by Texas Homesteader ~
There are many things that I no longer buy at the store such as cleaners, convenience mixes, garbage bags, paper goods, etc. I’m typically able to make do (quite nicely, actually) with what I already have here at home.
I’ve found it just took looking at things in a different way. Come see what I no longer buy at the store.
How Can YOU Stay Out Of The Store?
Now I’m not casting stones. At one time I also bought into the convenience mindset and didn’t really think about the procedure itself.
It wasn’t until I challenged myself to provide the things that I typically bought at the store that I found out how incredibly easy it was.
The bonus?
Fewer runs to the store for household and recipe items.
Less trash from convenience items.
More money in my pocket – homemade is LOTS cheaper!
Things I No Longer Buy At The Store
More & more I’m finding ways to make do with what I already have. A few things I no longer have to buy:
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Cleaning products,
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Trash bags,
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Paper towels,
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Cake mixes,
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Cookies,
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Yogurt,
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…and much more!
The more I learn to make do for myself the easier I find it is. And the easier it is, the more often I’m able to stay out of the store.
Good for my health, our budget, or the earth. Or all three sometimes!
The biggest ways I’m able to use what we already have to fill a need without going to the store are:
Commercial Cleaners Replaced With Homemade Cleaners
I’ve included a nice long list of the more natural ways I keep our home clean at the bottom of this post or by clicking the button below. I encourage you to check it out.
Like most folks, I used to have a large cache of cleaners under my kitchen and bathroom sinks.
I had toilet cleaners, glass cleaners and tile floor cleaners. It seems there were cleaners specially formulated for cleaning only one specific type of surface.
I really never thought about it, just blindly picked up each one and put it in my shopping cart as I danced down the aisles dreaming of the sparkling clean home in my immediate future.
Then reality set in… REALLY??!? A different cleaner for each individual surface?
So I started learning about more basic and natural ways to keep our home clean.
These days to get my household cleaners I don’t need to go to a store. As a matter of fact, I need to look no further than my own kitchen pantry.
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Homemade Non-Toxic Cleaners
That’s right, my all my Homemade Cleaners are non-toxic & safe! What are my secret weapons? (links below will take you to more information)
Dish Soap & Water
– Mixed in a repurposed spray bottle for dishes, granite countertops & grease-cutting power on stovetops and more.
Simple Homemade Glass Cleaner – Using vinegar and crumpled black/white newspaper. It results in a streak-free shine!
Simple Homemade Non-Toxic Bathroom Cleaners – Baking Soda’s mildly abrasive qualities will clean the sink or toilet bowl to a sparkling shine. Vinegar will clean soap scum, mirrors & tile as well as disinfect the toilet bowl.
Non-Toxic Bathroom CleanersHomemade Carpet Cleaner – using salt, water and distilled white vinegar I’ve been able to remove even the toughest pet stains.
Homemade
You can see all our cleaning posts here –> 
No More Disposable Paper Products
I’ve found disposable paper products are not needed here at the homestead.
Paper plates are replaced with honest-to-goodness dishes. Cleanup is as easy as scrape-load into dishwasher – push button – walk away.
Paper napkins are replaced with cloth napkins that still look new even after over 2 decades of heavy use.
And paper towels have even been eliminated and replaced with cloth rags cut from tshirts too stained to donate. No sewing!
Eliminating disposable paper products was an easy move at the Homestead.
Repurposing Bags For FREE Trash Bags!
Trash bags are another thing I no longer need to purchase at the store. Since we now buy fewer cans, boxes and convenience mixes our trash output has been drastically reduced.
But even though I shun plastic, there are still plastic bags that automatically make their way into our home anyway. Things such as our family-sized package of toilet paper or food wrappings and such.
So if plastic is going to come into our home despite my best efforts, I’ll at least make sure they get reused. And I’ll use them to replace a plastic item I used to buy – trash bags.
Now I repurpose those larger plastic wrappers to line our small trash can.
Our trash can is tiny so I’m able to tuck it away out of sight. This smaller waste basket fits neatly inside a small slide-drawer we had built into one of our bottom kitchen cabinets.
I’m thrilled that I no longer have a large, ugly, bulky trash can pretending to be a mammoth decorator item in my kitchen!
Since I compost my food scraps, and recycle plastics such as milk jugs, etc. this tiny waste basket only needs to be emptied about every 2 weeks or even longer.
