They were lined up on my counter top like a small cityscape. Drops of water ran down their sides as if the city had been hit by the largest rain ever. A friend, who had just popped over, saw them and exclaimed “is there some kind of shortage of freezer bags going on!”

Yes, we reuse our freezer bags. We may in fact be the only ones who do this. If you do this too, please leave a comment so I know we’re not alone. We recently visited two sets of friends, one in Utah and one in California. As I was helping with the dishes, I naturally washed the used freezer bags. My friends both questioned why I would do such a thing.

My husband and I have always reused our freezer bags. They are plastic, and therefore will live on nearly forever in our world’s ever growing heaps of trash. If we reuse ours, there will be fewer in the landfill.

As a side benefit we also save money. We use our freezer bags anywhere from three to ten times. So that is a third to a tenth of the money we would have spent and the same reduction of plastic in the landfill.

We also only use freezer bags for some things. We try our best to mostly use storage containers. Those can last a very long time. Longer than you might think if you use duct tape when the lids crack (just kidding). You only have to buy them once every few years.

Now, of course, lowering these small expenses will not lead to an early retirement. But it can be part of a habit that can lead to more savings, less debt and smaller landfills.

If what you put in the trash looked like money, you wouldn’t throw it away. I’ll wager, you’ve never thrown a dime in the trash. A freezer bag doesn’t look like a dime, but that is what it cost. And it can be reused, just like the dime. We’re far from perfect. We have our fair share of waste, and poor purchases. But avoiding waste is always at the back of my mind.

Try this experiment. For a day, before you throw something away, think of how much it cost. Some things have to be thrown out. There is no other use for them. But some things could have gone to a better use. Spoiled food could have been eaten before it turned, saving you money. Some things could be reused or donated rather than thrown away. If you think of your trash as money, is less of it trash?

In our consumer culture, we buy more than we need. The costs are hidden. We don’t take into account how a few dimes here and a few dollars there add up. It’s easy to throw something that didn’t cost much away. But everything you put in the trash started with money coming out of your pocket. Being more mindful of the ultimate demise of what you buy could help you save both your financial future and the planet.

---

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

Save Yourself; Your Guide to Saving for Retirement and Building Financial Security, is available on Amazon.