Thrifty Nifty

This one goes out to my Grandpa Alberts... a man far beyond his time. You might say, "How can someone be so disrespectful as to dedicate a plastic peanut butter jar full of Cheez-Its to his late grandpa?" Well, let me tell you...

My grandpa was not one to waste anything. Everything had a place, a purpose. I'd like to think that the compartmentalized environment I prefer is due, in part, to him. Now, I can't take credit away from his daughter... my mom, as she too prefers the comforts of an organized cabinet, but she lacks the real grit it takes to reuse a plastic bag used to house bread. And I'm not saying that I have acquired that grit, but I do feel as though he'd be proud of this number. It's a used peanut butter jar that holds my chips I take to work. It's a perfect for my preferred portions and its contents aren't crushed en route. I'll use it until it's lost or until someone unknowingly throws it away.

And that will be unfortunate. I'm often quick to throw things in the garbage or in the recycling (which I can't say I trust too much) without thinking of ways that could give said trash a second life. But we've done this to ourselves. Everything is so specialized that no one thinks of second uses... and all the while, we create more waste. My grandpa had it right. It's not enough to simply recycle when we can, when it's convenient. We have to rethink the way we use things.