Simple & Fast Homemade Desserts
No more cakes, cookies, etc. are purchased from the store now. But I’ve found the fastest easiest ways to make:
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3-Ingredient Gluten-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
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Chocolate Crazy Cake – no butter, eggs or milk
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Simple No-Cook Chocolate Frosting
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Homemade Peach Ice Cream
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You Can See All Our Favorite Desserts here –> 
Easy Homemade Convenience Mixes
Commercially-produced convenience items are rarely used here now. I’ve found it’s super easy to whip up convenience items on my own.
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Simple Homemade Pancake Mix
My pancake recipe takes no longer to mix up than the “premixed” kind in a disposable box or bag.
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Homemade Chocolate Frosting
I’m thrilled that what’s now become my absolute favorite fudge frosting recipe can be whipped up in minutes. And it doesn’t even require cooking!
I just stir everything together in only 1 minute! Plus it doesn’t come in a chunky disposable plastic tub. There’s precious little trash when I make this quick homemade frosting myself.
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Quick Homemade Chocolate Brownies
I can also whip up the most decadent brownies completely from scratch in about the same time it takes to mix the wet ingredients from a commercial box of brownies.
All of these items are made with ingredients I already have in my kitchen!
The kicker here (and believe me this is important):
It takes no more time than the “convenience” mixes!
Plus those are ingredients I recognize and can pronounce, unlike some of the strange-sounding ingredients on a box of pre-made mix.
And at substantially less cost both economically and environmentally.
Simple Homemade Seasoning Mixes
And whipping up your own customized seasoning mixes is easy too.
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Homemade Taco Seasoning
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Pinto Bean Seasoning mix.
- BBQ Dry Rub Mix
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Homemade Breakfast Sausage Seasoning
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Any number of homemade seasoning mixes can be mixed together quickly, y’all!
You can see all my seasoning mixes here –> 
I’ll often ask myself: “Do I already have something here at home that will take the place of that thing I used to buy?”
The answer more & more is – YES! But the thing is, it’s really easy to do. It just takes watching for places to substitute.
Give it a try – you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
~TxH~
This post categorized in 
Tagged in 
Other Posts About Reducing Household Waste
Reducing Trash
- How We Reduced Household Trash
- 5 Zero-Waste Products We Love
- I Love Mother Nature So I Recycle LESS!
- Where Exactly Is ‘Away’?
- Easily Reduce Or Eliminate Junk Mail
Kitchen
- 7 Ways To Reduce Plastic In The Kitchen
- Ditch The Plastic! Using Glass In The Refrigerator
- Paper Napkins In A Paperless Kitchen
Food
- Replacing Plastic Wrap With Beeswax Wraps
- Making Your Own Pourable Sugar Jar
- Eliminate Plastic Produce Bags
Cleaning
Health & Beauty
- Zero-Waste Hygiene
- Reducing Plastic In Personal Hygiene: Deodorant
- No More Plastic Razors – How To Use A Safety Razor
Repurposing
- Repurposing Empty Coffee Containers
- Denim Repurposed Into Fun Crafts
- Repurposing A Parmesan Cheese Lid
- 5 Handy Repurpose Ideas From An Old Sock
…and Many More
See All Eco-Friendly Posts
C’mon by & sit a spell! Come hang out at our Facebook Page. It’s like sitting in a front porch rocker with a glass of cold iced tea – lots of good folks sharing! You can also follow along on Pinterest, on Twitter or on Instagram.
Great article. I decided to make my own dog biscuits and they love them! They are easy and fast. I even use the plastic container the very last purchased dog biscuits came in to store them. All of my food waste ( except meat, fat & bones) is turned into compost smoothies and fed directly to my garden and worm bin. I really try to recycle everything possible. My husband has recently purchased those bathroom plug-in fragrance things UGH!!! He even signed up for auto-refills which I cancelled. I refill the units myself with essential oil and water. I don’t think he knows the difference.
Ms. Ellen – YOU are a smart girl with those plug-ins. I hate them too, but you’ve found an awesome way to get around them and probably save money and the environment at the same time. You. GO! ~TxH~
I stopped using chemical store bought cleaner quite a while ago due to my chemical sensitivities. At first started with some green cleaners bought from the store but then I started making my own DIY cleaners and using peroxide, vinegar, baking soda as mainly to clean with. I also make my own DIY citrus cleaner which I use for many things with taking orange peels (or any type of citrus peels) and white vinegar and putting in a jar for about a month to work or ferment – its a great cleaner. I use it constantly throughout my house. I use olive oil on my wood furniture to dust with and it lubricates the wood very well. As far as trash I still need to keep working on that – although we only put 1 trash bag out for the trash man once a month or less. which is some cans and odds and ends of old stuff. We burn what paper we have and try to buy in bulk as much as possible. Sharing on article on twitter & pinning. Visiting from #WasteLessWednesdays. I love your recipes too.
