Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

In most PA townships around my area, recycling is a requirement and I'm glad. However, there is a specific listing of material which can and cannot be recycled in our area. A lot of times, we are still discarding plastics that really should be recycled because it's not a specific number. This leaves me perplexed. Why is it that we are not recycling EVERYTHING that we can? Why is it that lids cannot be thrown into the recycling trash can along with their bottles?

Our family has quit buying bottled water. Because we use well water, we filter our water through a pitcher. Steve and I know fill containers with water and drink them throughout the day while at work. At first the thought of not having bottled water was quite foreign to me because carrying a bottle of water is as common as carrying your drivers license. Having well water eliminates a utility bill (it's free) and because we are replacing the pitcher filter every 2 months, we are only spending $5 per filter which is costing us only $30 annually. A pack of 24, 16.9 fl oz water bottles were $5-$6 per week. That is a bi-monthly savings of $35-$42 for an annual savings of $210-$252. With the extra savings, Baby Fowler will actually have formula. KIDDING! Seriously, this money will be put towards other things more important like a weekend trip to the beach, recreation sports for the girls, college funds, Christmas presents, etc.

Also, has anyone seen how expensive canned soda has gotten? Oh my word! A 12 pack now averages about $4-$5 for name brand and that is even when the grocery store is having a special. This is also something we do not buy and not only because it's expensive, it's just too much sugar for the girls. At home, we make our own tea and use Crystal Light drink mixes which are fairly cheap at your local bulk warehouse store. The girls are big into Capri Sun flavored water pouches and are also inexpensive to purchase.

Also, plastic sandwich bags are not recycled in our area either. I'm not sure if it's just not possible or again, if it doesn't meet the criteria of what the township will recycle. When I was little, my Mom would wash and reuse aluminum foil. Thank you Mommy, you are a genius! I told Steve that I want to start washing and reusing our sandwich bags before discarding them. Between lunches for everyone, we use about 15 baggies per day. This may sound gross to everyone because as a kid, it sounded gross to me. However it's a way to reduce waste and save money. Of course this doesn't stop Steve from making fun of me. He told me last night that as a kid he had to reuse his toilet paper by washing and drying it. Go ahead, baby, poke fun! You'll be thanking this fat chic for extra money in the bank.

If anyone has any other good ideas on how my family can reduce waste and put a little extra back into our pockets, let me know. I enjoy annoying Steve and the girls with my "people are starving so eat your dinner" and "don't throw that away, we can reuse it" speeches.