What a waste..
When I was growing up we washed foil, folded it and reused it.
We washed out baggies, hung them to dry and reused them.
We opened presents carefully making sure not to rip the paper. It was folded and saved for the next present.
Birthday candles were saved and used again. I save them now. Especially those big numbers. They will come together one day for someone’s birthday. A 5, 6 or 7. So many possibilities. 76, 57, you get it. They might not match but who really cares? Well .. I might .. hopefully I can find a combination that matches the birthday decor!
Newspapers were collected for the High School Band Fundraiser.
My Dad had us walk up and down our street picking up trash. We turned in the bottles and cans for money. We actually recycle our cans and plastic to this day.
My parents grew up, I would say, on the frugal side. They were both raised by their mothers in broken homes. They met in San Luis Obispo. My Dad went to Cal Poly and my Mom grew up there. She worked at a music store. My Dad played the saxophone. They met, got married and had four children under the age of five. Yep .. my Mom was busy.
My Dad was self employed for the majority of his career. I remembering growing up and asking my Mom if I could have a new pair of pants. She would say no, as they weren’t sure when his next job would be.
It’s funny, because I raised my kids the same way. My husband worked on freeway jobs and we always worried he would have a gap between jobs, so we were frugal too.
Going back to the start of this post. Not being wasteful.
I know … I know … now we have recycle trash bins. We can use things once, throw them away and not feel bad about it.
I admit I’m a big offender of using a lot of napkins and paper towels. It’s just my thing. It was my Dad’s too. He always had a paper towel in one of his pockets. Are paper towel habits hereditary? When Covid hit, I used cloth napkins, or let’s say I tried to. Maybe they were too smooth and not absorbant enough. I just didn’t like them. You know like those thin napkins you get at some fast food places that are just a waste of a napkin. I have to take three times as many because they are so thin.
I guess being wasteful is a habit. I have one of the reusable baggies, but I still grab a plastic one from the box. I sometimes think it is cleanlier to throw one away than wash one out. They say a new habit takes 6 weeks to take hold. I need to focus and start some new non-waste habits.
Would you look at me funny if I started washing my foil? I don’t really care, just thought I would ask. ha ha
Do you have a story to share about not being wasteful or what your new non-waste habit will be? I’d love to hear it.
Karen