wasted ramblings...

Missouri Botanical Garden, December 26, 2010.

Returning from the holiday break is always a double edged sword, happy to be back producing, doing something, doing anything. Yet, watching the snow fall from the comfort of my living room couch was a rare relief. I even got to get outside and enjoy the snow, as opposed to the stressful action of removing it from a college campus.

One of the things I like to do is experiment in the kitchen, and I got to do some of that over the break. In doing so I had a moment of clarity if you will. I never stopped long enough to realize how much food goes to waste in my home. There is only two of us, no children, well, no 2-legged children that is. So one art to cooking I have yet began to conquer, is portioning. Sure that large can of carrots is only nine cents more, but if I only eat half the can, and the other half winds up going to waste, isn't that essentially throwing that nine cents out the window? I realize this "Bargain" shopping mentality is a hard habit to break, but when it is all said and done, buying proper portions will save us money on the bottom line.

Another area for waste reduction and money savings is household cleaners. I have a unhealthy addiction to a particular green cleaner. Its only unhealthy because my heart is broken it has been discontinued. In a pathetic attempt to prolong the life of this particular "General purpose" cleaner I diluted it about fifty percent. In doing so I extended the life of the cleaner, and I also extended the life of its plastic spray bottle. Surprisingly, the cleaner was just as effective diluted as it was full strength. I will continue to dilute my household cleaners from now on. This will be a big money saver!

"Recycling" is one of my favorite words of the passing decade, but "Reusing" is an old term I hope to see revived in this decade. Those plastic spray bottles can be reused for homemade cleaners. Vinegar is an amazing cleaning agent that is cheap and much more environmentally friendly than most cleaners. Also, water works great on soaking stove tops and counter tops, that's right, straight water makes a great cleaner! Old clothes can always be easily distributed to clothing donation boxes around the state. They are now easily found and often in convenient locations, and when some clothes are unfit for donating, they make great dusting rags! How many dusting rags do you have with "Hard Rock Cafe" screen printed on them? Old items can always be dropped off at thrift stores, shelters, or given to friends. The Red Cross is in need of items and financial aid as they help assist our local disaster areas from the recent tornadoes and storms.

I am lucky to have such kind and considerate friends who recently gave me some items they didn't need anymore, their kindness inspired this post, and surely will inspire me to remember to reuse and give instead of waste.