What recommended wastefullness do you avoid?

[lorihadams]

I alternate between baking soda and toothpaste when brushing my teeth.

I water the plants with the water from the baby pool when I let the kids swim in the front yard...they love to help me fill up the buckets!

I shower every 2-3 days or until someone notices...

I use very little shampoo and conditioner and try to let my hair air dry unless I need to look pretty.

I have cut back on the amount of ground meat that I use and add beans to fill in for the left out meat. Better protein and fiber.

I don't throw away food any more since getting the chickens...

I drink filtered water, no more sodas. Coffee, juice, and tea occasionally. When I give my kids juice I usually do 1/2 water and 1/2 juice.

 

[MorelCabin]

I hardly ever use paper towels, kleenex, or any other tissues besides toilet paper.
I add more water to soups and juices than recommended

We are huge water users here though...

 

[Beekissed]

I was searching the old threads....didn't we have one with a similar title long ago and, if I recall, it had some really good ideas! Anyone remember it?

 

[freemotion]

I don't repeat

Even if you have beans for supper?

 

[Dace]

I am struggling to think of anything interesting...mostly I try to always use less of anything.

 

[VT-Chicklit]

I cut up plastic milk and detirgent jugs into flat pieces (takes less space in the bag than stomping them). I dilute my laundry detirgent and fabric softener by 1/2 when I open the containers so that I won't go on auto pilot and use them at full strength. I only dry DH's dress work pants and shirts in the clothes dryer for about 10 minutes to get out the wrinkles, and then hang them on clothes hangers and pant hangers to dry the rest of the way, This saves dryer time and ironing time! I use sour cream, yoghert and other dairy products past code. If they aren't sour, why throw them away.

 

[me&thegals]

Pat--you're not alone on the showers. Sorry, folks, but I think daily showers are a bit over the top unless you work in animal crap daily... I try really hard to not waste water. I think wars will be fought in the not-too-distant future over potable water. So, I really try to only wash clothes that are actually dirty. We reuse towels endlessly, don't change bedding that frequently, only flush toilets when it is aromatically necessary, shut off the water when scrubbing in the shower (ok, only I do this and only in warm weather), shut off water when brushing teeth, blah, blah.

I hang laundry year round. It would make me nutty to be running my dryer as much as I would need to!

Ditto on everyone else's less toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent.

I also try hard to save gas. Bike and walk when possible, combine trips.

 

[Henrietta23]

I don't repeat

Me either, but I do rinse!

 

[sylvie]

I sharpen my own scissors, knives and exacto blades. I have the same exacto blade that I bought in 1989. As a woodcarver I have the stuff to do it, like jeweler's rouge, but super fine automotive sandpaper works beautifully, too.

We have a very fine composting toilet which the directions say to use peat moss. Instead we shred leaves or pick up bags of leaves set out for collection from homes we know shred. Works just as well.

A lot of the manufacturer recommendations are there to cover their butt legally, so use discretion when cutting corners. If something unfortunate happens when you've altered the directions you may not be able to blame them in some circumstances.

 

[Wifezilla]

Even if you have beans for supper?

Avoiding excess fiber as well as carbs solves that issue