You can’t only look at your actions and what you choose to buy from a dollars and cents cost perspective.
Sometimes, it’s cheaper to just buy new and dispose of it when you’re done:
- Ziploc baggies
- Printing any sort of email or paper without needing to
- Wipes of any sort
- Paper towels
- Paper napkins
- …and the list goes on
But this is just my little plea to just consider the environmental impact of what you’re doing.
I am not saying to NEVER use a disposable item again
I know that sometimes a Ziploc bag is the most convenient, and even in some cases, the most logical option (such as when you separate tomatoes from your sandwich so that it doesn’t end up soggy).
But using disposable items 100% of the time, when you could be limiting your usage to just 5% of the time by taking a conscious decision to do so, just seems.. well, lazy.
I say lazy for lack of a better word, because it doesn’t really change your life and your actions — you are still “bagging” the items, but it could help the environment in a bigger way.
Every small step is a step, and you never know when someone else might quietly follow suit after observing your actions, and the chain reaction will cause a much larger impact.
The numbers may never make sense
It might just be cheaper at the start to throw away each plastic Ziploc bag you use, rather than to re-wash them.
$0.017 per plastic bag, compared to a $20 in glass containers just to pack one sandwich?
It would take 1176 glass container uses before they will break even.
Assuming you make a lunch to bring to work 5 days a week, 50 weeks a year (2 weeks for vacation), you are looking at 250 uses a year, or almost 5 years (4.7 to be exact) before those glass containers “pay off’.
Eventually, it will pay off, but sometimes it may never make financial sense.
But sometimes it isn’t about the cost to your wallet.
It’s also the cost to the environment.
Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver.
I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year.
Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about 
How about bringing your own bag to put into groceries? You can reuse them over and over again and it lessens the use of plastics or papers when packing your items.
I don’t print stuff unless I really need to. Then if i do, as long as it’s not a paper I have to turn in or something, I double side it. I could definitely change some of my other habits, though…
Makes total sense to me. I recently invested in a few glass containers & call me crazy – but food actually tastes better, compared to the reusable plastic containers! I do use zip lock baggies for my son’s sandwiches – he’s in kindergarten, so no glass for him, but I do try to wash & reuse the bags a couple of times.
Fantastic post and message. I really enjoy these sorts of posts. They are great reminders that sometimes we need to find that balance between budgeting and other external costs.
Great post. It’s pretty what I do, use containers 95% of the time and disposable bags and whatnot about 5% of the time.
Amen.
I take my lunch in a glass lock container. It’s a bit heavier, but I don’t have to worry about BPA or anything like that. I use a zip lock bag once in a while and usually rinse them out to reuse a few times.
I think you can be environmentally-friendly in ways that will in fact help your budget! i.e. printing on both sides of paper or reusing gift bags.
I have recently started bringing those glass containers to restaurants with me, and using them for my leftovers instead of the disposable containers. You’ll get a few weird looks, but hopefully more people will start doing it!
Great post! It’s not always about the money!
Great post. Trying to be environmentally-friendly can be hard on the budget, but it is definitely worth it.