Hi everyone! This is Bea's husband, Scott.
This is a note to the people that may be standing on the sideline, deciding whether or not this lifestyle or these changes make sense. Or maybe it is a note to the doubters that are thinking this is just a waste of time or money...or maybe it is to the husbands out there that are thinking this is just a big hassle. (I know because I was one of them at first...)
After some prodding from Bea, I went back over our expenses - in detail - from a few years ago (our "old life" in 2005) vs. our expenses now ("zero waste" lifestyle in 2010). To compare apples to apples, so to speak, I also took into account that our two boys are eating significantly more (ages 8 & 10 in 2010 vs. ages 3 & 5 in 2005). I could eat more than both of them put together in 2005 - now, Max eats as much as me - maybe more some days. (Note: Bea has always eaten more than me :)
The bottomline: It looks like we are saving even more than we thought...
> On food we are saving 36% overall:
- Groceries are down 33%
- Farmer's market is up over 1000% (from almost nothing to being a core part of our meals)
- Restaurants are down 67%
> On "drug stores" (like Target, Rite Aid, CVS Pharmacy, etc.) our spending is down 76% (We can't even remember what the heck we were buying there!?)> Overall - our spending is down almost 40% across those categories!!! (not counting for inflation)
I attribute these savings to:
- Shopping the outer rim of the store vs. the aisles
- Less meat for dinner (once per week vs. most days)
- More vegetables (we are spending a lot more at the Farmers Market every week)
- Less dinners out / more family dinners in... (sure some of that is due to the economy)
- Drug store purchases are way down - we don't buy all the "throw-aways"
And this does not factor in any of the time savings - fewer trips to the store, less time spent in the store, less time driving to/from the store...more time with my family, doing the things that we like to do.
Ok - back to Bea for the regularly scheduled program next week...(probably something on how to reuse turnip peels to degrease your stove :)
For many people the bottom line is always money so your analysis is very helpful and heartening. It may well encourage those, like you said, standing on the sidelines. I like refilling my containers because it saves resources and eliminates one more piece of waste at my house. The environmental argument is reason enough for me. But, I appreciate that it doesn't fl with everyone. So, it is nice to know that it not only feels right, but also makes financial sense as well. Thanks for the financial breakdown. It must have been shocking and interesting for you to calculate.
ReplyDeleteScott, thank you for this post. How did you know many of us were going crazy, keep coming back here and not finding a new post!! I was starting to exhibit some withdraw symptoms.
ReplyDeleteI am impressed that you and Bea keep a record of expenses. I've made a feeble attempt many years ago, but never was able to get going really. It would have been fun to do "before and after" like you did.
How do you go about doing this between the two of you? Do you keep record indivudually and consolidate at some point? I imagine both parties would have to be equally committed. I realize that this is not exactly a ZWH topic but I would love to hear more about it.
If people are not shopping as much, not buying alot of packaged foods and are cooking meals from scratch and eating at home more, how could anyone not save money? I had no clue how much time I wasted by shopping constantly before trying the zwh lifestyle. I have probably cut my shopping time down 80%, so I would have to be saving money just from that alone. It is pretty nice not bringing stuff into our house all the time. This is such a great website. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThis post really did help see how the ZWH way saves money and time. I agree. Since my partner and I have been moving towards more Zero Waste ( not totally there yet but close) we have cut back to less than a half a bag of garbage a week, 1/3 of the time spent in the grocery store and shopping in general and made our food last longer.
ReplyDeleteScott how do you keep track of your spending? Do you use a certain spreadsheet or program? Is there a way you could show like a snap shot of what it looks like?
Looking forward to more posts. I check Bea's blog everyday looking for more information about anything and everything. Would love to see new and update items in the store portion of the blog!
Good for you! I am the exception I guess, but it is about the same for our household. Probably because we never bought processed food and never eat out - good restaurants are hard to find in the US, especially at a reasonable price so we'd rather cook. What we save from drug stores is spent on produce. When you don't buy 3 or 5 lbs bags (potatoes, apples...) it is unfortunately more expensive. It's a shame!
ReplyDeletethank you! i feel that this blog has lost some of the helpfulness as it's mostly been about green awards and decorating... but this brings it back into the picture! :) and i have to be honest, a blog about turnip peels and their cleaning properties would be great ;) thanks to the both of you
ReplyDeleteJust curious...Most of our trash comes from the kitchen. WIth two young picky eaters, most of our meals always include some kind of trash - from packaging, etc. I feel it's challenging to make a meal without some kind of packaging. Can you give us an example of some of your daily meals? Perhaps include some of your favorite recipes? Thanks so much for the blog! Learn something new each time!
