Sunday, February 8, 2009

But am I really saving money?

This morning, after things started falling off the shelves in the pantry, I thought it would be a good idea to do some straightening up in there. I started with the shelf that has the skin creams, soaps, toothpaste, etc.

I discovered that there is enough skin cream, soap and toothpaste in our pantry to last until 2012, supposedly the end of the world, so I really don't need to buy any more. There also are five large bottles of body wash. We rarely use body wash in this house. So why do I have five bottles?

The most evident answer is that I purchased these items because they were on sale and I had a coupon. (My husband says that the local drug store puts out a silent alert when I come through the door to let the sales staff know that "the crazy coupon lady" is in the house.)

There is something SO satisfying about thinking you're saving money. It's even more satisfying if you get something for free! So what if you don't use it? Well, if you don't use it, it's just another kind of waste. If you end up throwing it away, it's still costing something to the environment.

Therefore, even though I've been indoctrinated to believe that it will hurt the economy if I don't do my fair share of purchasing, I have decided not to buy any more soap, body wash, toothpaste or skin creams until every single one in the pantry is used up. Of course, I could circumvent that decision by donating most of the stuff to the local women's shelter...or purchase those items with that specifically in mind because giving to those in need is even more satisfying than saving money.