In my younger days of living on my own, I will confess to a wasteful lifestyle.
I didn’t eat the heels of my bread. I don’t care for the heels, and felt that since I was an adult, and I was paying for the bread, that I didn’t have to eat them. (I’m a grown-up and I don’t wanna!)
But since I have entered into my frugal lifestyle, I realize how ridiculous my attitude was. I did a little simple math, and figured out that not eating the heels was the equivalent of throwing out about five loaves of bread a year! That was enough to get me to start eating the heels (which are tolerable as toast, by the way).
In terms of the financial cost, eating the heels of bread really only saves me about $4 a year (I buy my bread for cheap at the bakery outlet). But eating the heels saves more in other ways. I’m no longer wasting the valuable resources it takes to produce the bread. Since it now takes a little longer to eat a loaf of bread, I don’t have to make as many trips to the store in a year, which also saves on resources.
My attitude change got me thinking about other ways I am wasteful. For example, there were many times I have tossed freebie shampoo or lotion samples because I felt they were kind of skimpy. But now I realize that they are the size that you’re supposed to use. Using those little samples means I can make my big bottles last longer and make my money stretch further.
Sometimes living a frugal lifestyle isn’t just about how much money you save. Sometimes it means saving in other less obvious ways, like saving resources.
On a side note: I have a friend who told me that when he was a kid, his parents made a big deal about the heels of bread being the “best” part of the bread. He said in his house, all the kids fought over the heels. I may have to try that with my boys. Then I’m not wasting the bread, and I don’t have to eat them!
You may also like:
Comments on this entry are closed.