Get More From What You Already Own: Practical Ways to Waste Less and Spend Less

Have you ever discovered a bag of salad greens wilting at the back of the fridge, or bought another jacket when a half dozen were already hanging in your closet? Waste has a way of creeping up on us, and so does the clutter that comes with buying more than we actually use.

Each year on Nov. 19, Use Less Stuff Day offers a prompt to step back and take a closer look at our consumption habits. The point isn’t deprivation. It’s about making more deliberate choices that are kinder to the environment and often kinder to your budget, too.

That can look like using up what’s already on hand, finding a second purpose for things you’d otherwise discard, or simply buying less in the first place.

My own go-to tricks for stretching the life of my family’s clothing are pretty low-tech: an OxiClean soak and a few basic sewing skills. It’s remarkable how much can be rescued with a bit of cleaning and mending.

I asked my colleagues here at NerdWallet how they cut down on waste and avoid spending they don’t need to. You may find an idea or two worth borrowing.

Cook from the pantry before restocking it

Pamela de la Fuente, managing editor: My husband comes from a “make what’s in the house” kind of family. I didn’t. But one weekend, hunting for spaghetti, I came across some crispy rice cereal and remembered we still had marshmallows left over from a bonfire weeks earlier, so I decided to turn it into treats for the kids instead of letting it sit there. (It turned out not to be stale at all.) I had cereal left over, so I folded it into a batch of the chocolate protein bars I make regularly, and my son rated them a 9 out of 10 — up from his usual 7.

• Karen Gaudette Brewer, head of content: I’m firmly in the camp of cooking large batches and freezing them, which means I’m constantly reminding everyone that we do, in fact, have food at home. The freezer also stores grated lemon zest and ice cube trays of leftover chicken broth and wine, so I can throw together a pan sauce without pouring that last half cup down the drain.

• Jessica Cano, content coordinator: I keep the strawberry tops after trimming them for my kids. Some become strawberry balsamic vinegar, some become strawberry syrup, and the rest go into the freezer for smoothies. That saves me from buying frozen fruit and several different vinegars.

Shopping your own pantry first means less food in the trash and fewer trips to the store. It can also make trying new recipes more interesting. Managing Editor Athena Cocoves has a name for it: “Sometimes we pretend we’re on ‘Chopped.'”

Give old belongings a second life

Ryan Brady, lead writer: Rotating our kids’ toys has gotten them far more out of the same collection than constantly buying new things would. We box up the toys they’ve lost interest in, then pull one out a few months later and suddenly it’s brand new to them again.

• Kim Lowe, head of content: I spent a grand total of $12 on a lint remover last winter, and it brought every one of my old sweaters back to near-new condition.

• Laura McMullen, editor: Nearly everything my kids wear is thrifted or handed down. My parent friends have children ranging from 2 to 7, spaced about six months apart, and we’ve built a robust clothing exchange out of it. There’s something fun about watching my friends’ kids wear clothes that originally came from my brother’s family almost a decade ago.

The same thinking applies beyond clothing. Look for ways to repair what you own or acquire it secondhand: a vacuum repair tutorial on YouTube, library books instead of purchases, used tools from a local marketplace listing. The aim is to keep more items circulating and fewer headed to a landfill.

Question what goes in the bin

Abby Doyle, lead writer: Composting is less complicated than it looks. Once you get into the habit, you begin to see potential waste as food for your new backyard project. Junk mail, paper bags, slimy spring mix — it all goes to my “pet dirt.” And my garden has genuinely never looked better.

• Yuliya Goldshteyn, editor: Rather than tossing my kids’ artwork, I save it and use it as wrapping paper throughout the year. Everyone gets custom gift wrap. I haven’t purchased wrapping paper in five years.

• Caitlin Constantine, editor: I reuse glass jars and plastic containers. It always felt wasteful to send perfectly good containers to recycling after a single use, so now they get a second round first.

Before anything goes in the trash, it’s worth asking whether there’s another use for it. An old T-shirt, for instance, makes an excellent cleaning rag.

Being resourceful usually comes down to extracting as much value as possible from what’s already in front of you.

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