Oh, I’m envious of only emptying trash on a weekly or biweekly basis! We are better than used to be, but still have lots of room for improvement in that area. I desperately want to compost, but don’t have the space for it at this time. I’ve been thinking about freezing food scraps until I get enough to blend a compost tea of sorts…you’ve pushed me to start it now! Visiting from Happiness is Homemade. 🙂
I’m so glad you stopped by today Stephanie. I used to haul a large trash bag to the curb every week so I’m not casting stones here, I just made some changes over time that were important to me, and reducing my landfill-bound trash was important! I am happy to say that it’s much easier than I thought it would and I find myself challenging myself to do more so it’s almost a game. LOL ~TxH~
I try to make as much as I can from scratch. Probably 90% of our food is made from scratch, yogurt, ranch dressing, baked goods always! Household cleaners to personal items like deodorant, Brazilian wax, tooth paste and lots more. What I don’t like are the skeptics who turn up their noses in disgust. Oh well, it’s their dime…. dollar really.
Us too Judith and ya know, it’s so easy to do. I think many people (myself included in my younger days) have been convinced by the advertising moguls that their complicated chemical-ridden products are the only way. I assumed those scientific-sounding ingredients were the key to an effective product, and of course there’s no way I could obtain them to make my own. Little did I know THOSE are the things I’m trying to avoid in the first place! ~TxH~
Very true! I make everything from scratch now too and I love it! Healthier, cheaper, better for the environment…how much better can you get than that? Oh, yeah…tastier too 😉
I only use baking soda, lemons, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and essential oils to clean and try to never buy any processed. Believe totally in organic and local harvest foods. Believe we need to be as self sufficient as possible and agree with your ideas. Thanks for sharing. Visiting from Four Seasons Blog Hop.
I find I need to be in a habit.. Dawn soap and vinegar are my go tos and baking soda. Every once in a while I find myself buying something super convenient. Thank you for the reminder to keep the course!
Jennifer, I agree it’s just a habit, and so many things are super-easy to implement. But you know for me it’s all about moderation. There are things that work for our home and some things that are tried but just didn’t work. If something doesn’t work for your household just focus on those that do and search for other things to implement that will help both your budget and the environment. Kudos to you! ~TxH~
Greetings from NE Oklahoma!
I hate to grocery shop, and only go out once a month or so. I keep a well-stocked pantry and freezer. I grow a garden, have planted fruit trees and do my own canning. With all that drought they’re having in California I’m expecting prices to really soar so I’m hoping we won’t have our OWN drought here this summer. Doesn’t look good so far. We already need rain.
I use a lot of vinegar, I keep some in a spray bottle in the kitchen to wipe down my counters with. I use Borax for the bathroom. It’s gritty enough that it does a good job on bathtub rings. I just don’t like to breathe the fumes that some of those cleaners make, you know?
“Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without.” I can’t tell you how many times I heard this growing up.
I enjoy reading about your blog and all of the wonderful tips. I have also started using a lot more made from scratch recipes for food, cleaners, and even for my health and beauty routine– whatever it is. LOL Not that I concern myself with looking like I just stepped off the runway. It is all about living natural and organic, and most definitely healthier. My dad used to tell me that I was born in the wrong century and now that I am trying to live and eat like my ancestors would have. Keep up the good simple life!!
Oh yes Marlies, I know what you mean, I’ve always felt I was born in the wrong century as well. Plus I think because I’m happy in my own skin I’m not constantly striving to get the approval of everyone else – I think that goes a long way to keeping me satisfied… ~TxH~
I too have switched completely over to organic cleaning products they’re wonderful to the furniture polish to the toilet cleaner to the shower cleaner. I think one of my favorites is the orange peel and vinegar. makes the whole house smell refreshed and shiny.
we compost and recycle everything !
I love the idea that you have about the trash bags using boxes or anything else that actually would be a waste to hold the trash.
I for one are those people that have the cloth bag full of the white yellow and blue and grey plastic shopping bags little secret I weave plastic rugs out of them and they hold up forever.
Donna – I’ve seen the shopping-bag woven rug you’re speaking of & I’m so envious – I would LOVE to have one of those! I’d think that it would be an easy task to gather those bags too even if you refused them yourself when shopping – they’re never in short supply from either family or friends, or even the drop-off in front of some grocery stores where they collect them for recycle. But alas, I’m just not talented enough to make one… LOL ~TxH~
I love, love, love everything about this article. I too use all the random bags that come my way instead of buying garbage bags or accepting plastic bags at the store. I also love the concept of staying out stores completely.
