These 7 Reusable Items Can Save You $1,000 a Year

With no end in sight to high grocery prices, the shift from disposable to reusable items isn’t only a green choice but a financially wise decision. Opting for reusable products is the go-to for consumers looking to save money in the long run.

Here are seven reusable products you can start using to save close to $1,000 a year: 

• Savings: Up to $730 per year

The amount you can spend on disposable bottles of water varies wildly. You can buy a case of 40 purified bottled waters at Walmart for $5.36, about $0.13 per bottle. If you drank one bottle daily for a year, that would come to about $47.45. If you buy a single bottle of water daily, you could spend $2 or more, depending on where you buy it, at least $730 a year.

However, a good-quality reusable water bottle can cost anywhere from $12 to $50 and lasts several years or more. After the initial cost of the reusable water bottle, you could save up to $730 a year. 

• Savings: At least $32 per year

A double roll of paper towels from Walmart’s Great Value brand costs $2.38, or $1.19 per roll. Switching to reusable towels — which you can find in a roll of 50 for about $22 — can add up to substantial savings. User reviews say these types of towels are incredibly absorbent and last months.

To compare costs, if you go through a couple of rolls of disposable paper towels per week at $2.38, you’ll spend around $10 monthly. However, you can wash and reuse the reusable towels for at least three months, you’ll save around $8, which equals $32 per year. If you can use them longer, you’ll reap even more savings. 

• Savings: Up to $26 per year

Some stores charge $0.10 per disposable bag. Assuming a consumer uses five bags per shopping trip and shops 52 times a year, the cost for disposable bags would be $26 annually.

A set of 10 durable reusable shopping bags can be purchased for about $13, which means that you can save at least $13 in the first year and possibly $26 the next year if they hold up.

• Savings: $36.50 per year

Some coffee shops offer a discount or rewards for customers who bring their own cups. At Starbucks, for example, customers receive a $0.10 discount and 25 bonus stars per order when they bring in a clean reusable cup. For someone who purchases coffee daily at an average price of $3 per cup, these savings and rewards can add up quickly.

Assuming a $0.10 discount per cup and one coffee per day, the annual savings amount to $36.50 per year. Plus, the bonus stars add to the value, as they can be used for free drinks and other rewards.

• Savings: $18 per year

Assuming you use one box of Glad Press’n Seal plastic wrap per month for $3.32 per box, you’ll spend almost $40 per year. Reusable food wrap, which can cost around $22 for a high-quality roll, can last up to a year with proper care and save you about $18 annually.

• Savings: $84 per year

A package of 50 Great Value paper plates is about $3 at Walmart. If a family of four used paper plates once daily to avoid washing dishes, they would go through 2.4 packages of paper plates per month for $7, or $84 per year.

Reusable versions, which can cost as little as $11 a set, depending on quality and quantity, last for many years. After the initial cost, you’ll save $84 per year. 

• Savings: Up to $27 per year

A 12-pack of rechargeable Amazon-brand AA batteries that can be recharged 1,000-plus times costs about $16, and an Amazon-brand battery charger is about $14. In total, the batteries and charger cost $30.

A package of 12 Amazon-brand AA batteries costs around $9, and you’ll likely have to buy another package or two before the year is out depending on what you use that requires batteries.

While you likely won’t recoup much of your cost the first year, unless you have multiple battery-draining devices you use frequently, you can save up to $27 the next year. And according to Batteries Plus, rechargeable batteries can last up to five years.