(my way of drying the bags)
(my mama's way of drying the bag)
As a little girl I remember watching my mom wash grocery baggies and hang them to dry. In Belarus there is no such thing as free grocery bags. You either bring your own or pay for one at the counter in the store. The only time my mama paid for one is when the “rewashed” bags were no longer suitable for the intended use.
During the first month of our tightwad journey, I was searching for ways to save money on anything and everything. We were using Ziploc bags pretty frequently in our household to bring sandwiches for lunch, to freeze leftovers and to simple keep open packages more fresh. So we felt like the baggies were running not only through our fingers like water, but also through our budget without a blink of an eye.
Needless to say, I took my mama’s approach to saving money by rewashing and reusing Ziploc bags time and time again. The only time I throw them away if raw meat was stored in them. I am convinced that we are saving money, but I want to hear your thoughts on reusing the baggies.
Rewashing baggies is something I do because it's better for the environment rather than because it saves me money. I simply don't think in this case it's saving me as much money as the time it takes. I still do it, though, because we do go through quite a few of them, and it bothers me to throw them away.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I've never washed a baggie but it does seem like a good idea for the budget and environment.
ReplyDeleteHere, in Ontario, Canada, there's a huge emphasis on the environment so it's even frowned upon in some circles to not use containers for kids' lunches or freezer items. I do wash out zip-locs the same way you do, if meat hasn't been in them. I hang them for an hour or so over the long kitchen tap to dry. As long as the kids don't turn it on, it's a great spot :)
ReplyDeleteWow some great tips here. Never thought about washing freezer bags, but that seems like a plus for the environment and for your savings. When u travel, they offer free ziploc bags to put your liquids in so you can always replace those raw meat bags there ;)
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