Going green often comes with a higher sticker price.
Many single-use items we rely on are cheaper to purchase than their reusable equivalents.
But that convenience frequently exacts a heavy toll on the environment. Plastic bags and straws contaminate oceans and can be eaten by marine life. Disposable diapers can take centuries to break down in landfills.
Reusable options generally cost more upfront, yet you might be surprised how quickly they can pay for themselves since you reuse them instead of repurchasing disposables.
9 Reusable Items That Save You Money Over Time
We examined nine common household items, located both reusable and disposable versions on Amazon, and compared their prices. Here’s what we found.
Editor’s note: Prices referenced here were current as of Oct 6, 2023.
1. Straws
A stainless straw priced at $0.50 individually (or $7.99 for a pack of 16) is about the same cost as eight single-use straws at roughly $0.09 each. That means after eight uses, your reusable straw has essentially covered its cost — and you still have 15 remaining.
2. Water Bottles
A reusable bottle priced at $11.19 costs less than forty disposable water bottles at $0.50 apiece.
Translation: Refill that bottle about 40 times and you’ve stopped buying bottled water altogether.
3. Sandwich Bags
A 10-pack of reusable, resealable bags runs about $12.89, whereas a box of 150 Ziploc sandwich bags is roughly $9.50.
Put another way: You’ll only spend about a dollar or so more for the reusable set (often in multiple sizes), but you’ll keep using them for a long time while disposables simply become trash. One reusable bag can be used over 300 times.
4. Diapers
Diaper costs vary considerably. Inexpensive store-brand disposables can cost just a few cents each, while premium boxes like Pampers can run close to $25. Cloth diapers vary as well.
For this example, a cloth diaper priced around $4.99 versus a disposable diaper at approximately $0.42 apiece. The cloth diaper breaks even after about 16 changes.
Over the roughly two years before a child is potty trained, the savings from reusable cloth diapers can add up — many designs are adjustable to fit as your baby grows.
5. Paper Towels
A single cloth kitchen towel at $1.62 costs less than one family-sized roll of paper towels priced at $2.90 a roll. Need we say more?
6. K-Cups
Yes, there’s a reusable option for those beloved single-serve coffee pods.
A box of 40 Starbucks K-Cups costs around $33.49, while a set of four refillable pods that you fill with your own grounds is about $9.95.
7. Dryer Balls
Dryer balls are small wool spheres roughly the size of a tennis ball that you toss into the dryer instead of using disposable fabric-softening sheets. Wool can wick moisture from clothing, and makers say it can reduce drying time and energy use.
They can also spare you some cash. A six-pack of reusable wool dryer balls is $9.97, while a box of 240 disposable dryer sheets is about a dollar cheaper — but you’ll need to replace them when they’re gone.
8. Razors
Razors are often sold as disposables. A pack of 24 plastic razors costs $18.85. A single chrome reusable safety razor — yes, the kind that feels classic — is $15.66.
You’ll need to replace the blades on the reusable model, but replacement blades are inexpensive. A box of 100 Astra blades goes for about $8.30 — roughly $0.08 each.
9. Feminine Products
Hear this: you don’t have to surrender to a lifetime of buying tampons, pads and liners each month.
A box of 40 tampons costs about $6.08 and 66 pads are roughly $7.87 each month — which adds up fast. By contrast, one pair of period underwear can be $24.99, and a menstrual cup is about $33.89.
Those are higher up-front costs, but reusable feminine products — like other reusable swaps — focus on long-term savings.
And of course, they help you contribute less waste to the landfill.
Product prices and availability were accurate at the time noted and may change. Any price and availability shown on Amazon at purchase applies to that transaction. Savinly uses paid Amazon links.
Certain material on this page is provided by Amazon. This content is offered “as is” and may be updated or removed at any time.
Alex Rivera is a senior writer at Savinly. Senior editor Molly Moorhead contributed to this piece.
