Happy (almost) Earth Day! Zero Waste can be simpler than you think. Since I started making a conscious effort to be more sustainable and zero waste, I’ve noticed that there are certain things I do now that have saved me lots of time and money. These are my favorites!

I absolutely love thrifting and shopping secondhand. This does, admittedly, take more time and effort than shopping on Amazon or at a standard retail store. However, there’s nothing like the rush of spending $14 on an adorable Hell Bunny Clothing dress that retailed for $75 or getting rare Vivienne Westwood ballet flats for $15. (I bought both on Poshmark! Use my code CHASIEMAE when you sign up for Poshmark and get a free $10 credit!)

Not everyone enjoys the hunt, but I really do enjoy picking through the racks at thrift shops. It’s worth it when I find cute glass jars to hold my salt and sugar for $1 each. Or when I get 4 retro sunflower glass tumblers for a total of $3. Bonus: most of what I find while thrifting is so unique it’s unlikely that other people will have the same things as me.

Waste not, want not! I save all packing materials that I get when I order things online: Amazon Prime mailers, Ulta and Sephora boxes, bubble wrap, and even tissue paper that’s still in good condition. The only packing materials I’ve ever bought for my Poshmark sales are tape and blank shipping labels. Not only does it reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, but it has saved me so much money. When we were moving, we didn’t have to buy bubble wrap because I already had so much of it.

To my fellow Poshmark sellers: Poshmark does state that standard brown boxes and padded envelopes you have around the house can be used. If you’re worried about buyers giving you poor ratings for the lack of fancy and flashy packaging, rest assured that I’ve only experienced that twice in my time on Poshmark. I’m not too worried about the ratings, however, because I’m more concerned with being sustainable.

I hardly throw out anything anymore. At this point, I’ve transitioned most of my household items from one time use to reusable. I even save any of those nicer, heavyduty take out containers. I’ve traded out paper towels for unpaper towels. Just like my mom has always done, I use old t-shirts to clean. I opted to buy reusable Swiffer pads when I ran out of the disposables. Since buying my reusable cotton pads 5 years ago, I haven’t had to spend any more money on cotton rounds.

I no longer buy wasteful tea bags; instead, I buy loose leaf tea and brew it with my reusable steeper or in my cute little kitty cat teapot. Generally speaking, loose leaf tea is usually of a higher quality for a cheaper price when compared to tea bags. (Side note: I genuinely enjoy the ritual of brewing a pot of tea.)

There’s no need to overcomplicate zero waste. You might even be practicing sustainable habits without realizing it. What are your favorite ways to be conveniently zero waste?