ReplyDeleteMelissa
As part of us pairing down our lifestyles, preparing for our first home--the biggest "waste" in our lives was our debt. For keeping track of finances, we have used both Quicken and Mint.com, the latter being our current record of keeping. When we eliminated our debt and started living on a budget, that was our first phase of cutting down the waste in our lives. Having one place to keep receipts, and setting a budget monthly so everyone is on the same page really helps. One of us takes the lead and manages the balancing of the virtual "checkbook", and it is me, since I am a math kind of girl. It was amazing to me as how much waste we cut down on in our lives by having a financial plan. Getting out of debt and living on a budget really forced us into thinking (for the first time in our lives) what we actually NEED. (We are currently in our second phase of moving toward waste-free...purging!)
ReplyDeleteI have to say I was initially shocked by the article of you in sunset magazine. But after reading your blog, I have a different picture. I guess shocked was good, because it made me remember, think, and talk about it. I've been trying to live in a less consuming way since I started having kids 4 years ago, but it turned into purging about a year ago when we moved into (ironically) a bigger house. I've also dabbled into the bulk shampoo, peanut butter and grains in the past, as i live in Portland, Oregon, and it's just easy to do. Now, after reading your blog, I just want less coming in. I tried the jar thing about a week ago, and it was just a great feeling to unload the groceries without an ounce of packaging or trash. Wow! But today, I had to run in, because I had nothing in the house, and ended up with a ton of packaged goods. Always have the reusable bags on hand (keep a fold up one in the purse just in case), but was just at a loss of what to get in a pinch. I blew it big time, and feel just gross. So I love the new lifestyle, but by avoiding the packaged stuff, I end up with way less than I need, usually. Can you give us a quick weekly menu? Or a grocery list or something? Something to help get us started? Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteWow!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Scott (and Bea).
I'm gonna let my my husband read this post! ;-)
When we started out on our zero waste challenge in our home in March I wasn't sure how I was going to fit in all the new zero waste projects I had in mind-part of me really doubted that we could pull it off. But.....we have saved the most amazing amount of time just by only going(bulk)shopping every 4-5 weeks. My husband and I have calculated that we probably save 3-4 hours a week in time and stress and hassle-that is 12-16 hours a month by not going to the supermarket twice a week like we used to. That is a whole extra day! That is why we now have the time to try bread baking, visit the farmers market every second Sunday, make rice milk, bake cookies with the kids, take the dogs for a long walk in the forest etc etc.
ReplyDeleteHa ha! My husband could have written that last sentence about me!
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting, and I too am looking forward to a future post on the cleaning properties of root vegetables! :)
the savings go even further... as we stopped buying pre-processed foods and started making all our meals from scratch, the amount of kitchen scraps increased dramatically while packaging was reduced to nearly nothing. we started composting the kitchen scraps (in 55-gallon rubbermaid trash containers) and used the compost to start a container garden in repurposed wine barrels with 10 tomato plants, 15 strawberry plants, zucchini, squash, lettuce, cucumbers, and soon grapes, pumpkin, and a couple of dwarf fruit trees. the result? we have free compost, we have nearly free veggies and fruit on the way (the wine barrels, compost containers, and plant starts were costs), AND we downsized our trash container to the smallest one available - also saving us on our garbage collection bill.
ReplyDeletethe added benefit: teaching our 3 and 4yr old kiddos about "making dirt" (composting and all the life processes involved in it), helping them understand repurposing, recycling, and cooking and nutrition.
for all those out there with picky eaters (of which we have 2), there are a whole slew of easy recipes out there to prepare -- mac'n'cheese being one of the easiest. as a fall-back, we make our own yogurt, and there have been plenty of nights when yogurt smoothies made with fruit have been what the kiddos have for dinner, along with maybe a bite or two of what mama and daddy are having.
one final thing, we live on a TINY urban lot in downtown - but using the square foot gardening method, we found we had plenty of space for all our plants.
Thanks, Scott--good to see some actual numbers! I agree--I haven't needed to go to a drugstore more than twice since January. (What are they for again? Oh yeah, they used to be called pharmacies!) Borax, baking soda, vinegar, and castile soap pretty much eliminate the need for their wares!
ReplyDeleteTo others: Bea has a February 2011 post titled "Meal Planning" that answers some of your questions about meals and recipes.
I live in Paris (no relation with Bea french roots!!)and the habbits (food, grocery stores) are certainly a bit different here. But your blog gave me so much ideas and tips and I'm totally into a zero waste lifestyle by now! Thank you so much!! I totally agree that we save money doing so. Really. Once you've got the equipment: jars, clothe bags, stailess steel bottles and icecream casts, etc... (I know the doubters are smiling now!)of course it's expensive, you'll stagger it over a few months,but then, once it's done, the financial gain is spectacular. And it's also way healthier. And moreover, life becomes prettier once clutter and plastic packagings are out for good. It drastically changes the bathroom and kitchen look, for example. But I must say that it's time consuming and requares a lot of organisation. It's always easier to grab a bottle of watter in a store when you're thirsty than carfully preparing your stainless bottle in your bag, and you little box of homemade biscuits... you know. There are many things you can't buy anymore and have to make yourself, like yogourt, sweet sliced bread, sorbet, icecreams... and the bulk store is farther. So you have to learn to organise yourself. But it's totally addicting, and rewarding, and eventhow I'm a working mum, I would never go back to my old life, and I'm very proud of raising my children in that philosophy!! Thanks again! (And sorry for my bad english...)
