Yesterday at work, I was discussing one of those most beloved of frugal topics:
Washing baggies
One of the ladies asked me if I wash my baggies out or throw them away. I could tell that one of the other ladies was grossed out by the thought of washing freezer bags so I gave what I thought was a politically correct answer: “Hell no, I use tupperware!“ But it was a lie.
I do wash my baggies out. I even wash out the baggies that have had meat in them. Yes I do!
Then I got to thinking about other situations where some of us frugal people will try to pass for normal and not reveal the depths of our frugality. Like if I go to a friend’s house, I will bring over a much, much better bottle of wine than I would drink myself at home. I splurge on gifts to friends and I wear nice clothes at work because other people can see them. But behind closed doors, I’m cheap cheap cheap.
Fortunately I have some super-frugal friends and we tease the hell out of each other about how tight-ass we are. They’re “my people.” But the truth is that I’m even cheaper than my friend who started out her life starving in a Vietnamese refugee camp and came across the pond as a boat person. She always has to go to a buffet when we eat out and can pack away the food like a longshoreman. Considering she’s 4 foot something, that’s pretty amazing. But she has two new vehicles and a nice, brand new big house.
Today, an email went out at work: “There’s a jug of milk that might go bad over the long weekend – someone please take it home.“ I thought about that stupid jug of milk for the last hour I was there at work – earning 25 times the cost of that jug of milk, wondering if someone else would take it, worried that someone would think I was cheap because I wanted to take it.
I was one of the last ones out of the office.
We’re having custard and tapioca pudding this weekend.
I would have been all over that jug of milk like white on rice.
It’s a JUG OF MILK. Perfectly, good, milk. That it’s free, is just a bonus.
This is partly the reason why I’m so good with bringing my lunch to work as well — I refuse to pay $10 everyday for some crappy, badly made sandwich and a bag of chips.
I’m cheap, but I’m smart about what I’m cheap on.
For example, I didn’t buy a sexy car so I could show off to people at work — I have an old car, and I love it.
Image matters to me to a certain extent — being well groomed, dressed properly, clean… but stuff that’s more expensive like a car or a home? Forget it. I just need it to be able to drive from home to work, and out and about. That’s it.
That being said, for dinners I do bring good stuff… but it’s because I get to eat it too
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Good thing I don’t work with you FAB, we’d be fighting over the milk – maybe have to split it? Or maybe I could guilt you into giving it up for “the children”.
I’m really not that bad I guess – crab legs for supper last night does not = extreme frugality! But I had to take baby steps to get comfortable with the self-indulgence.
Sigh… you made me miss my 14 year old pink jeep that I wanted to buy back from the insurance company and drive after it got totaled.
Oh we’d have spilled it for sure
Just kidding. I do like to spend on food, and if it wasn’t something I want to drink anyway (let’s say orange juice or apple juice that is super sweet or concentrated), then I’d leave it for someone else.
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NOW I know where I got the “washing the baggies” idea from! LOL!!
I am a baggie washer and am proud of it.
I have tupperware too, my son’s sandwich goes in a tupperware container each day.
I only wash out freezer baggies however, the sandwich ones are too hard to turn inside out.
Good post!
(Im coming over for custard later!)
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Oh pshaw, sandwich ones are easy to turn, you’ve just got to make sure you don’t rip it.
Speaking of custard, I’m going to try out a recipe for creme brulee instead. It calls for cream, but I think I can go 1/2 milk and 1/2 cream and get away with it. LOVE creme brulee!
I don’t wash baggies because I don’t re-use them. I have rubbermaid containers and almost never use a plastic bag.
Loved your last line!
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Thanks wp! It just always surprises me that people will walk away from free stuff – or they’d rather see it thrown out than take it. I don’t know why, since I know what some of these people make and it’s not a lot. If I wouldn’t have taken it home and used it, it would have been thrown out on Tuesday.
My brain was scanning – hmmm… what can I make that will use up 16 cups of milk that will go bad in 2-3 days? OTOH, I could freeze some or use it for some recipes that require sour milk.
I’m actually a fairly rare user of bags myself. Just don’t like fiddling with them. But the kid must be losing my tupperware at school, so I only send stuff in his lunches in margarine containers and the like. I’ve also had too many tupperware style container lids snap when frozen (I cook ahead a fair amount) and they’re pretty useless after that.
I think if I were a gazillionaire I’d still be freaky about this stuff.
I lie to my mom about how frugal I am. She gets hysterical if she hears that I wash out baggies with meat in them. I would’ve made yogurt with that milk and we could’ve shared!
Found your blog through Fabulously Broke – you’re great!
Thanks fpfj!
Sadly, I gave my yogurt maker away to my dad and know how to make it the manual way, but then I’d have to go out and buy starter… Fortunately, I have 2 thirsty boys at home so the mission has been accomplished. Although the oldest said that if he drank any more, it would be like that scene from Grudge 2 where the possessed chick keeps on throwing up her milk back into the jug… but I digress. And not in a good way.
In the humid summers (I live in a basement), I get mold growth on the inner liner of my shower curtains. I take them down, hose them out in the yard, give it a good scrub and it’s as good as new.
Though, if the office topic ever got to cleaning moldy shower liners, I think the politically correct answer would be to ditch the old sheet, run out to Wal-mart and pick up a new sheet.
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Hi AM, thanks for stopping by!
I’d probably use a diluted bleach spray on them once in awhile in the shower though. I did that when we lived in Houston in the bathroom and it seemed to work out ok.
Well, it’s not like people rip their tiles out when they get mold on them – so I don’t see anything wrong with just washing them (of course I wouldn’t, would I?)
Ha, this post made me lol with the idea of trying to “pass” as normal.
I’m plenty frugal, but when dealing with others I compromise, whether that means bringing better wine then I would usually drink, or being considerate and attempting to avoid grossing someone out with the idea of reusing bags.
Hi Fuji, I don’t know if I was being considerate or just didn’t want her to think I was weird. I fear it’s the latter.
I don’t have any problem with washing plastic bags…they are plastic just like any container. The only difference being the plyability. And speaking of closet frugality…Does it mean I’m frugal when my friends call me the Coupon King? My friends tease me because when they ask me out to eat and we’re deciding where to go, they know I look to see what coupons I have before I give input.
Hi Norman, agree with you totally. Plastic is plastic whether or not it’s stiff or flexible.
And yup – if you have the title Coupon King - you most definitely are frugal – and not even closet about it!
LOL! That is hilarious but I think I can one up you. My mom used to make us wash paper plates(the foam kind). I actually thought it defeated the purpose. Are paper plates meant so you don’t have to wash dishes?
Eeek! I’ve done that too – washed foam plates or bowls when we’ve been out camping! Not if they’re gross, but if they just had grapes in them or something.
Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I burst out laughing at the end of this post. You have a knack for writing.
Oh thank you SO much Jaime – it was one of those 15 minute throw away / off the top of my head / what happened today posts. I’m happy that it brightened someone’s day.