10 “Weird” Things I Do To Save Money, Reduce Waste, and Live More Slowly

I’ve always been a little bit weird.

I grew up in French Quebec as one of very few minorities around me. My parents immigrated from the tiny island of Mauritius, and they lived differently from everyone else I knew. We reused everything. Nothing was wasted. Every object had a second life, a third life, sometimes a fourth.

Back then, I didn’t think of it as “underconsumption core,” low waste, or eco-friendly living. It was simply life.

My parents grew up with limited resources, so they learned to stretch everything until the very end. A nearly empty jar still had value. A worn-out shirt still had purpose. Vegetable scraps weren’t garbage. They were tomorrow’s broth.

That mindset followed me into adulthood.

And now, strangely enough, the way I was raised feels almost rebellious in 2026. We live in a world of fast fashion, fast food, fast shipping, fast trends, fast everything. Meanwhile, I still find joy in slowing down and appreciating what I already have.

Some people might call the things I do unhinged. Others might see them as normal old-school habits. Either way, these little practices save us money, reduce waste, and honestly make life feel richer.

Not everything I’m sharing came from my parents. Some things I learned through books, social media, random jobs I’ve had, and simply experimenting through life. But all of them have helped shape the way I live today.

So here are 10 “weird” things I do that cost almost nothing and save us money in the long run.

1. I Save Every Vegetable Scrap for Broth

Carrot peels. Onion skins. Broccoli stems. Celery ends. Garlic scraps.

Before anything goes into the compost, I save it in a bag in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I toss everything into my Instant Pot or a regular pot with water and simmer it down into homemade broth.

Liquid gold. ✨

I use it in soups, stir fries, rice dishes, sauces, anything that needs liquid. It replaces store-bought broth cartons that are often expensive and packed with sodium.

The best part is I control what goes into it.

2. I Turn Nearly Empty Jars Into Meals and Storage

That little bit of Dijon mustard left at the bottom of the jar? I turn it into salad dressing.

A nearly empty peanut butter jar becomes overnight oats.

Once jars are empty, I keep them for spices, leftovers, pantry storage, or organizing little household items.

Gift boxes become storage for camera gear, sewing supplies, or cloths.

Why buy organizers when life keeps handing you perfectly good ones for free?

3. I Use Cloth Instead of Paper Towels

Old T-shirts, worn-out pajamas, random fabric scraps… I cut them into reusable cloths.

Instead of constantly buying paper towels, we simply wash and reuse cloths every week.

It’s cheaper, less wasteful, and honestly feels more comforting than using something once and throwing it away.

4. I Reuse Thick Plastic Bags

I reuse thicker plastic bags instead of buying endless Ziploc bags.

I wash them, hang them upside down to dry, and reuse them for freezer scraps, organizing, or storage.

One tiny habit saves so much waste over time.

5. I Use Produce Mesh Bags as Dish Scrubbers

Those mesh bags oranges, onions, or ginger come in?

I keep them and use them as dish scrubbers instead of buying sponges.

They work surprisingly well and give one more life to something that would normally head straight to the trash.

6. I Melt Down Tiny Soap Pieces

Tiny leftover soap slivers don’t get thrown away in my house.

I collect them, melt them down with water, and turn them into liquid soap.

It’s perfect for travel, easy to use, and stretches products so much further.

7. I Regrow Vegetables From Scraps

Green onions are basically magic.

I place the cut ends in water, then plant them outside once they start sprouting. They grow all summer long.

I do the same with lettuce and bok choy.

When groceries are expensive, regrowing food from scraps genuinely feels like producing money in the garden. 🌱

8. I Ferment Fruit Scraps Into Drinks and Vinegar

Apple cores, pineapple skins, and fruit scraps don’t get wasted either.

I ferment them into fizzy drinks like tepache or let them ferment longer into homemade vinegar.

That vinegar becomes salad dressings, baking ingredients, and more.

It completely changed the way I see “waste.”

9. I Love Hand-Me-Down Clothes

A lot of people feel embarrassed wearing secondhand clothing. I actually love it.

When I wear a sweater from a friend or a dress from a cousin, it feels meaningful. Like the clothing carries little memories inside of it.

I don’t really chase trends anymore. I just want clothes that feel comfortable, personal, and loved.

Secondhand clothing also helped me build my own style instead of constantly feeling pressured to buy whatever is trending online.

And of course, it saves money while keeping clothing out of landfills.

10. I Make My Own Makeup and Skincare

This is probably the thing people find the strangest about me.

Years ago, after struggling with conventional beauty products, I started learning how to make my own skincare and makeup. I experimented with ingredients like cocoa powder and activated charcoal and slowly built routines that worked for me.

What started as curiosity turned into something much bigger.

Making my own beauty products helped me reduce packaging waste, reuse containers, simplify my routines, and understand exactly what I was putting on my skin.

It also became deeply empowering.

Over the years, I documented everything I learned, all the recipes, experiments, mistakes, and discoveries and turned it into my ebook, Your Beauty, Your Way.

This book is incredibly personal to me because it represents years of learning how to care for myself in a slower, more intentional way.

Not perfectly.
Not traditionally.
But in a way that feels true to me.

And maybe that’s the whole point of underconsumption too.

Creating a life that reflects your values instead of constantly consuming someone else’s version of beauty, success, or happiness.

Why I Love Living This Way

Living this way gives me a creative outlet.

Whenever I’m about to throw something away, my brain immediately asks:

Could this have another life?

Could this jar store something?
Could this fabric become cloths?
Could these scraps become broth?
Could this object be repaired, repurposed, reused?

I don’t live this way to be perfect.

I just think there’s something beautiful about appreciating things fully. Honoring the time, energy, labor, and resources it took to create them.

This lifestyle connects me to my childhood, to my parents, and hopefully one day, to my kids too.

Frugal living isn’t about removing joy from life.

For me, it creates room for more gratitude, more creativity, and more connection to the things we already have.

And honestly?

I think that’s a pretty beautiful way to live. 🌿

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