I PROTECT THE PLANET and that is still the main consequence of this lifestyle. I have considerably reduced my amount of waste and that lightens my environmental impact. I consume differently by always thinking first of conserving matter and natural resources.
In addition to helping protect the environment and no longer having to take out the trash (and that’s great!), I’ve noticed other unexpected benefits.
I SAVE MONEY because buying in bulk allows me to find products of equivalent quality that are between 5 and 80% cheaper. We no longer pay for packaging or the marketing that goes with it, and buying in the right amount allows us to save money. Buying raw foods costs less than ready-made or processed meals.
I buy less unnecessary things and I stopped over-consuming, I only buy what I need. I favor second-hand purchases and recycling.
I make some of my own products, like laundry detergent for example, and it costs me €0.50. Knowing that a can of ecological laundry detergent costs on average €8, it goes quickly!
Added up, each little action allowed me to save enough to finalize my budget to go on a world tour!
You can also find the list of the 8 things that save me the most money here .
I MAKE MY LIFE EASIER AND I SAVE TIME and it’s funny because people’s fear before embarking on zero waste is often: “wow, it’s going to take me ages”.
Indeed, the first few months you will have to change your habits acquired over the years, do your little research and apply all that to your new life. It will require a bit of organization.
But once everything is in place, it’s great!
Before I spent hours zigzagging through the aisles of supermarkets under the neon lights, letting myself be tempted by anything and everything. Today I know where to go and I know what to buy, I go to the essentials at my merchants. In less than 30 minutes I do all my shopping at 3 or 4 different merchants. I even have time to chat with them!
Having less stuff and being minimalist also means less to store, less to clean, less time searching, less time choosing. And that saves time and makes life easier too.
I LIVE A HEALTHIER LIFE because buying without packaging and eating raw and fresh foods of better quality (and not more expensive!) allows me to eat better and know what I put in my body. I cook more and that does not necessarily mean spending hours in the kitchen making elaborate things I assure you! Often it is ready in 15 to 30 minutes maximum. In the end I really learned to appreciate cooking, as a meditative moment of well-being.
My hygiene and cleaning products are natural and healthy, because as I am the one who makes a good part of them, I know what I put in them and it is free of toxic components or chemical odors.
As a result, I’m not as sick as before and for 3 years now I’ve only had a cold and a stomach bug. Before, it was several times a year… I even got my sense of smell back! Which strangely enough can be very disturbing when I’m talking to someone who’s having a snooze or when I walk past a Sephora…!
I OPENED MYSELF TO THE WORLD by reconnecting with the shopkeepers in my neighborhood, I started meeting people again, talking to others naturally. Humans are truly placed at the center of this way of life.
My money is no longer used to over-consume useless material things but to go to museums, go out, travel, to nourish my mind.
This way of life has allowed me to evolve both in my habits and in my mind.
