We sometimes overlook lots of opportunities to save money and often don’t realize we can actually do it. Even if DIY takes 5-10 minutes, we still go to a store and buy things just out of habit. Yet, if you start counting and adding up all the purchases you’ve made, you might discover that you, in fact, could have avoided them by making your own cheap versions.

Bright Side wants to give you some ideas on how to save the environment and a pretty penny.

1. Plastic wrap

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According to National Geographic, plastic wrap is a contributor to the pollution crisis and can’t be recycled easily. Your food can get contaminated with potentially harmful chemicals if the temperature is high enough. Why put yourself at risk if you can go for an eco-friendly wrap that will last you a lifetime. You can make it from cotton or go for a fancy beeswax wrap.

2. Paper towels

Buying paper towels every week is going to cost you, although it might not seem like it. Luckily, we can use a more eco-friendly and cheaper version. Make your own “unpaper” towels, and you can forget about buying paper ones. You don’t have to buy expensive fabric, even old clothes will do!

3. Mouthwash

Even though disposable facial pads are made of cotton, they still contain plastic. Besides, if you take off makeup every day, you might find yourself buying a pack of facial pads every week. It’s better to make 4-5 pads and use them until they wear out.

5. Pet food

You never know for sure whether the contents of pet food are harmless to your 4-legged friend. Most of the time, it’s GMO and contains lots of sugar, artificial additives, and meat derivatives. Things get safer and easier if you make pet food by yourself. You’re under control, and in case of a nutrient deficiency, you can add certain ingredients that your pet lacks.

6. Breadcrumbs

Sponges usually get smelly and terribly germ-infested after a week. Although this also true about the reusable ones, at least you can wash them and not waste money on packs of scouring pads. It’s hard to keep disposable sponges clean since they wear out faster, and the scouring part comes off later.

8. Pads

Disposable pads might not only be dangerous for the environment, but also for your health. It’s not uncommon for pads to contain toxic dioxins after being bleached or purified. What’s more, they have secret toxic chemicals that are not listed on labels — acetone, styrene, and other things. Make your own reusable pads, save tons of money every month and protect your health.

What do you make yourself and never buy? What are the things you just can’t substitute?