repurposing

we spend so, so much on stuff...new work clothes for kevin, a special party dress for eleanor, sunglasses for forgetful me--my third pair since last summer--and even those occasional coffee drinks that i can't seem to do without. but the real bulk comes from all of the groceries and toilettries purchased each week. at times, it feels as if there's a conveyor belt running from the car to the apartment to the dumpster...new stuff in, old stuff out, new stuff in, old stuff out.

so i feel good when i make an effort to slow down the waste...make do with what we have and squeeze the very last drop out of it before it continues on in the waste stream. a slice of pizza from dinner becomes breakfast for one, the pasta salad/cheese grits/pita from lunch is dinner for the little person who doesn't care for what we're having, and a chicken carcass is thrown into my stock pot with some wilting celery, a couple of old carrots, and half an onion all scrounged out of the bottom of the fridge to form the basis of our next dinner (stock that will kick the ass of anything storebought and which won't cost me anything except a little time and freezer space). over the winter and cooler than usual spring, we occasionally enjoyed a classic southern dinner that kevin and i grew up on...a big pot of pinto beans and cornbread. however, instead of the smoked sausage that i usually purchase--turning this "poor man's meal" into something a lot pricier and adding one more ingredient--i threw in a ham bone left from a small ham that i'd bought on sale the day after easter. the more tender ham was used earlier, but i'd had the sense to freeze the bone and what was attached to it for a future use. the beans were delicious and maple-y, and i was pleasantly surprised to discover that the slow-cooking required for the beans tenderized the tough bits of ham still clinging to that bone. we ate everything except two cups of beans which i pureed into a yummy dip for the kids to snack on. we waste very little food these days thanks to a lot of advanced meal planning, careful shopping, and a doggedness to use it all. but i find it hard to stay on the wagon, particularly when i'm tired after work and our supplies our running low, so i'll get a boost of inspiration from jonathan bloom's smart, nonjudgemental, truly helpful blog wasted food, which i stumbled on to about a year ago.

but it's not just food. i am a champion list-maker, so i try to know who is wearing what at what time and who needs what at what time so if there's a sale or (even better) a give-away, i'm ready. "i'll take that!' while it can be hard to fulfill all of the clothing needs of the adults in our home this way, it's surprisingly easy with the kids. my children's clothes are passed on to the children of our friends, while my dear sister and a couple of other friends pass their children's clothing on to our family. underwear, shoes, and the occasional special purchase (note party dress above) are usually purchased new, but little else. even craft supplies--something that i despise buying since they eventually end up in the recycling bin or trash can--have come under the "every last drop" rule. a neighbor's stack of old newspapers and magazines is raided for both content and crafting potential. most recently, my linen closet (which at one time stored a lot of old, excess linens that have since been given to someone else who can put them to use) has been repurposed as a supply closet: old tees and towels cut into cleaning rags and dish towels, extra rolls of marcal toiletpaper, rechargable batteries, hardware, dried seeds for our apartment kitchen garden, baking soda for non-toxic cleaning, concentrated detergent, shampoo, soap, mouthwash, and toothpaste all purchased on sale, as well as freebies from dentist visits and conference hotels. nothing in bulk, nothing from one of those big box places, and only those things that we use regularly.

speaking of shopping, years ago i established sunday morning as market day when i realized that i could shop quietly while my neighbors slept in or attended church. however, because i usually made trips to both the food co-op and the chain grocery store, with the occasional visit to target, i felt that i was doing more driving than i needed. the few times that i'd tried to carry home groceries--even just a fraction of what we'd use in one week--was tough. i'd thought about buying one of those folding shopping carts, but it seemed like more stuff to clutter our home. so, i repurposed the kids' umbrella stroller, which doesn't get a lot of use these days. it fits 2-3 very full trader joe's reusable shopping bags very easily. ta-da.