Waste Not, Want Not

It came to me as I was taking a soothing bath with my little bar of hotel soap: a big problem with most people going over their means is simply waste.  Take my little bar of hotel soap, for instance.  I could have used it once and left it to be thrown away.  Instead, I took it home and will get at least a couple of weeks use out of it, probably only the equivalent of about 25 cents worth.  That doesn't seem like much.

Now think about the last time you went to a restaurant.  I have to say, seeing all that food going to waste almost ruins the experience for me.  I have to refrain myself from packing everything up and shipping it to some deserving children in a third world country.

The Great Depression generation had some hard and fast rules about waste.  DON'T!  I spent a lot of time with my grandparents growing up, and it was a cardinal sin to leave food on your plate.  In the south, cleanliness is next to Godliness.  Right after that is the necessity of feeding everyone within 100 square miles until they bust!

Now, let's add a little balance.  We now know that stuffing ourselves at every sitting is bad for our health, waistline, and frankly, pocketbook.  But, since we're adults now, we can fix ourselves smaller portions and still clean our plates with a clean conscience.  If you are out to dinner, box half the plate for lunch tomorrow, or, my personal favorite, split it with someone at the table.  Try using white, bleachable kitchen towels instead of a gazillion paper towels.  Make one trip to the grocery store a week instead of three.  It's all a mindset.  Waste really boils down to time and money.  It drains both.  If you really want to make a change that will affect every area of your life, take some time this weekend and determine where you can eliminate waste from your life.  Remember, every little change you make is one more victory you can celebrate!

Here are some more practical ways to reduce food waste in your life.