Clearly...I've cossed a line.

As a stay-at-home mom I consider it part of my job to be a tightwad.

...uh I mean frugal.

...thrifty?


But some where along the way I crossed a line.

it was subtle...

it was sneeky...

but it was there and apparently, I crossed it.

That line my friend is

Zip-lock bags.


As CEO and CFO of this household I do what I can to make those hard earned dollars s-t-r-e-t-c-h. In order to help me with this task I read a few books by other self-proclaimed thriftsers. Particularly helpful to me were "America's Cheapest Family" and The Tightwad Gazette". Stories by families of 6 and 7 thriving on $35k per year. Thriving! Frugal living at it's finest. Inspirational and encouraging. Surely we should be able to make it with slightly more money and a few less people.

But it was a section in "The Tightwad Gazette" that I couldn't make peace with. An entire section about the care, cleaning and storage of ziplock bags. Gross! I mean they cost like 3¢ each. Can't we just buy more like normal people? I am sure there is a health code violation in there somewhere (even if she did wash them out and pat them dry after each use). Is zip lock bags going to be the end of us? Do we really use that many to make a difference?

I will reduce, reuse, recycle and re-purpose nearly everything in my home. I'm an environmentalist at heart but what got me started on this pursuit was not purely a love a nature. It was thrift. It's typically cheaper to make stuff than buy stuff. Turning off the lights and taking shorter showers saves money. Although I do not recommended showering in the dark. Eventually this lead to recycling and other eco-friendly actions. I'm all for saving the planet as long as it's cheap and easy or saves me money.

I made cookies this weekend. I make cookies a lot. If you are ever in a cookie craving please stop over. We don't have a cookie jar and bugs are rampant in Florida so whenever I make cookies these days, I store them in two (2) quart size zip lock bags. One for James to take to work and one for us at home. When I saw empty bags sitting on the counter top I used to just throw them away. (Because apparently I am the only one who knows where we keep the garbage can.)

This weekend however, as I grabbed the empty bag, I realized it wasn't really garbage. It wasn't really even dirty just a couple of crumbs collected at the bottom. So I shook out the crumbs folded it up and decided I would save it for the next time I make cookies. You know, like tomorrow. I opened the drawer and to my shock I discovered and entire pile of crumb shaken zip lock bags already lived there! How did this happen! Who have I turned into!

Has the economy gotten so bad that I can no longer throw away anything that might be of use someday? My grandmothers both lived through the great depression. I've noticed folded up bread bags and zip locks in both of their cabinets. Are things that bad? I may complain about the current economic downturn and how I can’t afford to go out to eat anymore, but sister this ain’t no depression.

Things have been tight this year and my thriftiness has been put to the test. My creativity has been utilized and simultaneously my sense of ecology has grown. So as horrified as I am, I'm choosing to embrace it. Because, when you grow up in an time where stuff does not come easily you have a hard time letting go of it. You become frugal. You become creative. You use what you have and make what you don’t. You conserve. You entertain easily.

Not such bad traits to pass on to my children.