Great tips on reducing cleaning supplies. Having just moved to the country, I’m forced to watch the type of cleaners that I use to avoid problems with my septic tank. Baking soda and vinegar sound like great alternatives.
As for reducing garbage, it used to be pretty difficult for me to compost in my previous home. Townhouses really aren’t conducive to composting – the property is too small for an outdoor compost bin (and not ideal due to coyotes and other animals roaming around), and using the city-supplied “green bin” for compostables is a nightmare because it attracts flies and maggots.
One day I’ll give it another try, now that I’ve got more space.
Stopping by from the No Rules Weekend blog hop.
Suzanne, you might try the tumbling composter like I have. We have all manner of critters such as coyotes, opossums, raccoons, etc. But we’ve never had a problem with them because it’s enclosed. Just a thought… ~TxH~
Love this! I have also replaced all my cleaners with natural, homemade ones, but I love how little waste you produce! I’d love to get down to that much! Great inspiration, thank you. 🙂
I go to the store once a week and usually don’t get a lot…a few fresh veggies for salad and maybe some cheese. I’m making more things from scratch and we raise our own chickens for eggs and meat, and buy our pork and beef from local farmers. I also go into the store with the idea that I will get in and out and not stray from my list 🙂
This is impressive. I do believe in this stuff. However, when I find myself short on time, I notice that is when my supplies of those sprays goes up. Household cleaning is like having a child and not spending enough time with it…so there’s the inevitable guilt-shopping. I think that’s it for me.
Everything you said is so true! And I feel especially virtuous when I use the toilet paper packaging as a trash bag! 🙂 Your frosting recipe sounds delicious.
I so agree with staying out of the store years ago I found out that making brownies from scratch was the difference of adding like 2 or 3 more ingredients…CRAZY! I am not going to lie though I love Trader Joe’s sage and cedar general multi purpose cleaner but other than that I buy very few cleaners! Less is really more if you would have told me 10 years ago that I would spend most of my summers eating eggs, homemade bread, tomatoes and peppers I would not have believed you! Loved this post what a great reminder to make do with what you have!
I guess in my case it was the ole “with age comes wisdom” KarenLynn. Live and learn. I’ve even made some of my favorites like my brownie mix recipe into a convenience item by mixing all the dry ingredients into a reusable container and placing a note of what wet ingredients to add and how long to bake. Homemade items in a snap with very little (if any) landfill trash. Win/Win! Thanks for stopping by. ~TxH~
It’s amazing after a day of reading posts by encouragers like yourself I feel so motivated to make everything from scratch and be as natural as possible, but then as soon as I visit the store I feel the need to buy a box of this or a packet of that or a cleaner that does everything.
We need to be constantly encouraged because it is actually quite easy to fulfill a simple lifestyle!
Would you share your homemade recipes? I would like to get away from mixes. Thank you! Mary
I’m not quite brave enough to make the full leap to homemade cleaning products, but I have reduced my cleaning supplies down to one naturally-made cleaning spray. Maybe someday… 🙂
Each family is different Joan, it’s all about comfort level & moderation for each household. These are just things that work for us. Thanks so much for stopping by! ~TxH~
So cool. Lately I’ve been saying that the way to consume less (to cut your carbon footprint) is to think like a pauper. Not that we are paupers: that, in a way, is exactly the problem. But if we THINK like paupers that would go a long way to help the planet. This means making do with what we’ve got, not running to the store for every little thing, and generally getting creative. It can be a lot of fun! Great post, thank you!
I agree, it’s all about mindset. As I mentioned I never really thought about it before, I just bought because “that’s the way it’s always been done”. But I’ve learned that all that buying is not necessarily better. Thanks for stopping by CelloMom! ~TxH~
Its not thinking like a pauper at all! I was raised in the time when only poor people would stoop so low as to eat the packaged garbage. Freshly made food has always been a luxury.
Composting and having the richest soil that produces the most wonderful plants – does that sound like a pauper?
We are enjoying things most people won’t.
Sorry I’m so late commenting on this, it’s been busy – WHEW! Carole, I don’t think she meant it that way, I think she meant that many people have no problem paying extra for the ‘convenience’ of packaged foods, pre-cut produce or already-cooked frozen foods. To change our way of thinking to that of a person who couldn’t afford to pay for convenience would mean we’re eating more naturally and I don’t know how that couldn’t help but to make us all healthier. ~TxH~