Two birds with one stone...

I just realized something yesterday as I was taking out the recycling and a small handful of trash: my decisions to use what I have in my kitchen and to bake more items from scratch made more than one impact. Not only are we eating food and snacks that are more pure...and not only am I saving money by only buying what I need...we are also making a smaller impact on the environment.

All of the items that used to go to the landfill on a weekly basis...bread bags, snack containers, meat trays, food wrappers, juice boxes...and then whatever was going to the recycling side of the landfill...cans, bottles, milk jugs, cardboard...is so much less, too!! This week I didn't even put the containers out on the curb! I had one bag of trash and the recycling bin was only about a 1/4 full!

We have cut back on soda...and the soda we are drinking I am saving the cans myself to recycle for money for us, rather than giving it to the city! Same with plastic bottles. I mean, I think it's great that our city has a recycling program. Don't get me wrong. It encourages people to recycle more and throw away less. But, it dawned on me the other day...why would I pay the city to gather my garbage AND give them my recyclables so they can make MORE money? When I can make that money my SELF? I need that money!

I am becoming very aware of the money I've been throwing away. I've been careless. And wasteful. And it needs to stop. Today. Actually, last week! I'm turning over a new leaf. And not just because times are hard. It was a good reason to start the change...but what is change now is going to be a way of life in the future. All of these changes I'm making out of necessity are going to become a way of my life. Baking, canning, saving, recycling...it's all staying, regardless of my financial situation. Let's call it a resolution...even though I don't usualy make resolutions! I always thought it was just a way to set myself up for failure...but not this year. 2009 is going to be different...and this time, I'm not failing.