significant changes in lifestyle have also reshaped my values and outlook on life.
I am becoming less and less fond of wasting.
In life, I will also do my best to reduce waste.
I greatly admire the zero waste lifestyle of the 'Ding Hongs'.
Ding Hong, also known as Sister Hong, tries to avoid buying items with packaging in order to achieve a zero plastic lifestyle. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
But some of my favorite things come with packaging, like when Hong Jie said she likes to eat instant noodles, what should I do? Have you tried this before? Share your story!
She learned how to make instant noodles by herself and accidentally acquired a new skill.
Obviously, I haven't been able to approach zero waste like Hongjie, but I am also trying my best to explore my own zero waste life. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
And I have found that as long as we can reduce waste in our lives, we can save a lot of money. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Saving money is not that difficult, it's just about taking life seriously and taking your rewards seriously.
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1) We almost never leave leftovers at home.
In my opinion, if you can't finish eating and discard it, it's a waste.
Eating in excess of what the body needs is also a waste and a burden on the body.
Eating leftovers is not good for the body.
So, I only cook just enough food for each meal.
I would even rather do a little less, if it's not enough, I can eat something else.
But doing too much can be troublesome.
So, I buy groceries in moderation every day.
How much to eat, how much to buy, how much to cook.
Over the years, almost every meal has been a CD.
Not only do we cook for ourselves, but we also only order what we have enough to eat when dining out. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I would rather add more when I'm not full than order too much and not finish.
And the taste of the packaged food is always inferior to the taste of the current food.
It's better to eat the freshest and most current food.
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2) We hardly have any expired waste in our home.
Skincare products and toiletries are only purchased when they are almost depleted, so there is no phenomenon of expiration due to not being able to use them. Don't forget to share your experience!
There are also various packaged foods and snacks available. When you want to eat, buy the portion you want immediately without leaving any inventory. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Pay special attention to the frozen products in the refrigerator, as they can easily be forgotten after being bought and stored inside. What do you think about this?
So, I rarely buy frozen products back, mainly because I feel they don't taste good.
Seasoning is also prone to expiration.
I won't buy those seasonings that are not commonly used, I only have those that are frequently used.
There is also rice, grain, and oil, so there is no need to stockpile too much.
After being stored for a long time, it will never be fresh, and it will also be a waste if it expires. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
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3) We rarely shop online or order takeout at home.
I used to think that buying items with green labels or shopping without bags was environmentally friendly.
Later on, it was discovered that as long as it was buying something, it was easy to generate a lot of excessive packaging waste. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
Especially for express packages and various takeout.
So, reducing waste should start with reducing buying, shopping, and food delivery.
My husband and I shop online only a few times a year.
Usually, they buy daily necessities such as rice, grain, and oil that are immediately needed.
We also don't like to eat takeout.
Even if I occasionally want to be lazy, I won't consider ordering takeout.
Offline shopping is not very common, it's just about buying and selling food for three meals a day.
I don't think buying less is shameful.
On the contrary, the less you buy, the less waste you will have.
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4) We rarely have idle clothes, shoes, hats, etc. in our home.
A while ago, a friend told me that she hasn't worn the clothes I accompanied her to buy last year until now. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
On the contrary, none of my clothes, shoes, or hats have not been properly worn by me.
Even they are often worn repeatedly by me.
This is the advantage of having fewer clothes, as each piece of clothing can be fully utilized without wasting its own value. Have you tried this before? Share your story!
Even if it's worn out, I'm not in a hurry to throw it away.
I will use them as rags to squeeze out the remaining value.
When I was inventorying items at home before, someone asked me: Don't you have accessories like scarves, necklaces, and belts?
There really isn't.
In Guangzhou, the usage rate of these accessories is not high and they are prone to idle.
I don't easily own any items that are easily idle.
So, not only do I have fewer clothes, but I also wear fewer accessories.
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5) We rarely have disposable items in our home.
I recently became addicted to making Mantou. I once thought about whether to buy some Mantou paper.
This thing is not expensive.
It can be imagined that I've found that it's disposable after all. If one billion people use an average of one sheet per week, wouldn't it exceed 52 billion sheets per year. Don't forget to share your experience!
And I don't know if this paper is good for health, whether it's made with chemical ingredients or natural edible wax. What do you think about this?
In the end, we chose pure cotton steamer cloth, which is reusable and friendly to both the body and the environment. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I will try to use glass lunch boxes instead of cling film and plastic bags.
Disposable mops and cloths will also be used as little as possible.
In short, all disposable items will be carefully considered before deciding to use them sparingly.
Although these are just trivial matters and insignificant power, I feel at ease and blame the money saver.