ReplyDeleteThank you Scott for you input!! My husband and I have slowly been going in this direction for the last few months. I've bought a few things from the 'store' Bea has on the blog, and we have been eating much more healthy. But I do want to tell you that when my husband reads what you wrote, I think it will be a good encouragement to him! Thank you again :)
ReplyDeleteI only recently discovered this blog, and I really appreciate the way it's made me stop and think about what I buy, or don't buy, and how it's packaged. I also like this analysis Scott did to show the financial impact, not just the environmental impact.
ReplyDeleteMy husband spent 30 years in the landfill business, so I've always been a bit in tune with the waste issue, but Bea's work keeps me on that track and gives me more ideas.
If we 'hang out' online with someone who offers good ideas, whether or not we take every one of those ideas, we can still benefit.
Keep up the good work!
Kiyomi - Glad we were able to halt your withdraw symptoms :) It has been tough with all the year-end kids activities to do much writing.
ReplyDeleteRegarding our "accounting" system - we have a single joint Visa account, and I keep the year-end statements (for tax purposes) for a period of seven years. So that made it easy to look at all the expenses in 2005 vs. 2010.
Wrennerd - You are exactly right about "Drug Stores"...with any luck, in 2011, the amount spent on pharma products will go to zero.
ReplyDeleteSarah - Merci! Votre Anglais est parfait! Very happy to have French readers visiting our site. We are heading off soon to France for Bea's brother's wedding. We love our visits to France, as we always come back inspired by the food (and the vin rouge), the lifestyle, and the new ideas for zero waste living...
ReplyDeleteLeah & Melissa - Regarding meals & meal planning, as Wrennerd suggests, take a look at the FEB 2011 post on "Meal Planning".
ReplyDeleteThe picture of Bea's quiche makes me hungry though...
To all - Thanks for the support and glad that some of you will be sharing this with your husbands. Most of us are stubborn, but can eventually be made to see the light...
ReplyDelete(Bea wanted me to respond to comments today...that was easy, so now off to play some ball with Leo) Thanks!
Would love to know some of Bea's go to meals!
ReplyDeleteJust read the comments above and the feb. meal planning post :) thanks!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy Bea's posts... but LOVE hearing from Scott too!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Scott,
ReplyDeleteHave you analysed your utility bills yet (2005 vs 2010)? The Zero Waste lifestyle requires plenty of laundering and I wonder if the increase has had a significant impact in that regard, especially as costs for water treatment and natural gas rise...No judgment, just wondering how the numbers shake out.
will you be continuing to post messages and thoughts during your trip to France? i'd be interested in knowing the comparisons between French zero waste processes and the U.S.
ReplyDeleteto anonymous above:
ReplyDeleteThere is a post in august 2010 titled ideas from abroad which is about one of their trips to France. Maybe it will be helpful.
Just wanted to put my 2 cents in about the laundering question- I was already using cloth napkins and dishtowels (though to be honest, we don't usually even use napkins- just eat carefully and lick our fingers, lol!). I use cloth bags for produce and cloth wipes for, um, #1. So really the only new things I'm washing are the bags and wipes... the bags are very lightweight and I usually just rinse them out in the sink. The wipes are very small and all together equal maybe a couple of t-shirts... to me, this isn't a really big difference! I know this isn't my blog and you weren't asking ME, but I just wanted to share my own experience!
ReplyDeleteFor our household, there was no noticeable increase when we shifted to rags, wipes and bags from the disposables because I'd just throw them in with our clothes depending on how dirty they are. If they are really dirty, I just throw them in after the last batch of clothes and let them soak for a while before starting the wash. I use a twin tub washing machine (only for soaping). I rarely pre-wash and rinse in a big basin after each batch. After 2-3min in the spin dryer,I just air dry them. We save a lot of water (and electricity) with that system compared to using an automatic washer and dryer.
ReplyDeleteTHANK YOU for sharing your lifestyle and ideas! Its so refreshing and gives a sense of permission to live SIMPLIER! We all should live simpier, if not just to take the pressure off ourselves (especially mothers/caregivers!)
ReplyDeleteThis is completely off topic, but....I was reading the travel to France posts and was wondering if Bea has done a post on zero-waste wardrobes for the family. I did not see one while looking through the archives. If not, I would love to read about how you have structured your wardrobes.
