Reuse, Reduce, Recycle

It’s scary when you notice you are turning into your mother. But it’s horrifying when you realize you are turning into your grandmother.

A few weeks ago, I heard myself say to our kids “please don’t throw your plastic baggies away…just keep them in your lunch box. I will wash them and we can use them again.” 😐

And right at that moment, I knew it was the end for me. Soon I’ll be washing plastic silverware and disposable plates to reuse them. Use napkins again if they were only slightly soiled. Limit my toilet paper use to three squares per session.

Maybe it’s not such a bad thing. I can then fully embrace “grandma sweaters” (I have a few in a range of colors), jigsaw puzzles (I’m currently working on a wacky bookcase puzzle, which I’m thoroughly enjoying), and always having a tissue handy because I keep one tucked up my sweater sleeve (it’s great for allergies or cold season).

In my defense of said baggie saving…we use 3-4 in each child’s lunch, so we go through them so quickly. And most often they are used to hold Lily’s favorite Goldfish snack, or a dry sandwich just like Ryder likes it. So it’s not like they are tucked up with mayo or olive oil. Not only is it a waste of money, but I feel more and more guilty about how much they are contributing to landfills and how slowly they probably decompose. Also, I have too much time on my hands.

My grandma Mary’s tips come from a hard youth growing up during the Great Depression. She learned these to survive, so I don’t blame her for her habits, and it created for some thoroughly entertaining conversations and laughing fits.

Ok, well I need to wrap this up. I need to go water my plants with the water I collected from the shower while I was waiting for it to get hot.