Purging the plastic

Confession: in high school, I worked for part of a summer in a plastic bag factory. In my defense, I was desperate for a job, the hours were okay, and the pay was great. I don't know that I could do this again, though, knowing what I now know about plastics, as well as being even more aware of issues with plastics in the world. I still feel a bit like I sold my soul.

In general, I (and every environmentally concerned person I know) avoid plastics, and especially the one-use kind that get thrown away so quickly. But, so many things in our lives are made of the stuff (largely because it's cheap, reasonably durable, and fairly easy to work with), that it's difficult to avoid. I haven't yet completely gotten around to getting plastics out of my home - my stored water is all in reused plastic bottles, because they were free, and because I'll likely have to move I haven't spent a lot of money on a system that I can't take with me. But I'm even looking for alternatives to this method that eliminate plastic from the equation and, overall, I'm taking some time to try to cut down on plastic in my home as much as possible, both by bringing in less and finding better ways to replace it as needed.

If you're interested in purging the plastic from your life, you certainly don't need to buy anything fancy, and probably don't need to buy anything new. This can get expensive, especially if you have a lot of plastic to replace, and you'd probably be better off saving that money for other things that are less easy to find. Also, buying something new is still a use of resources, even if it is less harmful, or longer lasting. So, its likely worth looking around to see what's already around that can fill the void or, if there is nothing, what kind of alternatives are available.

- use whatever you have that's plastic (other than food containers) as much as possible until it can't be used anymore - plastic bags (both shopping bags and produce)are especially important here

- consider reusing jars that your food comes in - although you can't preserve food again in almost all of them, lidded jars make excellent alternatives to buying more plastic containers for pantry items, things that go in the freezer, or even temporary leftovers in the fridge

- buy or make reusable bags - this includes shopping bags, but should also be expanded to include produce bags - these can be easily sewn or knit

- when plastic things eventually break, look for simple non-plastic alternatives - replace a plastic shower curtain with a fabric one, or a plastic jug with a glass one

If you are looking to pick some things, consider checking out second-hand sources first. There are a lot of great reusable products that are easily found there - they're incredibly useful, and you're using something that might otherwise be thrown away. Many of the mason jars in my pantry came from the thrift store, as did my tiffins - stacking containers with a handle for multi-part lunches. I have a large collection of lidded pyrex from yard sales which work great for leftovers, and my two sigg bottles came from an end-of-year lost and found sale at the university. The university tends to wind up with a lot of bottles that students have left behind after classes, and they sell for cheap.

Happily, many of these things are better made and longer lasting than their plastic counterparts. Pyrex won't warp if left on the heat, mesh bags rip less easily than plastic, and cast iron won't warp is used for many years. Admittedly, plastic doesn't break in the same way that glass and pyrex do, but this is likely a small price to pay.

Now, plastics are an environmental issue, but they're also a health issue as well. There are a number of studies that suggest a range of health concerns around plastics, especially with regards to reproduction, but I'm also of the opinion that they just haven't been around for us to truly know what's going on there.

There are also apparent issues with other things like non-stick coating, especially when it scratches, and related coated kitchen products. If you can, it's worth avoiding these as well. A few big copper, stainless steel, or iron pots and pans and pyrex cookware are also pretty easy to find second hand, and frequently very cheap. In contrast with man-made components that leach possible toxins into food, iron pots actually leach...well...iron, which is good for you. By eliminating plastics and other questionable compounds from your home, you're doing the environment a favour, but you're likely doing yourself one as well.

Budgeting the budget

Despite the fact that "budget" frequently seems to be a dirtly word, redolant of self-denial, I have a budget that I try to stick to. I'm generally pretty good about it too - I know how much my rent, utilities, and other expenses should be. But sometimes, I don't stick to the budget and, this morning, I'm thinking about why that is, and why that's not necessarily such a bad thing.

First, let me say that I have savings and I live beneath my means (although, admittedly, my means are grad school funding and therefore not very much). Going over budget here or there isn't going to break me, and isn't even going to require dipping into savings. Sure, it means I put a little less away in a month, but I'm not convinced this is always a bad thing.

This morning I woke up really nauseous. I've started taking iron pills at my doctor's request, as well as a large quantity of B12. Iron and B12 are not easy on the stomach, even when take with meals, and feeling icky is a common side effect. I didn't want to take an anti-nausea drug, so I tottered over to the grocery store to pick up ginger and a few things that weren't available at the other store where I went shopping the other day. I got what I needed - skim milk powder, oats, brown sugar, ginger, and orange juice (not a usual purchase, but helps the iron to absorb better - but then I picked up some extra things as well. After many weeks without, they had tahini in stock again, so I picked up a tub of that. They also had cheese on sale for almost half price, so I bought some of that to freeze. I also found one lone bag of red cargo rice, which I've never seen before - because it has way more iron than most other rice, and I like trying new things, that came home with me as well. I finished up with some extra eggs, tortilla wraps, a box of sale clementines, pasta, and super-cheap canned soup.

All told, what should have been a $20 shopping trip came out over $50. My usual food budget is $100 per month, and right now, including my one-day early shopping trip, I'm at $75 this early in the month. Now, none of these things are items that I wouldn't buy anyway. For the most part, they're fairly healthy, and will even last me awhile - there's nothing in that list that will get consumed completely this week, and most of it will last for awhile - the skim milk alone lasts for a good six months at the rate that I use it.

It still unsettles me to go over budget, though. So I was thinking about it this morning as I was walking home (which also helped me to not think about how sore my poor arms were.)

First, I don't mind going over budget a bit in the name of stocking up. Not everything I bought is going to be stockpiled, but the rice will be, as will the tahini, oats, and some of the canned items. My pantry is getting close to maximum capacity, but I feel better having this food around. As an added bonus, when I'm too busy to shop, there's something to eat and I don't have to rely on take-out.

Second, I don't mind paying a bit more a month to stock up on things while they're on sale. I was delighted to find the cheese on sale today, especially since my boyfriend is coming to visit and we like to make pizza. What we don't use (which will still be a lot) will be frozen and, at the rate I use it, will last quite some time. Rather than having to buy cheese at full price when I really want it, having it on hand can save me a bit of money.

Third, I don't generally mind going over budget (so long as I can relatively comfortably afford it) on things that add to my health. I certainly didn't mind spending money on iron and B12 supplements the other day, and I also don't mind buying food that's going to help me stay healthy. I don't normally buy orange juice (when did it get so expensive?!), but if it helps me absorb iron better, then I'm willing to spring for it. I picked up the red rice specifically because of its iron content - it's not as cheap as plain white rice, but for a lot more iron, I can justify the bit of extra cost.

Finally, it's likely that I can compensate for these extra expenses over the course of the month. If I know how much I've spent already, I can avoid grocery trips a bit more, or try to spread them out a bit further. I can eat a bit less while eating more nutrient rich foods, or eat from my stores just a little bit more to balance it. But, for now, I think the most important thing is to maintain my health and build up some stores of food, so this isn't really coming into play as much right now as it used to.

If I didn't have the money, this wouldn't be an option. If I had to do this on credit...well, I probably wouldn't. And I know for people who can't afford it that this just isn't possible, good justifications or not. But, with that said, while I love having a budget to follow, there are also instances where sticking to a budget may be too limiting. I'm pleased with what I got today, and although I like sticking to a budget, I'm rather glad that I didn't in this case. I certainly don't recommend going over all the time, but in some cases it might not be a bad idea to budget just how much I rely on the budget.