ReplyDeletePaige
I have been fortunate in that my husband is slowing catching on to changes without me having to say much. We have a long way to go but we are moving in the right direction. Thanks for sharing Scott :)
ReplyDeleteTo Anon - I have not analyzed the 2005 vs. 2010 utility bills - primarily because I cannot make an apples to apples comparison. Our house in 2005 used more energy since it was >2x larger than our house now, had central AC/heating (we now only have a gas insert for heat with no AC needed), we lived in the valley vs. near the coast (so more extreme), etc...
ReplyDeleteI would also agree with Julia & Jeanne's comments re: the laundry.
Scott and Bea,
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do with store receipts? I used to tear them up and throw them away on my way out of the stores as long as I am sure I will not be returning the items, but now we are discussing bills, I decided to keep track of my expenses for a while (see how impressionable I am?). So now I have all these BPA laden pesky little receipts to deal with!
Just wondering how you dealt with them... Thanks you!
i use the receipts for scratch paper.. as many are blank on the back.. just a few have advertising printed on the back.
ReplyDeleteWe use receipts as scratch paper a lot, too. They're great for grocery lists. We also use them for book marks.
ReplyDeleteI would like to say I absolutely love this blog. It has taught me so much! We save so much more money in our house now that I don't have the urge to shop every other day! Thank you Scott & Bea.
Just have to chime in about the receipts, too. Please be careful with them- google some articles about BPA and receipts- most these days are absolutely loaded with them. I ditch them as soon as I can, and I don't like them near my food or hanging around in my purse.
ReplyDeleteSadly, I don't recycle them either, as I read they are contaminating toilet paper that's made of recycled paper.
I feel bad for the people who have to handle them all day!
Oops, obviously I was trying to say that most receipts are laden with BPA, as Kiyomi mentioned in the original receipt comment. That's what I get for commenting before tea!
ReplyDeleteI have started out my own blog purely for my own focus in on zero waste. Since I began reading this blog, it seems like everything I do is with zero waste in mind which has changed my life for the better. I have come to accept that most my whole life I've been living surrounded by things that are just surrounding me, serving no purpose, really. I just want to thank the both of you for your efforts in sharing and hope you realizE the shift in change you have created. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to the "Bottomline" entry, I too have saved money and I've only just begun. I look forward in seeing how much more money I will be saving. Again, thank you both so very much!
Regarding BPA laden receipts.... I feel like I am focusing on minute matters, but when you are worried about ties on greens and stickers on tomatoes, receipts fall in the same category of 'small yet everyday occurrance' so can't be ignored. So, because of BPA, I don't reuse as a scratch paper, recycle or compost because they contaminate. My choice had been to 'refuse.' I didn't take them before. But now, I have been inspired to attempt to record our expenses..... now what? I was just curious how the Johnsons dealt with them. Into trash after recording the expenditure, right? What else can we do about that? We reduce them by shopping at farmars market, but I still have to go to stores for some things....
ReplyDeleteKiyomi
Hi Bea,
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to stop by and let you know how much I continue to enjoy your Blog- I send a link of your video and blog to all my friends (not only because I wanna share it, but because it's so inspiring). I'm hoping that, like me, you motivate them to make a positive change also! I get so excited when I see a new post- cause I know I'll be learning something fantastical!!! Thank you for being so awesome!!!
Shakira :)
I totally forgot about the BPA in receipts. Instead of lists, we will have to just start refusing them. Thanks for reminding me!
ReplyDeleteI was just at Whole Foods today and the checker asked me if I wanted a receipt. I said no, and he cancelled it from printing - so yay, there! Hopefully the new attention given to BPA in receipts will cause more retailers to rethink their practices (and you could be like Bea and proactively let your local stores know you don't want receipts). Our local greengrocer, Vitamin Cottage, advertises that their receipts are BPA-free, which is a step in the right direction...
ReplyDeleteFor those of you keeping track of your expenses, I believe Mint.com and other online budgeting programs have apps for smartphones - so you can enter the expense right there and not bring home a receipt at all.
Wow, is there a way to receive a receipt on your smart phone right there at the store? That's amazing! I am not talking about the credit card charges, but a 'receipt'? Sometimes I would buy some personal hygene items such as sun screen along with my groceries at Whole Foods, so just having a record of amount spent won't be enough if we are keeping track of expenditure by category.
ReplyDeleteDoes anybody really do this? (I mean keep track of itemized expenses.) If so, I would like to know more details, such as what level of detail, is it helpful, is it worth the effort, how you do it, etc. Maybe an item in the "Forum"?
Thanks! I enjoy this blog very much.
Really nice work ya'll. I appreciate how you've transformed your day-to-day lifestyle into an art form.
ReplyDelete